© 2020 West Trade Review
Reviews
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© 2020 West Trade Review
© 2022 West Trade Review
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"She seems most interested in what we choose to remember; on how Black people position themselves in both public and artistic spaces; on how public spaces can become artistic spaces; and on what authenticity means in a Western world that has allowed people of African descent so little space for self-actualization."
by Mary Sutton
March 8, 2022
"Reading through this collection is difficult in the best way. The words carry power and yet the poems have a clarity that make them easy to devour... Shire’s poetry is both accessible and impactful and paints a beautiful and very real portrait of a young woman discovering her identity and place in the world. It's a great collection for novice and seasoned poetry readers alike."
by Paulina Freedman
March 3, 2022
"The Boy With a Bird" In His Chest is a coming-of-age story just as wonderfully unusual as its protagonists, Owen and Gail. With her openhearted storytelling, Emme Lund pulls readers into a world that is both dangerous and magical. It’s impossible not to root for Owen as he grows and finds his place in the world as a boy with a bird in his chest, as a boy who loves another boy, and as a person who deserves to 'take up space.'"
by Averi Long
February 17, 2022
NONFICTION REVIEW
POETRY REVIEW
FICTION REVIEW
"Sheila Heti is a prime example of the type of following a writer can engender, having built an excellent career on mining the quotidian difficulties that make up the thematic foundation of many great writers, but with her own tools and own approach. Her latest effort, Pure Colour, fits neatly into this lineage; an off-white, somewhat wild, utterly original novel about human connection and the meaning of life as we know it."
by D.W. White
February 15, 2022
FICTION REVIEW
"Kim Fu’s Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century is an amalgamation of human contradiction, as Fu explores the underlying darkness of her character’s desires. This collection of twelve stories draws the reader into realities that are both familiar yet surreal."
by Corrine Watson
February 2, 2022
FICTION REVIEW
"Don’t Cry For Me is a noble exercise in empathy and an effort toward collective healing. If Black’s aim as a writer is to embrace the African American community by identifying and then tearing down barriers erected by generational conflict, colorism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, then this novel hits its mark. "
by Mary Sutton
February 2, 2022
FICTION REVIEW
"...an earnest tale for young enthusiasts of historical romance that blends the gothic beauty of 19th century Scotland, a female protagonist with admirable aspirations to change the world, an intriguing love interest from the "wrong side of the tracks,” and a sinister murder mystery that acts as connective tissue for it all."
by Gianni Washington
January 25, 2022
FICTION REVIEW
"It is fundamental to our collective existence and individual lives to tell stories, whether piecing together family legend or recounting the day’s shopping trip. This primacy of narrative in the human condition, naturally a base component of every novel, is nonetheless explored with unusual depth and foregrounding in Renée Branum’s temporal-structurally distinctive debut, Defenestrate."
by D.W. White
January 24, 2022
FICTION REVIEW
"Colorful quirks of idiom and self-reflexivity aside, the narration and indeed the book as whole begins along these compelling if conventional lines, before, like the splitting of an atom or the magnifying of a telescope, it explodes into something far more fascinating and demanding."
by D.W. White
January 19, 2022
FICTION REVIEW
"Perry tells many little-known stories of underrepresented historical figures, and on this ground alone this is certainly a worthy read. Perry's writing style makes it easy to overlook some of the structural flaws and oversights in the text, and thus this book is recommended for anyone interested in African American, Southern, and/or American history and culture."
by Shana Scudder
January 18, 2022
NONFICTION REVIEW
