Omarosa Wrote A Book… “Unhinged: An Insider’s Story of the Trump White House.”

You knew it was coming if nothing else, Omarosa Manigault Newman is a hustler and writing a book about her White House experience was a natural progression. It remains to be seen how well-received her book will be. Sean Spicer has had to cancel early stops on his book tour and been heckled at others. Omarosa may well face opposition for her book from the right and left, each feeling she betrayed them.

There’s no doubt she has a story to tell, it may pale however to the daily breaking news about Russia scandals and leaked information from Trump’s personal fixer who is preparing to tell tales of Russian collusion or his accountant who has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury. Omarosa’s tale about being shut out and having her role minimized isn’t likely to capture the news cycle. Her stories about how she stood up for black people behind closed doors and how she was mistreated won’t gain much sympathy either.

There is no escaping that she was a mouthpiece for Trump, repeating his lies and making up some of her own on his behalf. She treated her opportunity to influence White House policy like a reality game. And when the time came, she was fired, allegedly dragged out of the White House, trying to reach Donald to correct what must have been a grievous mistake. After her firing, she tried to fit in at the National Association of Black Journalists on a panel, but she didn’t want to talk about Trump and it didn’t go well. Evidently she couldn’t go home again.

Perhaps Omorosa knows some things the world needs to know? Publishers feared to give her a big advance because they fear her book won’t sell. She is a hustler though and may prove everyone wrong. She’ll do the talk shows, offer some tidbits, and for another 15 minutes, recapture some fame. “Unhinged” is published by Gallery Books and is due in bookstores on August 14th.

What’s Everybody Reading?

These days there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism into literature to ignore the real world. I made an inquiry on my Facebook page asking what people were reading and was amazed at the response. I picked up several suggestions for my reading list and have already read; “Wrapped In Rainbows The Life of Zora Neale Hurston” by Valerie Boyd and “Down The River Under The Sea” by Walter Mosley as a result and have started “Barracoon” by Zora Neale Hurston. These were all a change of pace from my normal reading and I’m glad others lead me to these.

If you’re reading something fascinating or just finished a book you want to share? Make a comment and let the rest of us know what’s on your reading list? Be sure to include those guilty pleasures, we won’t judge! Try not to anyway.

Walter Mosley: Down The River Unto The Sea (Book Review)

Have you ever had a night where you needed to go to bed because you had to get up very early in the morning but you had to finish this book you were reading because it was just that good? I paid the price the next day but it had to be done. Walter Mosley introduces us to another detective, Joe King Oliver, this time a former New York policeman who was framed for a crime he didn’t commit; jailed, divorced, and broken, who clawed his way back with the aid of his teenage daughter and a few unsavory friends.

By normal literary standards, there’s way too many characters and subplots but this is Mosley and he makes it all work. The novel is unpredictable, violent, sexy without being sexual and an insight into the corruption all around us, including the inner workings of a big city police force.

Joe King Oliver sets out to solve his ten-year-old frame along with the case of another man accused of killing two cops. Both cases will lead him into danger but Joe’s integrity forces him to go on. His journey often finds him on the brink of going over the edge, with his daughter his only real tie to sanity.

Joe King Oliver has the potential to become another iconic detective in the mold of Mosley’s; Easy Rawlins or Leonid McGill. This is your chance to get on at the beginning of the ride. Highly recommended!

AAMBC Literary Awards Nominee: Glory Edim

The full title describing Glory Edim nominations would read something like; AAMBC Literary Awards Nominee for, “Literary Activist of the Year” and “Book Club of the Year.” The Awards are being held June 7–10, 2018 in Atlanta, GA.

In August, 2015, Glory started a book club to connect with like-minded women in Brooklyn, beginning with an analysis of Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Between The World And Me.” Last year, I wrote a story about Glory and her book club. “Well Read Black Girl,” (WRBG) which then had over 20,000 followers.

https://enigmainblack.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/glory-edim-shadow-warrior/

Ten months later, WRBG has over 50,000 members and is growing exponentially. The club has an International presence, yet also has monthly meetings and literary events where she hosts black female authors from across the diaspora. Guests have included authors; Naomi Jackson, Yaa Gyasi, Margo Jefferson, Angela Flournoy and Jacqueline Woodson. LaShonda Barnett even invited the group to her home.

On April 20th Glory will receive the, 2017 Innovator of the Year Award from the Los Angeles Times. Carolyn Kellogg, Times Books editor said, “We are delighted that our Innovator’s Award will go to Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl. Going from a hashtag to a cultural force, Well-Read Black Girl created a vital new space for literary discussion and engagement.”

In addition to providing a forum for her members, WRBG provides resources to aspiring authors. Every meeting has what Edim calls, “the resource share,” where “we’re talking about things that are happening in the community, or we have announcements about workshops or residencies … or if there’s a conference happening … we’re talking about what everyone’s needs are, what’s happening in the literary space.” Last September she hosted the WRBG Writers Conference and Festival, putting authors in the same room with publishers and literary agents.

As if all this weren’t enough, Glory is currently editing her own book, “Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves.” The AAMBC Journal will provide information about its release. WRBG produces a newsletter, and hosts live Twitter chats. Glory is partnering with “Raising Mothers” to bring monthly reading suggestions for both parent and child. Brooklyn Magazine once called Glory, “The Future of Reading.” They may have underestimated her. Glory Edim, AAMBC Literary Awards nominee for “Literary Activist of the Year,” and, “Book Club of the Year.”