This would maybe be a 3 1/2 star book if I hadn't read it in the DR. Still--very compelling story, based on some fascinating historical events. And Alvarez writes great female characters, without a doubt.

This book is devastating. (In that good way.)

This book is inspiring, not in the "warm fuzzy feeling" way exactly, but inspiring in that it will actually encourage you to evaluate the world and, perhaps, inspire you to take action. Also, it's well-written--Kidder himself is a relatable narrator, and this is a great story, definitely one worth learning more about.

This book was... difficult? I don't think I entirely understood it, although I enjoyed the journey. Apparently it was written as a senior project about modal logic, and I don't really know what modal logic is, so... that's a problem.

This book left me severely pondering gender roles in pre-revolutionary China, and why Pearl Buck chose to align her narrative so closely with the male perspective. SERIOUSLY WHY. It was still interesting, but frustrating.

This was a fun read... I'm not that into chick lit but I'm picking up some weird books here in Peace Corps, I didn't like this as much as the other Marian Keyes book I read, but, it is what it is. You would probably like this if you like this kind of book.

I love Sarah Vowell's essays, but I held off on reading this based on lukewarm Amazon reviews. And now, here I am, about to put out my own lukewarm review. This book had some great moments, and it was an interesting time capsule of 1995. I especially loved reading tidbits about the history of This American Life. But, well, it reads like a diary, not like an essay collection--there's something appealing about the unpolished vibe, but mostly I'd take Partly-Cloudy Patriot over this any day. Still, worth a read if you like Vowell's other stuff, or if you like radio, or, whatever.

Wow. This was... powerful. I don't really know what to say about it, I'm still thinking about it. Anyway, there's a reason [b:Toni Morrison|6149|Beloved|Toni Morrison|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165555299s/6149.jpg|736076] is right there at the top of the contemporary canon.

I was a big fan of this. I'd read the first essay in this collection--about his efforts to become an American citizen--in one of the Best American Essays and loved it. A lot of people write essays about This Modern Life and how quirky Americans are, but Rakoff somehow points out our quirks, calls attention to the fact that not only are they funny but also selfish and reckless, and does so hilariously. Dig it like dirt.