Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amran Gowani interviewed Amin Ahmad, author of the propulsive psychological thriller, A KILLER IN THE FAMILY. They discussed Amin’s inspirations for writing the novel—including THE GREAT GATSBY, THE GODFATHER trilogy, and HBO’s SUCCESSION—how unfettered capitalism has made America and India alike in unexpected ways, and how the pursuit of wealth and power encourages people to corrupt everything and everyone in their path. Follow Amin on Instagram at @aminahmadbooks and learn more at www.aminahmadbooks.com.

Amin was raised in India and came to America at the age of 17. He spent many years working as an architect before pivoting to creative writing. Amin has previously published two thrillers under the penname A.X. Ahmad, and his short story collection won the 2020 GS Chandra Prize. He currently teaches creative writing at Duke University and lives in Durham, NC with his family and a very mischievous cat.
Amin Ahmad's Website
Official Publisher Page for A KILLER IN THE FAMILY

Follow Diverse Voices Book Review on Social Media:

Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview

Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review

Bluesky - @diversevoicesbooks.bsky.social

This is a rebroadcast of a conversation first aired live on KAZI 88.7 FM in April 2016, featuring Bernice L. McFadden, author of the 2016 award-winning novel, THE BOOK OF HARLAN. The interview—conducted by Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay with the assistance of contributor Evelyn Martin‑Anderson—was later shared on the podcast in July 2019. DVBR is revisiting the discussion now to celebrate Akashic Books’ release of a special 10th anniversary edition of the novel, which remains one of my personal favorites. In this wide‑ranging discussion, McFadden talks about the lyrical language that shapes her work, her deep engagement with family history, and the hidden histories she uncovers through fiction. She reflects on The Book of Harlan as a sweeping saga that moves from the American South to Harlem, Paris, and World War II–era Europe, exploring friendship, legacy, and the power of storytelling to “breathe life back into memory.”

Bernice McFadden is the author of several novels, including Glorious and Gathering of Waters. A MacArthur Fellow, her work is widely praised for its historical depth, poetic prose, and exploration of African American life across generations.

Follow Diverse Voices Book Review on Social Media:

Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview

Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review

Bluesky - @diversevoicesbooks.bsky.social

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed A. Mechele Dickerson, author of THE MIDDLE CLASS NEW DEAL: RESTORING UPWARD MOBILITY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM.
In this wide‑ranging conversation, law professor Dickerson discusses how her earlier work on homeownership and affordable housing led her to examine the broader erosion of economic security for low‑ and middle‑income Americans. She explains how rising costs across housing, education, and healthcare are interconnected—and what policy changes are necessary to restore genuine upward mobility in the United States.

A. Mechele Dickerson is the Arthur M. Moeller Chair in Bankruptcy Law and Practice at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also the author of HOMEOWNERSHIP IN AMERICA’S FINANCIAL UNDERCLASS Her scholarship focuses on consumer finance, housing policy, and the economic challenges facing working‑ and middle‑class families.

Follow Diverse Voices Book Review on Social Media:
Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview
Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review
Bluesky - @diversevoicesbooks.bsky.social

In this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay speaks with novelist Karan Mahajan about his latest novel, THE COMPLEX. Mahajan discusses how the book examines immigration, marriage, family hierarchies, and the unspoken emotional lives that shape personal relationships. Set primarily in the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s in India and the United States, the conversation explores how private family dynamics intersect with larger political and social forces.

Karan Mahajan is also the author of THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS, which was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and he was named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. He is an associate professor of literary arts at Brown University.

Follow Diverse Voices Book Review on Social Media:

Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview

Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review
Bluesky - @diversevoicesbooks.bsky.social

Email: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Terence Keel, author of THE CORONER’S SILENCE: Death Records and the Hidden Records of Police Violence. In the interview, Keel discussed how the current system of death investigation operates as a mechanism of institutional safeguarding and how communities can hold coroners and medical examiners more accountable. He also shared his experiences working with families that have experienced these losses and community organizations advocating for more accountabity.

Terence Keel is an award-winning scholar, the founding director of the BioCritical Studies Lab, and a professor of human biology, society, and African American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

He is the author of Divine Variations: How Christian Thought Became Racial Science and co-editor of Critical Approaches to Science and Religion.

Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:

Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview

Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review

Email: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

In this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Kimberly Lau interviews Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and novelist Mirta Ojito about her novel DEEPER THAN THE OCEAN.
In the interview, Lau and Ojito discuss the book’s dual narrative and its inspiration: the 1919 sinking of the Valbanera, a Spanish ship carrying hundreds of immigrants to the Americas that was lost at sea during a hurricane, with no survivors. The conversation explores how this tragedy help shape a story about migration, inherited trauma, memory, and family history.

Mirta Ojito is a Cuban-born journalist, professor, and author. She is the recipient of both a Pulitzer Prize and an Emmy Award and has written two nonfiction books.

Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:

Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview

Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review

Email: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

In this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay welcomes author and historian Clyde Ford for a conversation about his book A HIGH PRICE FOR FREEDOM: Raising Hidden Voices from the African American Past. Ford challenges familiar narratives about Black history, including the meaning of Juneteenth, the overlooked leadership of Black women, and the hidden figures behind pivotal moments in the Black Freedom Struggle, urging listeners to confront historical myths and engage the truth. Learn more about Clyde Ford at https://www.clydeford.com and explore the book on the publisher’s page at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-high-price-for-freedom-clyde-w-ford.

About Clyde Ford
Clyde Ford is the author of more than a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction and serves as director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library Publishing Project. He is an award-winning writer and sought-after public speaker whose work centers on Black history, myth, and social justice.

Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:
Facebook – @diversevoicesbookreview
Instagram – @diverse_voices_book_review
Email – hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amran Gowani interviewed Jennifer Chow, author of the cozy mystery novel TELL-TALE TREATS. They discussed the importance of food to Asian and Asian American culture, how Jennifer found her way into the cozy genre, the delicate balancing act of tackling serious themes in a whimsical tone, and why everyone loves to pet bunnies. Follow Jennifer on Instagram at @jenjchow and learn more at jenniferjchow.com.

Jennifer Chow writes cozy mystery series filled with hope and heritage. She has been a finalist for the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Awards. She has also been a past president of Sisters in Crime and she’s currently an active member of Crime Writers of Color and Mystery Writers of America.

Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:
Facebook: @diversevoicesbookreview
Instagram: @diverse_voices_book_review
Email: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com

Amran Gowani Social Media:
Instagram: @amrangowani
LinkedIn: @amrangowani
Substack: amrangowani.substack.com