Rating: 
Summary: The Genuine Article
Review: Ruth "Penny" Borum has just been to hell and back. For fifteen miserable years she was the wife of Jonas "Bore-em" Borum, the pastor of Antioch Church. Antioch has been Ruth's church home since she was a child, and now that she has divorced the pastor she is considered an outcast. Though the church members go out of their way to make her feel uncomfortable, Ruth stays on in her capacity as the church organist just to make life difficult for the pastor and the congregation.
The end of her marriage has forced Ruth to take a long, hard look at herself. She is angry, struggling financially and is feeling lost and alone. Ruth has also begun to face the reality that she is severely overweight and is extremely unhappy with herself. One Sunday during church, Ruth spots the unlikely man of her dreams, Dewey Baxter. Dewey Baxter is a big, homegrown farm boy, who is a father struggling to raise his two children. The children are Tee and Dee. Tee is an energetic and headstrong little girl who always speaks her mind; Dee is a quiet, reserved little boy who seems to have some deep rooted emotional issues. Ruth and Dewey are as different as night and day, and have some cultural differences. Ruth is black and Dewey is white and the small town community that they live in can often be narrow- minded. Ruth is half white and wants to explore the other side of her heritage. Ruth is a strong woman, but the mere thought of Dewey and his children makes her weak in the knees because she is so overwhelmed with love for them. Author J.J. Murray has outdone himself with his latest work, Something Real. He has written a realistic story that could happen to anyone. Divorce, betrayal, strength and pain are things that occur on a daily basis and he made you feel everything that the character was feeling or thinking. I highly recommend that you get a dose of reality and read Something Real. Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
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Summary: Heart of Gold!
Review: Ruth "Penny" Borum's life is in an upheaval and she is a mess. She has gone through a nasty divorce from the adulterous, no good Reverend Borum but she still has to see him much too often. The no good Reverend is the pastor of the church where Ruth grew up and still plays the piano at ...no charge of course...because Ruth has always had a big heart that others take advantage of. Some of the parishioners frown upon Ruth being at the same church as her husband, but if they knew even half of the truth they would run the no-good Reverend out-of-dodge. As Ruth regretfully meets each new day, her self-esteem seems to be at an all-time low and her weight an all-time high, until she meets two of the cutest kids she has ever seen. Throughout her marriage all Ruth wanted was to carry a child to term but that was not to be; so when she meets Tee and Dee who look like her (biracial with freckles too) she immediately falls in love with them and their white dad. Only one problem, their dad is not really interested in Ruth in a romantic way and so Ruth takes matters into her own hands. Ruth is a woman of contrast. One minute she seems as passive as a door knob as she allows everyone to walk over her, but then in the next minute we see a three-dimensional character that we love and care about. Ruth shows that through it all she can survive -- living in the hood; scraping by working at a small beauty salon with her girlfriend Dianne; hanging out with friends who are both professional, attractive and critical; and still have love to give to two kids and their father who need it more than she does. But will Ruth find a match made in heaven when love does not even seem possible between two people who could not have been more mismatched? Something Real, JJ Murray's sophomore novel, is just that..."for real." Murray does an excellent job of developing the character of Ruth as well as the colorful cast of secondary characters that she befriends and loves. Something Real is about love...love of self, love of significant other, love of family/friends and love of children. I recommend this book to those who enjoy stories about women overcoming obstacles as well as heartwarming and entertaining reads...
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Summary: Something Real
Review: Ruth Childress Borum, the ex-wife of Anitoch Church pastor, Jonas Borum, continues to keep her faith and uses the gift that God gave her: to play the organ. Dewey Baxter is a single,working father struggling to raise his 2 biracial children with the help of his mother. Ruth and Dewey meet one day when his children, Tee and Dee, come in for a haircut unaccompanied. The attraction Ruth feels for the children and Dewey are instant and she makes up her mind that she will be apart of their family. Despite the disapproval of her many people of Anitoch Church b/c of their interracial relationship and other things, she stops @ nothing to get the love she's been denied for so long. She finds out who her friends really are and learns to have more faith in herself with the help of her friends Tonya and the Jarman aka Fred. You'll love the interaction of Dewey with Tee and Dee as well as the children with Ruth. This novel by Murray is incredibly funny,charming,endearing, and a great read. Even though this book is written by a man, he does a wonderful job as telling the story through an African-American woman's eyes. As a reader, I could tell that he knew what he was talking about b/c he himself is in an interracial marriage with an African-American woman. I recommend this to anyone. You'll laugh from the comedy and cry from the pain and joy Ruth feels.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, touching, good fast read
Review: Something Real is the story of the aptly named Ruth "Penny" Borum, her former husband, Reverend Jonas Borum, and her new love Dewey Baxter. Ruth, the product of a black mother and white father, plays the organ for her church. She marries the unfaithful bisexual pastor of her church, and they divorce after a number of years. The story tracks her as she reclaims life, forgives herself and her ex-husband, and embarks on a new life and marriage with Dewey, a white man with 2 children whose black mother has died.
The story moves quickly, the primary and secondary characters are well drawn, and the plot has just enough turns to keep you reading until the end. I continued to be impressed by Ruth's determination to take back her life from despair, fat, poverty and lonliness and false friends. I also found it interesting that the dynamics in the church were very real and reflect the actual situation in many black churches. When the deacons supported the pastor in spite of his behavior, I couldn't help but think that the story was just a fictionalized version of many stories that have made the national and local news over the past few years. This book would make a good television movie.
I found the book enjoyable, and an easy read. I would recommend it to anyone who needed something to read that is funny and uplifting.
Rating: 
Summary: Is there something less than one star?
Review: Thank God for libraries! I made a mistake the first time I read one of this author's novels. I bought it hardback. It was horrible. First, he took the worst generalizations about both races and played them. Next, where was the plot? Did it exist? I will be honest. I try to read a book even when I hate it because it might get better. This did not get better. It got worse to the point where I skipped to the last page to see how dumb it ended. I was not disappointed in the ending because it was the best part of the book. Because it was over. My advice. If you are looking for good interracial romance skip the JJ Murray. His books have weak plots, stale characters, little or no conflict and very cliche endings.
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Summary: A real book for real people
Review: The cleverly woven story grabbed me from the first page and didn't let me go until I had finished the book. Every page was a pleasure, full of fascinating characters whose language is so authentic I could hear it, and whose life stories are touching and very real. I'm now starting "Renee and Jay", and it promises a great experience as well. I would recommend both books to anyone who likes well written stories with lots of life and laughter.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, lots of enjoyment!
Review: The cleverly woven story grabbed me from the first page and didn't let me go until I had finished the book. Every page was a pleasure, full of fascinating characters whose language is so authentic I could hear it, and whose life stories are touching and very real. I'm now starting "Renee and Jay", and it promises a great experience as well. I would recommend both books to anyone who likes well written stories with lots of life and laughter.
Rating:
Summary: Real Good
Review: This book can really make you think about your own feelings on interracial relationships. I was truly hurt that Ruth couldn't get married at her own church because of her jealous and vindictive ex-husband, but as hurt as she was, she didn't have to take it out on Dewey. I liked the book true enough. But, after you go to bed with a man, you going to start asking for a ring? what happened to getting to know you? Then, why didn't she dig a bit deeper as to the real reason Tiffany and Dewey never got married. Anybody could tell you anything. Then ol girl cussed up a storm, but since I been through that, I excused and understood that. All in all, a good book.If this book don't make you think, I don't know what will.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!!
Review: This book was so good. I was laughing and crying. J.J. Murray has done an execellent job!!! I love this book and can't wait for more by this author.
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Summary: Do yourself a favor, READ THIS BOOK
Review: This is the first book i've read by JJ Murray. It definitely will not be the last. I feel as if I know each of the characters personally. Ruth Childress Borum is my shero. She is the epitomy of a strong Black woman. She knows want she wants and how to get it. Tee and Dee are two of the most lovable children. Fred and his mason jar are too much!! I highly recommend this book. I found myself taking very spare minute I had to read more. I didn't want it to end!
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