Title: Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now
Author: T. Patrick Graves
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1669834922
Pages: 328
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Michaela Gordoni

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In Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now, Johnny Desmond, a white supremacist from Mississippi with a sad backstory, joins a dangerous group of criminals, convinced that America is a place only meant for whites. So convinced that he actively participates in the bombing of an Islamic center. But in the midst of it all, he does one small act that just might redeem himself. Whether that is true or not, it is up to the judge, the jury, and himself to decide.

One of the detectives on the case must also handle this sad event in conjunction with his wife’s trial in dealing with cancer.

T. Patrick Graves is a good writer. For example, the line: “You know how to tell when a social worker is lying? Her lips are movin’,” says a lot in itself. It perfectly sums up how the character, Johnny, distrusts the Department of Human Services without going into any detail or requiring it. The way it is written gives you a peek into how his mind works. T. Patrick Graves also places thoughtfully chosen Bob Dylan lyrics to precede and accompany each part of the book.

The downfall of this book is its very unrealistic scenarios. Specifically, relationships and situations with various people that would be very unlikely to occur in real life. Brains are required in the legal line of business. A lawyer that works in partnership with a well- known black attorney would certainly be more interested in preserving their successful career and reputation than risking it for silly sexual encounters with a swastika tattooed, prison-bound white supremacist, of all people. The conclusion of the book is also strange and unrealistic. Readers should know that Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now allows you to get into the head of an American white supremacist and see how one might really think and behave, but other than that, it reads like complete fiction. It gives an unfinished feel for both Johnny’s story conclusion, but especially for the detective’s, whose part to play in the overall story was small in comparison to Johnny’s.

In this day and age, it takes guts to write a book like this. As a reader, it is difficult to swallow some of the content, and as an author, for one to put themselves in the mindset of a supremacist would be very uncomfortable, unless the author is a supremacist themselves. Almost every page has traces of toxic masculinity. Female readers will not read this without noticing that the descriptions and depictions of the female characters are almost completely seen in a sexual light; their bodies are always remarked on. Overall, Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now is a one-of-a-kind, wild modern-day work of fiction that allows readers entry into the mind of a male white supremacist and sheds some light on how someone becomes one.