The Gilded Ones You can listen to the podcast review as well. Scroll down for the link. A A+ A- All the variation of As goes to Namina Forna and her novel The Gilded Ones. I was not sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I was intrigued by the concept of the outcast turning into her community’s salvation. It is an archetypal story after all. My curiosity was rewarded with an interesting, well-crafted story that kept me turning the pages with ravenous intensity.  Forna tells the tale of Deka who lives in a place and time where women and girls are essentially oppressed in every way possible. Yet everyone not only abides by this but they believe it so fervently that they dare not go against it for fear of being shunned and ostracized. Deka finds herself on the wrong side of what is acceptable and what happens to her is beyond imaginable.  Forna had me completely hooked and I finished the book in record time. Deka’s struggle and growth was tackled in such a way that caused me to

  Without Remorse Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse starring Michael B Jordan, Lauren London, Jodie Turner-Smith, Guy Pierce, and Jamie Bell was released over the weekend on Amazon Prime to poor critic reviews yet favorable fan reviews. It is a story about John Clark, a Navy Seal, whose mission in life is to get revenge on those who murdered his wife and unborn child. I feel fortunate that I have not read the book. It seems those who did were very disappointed with the movie because the screenplay writers make have been very liberal in their use of the creative license. I actually enjoyed the movie though. It is clear from the production quality that the studio did not nickel and dime the budget.  Michael B. Jordan carried this film. He hoisted it on his broad, chiseled shoulders and pushed through some of the cliched nuances that we would expect from a Tom Clancy-inspired film. Now did he do enough to take this across the finish line to start off a new franchise? That remains to be seen. T

My spirit has been disturbed for quite some time now as I've been mulling over the events in the past few years up until this recent GA thing and including people's comments on my TL as well as other SM platforms. The hate is real. It had me wondering about our "progress." I needed this reminder that our resilience is unmatched and our human spirit is unwavering and our tenacity is ferocious.  I want to believe that humanity is better than this and that we will continue to rise not only as Black people on this planet but also as a collective people. Our differences should not alienate us but bring us together to form a worldwide tapestry in which all of our diversity is appreciated. Every single creature has a place and purpose. Our differences are meant to be complimentary instead of leading to adversary amongts us. However, I am well aware that is not the place we are currently in. I appreciate the fighters who will not quite in the pursuit of that Marti

The best part about being a nurse is, honestly, being able to help people. Nurse's reach out and try to touch the whole person. Sometimes we can get caught up and forget what is really important but at the end of the day, it is the work that sets us straight. Our ability to provide some support when people are at their most vulnerable is a gift that we should not take for granted.  On this National Nurses Day, I am grateful for the ability to do what I do.  There are several places that are giving freebies. Check out Nurse.org for the article. https://nurse.org/articles/free-nurse-week-giveaways/