Illustration of an open book, a clock, and a reel of film

Critical Times for This Book and Film Blogger

January 15, 2026January 25, 2026Leave a comment

“We clung to books and to our friends; they reminded us that we had another part to us.”
~from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, a novel set on the island of Guernsey during the aftermath of World War Two

Nadine C. Keels

I, a Black American woman in the United States, am an author as well as a book and film blogger.

Some folks who see my blog and social media posts might wonder on certain days, “Why/how can she go on talking about entertainment so much—books and movies and stuff? Doesn’t she know or care about all the injustices and violence and crises happening in America right now? And in more of the world?”

But whether the novels and films and such that I post about are raw and heavy or light and upbeat, please don’t mistake my arts and entertainment blogging for ignorance or indifference in regard to current events.

Bear in mind that many people who do a lot of reading, writing, and critical thinking have read much about history—so they’re likely to care all the more about what’s going on in the U.S. and around the globe at present. They’re aware of how various aspects of the present resemble what’s already happened in the past.

It would take more than one blog post to go into all the ways that art and literature have been and remain crucial parts of society and of our humanity, including in times of crisis. Just know that many of us are continuing to read, to write, to create, and to appreciate and share art and literature on purpose.

To teach and to spread awareness. To nourish and replenish hearts and minds. To give hope and to strengthen morale. To speak to fellow human beings’ souls—reminding us that there’s “another part to us.”

A part that we need. For today, and for tomorrow.

Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers

May 16, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

Ida, in Love and in Trouble
by
Veronica Chambers

| Description

• Young Adult Historical Fiction

As the eldest child of freed Black parents who’d thrived in a community full of hope and possibility after the Civil War, young, courageous, and flirtatious Ida B. Wells navigates society parties and society prejudices to become a civil rights crusader.

| My Thoughts

Although this work of historical fiction has been published in the young adult category, it’s important to know that Ida isn’t a teenager in this novel. She’s a grown woman, the story spanning her early twenties to her early thirties. (With some information about her later years toward the end.)

Womanhood, Activism, and Danger

The flashes of irony caught my attention as I observed the social complexities Ida would face throughout the book.

She’s a Black woman—a career woman at that—who desires marriage but doesn’t see it as the ultimate point of womanhood. While she moves among society’s Black Elite during America’s Gilded Age and even travels and speaks around Europe, she isn’t the Victorian ideal many of the Black women of her time look to embody. Ida’s activism and journalistic work are too untidy and dangerous for that.

Literally dangerous—especially when her speaking out against the horrific practice of lynching Black Americans draws blatant, direct threats from murderous ruffians looking to lynch her too.

Switching into Biography Mode

Now, admittedly, as a lover of historical fiction, I didn’t have the smoothest reading experience with this book. The narrative tells rather than shows, and much of it reads like an overview, with so many events passing by in only brief portions. And there isn’t much character development for the many people Ida meets. So, with the exception of one atrocity involving one of Ida’s friends, I couldn’t feel along with her emotions about characters I hardly knew.

Because I found the reading to have a disjointed feel as a novel, I eventually switched to thinking of it more like a biography. That helped me to maintain my overall interest as I read, given that I’ve been reading and hearing nuggets about Ida B. Wells since my childhood.

American History

One honor regarding Ida in this book’s Coda filled me with bittersweet pride, particularly as a Black woman and a writer myself. More readers with an interest in American history would do well to pick this book up.

| Content Note

many reports of violence, particularly against Black Americans
no explicit sexual content
language kept to a “PG” level

The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman

April 25, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

The Radio Hour
by
Victoria Purman

| Description

• Historical Fiction

Martha Berry is fifty years old, single, and one of an army of polite, “invisible” women in 1956 Australia who get things done without fuss, fanfare, or reward. Working at the country’s national broadcaster, Martha is sent to work as a secretary on a brand-new radio serial. But she soon finds herself at the mercy of an erratic young producer who hasn’t got a clue, and the serial faces impending cancellation. It’ll be up to Martha to take dire matters into her own hands—somehow.

| My Thoughts

• 3.5 Stars, rounded up

I wanted to read this novel as soon as I saw the book cover (of the Australian edition, pictured above). Not only did the cover appeal to me as a lover of historical fiction but also as a bona fide nostalgic who’s enjoyed listening to a modest share of radio programs from the era before television.

Particularly episodes of My Favorite Husband, the American radio show starring Lucille Ball, which was eventually reworked to become the classic television sitcom I Love Lucy.

Sorry! Kinda veering off topic, but I couldn’t mention I Love Lucy without cueing a few snippets from iconic episodes of the show. 😀

Vibrant Vintage Vibe

I carried the vibe from The Radio Hour’s book cover with me as I read about Martha’s personal relationships with her mother, her neighbors, and her friends at work. I felt it during the characters’ excited chats about their favorite radio programs.

Sexism—and Where It Often Leads

But of course, the vibe isn’t merry and bright as the story tackles the issue of sexism. Then, as Martha leans all the way into the issue during the last third or so of the book, the reading begins to come off somewhat more like a manifesto than a novel at times. While those moments would pull me out of the story as a fiction reader, I as a person understood the tone and energy of it all.

From the sexism issue stems the story’s tackling of sexual harassment and assault. At some point during the last third, as the novel went on in that vein, the reading started to feel long to me. But the most aggravating aspect of that was/is the fact that it isn’t unrealistic—the multiple women in those scenes all having something to say about how they’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted. Because, yes, it’s that common in real life.

On a Technical Note

Now, when Martha reaches her first major turning point to take action on the radio front, some of the key information showing why she’s ready to handle that specific task should have been mentioned earlier on in the book, simply as nuggets about her character—so as not to seem like the author brought Martha to the turning point and only then began thinking up how to make it fully plausible.

Also, the writing in general could have used more originality and subtlety. The details are often clichéd or on-the-nose. It also gets repetitive in a number of places when the story gives details and explanations that already appeared in earlier scenes or chapters.

Speaking Up

Nevertheless, my nostalgic, historical-fiction-loving self enjoyed this novel overall. And I as a person, especially as a woman, was compelled by the theme of finding your voice and speaking up. For your own sake as well as for others.

| Content Note

language kept to a “PG” level; the characters’ occasional stronger language isn’t written out
some descriptions of sexual harassment and sexual assault
a few references to past war violence