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Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
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Precocious and headstrong, Kirabo is a young Ugandan girl in search of her missing mother, determined to find what she believes to be missing in her life. Told through Kirabo's adolescent eyes, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's "A Girl is A Body of Water" brings the culture of Uganda to life in a new, vivid and memorable way. The interplay between Uganda's past with a culture steeped in tribal traditions, folklore and magic, and its push towards the modernity is seen throughout the many generations represented in the novel. What I love the most is that Makumbi drops you straight into the heart of Uganda without any pretense or explanation. Kirabo's story mirrors the story of a growing nation state, seeking guidance while forging bravely ahead into the unknown.
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Precocious and headstrong, Kirabo is a young Ugandan girl in search of her missing mother, determined to find what she believes to be missing in her life. Told through Kirabo's adolescent eyes, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's "A Girl is A Body of Water" brings the culture of Uganda to life in a new, vivid and memorable way. The interplay between Uganda's past with a culture steeped in tribal traditions, folklore and magic, and its push towards the modernity is seen throughout the many generations represented in the novel. What I love the most is that Makumbi drops you straight into the heart of Uganda without any pretense or explanation. Kirabo's story mirrors the story of a growing nation state, seeking guidance while forging bravely ahead into the unknown.
Thank you to West Virginia University Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available!
I've never read a collection like Deesha Philyaw's "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" before. It is a tight collection that explores the Black Southern Christian women's experience in their own words and their own light. By turns intimate, full of rage, sorrow, happiness and curiosity, Philyaw's characters are fully realized and engaging. Most of all, Philyaw's stories reveal the human side of church ladies, a group of women who are often stereotyped as ancillary, supportive characters. My favorite story was "Peach Cobbler." Definitely worth checking out if you have an hour or two!
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I've never read a collection like Deesha Philyaw's "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" before. It is a tight collection that explores the Black Southern Christian women's experience in their own words and their own light. By turns intimate, full of rage, sorrow, happiness and curiosity, Philyaw's characters are fully realized and engaging. Most of all, Philyaw's stories reveal the human side of church ladies, a group of women who are often stereotyped as ancillary, supportive characters. My favorite story was "Peach Cobbler." Definitely worth checking out if you have an hour or two!
Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
If you like mystery, then I do not recommend David Foenkinos' "The Mystery of Henri Pick." However, if you like descriptions of Brittany and life in the French countryside, quirky characters and meandering, intersecting storylines, then this is the perfect book for you. While I struggled to find a central narrative and protagonist, I did greatly enjoy meeting the characters that populate this book.
Now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
If you like mystery, then I do not recommend David Foenkinos' "The Mystery of Henri Pick." However, if you like descriptions of Brittany and life in the French countryside, quirky characters and meandering, intersecting storylines, then this is the perfect book for you. While I struggled to find a central narrative and protagonist, I did greatly enjoy meeting the characters that populate this book.
Thank you to Riverhead Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
What does it mean to tackle the end of life? Almost autobiographical, Sigrid Nunez's latest novel "What Are You Going Through" is a series of musings on life, death and everything in between by an aging female writer as she provides support to a friend dying slowly from cancer. Artistically wrought, each sentence feels almost tortured in its simplicity yet resounding depth. Overall, Nunez questions the tenuousness of life and the impact we can have on each other through the simple art of conversation. Soothing yet unsettling, it's an interesting concept but still felt overworked.
Now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
What does it mean to tackle the end of life? Almost autobiographical, Sigrid Nunez's latest novel "What Are You Going Through" is a series of musings on life, death and everything in between by an aging female writer as she provides support to a friend dying slowly from cancer. Artistically wrought, each sentence feels almost tortured in its simplicity yet resounding depth. Overall, Nunez questions the tenuousness of life and the impact we can have on each other through the simple art of conversation. Soothing yet unsettling, it's an interesting concept but still felt overworked.
Thank you to Perseus Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
That Black women are an important voting block in the United States is a fact widely touted by many newspapers, that Black women will "save" the election. But such statements ignore the huge struggles that Black women have had to fight through the generations to get the right to vote. It's a struggle that Martha S. Jones, the author of "Vanguard", knows well. Using her own family as a jumping point, Jones traces the rich legacy of Black women organizers, their deep commitment to antislavery and their persistence despite resistance from fellow white women suffragists at the time. "Vanguard" is an awe-inspiring, well researched and timely read.
Now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
That Black women are an important voting block in the United States is a fact widely touted by many newspapers, that Black women will "save" the election. But such statements ignore the huge struggles that Black women have had to fight through the generations to get the right to vote. It's a struggle that Martha S. Jones, the author of "Vanguard", knows well. Using her own family as a jumping point, Jones traces the rich legacy of Black women organizers, their deep commitment to antislavery and their persistence despite resistance from fellow white women suffragists at the time. "Vanguard" is an awe-inspiring, well researched and timely read.
Thanks to University of Pennsylvania Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and Indie Bookstore.
Timely and urgent, Jean Reith Schroedel's "Voting in Indian Country" is a somber reminder of the ways in which voting rights have always been denied to racial and ethnic minorities in America. From detailed court cases to an ethnographic survey to interviews with grassroots civil rights activists, "Voting in Indian Country" traces the history of voting rights civil cases for Native people since the 1800s to the modern day era. Unfortunately, there is not as much progress as anyone would think, given the rampant use of voter suppression techniques like gerrymandering, closing vital poll stations, requiring certain IDs with addresses when most reservations don't have physical addresses, and not providing translation services when many Indian folk on reservations feel comfortable in their native language. Strangely horrific to think about in the context that we are sitting on native land, most likely unceded, and exploiting resources from fertile reservation lands daily. Though I greatly enjoyed the read, I wish that the publisher/author would have mixed in the sections more evenly as some of the historical sections became quite dry and it felt like almost three separate books instead of one cohesive message.
Now available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and Indie Bookstore.
Timely and urgent, Jean Reith Schroedel's "Voting in Indian Country" is a somber reminder of the ways in which voting rights have always been denied to racial and ethnic minorities in America. From detailed court cases to an ethnographic survey to interviews with grassroots civil rights activists, "Voting in Indian Country" traces the history of voting rights civil cases for Native people since the 1800s to the modern day era. Unfortunately, there is not as much progress as anyone would think, given the rampant use of voter suppression techniques like gerrymandering, closing vital poll stations, requiring certain IDs with addresses when most reservations don't have physical addresses, and not providing translation services when many Indian folk on reservations feel comfortable in their native language. Strangely horrific to think about in the context that we are sitting on native land, most likely unceded, and exploiting resources from fertile reservation lands daily. Though I greatly enjoyed the read, I wish that the publisher/author would have mixed in the sections more evenly as some of the historical sections became quite dry and it felt like almost three separate books instead of one cohesive message.
Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Indie Bookstore.
Between rousing war cries and declarations of independence to side-eyed remarks and ironic observations, Mark Eisner and Tina Escaja's newest collection "Resistencia" offers a glimpse into Latin American poetry like never before. With both English and the original manuscripts laid said by side, the collection includes a diverse array of voices including feminist, indigenous, queer writers of the current day as well as giants from the 20th century like Pablo Neruda. What I liked most about the collection was the wide array of nations represented, not just Mexico & Central America but also the Caribbean. With Latinx History Month starting this week, it is important to remember that the diaspora is as wide as the world itself. A great collection to spend an evening, or two or three, with.
Favorite poems: Hegel in the Caribbean by Rene Depestre; I know by Ana Maria Rodas; High Treason by Jose Emilio Pacheco; Strike by Gioconda Belli; The Earth is a Satellite of the Moon by Jose Leonel Rugama; The Routine Appearances of the Sun by Kyra Galvan; Decriminalizing Poem by Fernanda Garcia Lao; If, One Day, On Your Street Corner, Death Comes to You by Carlos Aguasaco.
Now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Indie Bookstore.
Between rousing war cries and declarations of independence to side-eyed remarks and ironic observations, Mark Eisner and Tina Escaja's newest collection "Resistencia" offers a glimpse into Latin American poetry like never before. With both English and the original manuscripts laid said by side, the collection includes a diverse array of voices including feminist, indigenous, queer writers of the current day as well as giants from the 20th century like Pablo Neruda. What I liked most about the collection was the wide array of nations represented, not just Mexico & Central America but also the Caribbean. With Latinx History Month starting this week, it is important to remember that the diaspora is as wide as the world itself. A great collection to spend an evening, or two or three, with.
Favorite poems: Hegel in the Caribbean by Rene Depestre; I know by Ana Maria Rodas; High Treason by Jose Emilio Pacheco; Strike by Gioconda Belli; The Earth is a Satellite of the Moon by Jose Leonel Rugama; The Routine Appearances of the Sun by Kyra Galvan; Decriminalizing Poem by Fernanda Garcia Lao; If, One Day, On Your Street Corner, Death Comes to You by Carlos Aguasaco.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available.
One of my current regrets is that I haven't come across legendary Black author Walter Mosley until this collection of short stories. By turns bizarre, comedic and tragic, "The Awkward Black Man" is a series of musings by an aging Black man. Every story has a powerful voice, a new perspective, a wild plot chase. My personal favorite was the love affair with mad scientist who kept altering people to achieve their "God Potential". What a tongue in cheek, adventurous narrative! Like the best literature, "Awkward Black Man" is a collection that will force you to look at the world just a little bit differently, with newer, fresher eyes and perhaps a little jolt of energy. Take a walk with Walter Mosley and you might never know where you'll end up.
Now available.
One of my current regrets is that I haven't come across legendary Black author Walter Mosley until this collection of short stories. By turns bizarre, comedic and tragic, "The Awkward Black Man" is a series of musings by an aging Black man. Every story has a powerful voice, a new perspective, a wild plot chase. My personal favorite was the love affair with mad scientist who kept altering people to achieve their "God Potential". What a tongue in cheek, adventurous narrative! Like the best literature, "Awkward Black Man" is a collection that will force you to look at the world just a little bit differently, with newer, fresher eyes and perhaps a little jolt of energy. Take a walk with Walter Mosley and you might never know where you'll end up.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available!
When I started reading America 2, I wasn't really sure what the concept was or who the audience was. After all, it seems like a kaleidoscope in reverse - French authors in America writing about America presumably for an American French audience? Regardless, I enjoyed delving into this diverse collection. From coast to coast, from the Evangelical Midwest to the Native American reservation to the Mexican-American borderlands, "America 2" offers slice of life pieces on life in modern day America under the Trump administration. Entertaining and thoughtful, it was almost anthropological in its benevolent gaze.An enjoyable read!
Now available!
When I started reading America 2, I wasn't really sure what the concept was or who the audience was. After all, it seems like a kaleidoscope in reverse - French authors in America writing about America presumably for an American French audience? Regardless, I enjoyed delving into this diverse collection. From coast to coast, from the Evangelical Midwest to the Native American reservation to the Mexican-American borderlands, "America 2" offers slice of life pieces on life in modern day America under the Trump administration. Entertaining and thoughtful, it was almost anthropological in its benevolent gaze.An enjoyable read!
Thank you to Northwestern University Press & NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available.
Set in the middle of Spain, Jouse d"arbaud's The Best and Other Tales reads like a piece from the American prairie in that the desolate landscape plays a large role in creating the moods for each of the pieces. Adapted from the original manuscript from 1926, the stories in this collection are fast paced yet poignant, pondering on life and beyond.
Now available.
Set in the middle of Spain, Jouse d"arbaud's The Best and Other Tales reads like a piece from the American prairie in that the desolate landscape plays a large role in creating the moods for each of the pieces. Adapted from the original manuscript from 1926, the stories in this collection are fast paced yet poignant, pondering on life and beyond.