About the Book

Title: Black and White

Author: Ben Burgess Jr

Genre: Contemporary

When the prestigious law firm of Wayne, Rothstein, and Lincoln catches two major cases—a rape case where a White NBA star allegedly raped a Black stripper, and a murder case where a Black rapper allegedly killed a gay couple and two policemen—Bill O’Neil and Ben Turner are tasked to handle these racially charged litigations. The cases hit emotional chords with the two lawyers and force them to reckon with their interracial relationships and families. Will the racial tension of their cases destroy them or make them stronger?

My Honest Review

Thank you to Enchanted Book Promotions for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! God damn, you ever come across an author’s work, and be so thankful you found their book? Have you ever connected right from the first page? That’s how I feel about this book.  PAGE TURNER ALERT PEOPLE!!

You know me, I don’t like spoilers but the main character’s POV’s are told in first person (a winner with me already,  I can really get up close to them), Ben as a black male in the USA has a lot to deal with, he is a well achieved man, but no one seems to be able to see past the colour of his skin in the corporate world. This builds tension as you read and you really feel Ben’s pain and questions about himself. On the other hand he is not “black enough” for his community, especially the rapper he is defending. There’s push and pull which is great to see play out.  They are both black men facing the same issues in the same world, but from totally different backgrounds. It made me think a lot about the world.

Bill, is not your average middle class white man, his background is a lot worse off than Ben’s and hides this well from his co-workers who assume he is “one of them.”

The relationships these men have with women of different races to their own,  (Ebony and Becky) really highlights the drama that interracial couples face, even in this day and age from both sides of the community-black and white.Their partners they are with are also relate-able women, and they are written so well! The female POV’s and feelings seem real.

I’m giving Black & White 5+ stars as it’s a damn good read, I read all 300 odd pages in about no more than three days. It would have been sooner if I never had deadlines of my own. I love the bones off it. It made me look at the world in a different light, consider how different races really feel about each other, and wonder what the world will be like for my own son when I’m gone.This novel is extremely well written, I mean impeccable in every way from the use of English, to the delivery of the story line. It’s gritty, hard hitting, fast paced, raw and most importantly realistic.  There is a great dose of drama that will have you turning pages, and wanting more. The ending is very satisfying too. I connected with all of the main characters, even the very racist ones, I did not like them but I connected  because the author has a way of writing a very deep POV. It’s clear that Ben Burgess is able to step into the shoes of his characters, bring them to life and portray them well no matter how opposite from him they are. Man, or woman black or white every character came across as authentic and believable. A sign of a really talented writer. I recommend Black & White to everyone who enjoys a good dose of crime fiction, suspense, court room action and some romance.  This is a must read book, by a very talented writer. I have all of his books on my kindle now ready to read! Great job Ben I am a true fan.

Author Bio

Ben Burgess Jr is the author of the award-winning novels “Monster,” “Wounded,” “Love and Happiness,” ” Daddy’s Girl,” and the new novel “Black and White.” He is an active performer of spoken word poetry. Ben Burgess Jr uses his love of writing to inspire and influence youths to strive for what they believe in and to never give up on their dreams. His novels “Monster” and “Wounded” are currently used in schools on the lower east side of Manhattan. Ben Burgess has a BA degree in Business Management and an MA degree in Educational Leadership. He is the proud father of his daughters Jaelynn and Jaclyn and he is active in trying to improve urban neighborhoods and communities.

Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ben-Burgess-Jr./e/B00BCKZPHK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Website: http://www.benburgessjr.com/

https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/black-and-white
https://literarytitan.com/tag/ben-burgess-jr/
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