Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite

Runika “Run” Tamara Long, a prominent figure in government reform in New York City and a businesswoman, had tried her best to stick by her brother’s side through his struggle with addiction until she couldn’t anymore. When she receives the dreadful phone call announcing that Flip had been found unconscious outside one of her rental properties in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, she immediately concludes that he had overdosed. It was bad enough that Flip was declared dead at the scene. After Flip’s burial, Run finds herself on a journey of reflection and transformation as grief sets in, ultimately leading to her divorce. Her story and Flip’s go way back to the 1970s. Raised in the Lower East Side of New York, the siblings endured a tumultuous childhood, with Run doing stints in youth detention facilities, and both surviving time behind bars. But then, why had Run turned out successful and Flip an addict? Find out in Flip and Run by Long Temple.

If you are looking for a historical novel flavored with drama and suspense, Flip and Run by Long Temple is a must-read. Through intimate and poetic prose, Temple weaves a gripping and intricate tale that grounds readers in the realities of life for Black families living in the Lower East Side of New York, from the 1970s to the early 2000s. For them, living was survival, and choices dictated their freedom. The lines between reality and imagination blurred as I followed Run and Flip through their daily lives in a dysfunctional household, navigating a brutal social and domestic landscape. Run is an incredibly resilient character, and I loved her. Despite the neglect, emotional abuse, and rejection from her parents, and the hurdles put in place by a system meant to break children like her, she still found a way to rise above everything and not only thrive but also give girls in the same plight a fighting chance. This page-turner is both poignant and nostalgic, and will move readers. I loved it.