Reviews – Southern Review of Books

Tupac Shakur, By Those Who Knew Him

By: Carrie Teresa Sage February 13, 2026February 8, 2026

Reviewsbiography, Jeff Pearlman, Mariner Books, Nonfiction, Only God Can Judge Me, Review, Tupac ShakurLeave a Comment

A review of Jeff Pearlman’s “Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur.”

Mezghebe’s Debut: Just “What You’re Looking For”

By: Lael Flores February 10, 2026February 8, 2026

ReviewsBsrat Mezghebe, Fiction, I Hope You Find What You're Looking For, Liveright Publishing, Novel, ReviewLeave a Comment

For fans of Yaa Gyasi and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, this novel’s fresh and poignant writing is storytelling at its finest.

Looking through the Dual Lens: Michelle Peñaloza’s “All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems”

By: Asa Drake January 30, 2026January 29, 2026

ReviewsAll the Words I Can Remember Are Poems, Michelle Peñaloza, Persea Books, PoetryLeave a Comment

Michelle Peñaloza’s second full-length collection, “All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems,” reminds us of the function of poems: to record, to remember, to share.

Recklessness and Resilience Drive “Scavengers”

By: Nayoung Bishoff January 28, 2026January 26, 2026

ReviewsFiction, Kathleen Boland, Novel, Review, ScavengersLeave a Comment

An estranged mother and daughter reconnect while hunting treasure in the Utah desert in this complex debut from Kathleen Boland.

“Called by Distances” is Precise and Focused

By: Mandianne Berg January 22, 2026January 21, 2026

ReviewsBiljana D Obradović, Called by Distances, PoetryLeave a Comment

A review of Biljana D Obradović’s new poetry collection, “Called by Distances.”

Incisive Questions about Mothering in “The Cracks We Bear”

By: Becca Stanek January 19, 2026February 3, 2026

ReviewsCatalina Infante, Fiction, Michelle Mirabella, The Cracks We Bear, TranslationLeave a Comment

“The Cracks We Bear” by Catalina Infante (translated by Michelle Mirabella) asks incisive questions about mothering, both the act of being mothered and that of becoming one.