Surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Took me a little bit to get into, but I couldn’t put it down by the halfway point. A beautiful, reflective story about 2 boys who fall in love in 1984 France but, of course, cannot spend their lives together. Besson’s storytelling is exquisite and Ringwald’s translation left me breathless. 

God I loved this book as much as the first. Emezi is an incredible world builder, character creator, and writer. Bitter, a young Black artist who finds her first family at her art school suffers severe anxiety while existing in a world not unlike ours, one that brutally harms and kills Black people and those who protest and act against existing structures like racism, capitalism, and dictatorship that oppress people. Bitter and her people are courageous and headstrong and when Bitter and her classmates' art comes to life they seek vengeance and will use the same methods of the powerful to punish the powerful, but the group of young activists know there are more just ways to accountability. I cannot wait to be a librarian to put this book in my students' hands. 

This book was so confusing. I was just telling a friend how I would give this first 250 pages a different rating (2.5) than I would the last 100 pages (5). I was thoroughly confused and uncomfortable and a bit scared through the majority of the book, a feeling I imagine Mott intentionally created because that's how people like the unnamed protagonist exist in America. But by the end, I got it (sort of) and it blew me away. This book is reflective and intense, but Mott's prose are amazing and his characters, as complex and relatable as they are, are my favorite. 

I'm easily impressed by Backman's writing- this is my fourth book of the year of his. I didn't go into this book knowing much about Ove and I wasn't convinced in the first half I liked him, or the book. But I cried at the end of this. Backman's ability to create unlikeable, but lovable characters who are complex and deep and thoughtful, will never cease to amaze me. Ove is bitter and depressed, but  fearlessly protective of his people. His community, his loves, his family are above all else, even if that gets him in trouble. 

This book felt performative. I listened to it as an audiobook and I love Rapinoe and her story (lesbians who play soccer are like the best people ever), but it felt like she was writing it as a pat on her own back. I didn't relate to, nor like the fact that she decided to kneel as much because the flag doesn't protect her queer life as it does Black lives-- you shouldn't be motivated to do something like this because of your own oppression but for your allyship and empathy for others'. 

I'm definitely not a poetry person, but I love Emezi, so thought I'd give this a try. Incredibly vulnerable and emotional. My love for Emezi remains strong after this beautiful, concise book of poetry.
My favorites: Disclosure, Sanctuary, I was Born in a Great Length of River, Mourning, and Self-Portrait as an Abuser

Really cute and fun! Loved the first one and loved this one even more:) could read dozens of these and never get sick of them!

One of, if not the most impactful book I've ever read. Rebecca Skloot is a thoughtful and thorough writer as she tells the story of Henrietta, her family, and her cells. I knew very little of Henrietta and her story when I started. I'm not very knowledgable about science in general, let alone cell culture , but this book was extremely accessible. Moving between telling the past life of Henrietta, the present life of her children, specifically her daughter Deborah, and the immortal life of her cells, Skloot shares the horrors and racism of the world through medical practices and the treatment of the Lacks family. She forces you to think about the morality of different medical practices through an in depth exploration of the advancements of medicine on the backs of Black and Brown people. Where does the line between public responsibility and personal rights stand? Do the ends justify the means? Is fiscal compensation enough of a form of reparations? 
The story of Henrietta and her family is complex, Deborah would be one of the first people to admit such. It's hard and harrowing. The duality of distrust for the abuse their family endured and the recognition that it was Lacks' cells that allowed for the saving of millions of lives and counting globally is not lost on them. 
I gasped, cried, and laughed. Deborah and Skloot's relationship is something I will be thinking about for a long time. I'm so grateful the Lacks' story has finally been shared. 

Gosh I loved everything about this book. This is my second Emezi book and I simply couldn’t put it down. Developing characters you deeply empathize with, dialogue that feels so real, and love that jumps off the page, Emezi is an incredibly talented writer. I laughed and cried and desperately wanted to get to know the characters and their love intimately. I had no idea this was a romance when I picked it up, but it’s easily the best romance book I’ve read and one of my new favorite books.