Kazi 88.7 Fm Book Review

Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed Yasmin Angoe about her new book, Behind These Four Walls.  Yasmin tells the story of a young woman who enters the world of a wealthy family in a desperate search for truth only to find herself in a dangerous world of deceit.  You can learn more about Yasmin on Instagram at @author_yasminangoe, on Facebook @ Yasmin Angoe Author and on her website at yasminangoe.com.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Follow us on Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewFollow us on Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

I was really excited to interview my friend and fellow book lover, Deone Wilhite.  Deone and I were in a book club together in the mid-1990s in Austin, Texas. He is a community activist, a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, a long-suffering Dallas Cowboys fan, and a not-so-suffering UT Longhorns football fan.  On Facebook, he is well known for his book nerd alerts, grabbing the attention of his fellow readers for recommending tomes that have blown him away.In the interview, Deone credits his late mother for his love of reading.  He said, “My mother was a schoolteacher, so there were always lots of books and reading materials around.” He cites this environment for sparking his lifelong love of reading. We talked about his favorite authors, 1990s hip hop, and the best book he read in 2025, THE AFTERLIFE OF MALCOLM X by Mark Whitaker.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com 

Join Hopeton Hay on Diverse Voices Book Review as he talks with Nicholas Buccola, author of One Man’s Freedom: Goldwater, King, and the Struggle Over an American Idea. Buccola explores how two iconic leaders—Barry Goldwater and Martin Luther King Jr.—shaped contrasting visions of freedom during a pivotal era in American history.Nicholas  is a writer, lecturer, and teacher who specializes in the area of American political thought.  His previous books include The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America (Princeton University Press, 2019) and The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass: In Pursuit of American Liberty (New York University Press, 2012).  He is a Professor of Humanism and Ethics in the Department of Government at Claremont McKenna College.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Tayyba Kanwal about her debut story collection, TALKING WITH BOYS.  In the conversation, Kanwal shared how her stories explore themes of cultural identity and female agency through the lens of Pakistani-Americans. With linked characters, the tales span Houston, Lahore, Pakistan; and Dubai, going as far back as 1950 to 2020. Tayyba Kanwal is a Pakistani-American writer from Houston, TX. Her award-winning work has appeared injournals such as Witness, Gulf Coast and Meridian. Born in Lahore, Pakistan, and raised in the United Arab Emirates, she holds an MFA from the University of Houston where she was an Inprint C. Glenn Cambor Fellow, and an MS from the University of Oregon.Follow Diverse Voices Book Review on Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com  

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Elizabeth MacBride, co-author with Seth Levine of CAPITAL EVOLUTION: The New American Economy.  In the interview MacBride explores how the evolution of capitalism in America has led to systemic inequalities, discusses the impact of shareholder primacy and neoliberalism, and highlights the need for reforms that restore the middle class, promote shared ownership, and address challenges like CEO pay, and environmental externalities.Elizabeth MacBride is a journalist, author and consultant in finance, women’s rights, and technology. She is an advocate for a fair, accessible financial system and policies that support women's economic power. She has written or edited for Quartz, Forbes Magazine, The Atlantic, Stanford Business Magazine, CNBC, BBC, Newsweek, and many others, and is the coauthor of two previous books: The Little Book of Robo Investing and The New Builders.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @div

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay and contributor Maya Hay interviewed Mona Awad, author of the novel WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY, the prequel-sequel to her 2019 novel BUNNY. WE LOVE YOU BUNNY is a darkly comic thriller set in the world of an elite MFA program, where a successful young author is kidnapped by her former classmates and forced to hear their point of view of the account of secret rituals, monstrous creations, and dark academia originally spun in BUNNY. In the interview Awad discussed her evolving approach to character development, deepening the inner lives of her creations by exploring their insecurities and perspectives through multiple viewpoints. She described how the novel draws on fairy tale symbolism and personal experiences to highlight the tension between external expectations and creative freedom.Mona Awad is the bestselling author of the novels Rouge, All’s Well, Bunny, and 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl. She is a three-time finalist for a Goodreads Choice Award, the recipient of an

Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Chaitali Sen interviewed Gemini Wahhaj, author of the short story collection KATY FAMILY. In the conversation, they discussed the inspirations and themes behind the short story collection, exploring the complexities of immigrant life in Houston, the interplay of personal experience and social critique, and the role of discomfort and humor in storytelling. They delved into how setting, character flaws, and cultural dynamics shape the stories, while also reflecting on the challenges and beauty of the short story form.Gemini Wahaj is also the author of the novel, THE CHILDREN OF THIS MADNESS. She has a Phd in creative writing from the University of Houston, where she received the James A. Michener Award for fiction.Chaitali Sen is the author of the novel, THE PATHLESS SKY, and the short story collection, A NEW RACE OF MEN FROM HEAVEN.

This is the final of three episodes in the Diverse Voices Book Review Limited Podcast Series: Secret Lives of Fairy Tales.  Created and hosted by fairy-tale scholar and professor Kimberly J. Lau, the third episode features Kay Turner, a fairy tales scholar and editor of Transgressive Tales: Queering the Grimms. In the episode, Turner shares how she uses queer theory and the legacy of liberation movements to inform a reimagining of Grimm’s fairy tales, highlighting queerness, alternative relationships, and exploring how these tales offer new ways of being and thinking beyond traditional norms.Be sure to check out the wrap-up episode where Hopeton Hay interviews Kimberly J. Lau about the series.Kimberly J. Lau is a Professor of Literature at University of California, Santa Cruz, and author of Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale.

This is the second of three episodes in the Diverse Voices Book Review Limited Podcast Series: Secret Lives of Fairy Tales.  Created and hosted by fairy-tale scholar and professor Kimberly J. Lau, the second episode features Ruth Bottigheimer, a fairy tales scholar and author of Grimms' Bad Girls and Bold Boys: The Moral and Social Vision of the Tales. In the episode, they discuss the hidden gender biases and historical evolution of European fairy tales, especially the silencing of women in the Grimm Brothers’ tales, and how these stories continue to shape cultural attitudes..Kimberly J. Lau is a Professor of Literature at University of California, Santa Cruz, and author of Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale.

This is the first of three episodes in the Diverse Voices Book Review Limited Podcast Series: Secret Lives of Fairy Tales.  Created and hosted by fairy-tale scholar and professor Kimberly J. Lau, the first episode features Sarah Hines, a scholar of children's literature and the history of book publishing, with a special focus on Andrew Lang's Colored Fairy Book series and its illustrations. In the interview, they discuss how Andrew Lang’s Colored Fairy Book series and its illustrations reflect and reinforce Victorian ideas about race, empire, and cultural ownership, often presenting whiteness as beauty and othering non-European characters. Hines is also co-owner of Eight Cousins Bookstore in Falmouth, Massachusetts.  Kimberly J. Lau is a Professor of Literature at University of California, Santa Cruz, and author of Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale.

Diverse Voices Book Review has produced a new three-episode podcast limited series, Ever Wonder...the Secret Lives of Fairy Tales.  The creator and host is Kimberly J. Lau, a Professor of Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she teaches courses on fairy tales, monster studies, popular culture, and twentieth- and twenty-first-century women’s fiction, all within the context feminist theory, critical race studies, and gender and sexuality studies. She is the author of numerous books and articles on similar topics, including Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale (December 2024) and Erotic Infidelities: Love and Desire in Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber (2015).  In this introduction to the series, Lau explains why she chose each of the fairy tale scholars featured in the series: Sara Hines, Ruth Bottigheimer, and Kay Turner. Click on Kimberly J. Lau to explore her web site.

Diverse Voices Book Review guest host Amran Gowani interviewed Dennard Dayle, author of the Civil War satire HOW TO DODGE A CANNONBALL. The story follows Anders, a White teenage flag twirler whose madcap journey finds him fighting for both armies, claiming to be an octoroon, escaping certain death far too many times, and examining the unresolved hypocrisies at the heart of America’s foundation. During the interview, Dayle discussed why he chose to satirize the Civil War, the historical parallels between the 1860s and present-day America, and his love for CATCH-22, a novel which has heavily influenced his creative work. Dennard Dayle is a Jamaican American novelist, satirist, and prankster who lives in Brooklyn, New York. His short fiction has appeared in the New Yorker, Clarkesworld, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and his short story collection EVERYTHING ABRIDGED was published in 2022. Dennard is a graduate of Princeton University and received his MFA at Columbia University, where he teaches as an adjunc

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Chuck Collins, author of BURNED BY BILLIONAIRES: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives And Planet. The interview explored the impact of extreme wealth concentration on society, covering topics such as the racial wealth divide, climate disruption, affordable housing, and the influence of billionaire dynasties. Collins also addressed tax avoidance by billionaires, the effects of private equity on communities, and practical steps individuals and governments can take to counteract these trends.Chuck Collins  is the Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co-edits Inequality.org.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewX - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

In this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay interviewed Jarvis R. Givens, author of AMERICAN GRAMMAR: Race, Education, and the Building of a Nation.  Jarvis reframes the origin story of U.S. education by centering Black and Native experiences. He explains how early schooling was directly tied to land dispossession, slavery, and laws restricting literacy, showing education as a tool of empire-building rather than pure democratic inclusion. Givens also highlights Indigenous and Black resistance, the role of Christianity, and figures like Booker T. Washington to illustrate the complex intersections of race, education, and nationhood.  To visit his website, click on Jarvis R. Givens.Jarvis R. Givens is a Professor of Education and African and African American Studies and the co-founding faculty director of the Black Teacher Archive at Harvard University.  His new book, I'LL MAKE A WORLD: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month, is set to be published on February 3, 2026.Diverse Voices Book

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviews history professor Marc Egnal about his book CHALLENGING THE MYTHS OF US HISTORY: Seven Short Essays on the Past and the Present.  In this conversation, Egnal challenges the idea that American history is driven by lofty ideals. Instead, he argues that the demands of the upper class for growth and expansion have shaped the nation’s trajectory — from the Revolution to today’s tech oligarchs.Marc is Professor of History Emeritus at York University and author of CLASH OF EXTREMES: The Economic Origins of the Civil War. Author's bio: About the Author | Marc Egnal Book description: Challenging the Myths of US History by Marc Egnal - Paper - University of California Press Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviews Amran Gowani, author of the financial thriller and satire LEVERAGE.  Gowani, a former organic chemist and financial analyst, draws from his personal experiences to create a social satire set in high finance.  The protagonist, Ali “Al” Jafar is a rising star at notorious hedge fund Prism Capital, but fortunes change fast on Wall Street. When his biggest investment goes up in smoke, Al loses $300 million—and his fragile sense of self-worth—in a single afternoon.  The book's chapters are named after 90s rap songs, reflecting Gowani's love for hip hop and its relevance to his character's identity.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewX - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

In this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, Hopeton Hay welcomes back Aaron Philip Clark to discuss THE BLUEST NIGHT, the third installment in his Trevor Finnegan crime series. Set in the seemingly idyllic yet shadowy enclave of Malibu, the novel explores themes of justice, race, and fractured family ties as Trevor and his estranged father, Sean, are forced into an uneasy partnership to investigate a murder that hits close to home. Clark delves into the evolving dynamics of policing, the haunting realities of missing persons cases, and the personal costs of justice, all while continuing to develop Trevor’s complex journey as a detective, father, and son.Aaron Philip Clark is a USA Today bestselling author, screenwriter, professor, and host of The Culture Point podcast. Known for his neo-noir crime fiction set in Los Angeles, Clark explores race, justice, and identity with literary depth. He’s also collaborated with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and civil rights attorney Ben Crump.Diverse Voices Book Review Soci

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed David Wright Faladé, author of the novel, THE NEW INTERNATIONALS. Set in post–World War II Paris, Faladé’s novel explores a love triangle between Cécile, a young French Jewish woman; Seb, an ambitious Black student from a French West African colony; and Mack, an African American GI navigating the city’s vibrant yet fractured landscape. Faladé discussed how the  novel was inspired by his personal family history.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewX - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed Southwestern Law School professor Andrea Freeman about her book, RUIN THEIR CROPS ON THE GROUND: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch. With thoughtful analysis and a careful examination of historical events, Professor Freeman reveals how the U.S. government’s destruction of food resources and the dismantling of cultural norms of minority communities contributed to the mistreatment and systemic oppression of individuals that can still be observed in our society today. You can learn more about her book at afreelawprof on Instagram.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewX - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

In this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay welcomes back Rudy Ruiz, the author of THE BORDER BETWEEN US, which was just released in paperback. In the interview, Ruiz delves into his Mexican American roots and how they have profoundly influenced his writing. He discusses how his personal experiences growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border have shaped the themes and characters in his novels.Rudy Ruiz is the author of The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows. He is a winner of the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction, the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction, and multiple International Latino Book Awards. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewX - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com