Timothy Black

Elijah Kelly is a brakman in one of the world's last surviving floating cities. In 1890, after the Wounded Knee Massacre, an outbreak of werewolves overtook Earth. Tesla, along with a secret order of scientists who followed him, the Tellurians built the floating salvation cities and kept them running. However, the Tellurians are hiding dangerous secrets under their long robes. Now, twenty years after the outbreak, there is only one salvation city aloft and the outbreak is still rampant on Earth. When a werewolf lands on the floating city, Eli gets bitten trying to rescue his best friend, Henry. Not wanting to infect his city, Eli gets dropped off on Earth where he discovers that the werewolves may not be the scariest things on Earth.

Gearteeth is an immersive steampunk fantasy. There is action right from the very beginning, as I was thrown into a very different world. I was immediately intrigued by the flying cities and how they were kept aloft. Then, with the sudden appearance of werewolves, the story evolved and grew in it's mystery. I was amazed that the author could make all of these very different elements work together in a cohesive way that also made sense. From the point of Eli's infection and him trying to keep it a secret, the tensions rose. I was really interested in the Tellurians and what science they were using as well as the many secrets they were hiding. When Eli is left on Earth, the pacing picks up as he learns the truth about the werewolves and how they were created. Some of Eli's family history is also revealed that adds another layer to the werewolf infection. Ending with Eli just out of danger and many more mysteries to solve, I look forward to reading more of the Gearteeth trilogy.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)

This book is an informative, twenty-year study of three brothers, Julio, Fausto, Sammy Riveria, and their transition from Puerto Rico to the U.S. The author describes the ethnic and poverty issues barring their efforts to obtain bi-lingual education, fair paying jobs, decent housing, and necessary healthcare. It was well written, easy to understand, and an eyeopener. The lack of rehab opportunities for drug users was particularly disappointing, as were the prison conditions that addicts face without clinical help. Sad to know these conditions still affect lives today and are subject to constantly changing political climates. It makes you realize how critical your participation in the voting process is.… (plus d'informations)

Even if you've lived in the US all your life, you might never have thought about Springfield, Massachusetts for more than a second. It's a small city, not a state capital or big corporate HQ powerhouse, and isn't on popular travel routes unless you take Peter Pan buses around New England.

Nevertheless, Springfield has a mighty industrial past, and is important to the current generation as a majority-minority city with a strong Puerto Rican community. The author follows the three brothers and their families from high school through their family formation and career years, and as an engaged and canny sociologist connected their lives to their origins, surroundings, and ability or inability to succeed in the overly rigid and white-dominated American institutions they encountered. Still personal, including all the tragedy of inter-generational poverty and making a living with a felony conviction. So instructive and poignant that I do think it should be required reading for Americans.… (plus d'informations)

A brilliant, passionate, eloquent, absorbing work of sociology. Black tells the story of three Puerto Rican brothers growing up in Springfield, Mass., showing us how their lives are shaped by social forces far beyond their control. The product of 18 years of ethnographic research, When a Heart Turns Rock Solid offers an intimate look at the struggles of three young men together with careful analyses of the impact of various political and economic changes on the lives of the urban poor. It is compelling reading and an important book.… (plus d'informations)