By Yolanda T. Marshall

Sons of the East

Written by Ifeoma Chinwuba.

“Sons of the East intricately lays bare the dark underbelly of polygamy in an Igbo family in southeastern Nigeria. Beyond the brazen show of material opulence through international businesses, importations, master-apprentice relationships, and grandeur titles, lurks the beast of jealousy, chauvinism, covetousness, sibling rivalry and sheer hatred. Zona, the dismal first son is frantic about being the only king installed in the Okonkwo kingdom, yet a delectable widow is on his path. This is a delightful read. Ifeoma Chinwuba remains a chef-d’oeuvre in this engaging narrative. – Unomah Azuah, Poet, Novelist, Activist and Freelance Journalist.” – Griots Lounge, 2023.

Mad Love: Big Flavors Made to Share, from South Asia to the West Indies – A Cookbook

Written by Devan Rajkumar.

“Award-winning Guyanese Canadian chef Devan Rajkumar believes the world needs more love and is here to offer it – through food.

Born in Toronto into a Guyanese household, Devan Rajkumar grew up surrounded by diverse communities and cuisines. After training in the hospitality industry and chasing new flavours from around the world, he found himself reconnecting with his culinary roots. Now an established media personality, Chef Dev’s relaxed and modern approach to cooking is steeped in his Caribbean family heritage and South Asian ancestry.” – Figure 1 Publishing, 2024.

Where Was Goodbye?

Written by Janice Lynn Mather.

“Karmen is about to start her last year of high school, but it’s only been six weeks since her brother, Julian, died by suicide. How is she supposed to focus on school when huge questions loom: Why is Julian gone? How could she have missed seeing his pain? Could she have helped him? When a blowup at school gets Karmen sent home for a few weeks, life gets more complicated: things between her parents are tenser than ever, her best friend’s acting like a stranger, and her search to understand why Julian died keeps coming up empty. New friend Pru both baffles and comforts Karmen, and there might finally be something happening with her crush, Isaiah, but does she have time for either, or are they just more distractions? Will she ever understand Julian’s struggle and tragedy? If not, can she love—and live—again?”- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024.

Outcaste

Written by Sheila James.

“Perched out of sight in a tree beside the road, Malika, a communist resistance fighter, prepares to assassinate the new governor in a village in the recently independent India. As she prepares to shoot, she recognizes the man riding in the car and hesitates. The man is Rayappa, whom Malika had first met five years earlier in the village of Korampally. Both were deemed “untouchables”. Yet, Malika toiled as a servant in a landowner’s household while Rayappa worked for a visiting anthropologist. Fifty years later, Rayappa, now living in Canada as Irwin Peter, receives a letter asking for information about Malika. When he decides to return to India with his family, he is forced to revisit Korampally’s turbulent history — and his own. The lingering legacy of the caste system, the brutal invasion of the kingdom of Hyderabad by the nascent Indian state, and the encounter between Irwin and Malika would all have profound consequences. A brilliant, complex novel, Outcaste radiates with an unquenchable life force. Shimmering with emotional depth and crackling with vibrancy, Outcaste revisits a complex period in India’s history while imbuing ordinary lives with extraordinarily dramatic dimensions.” – Goose Lane Editions, 2024.

Wildflower

Written by Aurora James.

“Already a rising star and trailblazer in fashion, she posted a revolutionary idea in the wake of George Floyd’s murder that challenged retailers to commit 15 per cent of their shelf space to Black businesses. This became the Fifteen Percent Pledge, one of the fastest-growing social justice nonprofits. To date, more than two dozen of the world’s most recognized retailers have taken the pledge, redirecting $14 billion in annual revenue to Black and BIPOC brands.

Wildflower is the riveting story of how Aurora James made an indelible mark on the American economic system and a rallying cry for those eager to make change.” – Crown, 2024.

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