House Made of Dawn By N. Scott Momaday Reviewed by Mark D. Walker I learned about the author on an “American Masters” documentary, “Words from a Bear” that portrayed him as a voice of Native American Renaissance in art and literature, which led to a breakthrough of Native American literature into the mainstream. Like many Americans, my awareness of the Native American was raised by historian Dee Brown’s 1970 best-selling book, “Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee,” which told about the massacre of several hundred Lakota Indians (mostly women and children) by soldiers of the U.S. Army. The author was […]

BOOK REVIEW DROP DEAD by Dick Lipez writing as Richard Stevenson (Ethiopia) Nov 25 2016 KickAssQueer is a gay Web site thousands go to for news, gossip, and as a forum to exchange often heated opinions about GLBT life in America. When one of KAQ’s editors is savagely murdered, it’s PI Don Strachey’s job to uncover whether one of the site’s many harsh critics, gay or straight, is responsible for this young man’s death—and possibly for other brutal assaults on gay men in and around New York City. What Strachey is soon forced to confront is a side of the […]

BOOK REVIEW OF “DEAD COW ROAD” By Mark D. Walker by Mark Wentling (Peace Corps Honduras 1967–69, Togo 1970–73; PC Staff: Togo, Gabon, Niger 1973–77) Page Publishing March 2017 506 pages $24.93 (paperback), $9.99 (Kindle) I’ve been looking forward to the author’s next book after thoroughly enjoying “Africa’s Embrace”, which is part of his African Trilogy. I resonated with the author’s story as we are both Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and pursued careers promoting overseas development. The author’s work and travels over a span of 46 years have taken him to 54 African countries. The author also worked with USAID, the […]

Benito Cereno By Herman Melville Reviewed by Mark D. Walker I decided to pick up this classic novel by Herman Melville to explore issues of slavery, race and human depravity as part of my research for an article about an American author in Ecuador and is Black fisherman partner – and I was not disappointed. Set in 1799, the crew of an American trading vessel, the “Bachelor’s Delight,” notices a Spanish slave ship has fallen into distress. The circumstances seem strange since the Spanish ship displays no flags to identify it. The American Captain, Amasa Deleno, notes some oddities, especially […]