Book Review | Promised Land: The Encoding
In a bleak dystopia, a series of otherworldly events trigger a racial reckoning in the American South in PROMISED LAND: THE ENCODING by Katib bin Vilio. Reviewed by Erica Ball.
In a bleak dystopia, a series of otherworldly events trigger a racial reckoning in the American South in PROMISED LAND: THE ENCODING by Katib bin Vilio. Reviewed by Erica Ball.
THE HUMAN ORIGINS OF BEATRICE PORTER AND OTHER ESSENTIAL GHOSTS by Soraya Palmer (Catapult, 2023) is about a traumatized family reckoning with the stories – good and bad, painful and joyful – that have made them who they are.
ANOTHER WORLD by Maximillian Matthews is a heartfelt, sincere memoir and an earnest call to arms to improve the world for marginalized communities. Check out what Jada Wilson has to say in her book review of this indie nonfiction book.
A BLACK WOMAN’S COFFEE TABLE BOOK by Kayla Nixon is filled with beautiful writing that is both precious and a comfort. Check out what Andrea Marks-Joseph has to say about this indie nonfiction title.
AJHA’S WEB by Essence Bonitaz is an authentic page-turner that will leave you tangled in its web of family secrets and drama. Check out what Chika Anene has to say about this indie author novel.
THE LIVING IS EASY by Dorothy West is an unforgettable portrait of an unlovable antihero as she manipulates her way through 1940s Black Boston society. Check out what Rosa Kumar of IBR has to say about this Feminist Press novel.
“Interview with Artress Bethany White” by Samantha Hui is a question and answer interview with the author of Survivor’s Guilt: Essays on Race and American Identity from New Rivers Press.
SURVIVOR’S GUILT: Essays on Race and American Identity by Artress Bethany White is a book full of heart, angst, confusion, and – above all – love. Check out what Samantha Hui has to say about this New Rivers Press nonfiction book.
“5 Independent Presses Celebrating Black Culture” is a literary listicle about the independent presses founded by black publishers that are producing books with a black audience in mind. Check out which indie presses Jaylynn Korrell picked in her latest article at Independent Book Review.









