Reviewed by Yasser El-Sayed Much has already been written about Allen Mendenhall’s new book, Of Bees & Boys: Lines from a Southern Lawyer. The celebrated author William Bernhardt, who penned the forward to the collection of essays, states that “Mendenhall is an artist and writer of the first caliber . . . Time and again […]
“The Forsaken,” by Ace Atkins
September 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Yasser El-Sayed Let me begin with a disclaimer – not only is The Forsaken my first Quinn Colson novel, it is in fact the first Ace Atkins book I have ever read. One can argue that a work of literature can and should stand on its own, so why not have it reviewed […]
“The Long Rifle Season,” by James Murray
January 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Yasser El-Sayed James Murray’s short story collection, The Long Rifle Season, is a beautiful rough diamond, as hard-tumble and razor-edged as it is luminous; its characters navigate harsh physical and psychological landscapes. In the hands of a less capable author, these stories might seem sensationalistic or gimmicky. In Murray’s, however, they are grit-lit […]
“Battlegrounds of Memory,” by Clay Lewis
July 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Yasser El-Sayed In Battlegrounds of Memory, Clay Lewis traces a rich and conflicted trajectory of loss, pain and redemption over the course of generations. This slim book is a uniquely American story that is narrated with unflinching honesty and infused with such elemental raw emotion that its ultimate achievement lies far beyond a […]