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IndieReader’s reviewers are tough, but fair

Our Reviewers won’t judge your book as compared to other self-published titles, but against other books, period. Our ratings are based on the following criteria, although reviewers are able to award partial stars (i.e. a 1.3 or a 4.7), rather than rounding up or down to a whole or half number.

1/5

Really bad 
Work on it.

2/5

Mediocre
1-2 bright spots.

3/5

Good
Worth reading.

4/5

Very Good
1-2 spots that need work

5/5

Excellent!
Must-read.

* IndieReader receives compensation for most of the books it reviews, along with copies of those books.

IR Approved
Rating:
4.6 / 5.0

Doug Einfeld's IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOST HIGH: Uncovering My Jewish Ancestors' Perilous Journey Through History is a clear, erudite, and very relevant work...

IR Approved
April 23, 2026

PORTRAITS OF UKRAINE: A Nation at War

By Gregory W. Slayton
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Through thoughtful historical analysis, cultural insight, and powerful visual storytelling, Gregory W. Slayton and Sergei Ivashenko’s PORTRAITS OF UKRAINE: A Nation at War offers a...

Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Scott Leckie's SHREWD LITTLE SLEUTH does an excellent job of illustrating the volatility of Cold War America, but it underdelivers on its promise to shed...

December 2, 2024

DELAWARE FROM FREEWAYS TO E-WAYS

By Dave Tabler
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Dave Tabler’s DELAWARE FROM FREEWAYS TO E-WAYS is full of vibrant imagery and interesting history, though a lack of clear structure sometimes impedes both learning...

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

The work of an enthusiastic amateur and a loving husband, Thomas Walter Kelley’s MADE IN ITALY: Strings Attached—Four Seasons Of An Italian Violin, is an...

IR Approved
February 23, 2024

EMIGRANT TALES OF THE PLATTE RIVER RAIDS

By Janelle Molony
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

EMIGRANT TALES OF THE PLATTE RIVER RAIDS sees author Janelle Molony compile a thorough, blow-by-blow account of a largely forgotten aspect of nineteenth-century trail history.

IR Approved
October 23, 2023

SAD PAPAW’S HERITAGE

By Kenny Harmon
Rating:
4.3 / 5.0

A fascinating history of a German-descended American family, from their 19th-century arrival in the United States to the present, Kenny Harmon's SAD PAPAW’S HERITAGE provides...

September 25, 2023

DELAWARE FROM RAILWAYS TO FREEWAYS

By Dave Tabler
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

More a coffee-table book than a proper history, Dave Tabler's DELAWARE FROM RAILWAYS TO FREEWAYS is a worthy read for any devotee of Delaware’s past.

IR Approved
September 1, 2023

THE GREAT FLIP

By Donald J. Fraser
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

Thoroughly researched and supported with numerous citations, THE GREAT FLIP is an incisive, compellingly readable work that offers a welcome refresher on the nuanced, often...

Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

For those with an obsessive interest in historical linguistics and abstract philosophy, historical linguist turned psychiatrist Elliott Martin's detail-dense THE VIRTUOUS PHYSICIAN: A Brief Medical...

IR Approved
August 2, 2023

THE C. R. PATTERSON AND SONS COMPANY

By Christopher Nelson
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

Readable and compelling, Christopher Nelson’s THE C. R. PATTERSON AND SONS COMPANY tells the true story of a Black entrepreneur who should be far better...

March 17, 2023

GOVERNMENT 2.0

By Joseph Albert Gorski
Rating:
3.1 / 5.0

Though clearly written and concise, Joseph Albert Gorski’s neo-liberal polemic GOVERNMENT 2.0 suffers from having not been updated since its original publication when much has...

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