Fans of Oyeneyin will appreciate her guidance and find pieces of solid advice from her personal experiences.
A memoir and inspirational guide from the popular Peloton cycling instructor.
In her debut, Oyeneyin, a first-generation American whose parents “emigrated from Nigeria to Houston” before she was born, shares the personal journey that has allowed her to live “on purpose, of purpose, and with purpose.” From an early age, she struggled with her weight, allowing her insecurities to “imprison” her. The author contends that many of us get trapped by our personal expectations and intentionally self-imposed limits. Once she began losing weight, Oyeneyin took notice of the comments she received. “Society had showed me that looking a certain way meant I was invited into places I didn’t fit before, and I now realized that hadn’t been far from the truth,” she writes. With a new sense of confidence, she began pursuing a career as a makeup artist in Houston. Based on encouragement from friends, she moved to Los Angeles to advance her career. The author recounts the ups and downs of her career journey, which ultimately led to finding her calling as a cycling instructor and her dream job, working in New York for Peloton. Oyeneyin also shares a personal experience with racial profiling by the police. Having found her own voice, the author felt compelled to help other women do the same. She formed a group called SPEAK, based on her “five key pillars”—Surrender, Power, Empathy, Authenticity, and Knowledge—created a “SPEAK Up” ride for Peloton, and launched an interview series on Instagram, “showcasing the voices of Black celebrities so that people could see that even they had dealt with racism.” Throughout the book, Oyeneyin tells stories from her own life that correlate with each pillar. Much of the author’s guidance can be found in other self-help books, but her drive to motivate others is apparent.
Fans of Oyeneyin will appreciate her guidance and find pieces of solid advice from her personal experiences.Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-982195-44-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Avid Reader Press
Review Posted Online: March 18, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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