“It is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it.” 

Glad those words have been written and I have read them. 

A fantasy book that reckons with the trauma of slavery in America was not something I ever expected or imagined but it was so very good. Deonn writes a compelling story that doesn’t center trauma but certainly uses it to discuss the evils of the past. I often find myself frustrated that most fantasies are written in euro-centric terms with only white people as the focus. This really flipped that standard on its head and it was done so well. 

This book kept me hooked but I didn’t really feel the payoff in the conclusion

I knew the minute I heard green cover at the beginning this was going to be about stupid arsenic books. 

It is hard to write a review that could adequately describe this book and how well done it is. But I’ll try.

Smith uses different geographical locations to delve deeper into a discussion of slavery in the United States and the world. While many of the locations offer their own unique stories, what truly makes this book so compelling is Smith’s conversations with others. From public historians, to reenactors, to Smith’s own grandparents; he weaves in tales and people’s prejudices so skillfully. 

This is a must read for anyone interested in understanding how history is buried, and how stories are erased, particularly the stories related to chattel slavery in the US. This book also contends with many of the national questions such as should confederate statues be removed? And was the north the good guys? 

Overall this was a 10/10 and if you enjoy history even passingly as a hobby this book is a must. 

I wish I liked this but the oddness of the diamond plot really kept pulling me out of the story. 

I also really am not a fan of the way Doerr tries to create a bit of empathy for Germans in this story, specifically the end where he mentions there is no monument to Germans who died in France… really just not great

Trying to correctly pronounce the names in my head while reading this was a feat, but worth it because the book was good!

This concept was so interesting but ultimately fell short of what I wanted. The twists of the characters identities were easy to spot, and the disdain for modern ways of making history (maps) accessible was kind of weird when in the end the goal was to share the town with the world. 

I enjoyed this book and wanted to see what happened but it definitely had its problems.