Welcome to THEJNSREPORT’S Summer/ Fall 2012 Must Read List

So several months back after taking a break from watching lackluster movies that came out this year and looking forward to Summer here in the Empire City aka Gotham aka “I Love NY”, I decided it had been quite a while since my last book read (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy) and so I started to pick some books that piqued my interest.  One of these books was “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E. L James.  I found this book a very interesting and entertaining read .  By the time I was nearly done reading it, it was suggested that I read another book titled “Antebellum” by Author R, Kayeen Thomas.

Let me first say that both books are well written page turners that thoroughly engross, envelope, and entertain the reader.  I can’t count how many times I’ve nearly missed or missed my stop on the train while reading them.  Both books share a common thread even though they encompass two entirely different subjects.  The common thread being sex and relationships.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” deals with relationships and in depth descriptions of the sexual appetites and experiences of both the two main characters in BDSM while discovering for themselves what defines their relationship.  Is it sex or is the sex merely an essential expression  of love felt between two young people from different backgrounds?  Either way the sex somehow isn’t the central theme of the story even though it dominates a major aspect of the relationship between both main characters.   It’s a very well paced book with lots of detail and believable fantasy.  It leaves the reader contemplating and reflecting on one’s own assumptions of what a relationship is defined as.   While I personally like this book, I tend to think for some it would be clearly adult content too descriptive for prudes or the timid to entertain reading.  I say to each their own.

What a read!!

Antebellum on the other hand addresses sex as a component of an even more powerful story bridging relationships not just between men and women but slavery and the contemporary world of today intertwined through time travel.

This in my opinion is a unique look at  how the past and the future can be merged seamlessly while telling true history and struggles of Afro-American slaves in America and where the descendants of those slaves are today.  Ground breaking and thought provoking is what came to my mind while reading this book.  I could literally see what was being described both in our modern world and then back during slavery in early American history.  An even more important aspect of the story evolves around the use of the N -word both during slavery and today in the post civil rights era.  I couldn’t help but remember thinking about the Black Men Posting while reading certain chapters of the book.

This is a story I feel I will want to read again and highly recommend for all youth, especially those who are ignorant and/or have limited understanding of their history.  It speaks to the media images of whatever music artist is currently relevant while glorifying the lifestyles they project and brag about.  I’ve become a huge fan of this book and want to see it made into a feature length film.  When I think of the impact on screen this story could have if done right it gives me goose bumps.  Sometimes movie adaptations of books don’t always pan out right but the potential is there and that potential could awaken many youths whose attention spans are so short they’d rather watch the movie than read the book.

Probably the best book I’ve read this year!!

When I started to read “Fifty Shades of Grey” I had no idea what the story would involve other than what I had heard second hand from some people who’d said they put the book down and couldn’t finish it due to the subject matter.   Never being one to let someone else’s experience dictate for me what I was to think without reading it for myself I picked up the book.  After reading it cover to cover my overall impression is…It’s a great read but not for everyone.  Antebellum I really enjoyed and I say GET THIS BOOK!!!!  Anyone whose read either book and has some insight they’d like to share feel free to reply to this post.

This has been another report from THEJNSREPORT.