Featuring 221 Industry-First Reviews of Fiction, Nonfiction, Children's and YA books
VOL. LXXXVIII, NO.
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from the editor’s desk:
Still the Greatest B Y T O M
Chairman H E R B E RT S I M O N
B EER
President & Publisher M A RC W I N K E L M A N
John Paraskevas
Muhammad Ali is one of those figures who seemingly exists just for writers to conjure them. Handsome, graceful, powerful, poetic, boastful—with achievements in the ring to back it all up, not to mention a social conscience— he might have sprung from the pages of a novel by Ralph Ellison or Colson Whitehead. Who could resist the challenge of pinning this butterfly—or was he a bee?—to the page? That’s Ali—born Cassius Clay in 1942—on the cover of this issue, as drawn by Dawud Anyabwile to illustrate Becoming Muhammad Ali (Jimmy Patterson/HMH Books, Oct. 5), a narrative of the boxer’s childhood written by James PatterTom Beer son and Kwame Alexander. In a Zoom interview last month, I spoke with Patterson and Alexander about the appeal of this larger-than-life figure. Alexander said that reading Ali’s 1975 autobiography, The Greatest, “turned my reading life around at age 12,” and both authors were keen to bring Ali’s voice to young readers. In researching his subject’s youth, Patterson says he was enchanted by Ali’s linguistic dexterity—“that feeling of listening to music, that sense of poetry,” not to mention the “humor and wit.” Our critic, in a starred review, says that Becoming Muhammad Ali “encapsulates his drive, energy, and gift with words….a stellar collaboration.” Patterson and Alexander’s tale is only the latest in a long line of books about Ali for adults and young readers alike. Foremost among them is Ali: A Life (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017) by Jonathan Eig, winner of the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing and other honors. This lengthy cradle-to-grave biography follows Ali from childhood on to the 1960 Olympics, his claim of the world heavyweight championship after defeating Sonny Liston, his refusal to be drafted in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War (“No Vietcong ever called me a nigger,” he protested), his conversion to the Nation of Islam and through his final years with Parkinson’s disease and ascent to icon status. (Ali died the year before Eig’s book was published.) In a starred review, Kirkus called the book “an appropriately outsized—and first-rate— biography….An exemplary life of an exemplary man who, despite a few missteps, deserves to be remembered long into the future.” A picture book about Ali for ages 4-8—why not? Isabel Sánchez Vegara’s Muhammad Ali (Frances Lincoln, 2019), with illustrations by Brosmind, tackles Ali’s entire life, even his conscientious objection during the Vietnam War, with “playful, stylized cartoon illustrations.” Kirkus’ review called it “an amazing life effectively condensed into picture-book form…a nice introduction to the greatest.” Fittingly, it’s part of the Little People, BIG DREAMS series, which also includes entries on Stephen Hawking, Rosa Parks, and Zaha Hadid. Other books, for adults, take narrower slices of Ali’s life. Stuart Cosgrove’s Cassius X: The Transfor mation of Muhammad Ali (Lawrence Hill Books/Chicago Review, Oct. 20) examines the pivotal year 1963-64, when Cassius Clay knocked out Sonny Liston and reintroduced himself as a Muslim named Muhammad Ali. In a starred review, Kirkus called the book a “sharp, thoughtful reflection on a longreverberating moment in sport and society.” Likewise, Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith’s Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X (Basic, 2016) zooms in on the same intense period, when the Nation of Islam minister and the champion boxer were first friends, then foes. Kirkus’ starred review called it a “page-turning tale from the 1960s about politics and sports and two proud, extraordinary men whose legacies endure.”
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from the editor’s desk
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Cover illustration by Dawud Anyabwile
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contents fiction
The Kirkus Star is awarded to books of remarkable merit, as determined by the impartial editors of Kirkus.
INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS............................................................ 4 REVIEWS................................................................................................ 4 EDITOR’S NOTE..................................................................................... 6 INTERVIEW: BRYAN WASHINGTON................................................ 14 MYSTERY...............................................................................................30 SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY.......................................................... 36 ROMANCE.............................................................................................37
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nonfiction INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS.......................................................... 41 REVIEWS.............................................................................................. 41 EDITOR’S NOTE................................................................................... 42 INTERVIEW: WRIGHT THOMPSON................................................. 48
children’s INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS...........................................................77 REVIEWS...............................................................................................77 EDITOR’S NOTE................................................................................... 78 COVER STORY: JAMES PATTERSON & KWAME ALEXANDER..... 84 INTERVIEW: URI SHULEVITZ........................................................... 92
young adult INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS........................................................ 102 REVIEWS............................................................................................ 102
Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 integrated an all-White New Orleans elementary school in 1960, pens a heartfelt letter to this generation’s changemakers. Read the review on p. 79.
EDITOR’S NOTE................................................................................. 104 INTERVIEW: MIKE CURATO............................................................ 108
indie INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS.........................................................112 REVIEWS.............................................................................................112
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EDITOR’S NOTE..................................................................................114 SEEN & HEARD...................................................................................130 APPRECIATIONS: JAMAICA KINCAID’S LUCY...............................131
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fiction THE SMASH-UP
These titles earned the Kirkus Star:
Benjamin, Ali Random House (352 pp.) $27.00 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-0-593-22965-1
A LIE SOMEONE TOLD YOU ABOUT YOURSELF by Peter Ho Davies.................................................................................8 THE OCEAN HOUSE by Mary-Beth Hughes......................................16
A hypertopical, semisatirical, Ethan Frome–inspired portrait of a family on the edge. Sixteen years ago, Ethan and Zo Frome (short for Zenobia) fled Brooklyn for life in the “quiet nowhere” that is Starkfield, Massachusetts, and now, as they settle into middle age, it’s becoming clear to both of them that their lives have not worked out as they planned. When we meet them, in 2018, against the backdrop of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, Zo is consumed with her women’s group, All Them Witches, which, since Trump’s election—though neither political event is named explicitly—has met in the Fromes’ living room “to make posters and write postcards and process the dumpster fire that is the news these days.” And though Ethan is, in his own estimation “one of the good guys,” who respects women, of course he does, he cannot help but find this off-putting, the way it is both sexless and distinctly middle-aged. When they met, Zo was a promising documentary filmmaker, and the guerrilla marketing startup he co-founded was on the cutting edge, and now she’s rage-buying furniture online, and he’s living off checks from a company he hasn’t worked for in years. Meanwhile, their 11-year-old daughter has severe ADHD neither she nor they can cope with, which is part of why they’ve hired 20-something Maddy, who, rather than solutions, brings troubles of her own. (Also, predictable romantic intrigue for Ethan.) Nothing about the characters is idiosyncratic or surprising or especially nuanced—not Zo’s anger, not Ethan’s wistful nostalgia—and the novel can’t seem to decide exactly how heightened it wants to be. And yet the plot is cleverly constructed, and lost-youth longing is intoxicating, and just because the characters seem sent from central casting doesn’t mean they can’t pack an emotional punch. Enjoyable and well plotted, if slightly contrived.
PRAYER FOR THE LIVING by Ben Okri............................................ 20 DETRANSITION, BABY by Torrey Peters........................................... 20 SALT WATER by Josep Pla; trans. by Peter Bush.................................22 THE RIVER WITHIN by Karen Powell............................................... 24 A DUCHESS A DAY by Charis Michaels.............................................38 THE EX TALK by Rachel Lynn Solomon..............................................39
DETRANSITION, BABY
Peters, Torrey One World/Random House (352 pp.) $27.00 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-593-13337-8
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IF I DISAPPEAR
When a true-crime podcaster disappears, her biggest fan sets out to find her. After a miscarriage and a divorce, Sera Fleece feels like she’s “wrong in the world” and that if she were to disappear, no one would miss her. She’s slowly unraveling. Rachel Bard’s podcast, Murder, She Spoke, which Sera is obsessed with, keeps her from coming apart completely. When the podcast abruptly stops, with no updates on social media, Sera becomes convinced something bad has happened to Rachel and decides to put the investigation skills she learned from the podcast to work. Using bits and pieces of personal information revealed on the podcast, Sera makes her way to Fountain Creek Guest Ranch in Northern California, owned by Rachel’s family. Arriving at the remote ranch, she realizes she needs a good story, so she pretends she’s looking for work. Luckily, she knows how to handle horses, and Rachel’s larger-than-life mother, Addy, hires her as head wrangler. This is an opportunity for Sera to investigate, and she soon notices a palpable strangeness at the ranch. There are no guests or internet access, the horses aren’t healthy, and Addy thinks Rachel might have been killed by a dangerous gang that roams the borders of their land. It only gets weirder. Sera discovers that more women have disappeared from Fountain Creek, and she’s not sure whom she can trust. Even Jed, the handsome cowboy she falls for, seems to be hiding something. Sera’s urgent narration often takes on an uneasy, dreamlike quality and is directed solely to Rachel, who’s addressed as “you.” Sera eventually finds within herself a courage and resolve she didn’t know she possessed: She can’t leave until she finds Rachel, even when her instincts tell her to run. Snippets from Rachel’s podcast precede each chapter, heightening and building the uneasy narrative all the way to a none-too-tidy finale. A disquieting and distinctly creepy debut.
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failed to notice or wasn’t able to.” In Ian’s defense, he comes from a family of adept string-pullers. As the novel begins, he accompanies his older sister to his father’s funeral, where they’re stunned to learn about the old man’s first wife. And there are more shocks to come. Staying at his aunt’s house for the weekend, Ian takes us tripping through one adeptly arranged flashback after another, using a dry sense of humor to make sense of a deceit-laden life. Was his dad really trying to find a killer job, or was he drinking away his life with women not his wives? Did Ian’s mom really not know what was going on, or was she lying to her son all along? Cassidy keeps such questions bubbling beneath the surface of the novel and Ian’s consciousness; as the boy slowly figures things out, we feel bilked for him. The novel’s vivid upstate New York universe of blue-collar neighborhoods gives Ian’s surroundings a heavy coat of realism, as do the insecurities, sexual and otherwise, suffered by Ian and his few friends. Ian is a worthy literary cousin of Holden Caulfield, another kid with little tolerance for fakes and phonies and too much hard-won skepticism for his age. The grown-ups have let Ian down; now he must create himself. An adolescent faces his family of liars with a spirit reminiscent of Holden Caulfield.
Brazier, Eliza Jane Berkley (304 pp.) $26.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-593-19822-3
HERE LIES A FATHER
Cassidy, Mckenzie Kaylie Jones/Akashic (256 pp.) $15.95 paper | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-61775-757-0 Fifteen-year-old Ian Daly is a curious combination of hard-bitten adolescent and walking blind spot, a naïve old soul who knows too much and not nearly enough. Ian makes a compelling narrator, the heart and soul of Cassidy’s debut novel. In a sense, he’s so selfaware that he comes to realize he isn’t: “Thinking back, there had been so many signs, clues that for a less gullible person would’ve shown the man behind the curtain pulling the strings, but I either |
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we could all use a happy ending Election Day is almost here, and none of us needs any extra stress in our lives. Fortunately, there’s one place where you’ll always find a happy ending, and that’s in the pages of a romance novel. I’ve been walking around with headphones on, listening to the audiobooks of Joanna Shupe’s Uptown Girls series—The Rogue of Fifth Avenue (Avon, 2019), The Prince of Broadway (Avon, 2019), and The Devil of Downtown (Avon, June 30)—and I recommend a full immersion in their Gilded Age New York setting anytime you want to escape our current predicament. The books feature Mamie, Florence, and Justine Greene, daughters of a wealthy and well-connected family. Naturally, none of them wants to marry the boring, coddled society men their parents would like to see them with; they’d rather investigate a murder with their father’s lawyer (Mamie), open a casino for women under the tutelage of New York’s most successful casino owner (Florence), or help impoverished women find their deadbeat husbands with the assistance of a criminal kingpin (Justine). The streettoughened men are swept off their feet by these unusual women, and they’re always extremely careful to get the women’s consent for everything they do together, from the office to the bedroom. Who wouldn’t like to live in that world for a few hours? Our review of The Prince of Broadway could almost describe any of the books: “The plot gallops delightfully through the brothels, casinos, fancy restaurants, and elegant salons of New York….Clay and Florence grow closer, in part via sex scenes as blistering hot as they are inventive, in part via witty banter and genuine friendship….An absolute ace, guaranteed to thrill fans of great gambling-house romances by Sarah MacLean and Lisa Kleypas.” Or perhaps you’d prefer something a bit more contemporary—you’ll find three different siblings, same guaranteed happy ending, in Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series: Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Avon, 2019), Take a Hint, Dani Brown (Avon, June 2020), and set an alert for next year’s Act Your Age, Eve Brown. The books tackle important issues like depression, chronic pain, racism, and 6
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domestic violence, but the sisters are quirky and brainy, their suitors charming, and the dialogue funny, giving the books a perfect balance of darkness and light. Our review of Chloe Brown called it “a revelation. Hilarious, heartfelt, and hot” and concluded “Hibbert is a major talent.” The fun thing about romance is that it encompasses all the other genres, too. If you’re a fantasy fan looking for a happy-ever-after, try Milla Vane’s A Heart of Blood and Ashes, (Berkley, Feb. 2020), the first book in her Gathering of Dragons series. This is a long one for a romance novel—560 pages—and it should carry you right through the election, even if there are recounts. Yvenne comes from a line of matriarchal rulers, but her father is trying to keep her from marrying and claiming her throne. Maddek is a warrior whose parents, the rulers of a kingdom allied with Yvenne’s, were killed by her father. Maddek doesn’t trust Yvenne, but it makes strategic sense to marry her and help her become queen. Our review says, “Imaginative worldbuilding and compelling political intrigue add depth and complexity to their passionate and wildly romantic love affair….A showstopper.” Paranormal fans will enjoy Season of the Wolf (Sourcebooks Casablanca, Aug. 2020), the latest in Maria Vale’s Legend of All Wolves series, about a pack of werewolves. As our review says, “Vale is a rare writer, getting to the heart of her characters—their fears, their motivations—without sacrificing any of the grander picture. She quickly catches up readers, new and returning, with what feels less like summary than like poetry; her writing has never been better.” Laurie Muchnick is the fiction editor. |
FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT
Patricia communicates her hatred for her husband: She offers Finn $50,000 to kill him. Of course Finn has no intention of going through with this harebrained scheme, but a series of unlikely miscues ends with Harris Mickler dead in her garage with every indication that she’s murdered him. The only bright spots are that Veronica, the accounting-student nanny Steven just laid off without warning Finn in advance, comes upon the scene ready and eager to help and that Steven owns a sod farm where the conspirators can bury the body without telling him. Everything seems to have worked out improbably well until Finn, who really does need the money, is offered an even bigger purse for killing someone else considerably more savvy and dangerous. YA specialist Cosimano cuts dexterously between Finn’s adventures as a hit woman, her deeply iffy romance with Fairfax County Detective Nicholas Anthony, and the domestic crises that keep on piling up as if nothing had ever happened to disturb them. Suspenseful, funny, and even a tad mysterious. More, please.
Cosimano, Elle Minotaur (368 pp.) $26.99 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-2502-4170-2
A suburban Virginia divorcée struggles with that classic dilemma: What should she do when she’s offered a fat paycheck to kill a complete stranger? Struggling romantic suspense novelist Finlay Donovan doesn’t think much of her ex-husband, Steven, who’s been nickel-and-diming her ever since she dumped him over his affair with Theresa Hall, the realtor who’s since become his fiancee. So she’s not entirely surprised when Patricia Mickler, overhearing her chatting with her agent in the local Panera about her latest work in progress, indicates that her own husband is even worse. He’s a blackmailer and serial rapist who’s beaten his wife repeatedly. What stuns Finn is the way
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Prenatal tests suggest that something is very wrong with their unborn child, and an unnamed couple decides on an abortion. a lie someone told you about yourself
A LIE SOMEONE TOLD YOU ABOUT YOURSELF
breathing. In a third-person narrative from the father’s point of view, Davies unsentimentally captures the mind-numbing tedium coupled with blinding love that new parents feel in prose as spare as it is emotionally resonant. When the boy’s preschool teacher “has concerns” even readers without children are likely to share the parents’ dread and anguish. The narrative moves briskly through key episodes: The son gets all kinds of physical and occupational therapy, the spouses go back to work (she’s at a university press, he’s a writer and teacher), their marriage is strained, the boy’s kindergarten teacher hints he might be autistic. His parents can’t bear to get him tested: “They’ve been afraid of tests for so long. All his life.” Their uncertainty over the abortion will never be resolved (references to Schrödinger’s cat abound), and the husband’s decision to volunteer as an escort at an abortion clinic infuriates his wife, who snarls, “You act like it happened to you!” It’s a tribute to Davies’ skill and sensitivity that we feel how much they still love each other despite bad sex, jealousies, and endless worry over their son. When they finally have him tested, the results are once again ambiguous, but they are
Davies, Peter Ho Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (240 pp.) $24.00 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-544-27771-7
Davies’ rigorously truthful examination of fatherhood explores the fallout from an abortion and the difficulties that follow a second pregnancy. Prenatal tests suggest—but not conclusively—that something is very wrong with their unborn child, and an unnamed couple decides on an abortion. The next pregnancy proceeds normally until the baby turns blue on the delivery table and is whisked off to intensive care. Everything seems to be fine; their son comes home after four days, and they settle down to the sleep-deprived routine of life with an infant. But they panic when he cries, and when he does fall asleep, they stand outside his door listening to make sure he’s
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learning to accept “his normal.” A radiant conclusion affirms the daunting cost and overwhelming rewards of raising a child. Perfectly observed and tremendously moving: This will strike a resonant chord with parents everywhere.
placeless world like something out of a fairy tale. The narrator spends her days at the pharmacy listening to the stories of the customers who pass in and out. There seems to be something slightly off about her boss, August Malone, and whatever that something is, it grows larger as he runs for mayor. Various people tell the narrator not to trust him or say that he has told them not to trust her. It’s all rather difficult to track. Elven’s voice can be intriguing, even captivating, but sentences don’t always seem to follow from one another: “She talked of ten-year plans,” the narrator says of her colleague, Elsa. “She couldn’t sleep. Her house was spotless.” Then, too, Elven litters the prose with images that startle but don’t always convince: “Twigs stuck up like microphones from the oily mud,” she writes, and then describes “a number of people like walking baguettes.” There is a weightless quality to this story that makes the stakes seem not only low, but inconsequential. Why should readers care about this narrator? Why should we care about August Malone? Elven hints at an answer but doesn’t, in the end, deliver. Vagaries of setting and plot pile up as this story seems to go nowhere.
STOOP CITY
Dunnion, Kristyn Biblioasis (224 pp.) $16.95 paper | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-77196-386-2
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Thirteen tales of loss and longing. Subtle satire and fantastical elements bring levity and subtext to Canadian author Dunnion’s short fiction. The unnamed narrator of “Now Is the Time To Light Fires” mourns the death of her girlfriend, Marzana, only to be reminded of her many faults when the woman’s messy, temperamental ghost starts haunting their condo. In “How We Learn To Lie,” 40-something realtor Julia suspects that her lover, Jeff, who used to live downstairs with his frumpy wife, now lusts after the young woman with the sculpted ass who lives next door. “Fits Ritual” finds homeless youth Hoofy wondering if his beautiful boyfriend, Roam, has abandoned him for the rich blond target of their latest scam. In “Adoro Te Devote,” life loses all meaning for gay teenager Paul when he ages out of his altar boy duties and is scorned by his secret love. And “Tracker & Flow” focuses on 43-year-old Kelly, who suffers a miscarriage and then abandons her marriage and legal career for a stray cat whose resentment of her husband rivals her own. Not every entry feels essential; some retread the same ground while others see their poignancy diluted by distractingly madcap narratives. On the balance, though, Dunnion’s wistful vignettes argue persuasively that the one affliction from which all human beings suffer—regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status—is loneliness. Dunnion’s second collection comprises a diverse slate of loosely linked stories with a cohesive message: Everybody hurts.
THE WEAK SPOT
Elven, Lucie Soft Skull Press (176 pp.) $15.95 paper | Feb. 9, 2021 978-1-59376-630-6 A mysterious young woman moves to a mysterious village to serve as a pharmacist. One day, an unnamed narrator arrives in an unnamed village to begin her apprenticeship as a pharmacist. It’s a remote village, vaguely European, and though there are a few references to texting and the internet, the time period is likewise vague: In her debut novel, Elven has created a timeless, |
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CHARITY
all three parents by taking up with “a little old man with no future,” namely air conditioning salesman Rudy Skupa, and then shocks everyone further by declaring she’s leaving for Sierra Leone to work with Doctors Without Borders—and Rudy is going with her. Despite the invocation of other continents, Fraser’s sad, comic landscape, littered with lingering wounds, is profoundly narrow. Mobile phones and drugs feature in it, but the sense of a social milieu frozen somewhere in the past is heightened by Fraser’s arch language: “Even speaking, she devoiced as if to echo her unfamiliar reticence.” The trip to Africa goes badly, and Greta returns, skinny from probable drug use and devoid of Rudy, who was murdered in a mugging . While Greta, now sent to rehab, appears to be the hinge of the novel’s few events, she is rarely on the page. Instead, the focus is on Denise’s regrets, rehashes, and revelations. She too went off the rails, went abroad, returned, and dropped out. A late notion aims to rescue Greta through charitable work overseas, but Charity begins at home, and ends there too. An obliquely teasing novella offering style and insight, within limitations.
Fraser, Keath Biblioasis (128 pp.) $14.95 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-77196-380-0 The March/December relationship between a young medical student and a man “four times her age and half her weight” broadens into a layered examination of unintended consequences and social legacies. Canadian writer Fraser’s latest is a short, inward-looking work of fictional chamber music featuring three generations of connected individuals lodged in an uncommunicative scenario. Narrator Denise is the second wife of physician Patrick, whose first wife, Judy, abandoned both him and their daughter, Greta, for a short-lived relationship with a Mexican tennis pro. Greta, 23, whose obesity is a cause for concern, is studying medicineand performing charitable work on the weekends. She horrifies
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DARK TIDES
exposed internal conflicts, grotesque dreams, and desires that draw the reader in—but it’s her constant reference to Henry as “you” that cements the too-close discomfort that permeates the novel (“You messed with nature” or “When we made love, I’d somehow taste the essence of the creatures you’d been handling”). Hall wastes no time revealing the couple’s odd predilections. In Chapter 1, they begin to imagine the possibility of “mystical menageries” instead of the traditional taxidermy (a “crabbit” is the combination of a crow and a rabbit; a “stox” is a red fox with a stork’s wings). “The market is dwindling. It’s all high-brow conceptual stuff nowadays,” Scarlett rationalizes. Though a few other characters enter the tale—the world’s best taxidermist Felix De Souza, Penny the flirtatious neighbor, and Scarlett’s twin brother, Rhett—Scarlett’s obsessions are central at all times. While it’s clear from the start that this tale cannot end happily, the last quarter is the most propulsive, even if readers might be disappointed by the predictability of the ending. Not for the squeamish, this book will appeal to readers unafraid of adjectives or an investigation of the unnatural.
Gregory, Philippa Atria (464 pp.) $20.99 | Nov. 24, 2020 978-1-5011-8718-6
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In the second of Gregory’s Fairmile series—after Tidelands (2019)—Venetian intrigue meets English gullibility. When we last saw Alinor Reekie, she had been cast out of her Sussex tidelands home after being “swum” as a witch. Twenty-one years after their escape to London, Alinor and her older daughter, Alys, run a small import-export warehouse while 21-year-old twins Sarah and Johnnie are learning a trade. Now, in 1670, Sir James, Alinor’s former lover, who failed to defend her against the witch-hunters, has come into his noble estate and arrives, far too belatedly, to offer to marry Alinor. He’s also hoping to claim the child she was carrying at the time of her exile as his heir, but Alinor rejects him, telling him cryptically that he has no child. There is no clear protagonist here. White-haired Alinor, “not yet fifty,” whose health never recovered from her near drowning, has been shunted into an advisory role. Into this modest but content household slinks Livia, a sultry Venetian, self-professed widow of Alinor’s son Rob, a physician in Venice who accidentally drowned. “La Nobildonna” (title courtesy of her first late husband) seeks shelter with her infant son, Matteo. Alinor is suspicious—her clairvoyance would have warned her of Rob’s death. Readers will not need second sight to distrust Livia, but it’s fun to watch her swindle—involving ancient statuary—take shape. Unsurprisingly, her long game is to ensnare the ever susceptible Sir James. In what could be a separate novel, Alinor’s brother Ned, a staunch “Leveler,” has immigrated to New England. The détente between English settlers and Native tribes is beginning to fray, and Ned, in an exposition-heavy but very instructive parallel plot, is trying his best to advocate for the Natives. However, readers will be tempted to skip Ned’s sections to see whether Sarah, also gifted with second sight, can rescue the family. Someone has to! An uneven but still welcome addition to the Gregory cannon.
THE TAXIDERMIST’S LOVER
Hall, Polly CamCat Books (272 pp.) $24.99 | Dec. 8, 2020 978-0-7443-0037-6
A gothic romance with a self-fulfilling title. Hall’s first novel, set in the rural wetlands of South West England, is as strange as it is disturbing. Scarlett is the narrator and the significantly younger lover of a skilled taxidermist named Henry, to whom she addresses this story. It’s her highly personal confessional tone, |
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A layered and nuanced mystery. the survivors
THE SURVIVORS
also supposedly claimed the life of Olivia’s 14-year-old sister, Gabby, though her body was never recovered. When the body of Olivia’s housemate, art student Bronte, is found on the beach, a darkness as relentless as the tides comes pulsing to the surface, and it seems everyone has something to hide. As rumors spread on the community’s web page and alarm mounts about the possibility of a killer in their midst, the town’s secrets are steadily unfurled, coalescing into a few unexpected revelations. While this novel isn’t quite as suspenseful as Harper’s previous books, she’s a master at creating atmospheric settings, and it’s easy to fall under her spell. A layered and nuanced mystery.
Harper, Jane Flatiron Books (384 pp.) $27.99 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-250-23242-7 It’s been 12 years since Kieran Elliot left his hometown of Evelyn Bay under a dark cloud. Evelyn Bay, on the Tasmanian coast, is a small, quiet town where everyone knows each other and the days roll by like the waves that lap at its secluded beaches. Now, Kieran has returned with his partner, Mia, and their 3-month-old daughter, Audrey, to help his mother move house so she can be closer to his father, who has dementia and will be moving into a nursing home. Kieran is glad to see old friends Ash, Olivia, and Sean, but tensions linger. After all, there are those who still blame Kieran for a boating accident that killed his older brother, Finn, and Sean’s brother, Toby. The vicious storm that raged that night
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NOT ONE OF US
Herbert, Debbie Thomas & Mercer (304 pp.) $15.95 paper | Feb. 1, 2021 978-1-5420-2492-1 Herbert moves on from Normal, Alabama, to nearby Enigma, but keeps her unrelenting focus on Southern gothic, family-style. No sooner has Ray Strickland, just released from prison, returned to Enigma for his mother’s funeral than Jori Trahern, running into him at a local bar, trash-talks him for killing her cousin, Jackson, and a bunch of guys start throwing punches at him and threaten to kill him. Next morning they get their wish when he’s found shot to death in his mother’s house. Jori is especially distressed because Ray had denied killing Jackson, because a passing remark by her grandmother reveals that Jackson was actually adopted as a baby, and because a fresh discovery links Ray to the Cormier family, who disappeared without a trace 13 years ago. As the person who entered the Cormier house and found it deserted, dinner still in the oven, shortly before Deacon Cormier was supposed to escort her to their high school prom, Jori has been close to the edge ever since, and caring for her increasingly forgetful grandmother and her brother, Zach, who has severe autism, hasn’t made her life any easier. Flipping between Jori’s viewpoint and that of rookie Eric County investigator Tegan Blackwell, who’s recovering from a troubled childhood of her own, Herbert steadily multiplies acts of violence and betrayal as she knits the new crime closer and closer together with the old. More tellingly, she gradually deepens both heroines’ horror at discovering just how low the people who disparage outsiders and newcomers as “not one of us” are willing to go to preserve their privilege. Another dispatch from Enigma would be welcome, though it’s hard to see what else Herbert could burn down next time.
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CROSSHAIRS
comrades telling their stories. And much of the narrative is Kay’s own account of escaping abuse at the hands of his mother and her church and finding a community where he could live freely as himself. One chapter offers scenes of an army veteran who has joined the Resistance teaching Kay to shoot a gun interwoven with glimpses of Kay receiving instruction in the finer points from a more experienced performer. The juxtaposition is powerfully affecting. Beyond that, the disparate parts of this novel are uneven in quality and don’t create an entirely satisfying whole. One issue is that several key characters end up feeling more like allegorical examples than real people. Another is that, while Kay is an engaging protagonist and the details of his life would be sufficiently compelling if this novel were simply the story of his life, this novel is not simply the story of his life. Every time the story shifts back into the past, the plot loses momentum. In creating the Renovation and the Resistance, Hernandez is borrowing science-fiction conventions without fulfilling their promise. Taken altogether, every aspect of the novel feels underdeveloped and unfinished. Earnest but disappointing.
Hernandez, Catherine Atria (272 pp.) $27.00 | Dec. 8, 2020 978-1-982146-02-3 In her second novel for adults, Hernandez imagines a repressive near future that feels like a slight exaggeration of the present. The narrator, Kay Nopuente, describes himself as a “Queer Femme Jamaican Filipino man.” Evan is the lover from whom he was separated when the Canadian government launched the final phase of Renovation—a program that relocates anyone who deviates from a White, cisgender, straight norm to labor camps. Kay is lucky in that he has been sheltered by the Resistance. Part of the narrative focuses on Kay’s training to join an armed rebellion led by Others like him and allies committed to using their privilege on behalf of Others. Part of the narrative is made up of Kay’s
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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES
Bryan Washington
THE AWARD-WINNING WRITER DISCUSSES FOOD, DRINK, BODIES, AND OTHER TELLING DETAILS IN HIS DEBUT NOVEL, MEMORIAL By Megan Labrise Dailey Hubbard
Kirkus spoke to the author about Memorial by phone; the conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What’s your connection to Japan? A good friend of mine I grew up with in my old neighborhood, and we stayed friends—he moved back to Osaka. The first time that I went there was a trip to visit him, about six years or so ago. I had a lovely time, for no reason other than the folks I met were super warm and it’s really nice and felt very comfortable. The city of Osaka is very much itself, in the way that I think Houston is to some extent; and in a lot of ways analogous to New Orleans, although I don’t know exactly why that is—we’ll try to figure it out. After that first trip, excepting this year, I’m usually there once or twice a year. I edited a good chunk of the book over there. Being privileged to be privy to the warmth of folks in that city and their generosity—that was something that I wanted to try and get on the page. We learn so many specific, intimate details about Benson, Mike, and the other people in this book, some from the characters themselves, some from others’ perceptions. How do you conceive of building characters who are very much themselves? What was important to me was not to be prescriptive about characters or the relationships that they have—or the tangential relationships that they have, or the relationships that they don’t have—so much as illustrative. A large component of that was finding each character’s love language, so to speak, or how they extended or showed their love, how they didn’t, and also what they desired and why and to what extent. It was tricky structurally because it meant information would be delivered at wildly disparate points in the narrative. Significant details would be delivered to the reader in a conversation, in an offhand way or a way that didn’t belie the emotional weight….Being really strategic about what I revealed and when about each character was the intent.
In 2019, Bryan Washington rocketed to success as the modern bard of Houston with his debut story collection, Lot. Depicting working-class characters leading complex lives in the city’s multicultural Third Ward neighborhood, it won Washington the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award and a number of other honors (including a 5 Under 35 prize and appreciation from President Barack Obama). In his eagerly anticipated follow-up novel, Memorial (Riverhead, Oct. 27), Benson and Mike, a mixedrace couple in their late 20s, contend with their future, their families, and the meaning of home. The story, told in alternating perspectives, launches in Houston, journeys to Osaka, Japan, and, finally, returns stateside. “I was really keen on writing a love story featuring characters from the communities that I hold dear,” Washington tells Kirkus, “centering the traumas that those characters may or may not have faced within their respective narrative arcs.” 14
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The phrase “emotional weight” hops out at me. Are there certain scenes in this book you really put the fullness of your weight—your craft, your talent—behind? Ideally, you’re putting your weight behind everything. That’s kind of a bullshit answer, but I also think it’s an honest answer. There are brief exchanges—at least a handful of scenes that are only 30, 40, 150, 200 words—and yet the information that they’re dispersing is deeply pivotal to a character’s narrative arc. [I was] playing with the conventions of what connoted an important scene: What happens if you make that pivotal moment only two lines? Or what happens if you stick it in the middle of a conversation that’s an entirely other thing? Or what happens if you have Mike or Benson say something that is deeply impactful regarding a relationship and yet the person they’re speaking to doesn’t realize it until five, six lines into the conversation? So just really, really playing with the idea of what mattered to each character related to what would ultimately matter to the reader.
drink that you think is going to be the size of a Coke can and it’s actually like a small child delivered onto your table. Food was another language for each of the characters. I’ve had a handful of friends say that they read [Memorial] like a cookbook, which is a really fascinating thing that I don’t think is terribly divorced from how I structured Ben’s and Mike’s arcs to some extent. Why was Memorial the right title for this book? One of the reasons is I like a one-word title, because you’re gonna be saying it quite a lot. You don’t want to be saying a five-word title like 255 times. Another reason is that “memorial” can be so many different things. It can be a mournful entity; it can be a joyous entity; it can be an emotion that doesn’t necessarily cut straight down the middle of one thing or another. What it felt like was a time capsule, irrespective of whatever emotional pocket it resided in. It memorialized something, right? If something is being memorialized, then it happened; but it also, perhaps, ended. So it felt like the emotional potential of that word and the fleetingness of that word were fitting.
Regarding the phrase “love language”: In this book there’s a lot of touch exchanged, especially between men, from the cupping of a younger brother’s head to the way two queer cis men lie entwined on a beach. There’s plenty of fighting and sex, too, and the way you portray caresses and collisions is very fine. I appreciate that. I think that the ways in which bodies move or don’t move—whether it’s between, you know, romantic partners, whether it’s between siblings, whether it’s between a parent [and] child or something—that was really interesting to me, generally, and also interesting in the context of this particular narrative, because so many of the conversations are punctuated by silence and punctuated by increments and implications of things that aren’t immediately stated on the page. A lot of those gaps are, ideally, filled, or at least fleshed out by a character’s physical movements on the page, even if it’s as simple as a hand on your shoulder, inching closer to another character, or sex. Or the kind of sex that a character is having, what it means when a character allows one person into their body and doesn’t allow another person into their body. Or if a character is engaging in physicality that isn’t sex but is as satisfying to that character as sex….Trying to figure out how each character relates to touch or doesn’t was something that was at the forefront of me trying to figure out what they were to one another.
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Megan Labrise is the editor at large and host of the Fully Booked podcast. Memorial received a starred review in the July 15, 2020, issue.
You also emphasize how these characters relate to food and drink, including but not limited to “a margarita”—well, several margaritas—“the size of your head,” which is a pretty evocative phrase. The massive margarita is a common thing at a certain brand of Tex-Mex restaurant where you pay $7 or $8 for a |
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SLASH AND BURN
leaves to join “the catechists” in the war against the state. She soon decides to follow him to the mountains and takes up with a much older man there. When she has her first daughter, her commanders send the baby away, to be sold by nuns to a couple from Paris. Though the woman has two more daughters by her eventual husband from the war and another daughter by a different man after her husband’s death, she never gives up on her firstborn and finally finds a way to her after the war’s official end. Though there are no men in her life by now and she’s the sole provider for her daughters, she’s still on guard and following phantom orders. The mother, whose endless practicality, resilience, and independence are the backbone of the novel, cuts through the violence, poverty, and petty cruelties of the men and ex-combatants in her community to give her daughters their best chance. A story about a mother’s resilience in a postwar country is let down by its sometimes impenetrable form.
Hernández, Claudia Trans. by Sanches, Julia And Other Stories (352 pp.) $17.95 paper | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-91150-882-3 In an unnamed Central American country, a teenage girl fights a yearslong civil war during which she bears several daughters. When it’s over, she struggles to find a way to shed the soldier and
embrace the mother. The protagonist is nameless, referred to only as “she” or “her” or later “the mother”; the other characters, mostly female, are called “her mother,” “her daughter,” “her sister,” “her aunt.” The book feels both startlingly profound and, later, confusing as it drags on too long, with barely any dialogue to break up the text. The girl first learns to put a gun together at 13 when her father teaches her how to protect their family before he
THE OCEAN HOUSE
Hughes, Mary-Beth Grove (208 pp.) $26.00 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-8021-5753-9
From a New Jersey beach house, two little girls watch their mother silhouetted against the ocean. Suspended in time, this opening moment records their happiness, which will shatter. Although their beautiful ocean house boasts a tower room (it’s even haunted) and delicate stained glass windows, it can’t protect the girls from the fracturing of their family or the loss of their own innocence. With this opening, Hughes deftly sets in motion a Rube Goldberg–like collection of stories in which a single character from one tale trips a connection to another. The links are often obscure, as with a wayward husband’s mysterious brother or the lingering echo of a woman’s name across another woman’s memory. Figuring out the links makes the whole book feel like a fascinating puzzle. In one story, a young woman arrives seemingly out of the narrative ether to serve as a nanny for Faith, a young mother. Her peculiar behavior amuses Faith until a bizarre tragedy strikes. Subsequent stories pick up the tale later, with Faith’s psychiatric hospitalization, her husband’s absconding to parts unknown, and her daughter Cece’s sessions with a therapist-in-training whose blunt methods threaten to retraumatize her. In one of the most troubling stories, a team of men try to convince a young woman (presumably Cece) to let them turn her experience of sexual assault into a violent cartoon, gradually transforming it into an unrecognizable male fantasy of domination. In another, Cece’s beloved best friend, Sebastian, returns home for his own mother’s death, negotiating his stepfather’s desire to erase him from the house and his sister’s inability to be present. Rich with detail and unexpected phrasing, Hughes’ prose illuminates her dark emotional terrain. Grief-stricken yet beautiful portraits of fractured lives. 16
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MINUS ME
that’s what sets this kooky rom-com in motion, with additional bold plot contrivances (obscure medical conditions, family secrets, sudden personality changes, magical wealth and influence) also playing their parts. When the local doctor takes a look at Annie’s lungs and tells her with tears in his eyes to get her affairs in order, she knows she must break the news to her darling Sam. But when Sam cuts her off and changes the subject, she decides not to tell him at all. Instead, she’ll write him a manual on how to manage his life after she’s gone. Each chapter of Medwed’s first novel in 12 years starts with a quote from the manual—“Women like flowers,” “Don’t let your underwear become tattered,” “Change the answering machine to your own voice”—and longer excerpts are also included, featuring quite a bit of urging that, as a widower, Sam seek comfort from Annie’s lifelong best friend, Rachel. Though the doctor continues to insist she tell both Sam and her mother (a famous actress who’s been worthless as a parent and is now, after many husbands, this doctor’s girlfriend) and also to please, please consult a specialist for a second opinion, Annie sees no rush. If you’re gonna die, you’re gonna die. Despite the utter unbelievability of every other plot element, you still end up craving one of those sandwiches.
Medwed, Mameve Alcove Press (336 pp.) $16.99 paper | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-64385-643-8 One-half of the happiest couple on Earth—or at least in the fictional Passamaquoddy, Maine—conceals her terminal diagnosis from her husband. Despite a tortuous history of pregnancy loss, Annie and Sam have been a perfect match since high school. Well-liked in their Maine hometown, they came back after college to run a sandwich shop with a sub so popular it’s a tourist attraction—the totally unhealthy and impossibly delicious “Paul Bunyan,” consisting of salami, American cheese, tomatoes, onions, green peppercorns, pickles, and a mysterious sauce holding it all together. Considering the success of the couple’s relationship, it’s odd that they’ve never really learned to have a conversation—but
THE HOUSE ON VESPER SANDS
O’Donnell, Paraic Tin House (408 pp.) $26.95 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-951142-24-7 An orphan-turned-heiress, a university student, a down-on-his-heels clergyman, an inspector from Scotland Yard, a number of missing girls, and a host of high-society figures collide in this supernatural, gothic mystery. London, 1893. Octavia Hillingdon might be an heiress, but that’s only because she and her brother, Georgie, were adopted by a newspaper magnate and given opportunities that would have otherwise been out of reach. Now, Octavia is a bicycle-riding Victorian lady journalist trying to uncover big stories even as she’s limited to reporting on society events and gossipy pieces about the Spiriters by a difficult editor. Elf—that is, the Most Honourable Marquess of Hartington—is her friend and party sidekick, winnowing out gossipy tidbits for her. Gideon Bliss is an exceedingly poor university student in Cambridge who drops everything to rush to London after receiving a cryptic letter from his clergyman uncle about impending danger, yet he secretly hopes to once again meet up with his beloved Angela. The volatile Inspector Cutter handles special cases dealing with the occult at Scotland Yard. The lives of all these characters and more collide over the course of a few days in February: Gideon stumbles upon Angela—wearing a thin white shift and barely lucid—before the altar in an empty church, but he is drugged, she is taken, and he seeks Inspector Cutter’s help. A seamstress jumps to her death from a window of Lord Strythe’s London 18
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"A somber, disturbing mystery fused with a scathing look at the fashion industry... Mangin writes in a confident, razor-edged style." - Kirkus Reviews
E X P R
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E S S
"Splashy and outrÊ, distorting stereotypes of glitterati and their carefully guarded world.� - Foreword Reviews Fiction / Dystopian / Thriller Paperback 410 pp. | July 12, 2020 978-1-7345534-1-3
Learn More at
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A diverse yet consistent collection, mind-bending and provocative in a host of styles and milieus. prayer for the living
PRAYER FOR THE LIVING
home, the gentleman himself disappears, and Olivia tries to find out why. Author O’Donnell carefully unspools the gothic creepiness of his story, teasing the reader with tidbits of information that raise more questions than they answer: Just who are the Spiriters? What are they doing with the young girls who go missing? How is the seamstress’s suicide related to the death of the Inspector’s wife? In the end, all the pieces fit together. An intriguing, unexpected gothic mashup with elements of Dorothy Sayers, Wilkie Collins, and Josephine Tey.
Okri, Ben Akashic (216 pp.) $22.95 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-61775-863-8 A career-spanning story collection from the Booker Prize–winning Nigerian writer that navigates the blurry line between dream and reality. Okri’s stories are so concerned with myth and folklore, and so comfortable in the style of those genres, that his best ones sometimes feel as if written on parchment or chiseled in granite. In the eerie, allegorical title story, a man searching for his loved ones in a town devastated by soldiers finds a kind of collective solidarity with the corpses he discovers: “All the faces are familiar. Death has made them all my kin.” “A Sinister Perfection” features a dollhouse that seems to have the power to make (usually bad) things happen in reality. The narrator of “Dreaming of Byzantium” finds himself in Istanbul, uncertain of how he got there or of the woman he shares his hotel bed with; his journey becomes a study in how “unreality makes reality.” Okri’s stories propose a kind of existential balancing act: If we err when we place too much faith in reality, we can also too easily succumb to delusion. “The Lie,” for instance, is a fable about a king who sends his minions out to discover universal truths only to face an uncomfortable one about himself: “Your power is unreal. It is made of air. It consists of what we have conferred on you.” The stories don’t always strive for timelessness: Three tales concern the African terrorist group Boko Haram. Nor is the mysticism always somber: “Alternative Realities Are True” is a dimensionwarping detective story worthy of Philip K. Dick, and “Don Ki-Otah and the Ambiguity of Reading” is a Don Quixote satire whose metafictional gamesmanship evokes Borges and Achebe. Okri often plays with form, as in two stories written in a flashfiction style he calls “stoku,” a portmanteau of story and haiku. But throughout, Okri skillfully embeds abstract ideas in concrete, engaging storytelling. A diverse yet consistent collection, mind-bending and provocative in a host of styles and milieus.
DETRANSITION, BABY
Peters, Torrey One World/Random House (352 pp.) $27.00 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-593-13337-8 A wonderfully original exploration of desire and the evolving shape of family. Reese’s specialty is horrible married men—and she has carefully analyzed all the reasons why. She is, in fact, exquisitely self-aware when it comes to her self-destructive tendencies. When her ex, Ames, asks her to 20
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TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL LOVES LIBRARIES! 42 Texas libraries received $100,000 in grant support from TBF this year. • TBF
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be a second mother to the baby his lover, Katrina, is carrying, Reese knows exactly why she doesn’t say no: She believes that motherhood will make her a real woman. Ames has issues of his own. Fatherhood is not a role he wants for himself—which is not to say that he doesn’t want to be a parent. It’s his hope that, by bringing Reese into their ménage, he might make Katrina consider other, less binary, possibilities. Set in New York and peopled with youngish professionals (and folks who are, at least, professional-adjacent), this novel has the contours of a dishy contemporary drama, and it is that. What sets it apart from similar novels are the following details: Reese is a trans woman, and, when she and Ames were together, Ames was Amy and also a trans woman. Detransitioning—returning to the gender assigned at birth after living as another gender—is a fraught subject. People who change their minds about transitioning are often held up as cautionary tales or as evidence that trans identity is a phase or a sickness, not something real. Peters, a trans woman, knows this, and, in Ames, she has created a character who does not conform to any hateful stereotype. Ames is, like every other human, complicated, and his relationship to his
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own body and his own gender is just one of his complexities. Reese is similarly engaging. She’s kind of a mess, but who isn’t? There’s no question that there will be much that’s new here for a lot of readers, but the insider view Peters offers never feels voyeuristic, and the author does a terrific job of communicating cultural specificity while creating universal sympathy. Trans women will be matching their experiences against Reese’s, but so will cis women—and so will anyone with an interest in the human condition. Smart, funny, and bighearted.
SALT WATER
Pla, Josep Trans. by Bush, Peter Archipelago (310 pp.) $20.00 paper | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-939810-72-4 Joined sketches, ostensibly fictional but with the ring of lived truth to them, by the noted Catalonian writer. As translator Bush remarks in an afterword, Pla’s (1897-1981) chronicles of his seafaring compatriots were supposedly written during the author’s youth. Most, in fact, were from the 1940s, when, working as a journalist, Pla made a specialty of sneaking subtle criticisms of the Franco dictatorship into his copy. Sometimes his resistance is less than subtle. In one story, the narrator is conversing with “Dalí the painter’s father,” as he prefers to be called, and recounts, “In the Ampurdan, we federal republicans and those who didn’t think like us created a most pleasant level of coexistence, which had eliminated all forms of brutality….We’d rage at each other, but there was mutual respect. All that was destroyed thanks to theories about human progress and happiness.” Most of the stories are laden with references to the glories of Catalan cuisine, so much better, Pla asserts, than the butter-heavy French cuisine up the coast; in just about every story, someone is eating anchovies and sardines and sea bream, and it’s a book not to be read on an empty stomach. In just about every story, too, there is a reminder not just of food, but also of the antiquity of the Mediterranean; a Zorba-like character with the Greek-ish name of Hermós, for example, claims that the people along the cape he inhabits are indeed Hellenes, for “those Greeks were no fools. They chose to come and live in the best of places.” Blending both themes, the narrator later rejoins, “The spectacle of avid hunger becomes this antique sea. There are corners of this sea where you can smell the stench of Homeric hecatombs.” Pla’s stories are generally unadorned and precise in their renderings of both the people and the places of the far northeast of Spain, lives full of hardship and labor—but also their insistence on freedom. A fine introduction to a writer little known outside his native land and who memorably captures its atmosphere.
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A mesmerizing escape. the river within
THE RIVER WITHIN
Hall, who has begun a romantic relationship with Lennie while in confused, angry mourning over his father Angus’ recent death; Alexander’s mother, Venetia, whose stately role as Lady Richmond belies her insecurities and passions as a wife and mother; Danny himself, a village boy in unrequited love with Lennie though his boyhood friendships with Tom and Alexander ended years before when the two of them left for boarding school. (Intellectually gifted but resentful Tom, whose schooling Angus paid for, represents the angry young men of 1950s British fiction and film.) While Danny remains relatively innocent—pining for Lennie, his only real secret is the volume of Tennyson he’s purchased and keeps meaning to give her—his death forces Alexander, Lennie, and Venetia to confront unspoken jealousies and guilts, some more deserved than others. Love triangles abound, as do deaths with unclear causes. But this is not a murder mystery. Despite an unfortunately dated representation of mental illness, Powell shows hard-nosed empathy in portraying individuals’ private demons in the context of social realities. Her novel about love, class, and secrecy in 1950s England reads as if it were written in the era the characters inhabit, her style and tone reminiscent of an earlier generation of reticent yet emotionally brutal writers like Shirley Hazzard and Graham Greene. A mesmerizing escape.
Powell, Karen Europa Editions (272 pp.) $18.45 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-60945-615-3
In 1955, postwar Britain’s socioeconomic changes play out in the small Yorkshire village of Starome as local estate Richmond Hall swims against a tide of mounting taxes and death duties. Then the drowned body of Danny Masters, a village local, is discovered at river’s edge by 17-yearold Lennie Fairweather, her older brother, Tom, and their friend Alexander Richmond. As Danny’s aunt says, “That river’s always been dangerous.” Never named, it winds dangerously enough through the lives of Powell’s four protagonists: quiet Lennie, whose father’s job as private secretary at Richmond Hall has left her in social limbo, fully accepted neither by the village nor the gentry; Cambridge student Alexander, heir to Richmond
WATER MEMORY
Pyne, Daniel Thomas & Mercer (366 pp.) $14.95 | Feb. 1, 2021 978-1-5420-2502-7 An unusually active risk management agent sent home to rest embarks on a tropical cruise that drops her into hotter waters than ever. Everyone at Solomon Systems agrees that Aubrey Sentro needs a break after her dramatic rescue of kidnapped software exec Scott Chang, and they don’t even know about her recent diagnosis with persistent post-concussion syndrome, which affects her memory in dramatic and unpredictable ways. Forced to use some of her accumulated vacation days, Sentro books passage aboard the Jeddah, a working steamer that carries a few passengers. Though she can’t even remember most of their names from meal to meal, Sentro becomes unexpectedly close to outspoken Fontaine Fox just in time for heavily armed pirates to board the ship and terrorize passengers and crew alike. Despite their apparent amateurism, identical twins Pauly and Castor Zeme are no ordinary pirates: They’re acting on behalf of someone who’s after much more than the usual cash, credit cards, jewelry, and valuables. As Pyne keeps reminding you, however, Sentro is no ordinary victim either, and her reaction when the Jeddah is boarded sparks the first of many violent sequences so unforgettable that even she might end up remembering them. If only her adult children, Jeremy and Jennifer Troon, could be persuaded to stand down from involving themselves personally in the mercenaries’ 24
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You won’t want to miss a word. What’s Next
Bethlehem’s Brothers
Geoffrey Keane
Ronald Hera
In 3017, your android servant’s computer brain is connected to yours, through a chip installed in your scalp. It’s unbelievably great; but it’s new, so there may be downside risk!
Two brothers are swept into a conflict and separated for a decade before being reunited by the arrival of Jesus Christ in Galilee. Follow the journey of the Bethlehem’s Brothers.
$19.95 paperback 978-1-4772-7040-0 also available in ebook
$15.95 paperback 978-1-4634-3102-0 also available in hardcover & ebook
www.authorhouse.com
www.authorhouse.com
How to Move the Earth
Plotting To Stop The British Slave Trade
(in Simple English): A Guide to Earthmoving in the Mining Industry
James Bruce And His Secret Mission To Africa Jane Aptekar Reeve
How to Move the Earth is a guide for the contract mining and owner-operated mining industries, helping newcomers and veterans make educated decisions and perform at the highest standard in their roles.
Through this biography about James Bruce, an espionage agent aiming to eradicate slavery, the author addresses the neglected aspects of the ancient habit of slavery and the related abuse to women.
$96.99 paperback 978-1-7960-0582-0 also available in hardcover
$33.09 paperback 978-1-7283-9624-8 also available in hardcover & ebook
www.xlibris.com.au
www.authorhouse.co.uk
The Gatekeeper
Xonarye
Donald Peters
Australia
The Gatekeeper details the mission of Mark Taylor, assigned to investigate one of CIA’s senior members suspected of being involved in drug trafficking. Follow his mission as he finds the truth.
S.H.S.
$28.99 paperback 978-1-5434-9585-0 also available in hardcover & ebook
$11.99 paperback 978-1-9845-0620-7 also available in hardcover & ebook
www.xlibris.co.nz
www.xlibris.com.au
The Soul-Catcher’s Calling
Love Letters from the Marine Wolf
Sponsored by Supreme Command
A US Hospital and Transport Ship, an Army Medic Afloat, and a War Bride in World War II
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R. A. Martin
An exciting Adventure mystery novel that will keep you guessing weather it fact or Fiction. Will the lost country Xonarye rise again?
Nigel J. Jamieson, LLD (Otago)
Michele Makros
For this world in turmoil, The Soul Catcher’s Calling prophetically encourages mankind’s deeper understanding of the 20/20 revelatory vision required for this pivotal year of 2020 and far beyond.
Told from the perspective of Sergeant Michael Makros Jr. and others, Michele Makros offers a biography of the World War II hospital and troop transport ship USAT Marine Wolf.
$28.19 paperback 978-1-5434-9591-1 also available in hardcover & ebook
$57.95 paperback 978-1-5246-8984-1 also available in ebook
www.xlibris.co.nz
www.authorhouse.com
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A coming-of-age story set in the artsy, druggy, seedy, sexy downtown underground of 1980s New York. astrid sees all
ransom demand, her story would end much more quietly—but what would be the fun in that? Pyne keeps expertly mixing up his pitches long after you’ve stopped expecting anything but blazing fastballs.
Court’s recent marriage equality verdict; some children and a house in the suburbs with raised flower beds would be great, too. His childhood friend Oscar Burnham is a “proud queer” who can’t fathom why any gay man would want to settle for marriage like a “breeder.” One night at a gay bar, he confronts a woman who’s part of a bachelorette party after she condescendingly says, “God, I love my gays,” aggressively shaming her into leaving. Sebastian and Oscar narrate alternating chapters of the novel. After they run into each other in D.C., Oscar thinks a visit to Sebastian’s house makes him feel “like [he’s] stumbled into a diorama in a natural history museum labeled Homo ameri canus domesticus.” There’s a deep tension between the two that’s sexual but also political: Neither can entirely stomach the life the other has chosen. But to Salih’s credit, the narrators’ personalities don’t fall into tidy moral demarcations; Sebastian, who isn’t adventurous, dangerously pines for one of his 17-yearold students, and Oscar, who has a robust sex life, might just want a steady relationship if he’d admit that to himself. An insightful examination of two of the many ways gay men present themselves in contemporary America.
LET’S GET BACK TO THE PARTY
Salih, Zak Algonquin (288 pp.) $25.95 | Feb. 16, 2021 978-1-61620-957-5
Two childhood friends reconnect in their 30s with life-changing consequences. It’s the summer of 2015, a year before the massacre of 49 people at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. Sebastian Mote is a high school art history teacher in a suburb of Washington, D.C., reeling from the end of a threeyear relationship. He wants to take advantage of the Supreme
ASTRID SEES ALL
Standiford, Natalie Atria (272 pp.) $26.00 | Apr. 6, 2021 978-1-982153-65-6
A coming-of-age story set in the artsy, druggy, seedy, sexy downtown underground of 1980s New York. After a string of well-received YA books, Standiford’s first novel for adults hearkens back to the days, or should we say nights, of Slaves of New York and Bright Lights Big City. Baltimorean Phoebe and Manhattanite Carmen, who met as undergraduates at Brown, are having a hell of a time finding a livable apartment in the East Village—until Carmen’s boyfriend’s heroin dealer is busted and they beeline over to his apartment to corner his landlady before the place goes on the market. That’s the kind of you-had-to-be-there detail that makes this book. There are outrageous conversations overheard at parties; descriptions of over-the-top fashion statements and performance art projects; cameos by Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, Grace Jones, and Debbie Harry. The author’s glee in evoking the zeitgeist of the 1980s is infectious. Perhaps her somewhat less successful approach to plot can be forgiven. The novel’s abundant storylines include Phoebe’s grief about her father’s death and estrangement from her mother, the imbalance of power in her friendship with Carmen, an affair with a married doctor with a painful outcome, the possibility that she is being followed, and her burgeoning career as a club-scene fortuneteller, building on a childhood game of saving movie ticket stubs in a box and pulling them like Tarot cards to divine the future. (“ ‘Does Darryl Morgan like me?’ All The President’s Men. That’s a yes.”) All this would have been plenty; when a detail about the growing number of missing girls whose faces are tacked up around the 26
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neighborhood morphs into a thriller subplot, it seems like it belongs in a different book. Smart details, lively digressions, and spot-on period snapshots keep an overloaded plot afloat.
when her mother dies, she leaves Sadie the home in her will— with the stipulation that Sadie’s daughter, Robin, must attend Ashams, the prestigious private school where Sadie went. Her marriage already in tatters, Sadie flees back to London; she has little choice but to adhere to the terms of the will. Returning to a house of gloomy memories, bearing the weight of her daughter’s disappointment and homesickness, she struggles to find her footing. The school mothers are the worst, and the Queen Bee, Julia, has all the other women wrapped around her little finger. She makes Sadie’s and Robin’s lives a living hell—until she finds out that Sadie is an Ashams “old girl.” Connection and legacy go a long way, and Sadie and Robin are soon invited to parties and sleepovers, part of the inner circle. Meanwhile, Sadie, trained as a barrister but having left work when Robin was born, finds a job helping to organize materials for an upcoming trial in which a young woman has accused her teacher of sexual abuse. As she begins to wonder about the truth of that relationship, a tragedy strikes close to home, and then Robin goes missing. What is the rot at the heart of Ashams? And whom can Sadie trust to help her uncover the
THE LIES YOU TOLD
Tyce, Harriet Grand Central Publishing (384 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-5387-6275-2 Coming home to London to confront her past, Sadie Roper finds herself embroiled in several mysteries. When Sadie left for New York with her husband and her daughter, her mother made it perfectly clear that she was a failure for choosing motherhood over her job and that she’d never be welcome in her childhood home again. But
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A novel of youth and not-quite innocence set in 1980s California. we run the tides
ORDESA
truth about the case? The characters are sharply drawn, but there’s not much depth to the plot. Misdirection, shadows, and a lot of snarky meanness— but in the end, it’s all surface drama.
Vilas, Manuel Trans. by Rosenberg, Andrea Riverhead (304 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-0-593-08404-5
WE RUN THE TIDES
A middle-aged man dwells on his losses, frailties, and family in this unusual fiction. Vilas is a Spanish poet, novelist, and essayist born in 1962 who has enjoyed critical and commercial success in his homeland with this book. Its narrator is a writer who’s the same age as Vilas and from the same area of Spain, so it’s possible there’s autofiction afoot. The year is 2015, and the narrator says he’s writing this book to address a malaise he links to “a blurry memory” of a flat tire on the way to a vacation in the mountain valley of Ordesa when he was a child. His mind journeys back to scenes of his own life, of his parents young and as they age, their deaths, two
Vida, Vendela Ecco/HarperCollins (272 pp.) $26.99 | Feb. 9, 2021 978-0-06-293623-3 A novel of youth and not-quiteinnocence set in 1980s California, where teenage loyalties are tested by the disappearance of one girl and the growing suspicion, on the part of her best friend, that an elaborate deception may have
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been perpetrated. Thirteen-year-old Eulabee, “a very good student with a sinister side,” and her best friend, Maria Fabiola, a precocious beauty, are as lucky as any California girls can be. Living in the wealthy enclave of Sea Cliff with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge (though Eulabee’s family is not rich), they attend the exclusive Spragg School for Girls and are renowned for their daring ability to scale the local cliffs and to read the treacherous ocean tides. They also know “where the boys live” in their neighborhood, though the danger at the heart of the novel resides elsewhere. “Separately we are good girls,” Eulabee explains, “together...we are trouble.” Innocent trouble, that is, of the teenage variety involving drugs (negligible), alcohol (purveyed by bad boys), and lying to parents and teachers. The first shadow to fall on this breezy narrative is that of a parked car noticed by the girls one morning on their way to school. The driver asks them the time, they answer and walk on, but Maria Fabiola insists, “He was touching himself…and he said he’s going to find us later!” Eulabee, who says she didn’t see this happen, is branded a traitor at school (and later a “slut” for being mauled at a party). Then Maria Fabiola goes missing. Two more apparent disappearances follow, one all too real. The narrative darkens, and Eulabee’s impulse to uncover the truth behind the initial event both increases her isolation and, ironically, intensifies the tabloid drama. “The newspapers called what happened the Sea Cliff Seizures, and the name stuck,” she reflects decades later when a chance meeting in 2019 sheds new light on the distant affair. That final chapter, in its compressed elegance and psychological subtlety, also hints at the novel that might have been. An engaging if somewhat flat teenage narrative of an apparent abduction and a dissolving friendship.
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THE INLAND SEA
episodes when he was sexually abused, his heavy drinking. The self-described “chaotic narrator” shifts frequently between past and present and among details (including several photos) that range from the banal to the colorful and occasionally the weird. The tone is serious to the point of gloomy, and it may be a reader’s yearning for humor that makes some of the stranger pronouncements and revelations read as tongue-in-cheek, like: “Until their eighteenth birthdays, children are blue.” Or: “I don’t iron underwear because nobody sees it.” (And one sentence later: “I don’t iron my briefs”; repetitiousness is a problem throughout.) At such times the writing recalls but doesn’t match the faux intellectual fun of Thomas Clerc’s Interior. This novel’s popularity in Spain could stem from its bitter comments on the country’s troubled history and economy, remarks that may not resonate with many American readers. But Vilas also conveys—and Rosenberg smoothly translates—many moments of pain and happiness any reader might recognize as the narrator plunges into the maelstrom of closely examined memory. A dark and challenging but emotionally rich work.
Watts, Madeleine Catapult (272 pp.) $16.95 paper | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-64622-018-2 An unnamed protagonist watches Australia burn as her body burns along with it. With an almost bored detachment, a recent college graduate and aspiring writer working at a Triple Zero call center (Australia’s version of 911) lists the crises she transfers to emergency agencies: “An old man with chest pains...a woman hiding from her ex-boyfriend under the bed, and a mother whose baby had turned blue.” This aura of detachment doesn’t mean the narrator is callous but instead points to a central tension running through the novel: the narrator’s desire to be separate from a body that feels too much. Watts plays with this idea of dissociation by creating a heroine who writes to the reader from a future vantage point without ever revealing her own name (and giving pseudonyms to everyone in her life). Nevertheless, the reader is invited to witness the intimate moment when the blood clots slide down the narrator’s leg in the shower after she has an abortion. This abortion and the man who impregnated her usher in a series of events that violently echo Australia’s burning landscape. The narrator continuously endangers her body through unprotected sex with strangers, overindulgence in alcohol, and ill-advised swims in riptides; meanwhile, her mind seems to be playing catch-up: “I became aware of a sound that I discovered was being issued from me. A howl.” People around her experience disasters, and she keeps herself outside. She goes through trauma, and she doesn’t know she’s the one screaming. Magnificently uncomfortable.
m ys t e r y GUILT AT THE GARAGE
Brett, Simon Severn House (192 pp.) $28.99 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-78029-132-1
Wary readers can add Shefford’s Garage to the list of places where things can go fatally wrong in the amber-preserved village of Fethering. Carole Seddon may have been a well-informed functionary of the Home Office, but she doesn’t know a thing about cars. So when some vandal smashes the rear window of her Renault as she’s enjoying a dinner at the local pub with healer Jude Nicholls, her friend 30
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A police detective accused of murder is so unpopular that even his colleagues think he did it. mrs. jeffries demands justice
MURDER BY NUMBERS
and frequent partner in criminal investigation, she takes it to Bill Shefford and asks him to fix it. He recommends a glassreplacement specialist who turns out not to be on the list of specialists Carole’s insurer will reimburse, but since Carole’s “fear of doing something wrong was not as strong as her fear of drawing attention to herself,” she burns the threatening follow-up note someone has left and pays for the repair herself. When Bill, working in a maintenance pit, is crushed to death by a gear box that falls out of Tom Kendrick’s Triumph Tr6, Carole’s recent experience makes her especially keen on working out who might have helped the unlikely weapon on its way. Malee Shefford, the Thai bride Bill wed less than a year ago? Billy Shefford, his son and heir-no-longer-quite-so-apparent? Listless, depressive Tom, who’s kept afloat by his mother, Natalie? Jeremiah, the newly arrived healer who wants to join the uninterested Jude in opening a center for alternative healing and who briefly treated Tom before Natalie invited Jude to take on the unappetizing task? The thief who made off with Bill’s will and his appointments diary? Or Carole’s anonymous correspondent, who keeps sending her threatening notes? Very few guilty feelings around this garage but lots of quietly guilty behavior.
Brown, Eric Severn House (208 pp.) $28.99 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-0-7278-9077-1
A British detective battles to unmask a killer before his wife becomes victim No. 6. Donald Langham and his French wife, Maria, are in the middle of buying a cottage in Suffolk when Maria arrives at the office with a bizarre invitation to attend a death at the home of Maxwell Falwell Fenton. When she was just 18, Maria was infatuated with the much older artist until he asked her to pose nude and she fought him off with a poker. The couple drive to Fenton’s crumbling estate to find that actress Holly Beckwith, George Goudge and his art critic wife, Hermione, poet Crispin Proudfoot, and Dr. Bryce are fellow invitees. Greeted by a butler, they each take numbered seats and are allowed
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MRS. JEFFRIES DEMANDS JUSTICE
Brightwell, Emily Berkley (304 pp.) $15.99 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-593-10106-3 A police detective accused of murder is so unpopular that even his colleagues think he did it. Bert Santorini is found shot in a Whitechapel alley. At his side is an expensive dueling pistol soon identified as the property of Inspector Nigel Nivens, a well-connected but thoroughly dishonest cop. When a newspaper story claims that the police are covering for Nivens, Scotland Yard calls in Inspector Gerald Witherspoon, who’s solved many murders and has an impeccable reputation for honesty. Few know that Witherspoon’s success rate is due to his clever housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries; his household staff; and some friends and neighbors, all of whom have contacts in many levels of society. Although none are fans of Nivens, who’s tangled with Witherspoon in the past, they’re so dedicated to justice that they set to work once more to uncover the truth. Santorini had an ice delivery business but was well known for being a snout who testified at a trial that sent three of the O’Dwyer brothers to jail, leaving their mother in a vengeful mood. Since Santorini also had entanglements with several women, there’s no dearth of suspects for Mrs. Jeffries’ team to explore. Even after he discovers that Nivens is meddling in the case and has continued to lie, Witherspoon still doesn’t think him a killer. But time is running out to discover the truth. Mrs. Jeffries and her diverse Victorian team shine again in an entry that poses an especially complex puzzle. |
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ONE POISON PIE
to see Fenton, who is dying and almost unrecognizable. After excoriating and threatening them, he shoots himself. It seems like a simple suicide until the guests begin to be murdered in horrific ways in the order of their seat numbers. A call from DI Mallory, who finds the hanging death of Dr. Bryce fishy, involves Langham and Ralph Ryland, the partner in his detective agency, in a grim effort to halt the slaughter. As each guest is killed, Langham tries to protect the survivors while digging into Fenton’s thoroughly reprehensible past for clues. A classic English mystery with plenty of unexpected plot twists.
Cahoon, Lynn Kensington (288 pp.) $8.99 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-4967-3031-2 Will a kitchen witch’s magic powers be strong enough to keep her alive and out of prison? After rescuing her grandmother from a murder rap, chef Mia Malone moves permanently to Magic Springs, Idaho, to start a catering business in the old schoolhouse she bought from the town with the help of her grandmother and Grans’ bestie, acerbic fellow witch Adele Simpson. Mia has dumped her problematic boyfriend, Isaac, but his sister, Christina, fleeing problems in Vegas, had taken refuge with her as she learns to be a sous-chef. Mia’s first job is catering for Adele, who changes her mind about the menu at the last minute. Mia relies on hunky grocery owner Trent Majors, who guarantees to get her the steaks she needs. John Louis, who lost the bid for the schoolhouse, offers Mia a profit if she’ll sell it to him but harasses and threatens her when she declines. Things go from bad to worse when Adele is found dead and Officer Baldwin marks Mia and Christina as suspects. Luckily, Trent, a nonpracticing witch who’s not part of the local coven that included Mia’s grandmother and Adele, has Mia’s back, freeing her to do some detective work. Adele’s nephew shows up in a hurry to collect his inheritance, but Adele left everything to Mia’s grandmother. Fighting her attraction to Trent, Mia continues to hunt down clues in hopes of saving her fledgling business and her life. A witchy cooking cozy for fans of the supernatural and good eating.
A WICKED YARN
Caldwell, Emmie Berkley (304 pp.) $7.99 paper | Dec. 29, 2020 978-0-593101-68-1 Donning a new pseudonym, prolific Mary Ellen Hughes introduces a keen Pennsylvania puzzle-solver who enlists her crafty friends to crack a murder. Though retired surgical nurse Lia Geiger moved after the death of her husband, she still maintains ties with old friends, especially the Ninth Street Knitters group. Lia’s been running a booth at the Crandalsburg Craft Fair barn selling the hand-knit items produced by her friends and herself. All goes well until Darren Peebles, who wants to purchase the historic barn and tear it down, is bashed to death inside with a pottery piece. Lia finds her friend Belinda, the fair manager, standing over the body. It’s lucky that Belinda has an alibi, because Darren was her awful ex-husband. Since murder’s not good 32
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A CATERED BOOK CLUB MURDER
for business, all the vendors are suffering, but only artist Joan Fowler gets nasty about it, publicly blaming Belinda on social media and arguing with other craftspeople. To add to the unsettling events, Lia’s daughter, Hayley, has quit her job in Philadelphia and moved back home with a better plan for her life that she promises to reveal any day now. Hayley’s high school friend Brady, now a local police officer, drops a few tidbits, and Lia and her friends use their contacts to dig up dirt on Darren, his slimy partner, and others who were no fans of either of them. Joan’s murder raises the stakes for Lia to solve the case before Belinda is arrested. Down-to-earth characters and an interesting motive spice up this debut.
Crawford, Isis Kensington (304 pp.) $26.00 | Dec. 29, 2020 978-1-4967-1502-9
The sisters who own and operate A Little Taste of Heaven get their 16th dose of murder. Artist and restorer Margo Hemsley practically poops on a schedule. So when she doesn’t show up on time with the baked treats from A Little Taste she’s promised the other members of the Longely Mystery Book Club, they instantly go looking for her. She doesn’t answer her door, and her beat-up Camry is gone from her driveway. Whatever could have happened to her? Since Detective Andredi, of the Longely Police Department, isn’t interested in her disappearance, Betsy and Tom Glassberg, on behalf of the club, offer Libby and Bernie Simmons $1,500 to find her, and
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TO FETCH A FELON
the sisters promptly turn up her corpse in a local swamp. In the absence of any wounds, a police lieutenant assures everyone her death was accidental, but no one is reassured. Soon the club members, properly respectful of Libby and Bernie’s track record, ask them to investigate what everyone but the police assumes is a homicide. Learning that Margo, a terrible driver, owned three much pricier cars she kept in storage at Freelander’s Garage, the sisters focus on Tommy Chung, the ex-con who owns Freelanders, and he obligingly does everything he can to act guilty, refusing to talk to them, ordering his employee Jason Sitwell to do the same, and threatening them if they keep asking questions. Luckily for Tommy, Libby and Bernie find enough other evidence to implicate Margo in several possible felonies that seem completely independent of him. Remarkably little detail about the suspects, the book club, the killer, or even the three appended recipes.
Hawkins, Jennifer Berkley (336 pp.) $7.99 paper | Dec. 29, 2020 978-0-593197-08-0 A life-changing move morphs into a life-threatening one. Emma Reed spent many happy childhood holidays in the charming Cornish town of Trevena. Now that she’s decided to leave her job in finance and open a tea shop in Cornwall, she’s exploring options in the company of her corgi, Oliver. But then Oliver’s pursuit of a fox in a rose garden upsets the garden’s prizewinning owner, Victoria Roberts, who has title to most of the property in the area, including the defunct bakery Emma had hoped to rent. Emma, who can understand Oliver’s speech perfectly, is naturally more forgiving than Victoria. The town is split over allowing a development that could mean new opportunities. Emma’s real estate agent, Maggie Trenwith, is for it and Victoria, decidedly against. Secretly, Victoria’s nephew Jimmy and even her friends Louise and Ruth think the development’s a good idea. Aiming to appease her, Emma brings Victoria scones only to find her dead under suspicious circumstances. Enter disgraced reporter Parker Taite and his Yorkie, Percy, who pals up with Oliver to join in the hunt for the killer. Emma makes quite a few friends and picks up a lot of town gossip, including the fact that Victoria was once suspected of murdering the much-despised bakery owner. Taite plans to write a book on past crimes, and the current one spurs his interest. But he misses his big chance when he’s the next to die. Meanwhile, Emma’s acumen and Oliver’s nose turn up clues that put them in the killer’s crosshairs. A promising debut for dog lovers, who’ll delight in the clever talking corgi and his charming owner.
LADY JAIL
Farrow, John Severn House (256 pp.) $28.82 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-0-7278-9073-3 Farrow’s brutal take on the lockedroom mystery presents a murder committed inside a secure group ward in the Joliette Institution for Women near Montreal in 1994. Lady Jail doesn’t confine its residents in separate cells but parcels them out in group quarters, like the one in which eight women doing time together suddenly find their number abruptly reduced to seven. Someone has strangled Florence, who’s locked up for throwing acid in a rival’s face, in the group bathroom using a length of wire that’s been smuggled in. The killer is clearly one of the other prisoners—senior inmate Doi, who attacked her daughter with a hatchet; Malka, the next oldest, who poisoned her husband; Temple, who smuggles guns for the mob; Rozlynn, who celebrated her 18th birthday by killing her father; Courtney, who stabbed her best friend to death when she caught her flirting; her inseparable pal, Jodi, who shot a man during her boyfriend’s convenience-store robbery; and newcomer Abigail, an embezzler who’s still hiding the millions she stole—unless it’s really correctional officer Isaure Dabrezil, who’s working at Lady Jail during her yearlong suspension from the Sûreté du Québec. The job of figuring out whodunit is given to DS Émile Cinq-Mars, of the Montreal Police Service fraud squad, because he arrested Abi and because Dabrezil’s presence would render any SQ investigation problematic. Farrow keeps the story’s development as intense as the claustrophobic setting until he’s ready to unleash a bravura, hyperextended denouement. A wonderful corrective for your pandemic-induced cabin fever. Yes, things could be much, much worse.
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A PAIRING TO DIE FOR
Lansing, Kate Berkley (320 pp.) $7.99 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-593-10020-2
A Colorado winemaker’s relationship with her boyfriend’s family sours more quickly than month-old merlot. Parker Valentine, whose Vino Valentine tasting room is making its mark in Boulder’s artisanal food scene, is no stranger to disapproving parents. Her mother, a chemist by trade, finds Parker’s vocation a little too much like a hobby and frequently suggests ways for her daughter to find something more professional. But Mama Valentine’s gentle prodding is nothing compared to Camilla Wallace’s all-out assault on Parker and everything she stands for. Nothing about her son Reid’s life in Boulder pleases Camilla: not his romance with Parker, not his hip new restaurant, Spoons, |
A chocolate box of classical music, banter, historic tidbits, and spooky stories. the devil’s harmony
A SINISTER SERVICE
and especially not his long-standing friendship with sous-chef Oscar Flores. When Oscar’s found stabbed to death outside Spoons, Camilla really couldn’t be happier—at least until Boulder police detective Eli Fuller arrests Reid for the murder. Even then, Camilla, with the full support of her other sons, attorney Ben and physician Tristan, turns her back on Reid, letting him languish in jail. That leaves it all up to Parker. Though she isn’t quite sure Reid returns her affection fully enough—after all, he’s never uttered the L word—Parker goes all in to save him, risking her peace of mind, her friendship with Eli, and her own safety in the process. Another typical entry in the spunky-woman-defendsaccused-lover canon.
Maxwell, Alyssa Kensington (304 pp.) $26.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-4967-1745-0
DEATH COMES TO THE RECTORY
Lloyd, Catherine Kensington (304 pp.) $26.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-4967-2325-3
A sleuthing couple in Regency England strives to solve a murder case that strains their relationship. Lucy, Lady Kurland, and her magistrate husband, Robert, are entertaining guests for the christening of their daughter when the happy event is marred by a family murder. Robert’s aunt Rose is married to Lucy’s father, the rector of Kurland St. Mary. The rector’s brother, the Earl of Harrington, and his wife and son are in attendance, but not their daughter, who has mysteriously broken off her engagement. Two unexpected additions are Henrietta, Rose’s selfish daughter from her first marriage, and Lord Northam, her obnoxious husband, who are furious because Rose’s recently announced pregnancy endangers their inheritance. When Northam is found stabbed with a paper knife in the rector’s study, Robert, who must investigate, is appalled to think that his chief suspect is his father-in-law. Well aware that Northam was involved in a number of nefarious schemes, the couple seeks to identify others with cause to kill him. These unfortunately include the Earl and his son, who owed gambling debts to Northam. Thinks look even worse for the rector when Robert learns that he lost a great deal of money in a crooked scheme Northam was involved in. Henrietta’s continued claims that the rector is guilty make things awkward for everyone, but as Lucy and Robert continue to hunt for clues, they fear she may be right. Complex characters and a shoal of red herrings add up to a delightful period read.
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An aristocrat and her maid get involved in yet another murder mystery in the aftermath of World War I. Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her siblings, Julia, Amelia, and Fox, have come to the Crown Lily pottery to commission a new set of china for their grandparents’ anniversary, and they’re greeted by owner Jeffrey Tremaine and head designer Ronald Mercer. During their tour of the factory, 15-year-old Fox runs into his schoolmate Trent Mercer, who’d vanished from Eton. It turns out his father forced him to come home and learn the pottery business. Although they’re staying at nearby Lyndale Park, the estate that had belonged to pregnant Julia’s recently deceased husband, Phoebe, Amelia, and Fox aren’t welcomed by their sister’s in-laws, who are unhappy about the prospect of Julia’s unborn child’s inheriting the estate they’d had hopes of sharing. At Crown Lily, both Phoebe and her devoted maid, Eva Huntford, pick up undercurrents of dislike among several people, including the head designer, a younger colleague whose design the Renshaws favor, and the woman who runs the painting department, whose considerable talents have been overlooked because of her sex. Still, when the elder Mercer is found mangled by machinery, the police seize on Trent as the killer. Phoebe and Eva are no strangers to murder, and all the Renshaws believe Trent is innocent and aim to help prove it. Phoebe and Eva put themselves in danger asking questions someone doesn’t want answered. A revealing look at the pottery business melds nicely with a classic 1920s-style mystery.
THE DEVIL’S HARMONY
Rayne, Sarah Severn House (256 pp.) $28.92 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-0-7278-8988-1
The Nick and Nora of music research probe the mystery of the vanished Chopin Library and its deadly legacy. Elderly professor Ernest Liripine and Dr. Theo Purslove are excited to receive an old scrapbook sent by Dr. Liripine’s former student Nina Randall, who’s currently working in Warsaw. The book provides links to the storied Chopin Library, which was presumably destroyed by the Nazis, and to a subgenre of music euphemistically called “Dark Cadence”— that is, execution music. Is this just one of the eerie myths surrounding the Library? They decide to consult music researcher Phineas Fox and Arabella Tallis, his ladylove and sidekick. Flashbacks take the story intermittently back to 1918 as two |
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young women named Katya and Zena hide in a large, elaborate home. Rayne attenuates the suspense with a slow reveal of their location and their plight. They’re in imperial Russia, connected to Czar Nicholas and his family. As Phin and Arabella decipher more documents, Lucek Socha, who heads the archive office in Warsaw, contemplates a romance with Nina and recalls his unsettling upbringing by his artistic aunt Helena. These eerie reminiscences are developed along with the other narrative threads to produce a mosaic of the rise and fall of the Library during World War II. Despite the strenuous attempts to bring all the parts together, the novel reads more like an anthology. Still, Rayne writes with panache and imagination, especially about relationships. Phin and Arabella have luscious chemistry, and the elderly academics bicker with courtly drollery. A chocolate box of classical music, banter, historic tidbits, and spooky stories.
Tracy, P.J. Minotaur (352 pp.) $26.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-2507-5494-3
After 10 chronicles of the crime-solving adventures of the madcap partners in Minneapolis’ Monkeewrench Software, Tracy shifts dramatically to focus on a spate of killings on Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile. Stella Clary is the third woman to be gutted by a murderer who’s shown no interest in molesting his victims sexually. Although LAPD homicide detectives Margaret Nolan and Al Crawford are under pressure to bring in the perp, they can’t even figure out how he escapes the blood-drenched crime scenes without getting noticed. And things are about to get worse. The morning after event promoter Ryan Gallagher settles an argument with his girlfriend, Pearl Club waitress Melody Traeger, by punching her out, someone breaks into her apartment and leaves two dozen red roses behind. A peace offering, she thinks, but Ryan insists they weren’t from him, and a day later he’s dead too, leaving Melody both traumatized and thoroughly creeped out by the black Jeep she’s convinced is stalking her. Sam Easton, the Pearl Club’s barback, takes Melody under his wing even though he’s got problems of his own, from extensive physical and mental scarring from a car bomb he was the only GI to survive to his haunting by Ronald Doerr, who served with him in Afghanistan, to his recent breakup with his wife, Yukiko, who’s about to get killed herself and make Sam a prime suspect. Detective Remy Beaudreau, who wants to buy Nolan a drink and take her home with him, doesn’t believe in coincidences, and brother, is he in the wrong book. Good LA atmosphere, people worth caring about, lots of corpses, and at least one killer too many.
THE BROKEN SPINE
St. James, Dorothy Berkley (320 pp.) $26.00 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-0-593098-57-8
St. James kicks off a new series showcasing a librarian risking all to save her beloved books. Trudell Becket is assistant to the formidable Lida Farnsworth at the library in Cypress, South Carolina. Mayor Goodvale and town manager Duggar Hargrove, determined to turn Cypress into the Silicon Valley of the South, have converted the library into a high-tech space free of books. Nothing daunted, Tru and her friends Tori Green and Flossie Finnegan-Baker have turned unused basement space into a shadow library by rescuing books headed for the town dump and quietly doling them out to technophobic readers. After the women spend a night moving books with the help of Tori’s potential new boyfriend, Charlie, morning breaks with a tremendous crash that sends Tru upstairs, where she finds Hargrove squashed under a massive bookshelf. Tru can’t tell the truth without revealing the hidden library, and her silence has the police, especially newly returned Jace Bailey, suspicious of her. Nor has she trusted Jace ever since he romanced her and then stole her high school term paper. So she and her friends decide to find the killer on their own. Luke Goodvale, the mayor’s son, who’s recently moved home from Nevada, turns out to have a dangerous debt collector after him. Anne Lowery, the tech specialist who set up the new book-free library, is furious when the mayor gives all the credit to Luke. But is she mad enough to kill? Tru fights her attraction to Jace and the comedy of errors that breaks out when everyone involved suspects everyone else. A gritty heroine downplays the Southern charm to focus on a complex crime.
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science fiction and fantasy SPECULATIVE LOS ANGELES
Ed. by Hamilton, Denise Akashic (272 pp.) $15.95 paper | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-61775-856-0
If “we already live with the tropes of dystopian fiction,” then what comes next? Hamilton’s anthology attempts to answer that question through stories from Aimee Bender, Francesca Lia Block, Alex Espinoza, and S. Qiouyi Lu, among others. |
THE EFFORT
Holroyde, Claire Grand Central Publishing (368 pp.) $27.00 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5387-1761-5 A comet called UD3 threatens to wipe out the human race, and a ragtag team of scientists from all over the world rushes to find a way to knock it off course in Holroyde’s debut. Dr. Ben Schwartz of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is woken in the middle of the night by a call from a famous astrophysicist. Ben is told that the U.N. has a car waiting for him outside and that he must fly to French Guiana. He isn’t told why, only that he must pack a bag and leave, now. His girlfriend, Amy, refuses to be left behind, and when the two of them get off the plane, they learn that a “dark comet” has been discovered coming around the sun and is heading straight toward Earth. Ben joins a group of scientists, including China’s brilliant Dr. Zhen Liu, who are working to cobble together something to throw the comet off its course before it can smack into Earth and cause an extinction event. As news of the comet gets out and people panic, society begins to break down, as seen through chapters focusing on a ship sailing through the Arctic Ocean and a woman struggling to survive in a decaying New York City, among others. As time goes on it becomes clear that even if the scientists manage to find a solution, humanity might destroy itself anyway. Fans of similar apocalypse stories will recognize all the beats |
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Holroyde hits here—unlikely romance, friendships forged in trauma, etc.—but what this book lacks in originality it makes up for in proficient execution. The many character relationships would feel more organic with a bit more breathing room, but the prose is measured and clear, and the plot arcs nicely from the scientific issues to more personal stakes. An adept contribution to the realm of apocalypse fiction.
NUCLEATION
Unger, Kimberly Tachyon (288 pp.) $15.95 paper | Nov. 13, 2020 978-1-61696-338-5 Seamlessly blending elements of science fiction and mystery, Unger’s latest revolves around a virtual-reality pilot who, after her navigator dies while they’re working on a high-profile project, sets out to avenge his death and understand the bizarre circumstances surrounding the failed mission. Helen Vectorovich and her navigator partner, Theodore Westlake, have worked successfully together for years on numerous remote deep space mining missions. But while attempting to open a jumpgate billions of miles away, Vectorovich—remote piloting a robot body—discovers that the project is in chaos, being disassembled by what appears to be an army of tiny nanomachines of unknown origin. She is pulled out before the machines take her robotic body apart, but she soon discovers Westlake was inexplicably killed by quantum feedback. With her only friend dead and her career in jeopardy, Vectorovich sets out to find answers—and becomes entangled in a grand-scale conspiracy involving industrial espionage and what could be first contact with a sentient alien race. The techpowered premise—exploring and mining space by sending nanobots (“eenies”) through small wormholes that slowly build pre-programed structures out of interplanetary dust that are ultimately utilized by VR pilots—is a strong initial hook, and the mystery surrounding the strange nanomachines is well constructed. The pacing is lethargic, though, with long stretches of little or no action. And the biggest disappointment is with Vectorovich, whose potential as a memorable and endearing protagonist is squandered by a lack of internal and external description and backstory. Aside from her work relationships, readers know nothing about her, which makes for a cardboard character whom readers aren’t emotionally invested in and ultimately don’t care about. A strong science-fiction premise and solid mystery elements laid low by pacing and character issues.
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The stories here move among all of Los Angeles’ gritty and bright corners. A slow-burning sibling rivalry makes room for a devastating invasion in Lisa Morton’s atompunk opener, “Antonia and the Stranger Who Came to Rancho Los Feliz.” Ben H. Winters’ “Peak TV” follows a wealthy executive who faces down the inexplicable when the lethal repercussions of his success come to—literally—haunt him. In Bender’s “Maintenance,” a father and his motherless daughter find new meaning in the La Brea Tar Pits’ mammoth sculptures. This anthology will not shine as brightly to readers who lack a substantive connection to Los Angeles, however. The novelty lies in understanding where, when, and how the versions of Southern California presented here differ from reality. Lacking knowledge of the real-life Los Angeles, readers will find that some of the stories operate on this gimmick and little else. Others meander through a particular time and place in the city but never move or make room for character growth. That’s not to say that every story is a bust. Lu’s “Where There Are Cities, These Dissolve Too” is a knockout, with Gundamesque robot fighters and an emotionally fraught narrative. The unfortunate fact remains, however, that those who pick up this book for its marquee of contemporary speculative fiction authors will likely come away disappointed. An uneven collection that may not land with speculative fiction readers outside LA.
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country of Thesolo (the setting of Cole’s Reluctant Royals trilogy), a more forward-thinking and modern kingdom, who was the best candidate they could find at the last minute. Sanyu’s father had more than 30 wives, with each marriage lasting around four months; only if a king finds “the True Queen” will a royal marriage endure. Shanti, who was born to a family of goatherders, has wanted to be a queen her entire life, and she studied and learned about modern monarchies with unwavering devotion. Her goal is not wealth and fame but rather the ability to help her people and change the world for the better. Once the old king dies, Sanyu is overwhelmed by grief for his father and anxiety about his new role; Shanti’s eager readiness to be queen helps him understand that ruling a kingdom doesn’t have to be a burden. Sanyu must learn to wield his power as king while Shanti must reconcile her personal desires with the constraints of her new society. Since the novel focuses on each of their personal journeys as they ascend to the monarchy, their romance seems almost perfunctory. Political intrigue greatly overshadows the romance plot, but interesting worldbuilding might draw readers in.
DREAM CHASER
Ashley, Kristen Forever (480 pp.) $7.99 paper | Dec. 15, 2020 978-1-5387-3391-2 A stripper gets mixed up in a feud between a bad guy, the police, and a team of Denver commandos. Ryn Jansen has never had any regrets about stripping because the financial independence has allowed her to pursue her real dream of flipping houses. Even though she was able to purchase the right house for her first flip, she’s put the project on hold to financially help her deadbeat brother’s girlfriend and kids. However, commando Boone Sadler, Ryn’s crush, appears and offers evidence that Ryn’s notquite sister-in-law has been scamming her, using the money for facials and massages instead of the mortgage and groceries. Ryn is angry and embarrassed and uses his interference as another reason to steer clear of Boone; yes, she’s wildly attracted to him, but she’s never had good luck with domineering men. However, after being kidnapped and released by Cisco, a man accused of killing a cop, Ryn feels she has no choice but to ask Boone and his commando friends for help. Cisco didn’t hurt Ryn, but he did want her to pass on a message: He’s innocent, and dirty cops on the Denver police force are the ones responsible for recent unrest and violence in the city. The main romance arc between Boone and Ryn stays in the spotlight, but there are plenty of cameo appearances by beloved characters from previous series to keep Ashley’s fans happy. Stream-of-consciousness prose and propulsive, actionpacked plotting will please old fans and draw in new readers.
THE BOY TOY
Marsh, Nicola Berkley (352 pp.) $16.00 paper | Nov. 17, 2020 978-0-593198-62-9 A 37-year-old Indian Australian woman’s assumptions about love and relationships are shaken by a White stuntman 10 years her junior. Physical therapist Samira Broderick moved from Melbourne to Los Angeles in the aftermath of a painful divorce, needing to get away from her Indian mother’s relentless matchmaking. Almost a decade later, she has returned, leaving her bustling LA practice to work for her cousin’s new health and fitness enterprise. Samira resents her mother’s involvement in her failed arranged marriage and dislikes her mother’s interference in her currently floundering love life, but she still hopes her return can help heal old wounds. With a plate so full, Samira is not looking for anything permanent when she has a one-night stand with Rory Radcliffe. Rory moves on from partners quickly because he feels the need to hide his stutter—a need that’s also forced the talented stuntman to avoid roles requiring him to talk. But when he gets an opportunity to audition as the host of Renegades, a reality show touted as Australia’s “next big thing,” Rory decides to find a dialect coach and make an attempt. Though they had a wonderful night together, Rory decides to forget about Samira and focus on the audition—but his plans are derailed when he discovers that she’s his coach. Marsh turns an insightful and sensitive lens on the role of the body in matters of self-image and love. But Samira and Rory are so wrapped up in the caprices of their own hearts, minds, and bodies that there’s little room for them to truly discover each other. Marsh tries to sketch a portrait of Indian culture
HOW TO CATCH A QUEEN
Cole, Alyssa Avon/HarperCollins (384 pp.) $7.99 paper | Dec. 1, 2020 978-0-06-293396-6
The newly crowned king of Njaza must grapple with the pressures of his role, including a hastily arranged marriage to a woman he’s never met. As heir to the throne of Njaza, Sanyu could never feel joy at the prospect of being king, only terrible pressure, anxiety, and responsibility. Sanyu wants to be a good king, but Musoke, his father’s most powerful adviser, insists on valorizing Njaza’s glorious past and ignoring its current problems. As the old king lies on his deathbed, Musoke coerces Sanyu to honor his father’s wishes by marrying Shanti Mohapti, a woman from the neighboring 38
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Mirror mirror on the wall, it’s fun, charming, and sure to enthrall. a duchess a day
by including references to various food preparations, but she misses the opportunity to comment on the complexities of community ties in the Indian diaspora, where judgmental attitudes can co-exist with support and empathy. A faltering story rescued by an engaging premise.
A DUCHESS A DAY
Michaels, Charis Avon/HarperCollins (384 pp.) $7.99 paper | Nov. 10, 2020 978-0-06-298495-1 Regency meets fairy tale in this lighthearted romance series opener. Lady Helena Lark is sent to London to marry a duke even though she’d rather stay home and be an apple farmer. She’s tried to escape the marriage by feigning sickness and madness and even running away, but nothing has worked. The wedding looms, and she has one last plan: Get the duke to fall in love with someone else and jilt her. Mercenary Declan Shaw, known as “Huntsman,” is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit when he’s offered a chance out. The duke’s uncle hires him to watch over Helena until she makes it down the aisle. Helena wants Declan to be her ally, though, and Declan finds the relentless woman irresistible. She soon reciprocates his feelings, making it all the more important for her plan to succeed. The lead characters propel the story. Helena is persistent, adventurous, and the perfect complement to thoughtful Declan. The way they work together and revel in each other’s company is so joyful. Though the story never takes itself too seriously, it tactfully touches on power dynamics based on class and gender. Inspired by “Snow White,” there are nods to the source material and fun twists on notable elements such as seven potential duchesses instead of dwarves. This entertaining romance leans into its fairy-tale roots with just the right amount of over-the-top whimsy. Mirror mirror on the wall, it’s fun, charming, and sure to enthrall.
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of his foster brother, refuses to disclose any details. Joe’s abrasive reticence aside, Neha is fighting battles on several other fronts in a country rocked into political chaos by the revelation that supernatural beings walk among ordinary citizens: She must beware of the nefarious links between New York’s Russian underworld and its government, duck the surveillance drones forever circling the city, and contend with social prejudices that deem her wolf-shifter client a monster. Even as Joe and Neha are trying in vain to fight an uncomfortably strong sexual attraction, they are thrust into a battle for survival when Joe is attacked in jail. Cornered by dangerous predators, they turn to the Third Shift, a powerful security organization trying to restore justice in a deeply polarized society. In the inaugural installment of the Third Shift series, Snyder builds a compelling universe, evocatively describing everyday life in a world where social structures are fractured by prejudice and fear. In the process, she alludes to several contemporary realities, including the difficulties associated with measuring varying experiences of marginalization and oppression against each other. While Joe and Neha are engaging personalities, the progress of their relationship feels abrupt and lacks emotional heft. But the cast of secondary characters is so refreshingly diverse and engaging that it’s easy to overlook the protagonists’ penchant for going around in circles. A familiar romance set in an extraordinarily gripping world.
THE EX TALK
Solomon, Rachel Lynn Berkley (352 pp.) $15.99 paper | Oct. 6, 2020 978-0-593200-12-4 To save their jobs, rival public radio co-workers pretend to be exes for a new show and end up getting much more than they bargained for. Shay Goldstein hates her new coworker, Dominic Yun. The 29-yearold senior producer has been with Pacific Public Radio for 10 years but has never realized the dream of hosting her own show. Dominic, 24 years old and armed with a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern, which he obnoxiously mentions every chance he gets, is already breaking big news on the air. Their competition boils over during a stationwide brainstorming session when Shay suggests starting a new dating show hosted by exes, and Dominic writes it off as tawdry commercial radio. But their shouting match has unexpected consequences when the station’s program director tells them their verbal sparring and obvious tension would make them the perfect hosts for Shay’s show—and that it just might save them from upcoming layoffs. Of course, there’s one huge problem: They’ve never actually dated. As the show skyrockets in popularity, the fake exes become real friends, but a growing attraction might spell disaster. Shay and Dominic are brought to life with multilayered backstories. Shay shared her passion for radio with her
BIG BAD WOLF
Snyder, Suleikha Sourcebooks Casablanca (312 pp.) $8.99 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-72821-497-9 A jaded New York werewolf who’s been branded a criminal has little hope for his future until he crosses swords with his take-no-prisoners lawyer. While there’s little doubt that exMarine Joe Peluso has killed six Russian mobsters, psychologist and lawyer Neha Ahluwalia is determined to look for nuance that will help mount a defense. However, Joe, who has killed the bear-shifters to avenge the death |
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late father, and she often wonders what he would think about her career choices; Dominic is determined to make a positive impact with his journalism degree but is unsure how to do so in the world of click-bait content. Witty dialogue meets steamy slow-burn tension while fun romance tropes (fake dating! there’s only one bed!) take a refreshing turn by making Dominic the less sexually experienced, and more emotionally open, of the two. A vibrant supporting cast of family, friends, and coworkers helps round out the plot. Delightfully romantic and emotionally uplifting.
Zanetti, Rebecca Zebra (400 pp.) $8.99 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-4201-5301-9 An ex–FBI agent hunts for the serial killer who murdered his sister and is targeting his team. Angus Force was one of the FBI’s best profilers, but the search for serial killer Henry Wayne Lassiter ended his career. A year earlier, Angus shot and supposedly killed Lassiter; but Angus was convinced the killer survived. He resigned from the FBI, drinking and obsessively going over the case for missing clues. Then the Homeland Defense Department made a deal with Angus to keep him quiet: They assigned him a team of misfit agents and gave him one year to search for Lassiter. Nari Zhang is the psychologist assigned by Homeland Defense to monitor the mental health and readiness of Angus’ team. She and Angus have been fighting their mutual attraction for each other, and she worries about Angus professionally and personally. He is too stubborn to accept individual help from her even though he sees the ways she benefits his team. As the year draws to a close, a series of dead bodies matching Lassiter’s M.O. appear, and they all resemble the women on Angus’ team. The threat is clear: Lassiter is coming for them. Although this is the fourth book in a series, the plot is well executed and is accessible to new or returning readers. The sexy, emotionally charged relationship between Nari and Angus is appealing and well developed. Longtime readers will be pleased to see glimpses of couples from previous books reappear as the team fights Lassiter. Zanetti is a master of romantic suspense, effortlessly combining strong central romances and dramatic, actionfilled stories. The series ends with a strong, pleasing finish for a couple that’s been waiting in the wings.
HAPPY SINGLES DAY
Walker, Ann Marie Sourcebooks Casablanca (304 pp.) $14.99 paper | Jan. 19, 2021 978-1-72821-649-2 Sparks fly when a Type A professional organizer ends up at a B&B run by a grumpy single dad. Paige Parker needs a vacation. As a busy professional organizer, she centers her entire life around work. So when she discovers the charming Copper Lantern Inn on the Outer Banks of North Carolina while taking an online quiz, she thinks it looks like the perfect retreat. But she doesn’t count on Lucas Croft, the inn’s owner. He’s a widower with a small child, and he hasn’t maintained the B&B since his wife died two years ago. It was their dream to fix up the old house, but without her around, he sees no use in hosting guests…or cleaning, cooking, or doing anything but taking care of his 4-year-old daughter. But when his sister, Sophie, books Paige for a stay, Lucas has no choice but to welcome her with extremely sullen arms. Paige is alarmed to find clutter everywhere, and her meals consist of frozen pizza and near-empty boxes of Froot Loops. But as Lucas and Paige get to know each other, they realize they might actually be a perfect match. Walker excels at creating a cozy, charming setting—the picturesque island and ramshackle inn seem like an appealing escape. The characters’ actions occasionally seem a bit forced, though, and Lucas is sometimes overly unpleasant, even for a classic grumpy hero (he refers to Paige as an “uptight bitch” for no real reason). But romance lovers looking for forced proximity, characters overcoming tragedy, and a movie-worthy setting may be willing to overlook those flaws in favor of a warm and cozy read. Ideal for readers looking for the book version of a pleasant Hallmark movie.
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nonfiction THIS FAR AND NO FURTHER Photographs Inspired by the Voting Rights Movement
These titles earned the Kirkus Star: THE MISSION by David W. Brown....................................................47
Abranowicz, William with Abranowicz, Zander Photos by William Abranowicz Univ. of Texas (176 pp.) $45.00 | Feb. 9, 2021 978-1-4773-2174-4
EAGLE DOWN by Jessica Donati......................................................... 53 I DIE EACH TIME I HEAR THE SOUND by Mike Doughty...............54 HIMALAYA by Ed Douglas...................................................................54 SHOOTING MIDNIGHT COWBOY by Glenn Frankel.........................59 PEDRO’S THEORY by Marco Gonsalez...............................................59 THE ART OF IMPOSSIBLE by Steven Kotler......................................63 CHATTER by Ethan Kross................................................................... 64 TOM STOPPARD by Hermione Lee......................................................65 FUCKED AT BIRTH by Dale Maharidge............................................ 66 MEDIOCRE by Ijeoma Oluo................................................................ 68 STRANGE BEDFELLOWS by Ina Park............................................... 68 THE MEATEATER GUIDE TO WILDERNESS SKILLS AND SURVIVAL by Steven Rinella...............................................................70 MYTHOLOGIES WITHOUT END by Jerome Slater............................. 73 THE SEA VIEW HAS ME AGAIN by Patrick Wright.......................... 75 MEDIOCRE The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America
Oluo, Ijeoma Seal Press (336 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-58005-951-0
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THE MOVEMENT by Thomas C. Holt.................................................62
An earnest photographic exploration of some key loci of the Southern civil rights movement and its aftermath. “We are a country born of slavery followed by one hundred years of codified legal racism,” writes Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project, in her stirring, too-brief foreword. She lands on a key point: the “ordinariness” of the images by Abranowicz, a commercial and travel photographer. Those photographs sometimes speak volumes, as with the juxtaposition of a literacy test imposed on Black voters in Alabama—one that few college-educated Whites would be able to pass—with a street view of the tiny house where a Mississippi minister working to register the voters once lived until being gunned down by an unknown assassin in 1955. That’s just one instance of the many recorded here of ordinary violence against Black people young and old during the time of Jim Crow and that continues to be inflicted on them today in so many forms— including the near-indentured work of the imprisoned population, an example of which Abranowicz locates in a Birmingham steel mill. The understated narrative arc suggests that, as one section title has it, there is hope for redemption. As Abranowicz notes, commenting on a photograph of a dirt road, Greenwood, Mississippi, was once a cotton center, then a “hotbed of voter-registration activity and protest in the 1960s,” and finally a place where a Black woman was elected mayor in 2006. A few errors creep into the text—e.g., Jefferson Davis was not alive in 1898 to dedicate what is correctly known as the Confederate Memorial Monument—and some of the photos are merely average. The best of them, though, depict people who continue the fight today, such as Florida lawyer Desmond Meade, who advocates against a modern “poll tax” imposed on ex-felons. Of interest as a visual record of ordinary places now exalted in history and memory.
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allen ginsberg takes on america Leah Overstreet
As I was recently rereading Tibetan Peach Pie, a memoir by one of my favorite novelists, Tom Robbins, I came across this description of Allen Ginsberg, an undisputed giant of 20th-century American literature:
A hot-wired sutra slinger, a Vendantic versifier, a Wurlitzer of howling meat drunk on holy quarters, Ginsberg—invoking the eternal within the ephemeral; wholeheartedly celebrating paradox and confusion as the fundamental fluids in which the human condition hangs suspended (thereby refining our base dissatisfactions into the more luminous chemistry of acceptance, compassion, goofiness, and grief)—Ginsberg had the capacity to cast a net of enchantment around nearly everything in life.
Prolix? Perhaps. But Robbins has been accused of worse, and I think it’s an apt linguistic encapsulation of Ginsberg and his life’s work—a near-mythic aura that is on abundant display in the latest collection of Ginsberg’s work, The Fall of America Journals, 19651971, (Univ. of Minnesota, Nov. 10), edited by Michael Schumacher, who also served as the editor for The Essential Ginsberg and other works. The book provides the backstory to the poet’s The Fall of America, which won the National Book Award for Poetry in 1974, but at nearly 700 pages, it’s far more than just a background study. In 1965, after receiving a reel-to-reel tape recorder from none other than Bob Dylan, Ginsberg embarked on a journey into the heart of America, initiating what he called his “auto-poesy” recordings. As Schumacher notes in the introduction, Ginsberg “began planning a volume of poems, a literary documentary examining contemporary America, not unlike what Kerouac had done in On the Road, or what Robert Frank had accomplished in his photographs in The Americans. He would add one important element: the violence, destruction, and inhumanity of the escalating war in Vietnam—an edgy contrast to what he was witnessing in his travels, particularly his country’s natural beauty. The public’s polarized dialogue over Vietnam and, earlier in the decade, the civil rights movement, convinced Ginsberg that America was teetering on the precipice of a fall.” 42
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Based on that passage, it’s tempting—and probably accurate—to draw parallels to our current fraught era, but this book is very much a document of its time, a lengthy, complex dive into Ginsberg’s psyche that may deter readers without keen interest in the poet and his milieu. Schumacher comments on the many difficulties he faced in compiling this comprehensive volume, which “resisted simplicity.” With countless entries in various states of readability, not to mention Ginsberg’s penchant for multiple drafts, Schumacher made the wise choice to “err in favor of authenticity,” a decision that reverberates throughout the book. Along with the text, which contains “some of the finest of Ginsberg’s spontaneous writing, accomplished as he pondered the best and worst that his country had to offer,” Schumacher gives readers plenty of useful ancillary material. This includes contextual historical information for each year, helpful footnotes, and intriguing photos for fans of the era: Ginsberg with Robbie Robertson and Dylan in front of City Lights Bookstore; attending Jack Kerouac’s funeral in 1969 in Massachusetts; posing in Central Park in 1972 with Phil Ochs, Peter Orlovsky, and Wavy Gravy, among others; in a 1971 photo in Chicago, bedraggled and sporting a T-shirt listing “Indochina War Statistics: 1965-1973”; “Allen Ginsberg’s Family, a mural by Richard Avedon photographed on May 3, 1970”; and one of the true gems, “William Burroughs, with Jean Genet and Ginsberg, meets Abbie Hoffman in Lincoln Park during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.” As a literary figure, Ginsberg has few equals, and while this book will likely overwhelm general readers, it’s yet more catnip for Ginsberg fans and students of 20th-century American literature.
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Eric Liebetrau is the nonfiction and managing editor.
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This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy. uncomfortable conversations with a black man
UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A BLACK MAN
Acho, Emmanuel Flatiron Books (256 pp.) $27.99 | Nov. 10, 2020 978-1-250-80046-6
VICTORY World War II in Real Time
Associated Press Ed. by David Axelrod Sterling (224 pp.) $35.00 | Nov. 10, 2020 978-1-4549-4116-3
World War II as told through the annals of the Associated Press. Not much in this compendium will come as a surprise to readers familiar with the history of the last great global war, but there are plenty of illuminating behind-the-scenes moments: |
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A former NFL player casts his gimlet eye on American race relations. In his first book, Acho, an analyst for Fox Sports who grew up in Dallas as the son of Nigerian immigrants, addresses White readers who have sent him questions about Black history and culture. “My childhood,” he writes, “was one big study abroad in white culture— followed by studying abroad in black culture during college and then during my years in the NFL, which I spent on teams with 80-90 percent black players, each of whom had his own experience of being a person of color in America. Now, I’m fluent in both cultures: black and white.” While the author avoids condescending to readers who already acknowledge their White privilege or understand why it’s unacceptable to use the N-word, he’s also attuned to the sensitive nature of the topic. As such, he has created “a place where questions you may have been afraid to ask get answered.” Acho has a deft touch and a historian’s knack for marshaling facts. He packs a lot into his concise narrative, from an incisive historical breakdown of American racial unrest and violence to the ways of cultural appropriation: Your friend respecting and appreciating Black arts and culture? OK. Kim Kardashian showing off her braids and attributing her sense of style to Bo Derek? Not so much. Within larger chapters, the text, which originated with the author’s online video series with the same title, is neatly organized under helpful headings: “Let’s rewind,” “Let’s get uncomfortable,” “Talk it, walk it.” Acho can be funny, but that’s not his goal—nor is he pedaling gotcha zingers or pleas for headlines. The author delivers exactly what he promises in the title, tackling difficult topics with the depth of an engaged cultural thinker and the style of an experienced wordsmith. Throughout, Acho is a friendly guide, seeking to sow understanding even if it means risking just a little discord. This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy.
the fact, for instance, that upon the entry of the U.S. into the war, an AP executive editor went to work as the Roosevelt administration’s director of censorship, hanging a sign the day after Japan’s surrender that read “out of business.” The book demonstrates the openness of the American press, despite that official censorship, in publishing forthright descriptions of battles and their aftermaths: “American combat casualties increased 1,855 during the past week, raising the combined army-navy total to 1,060,727 since the start of the war.” Those numbers are even more meaningful in context. As the text notes, 16 million Americans served in the war and, with them, 1,600 war correspondents. The language of the AP reports is often clinical, sometimes repetitive—e.g., Gen. Henry Arnold’s admission that the air forces lost 60 Flying Fortress bombers and nearly 600 crew members in a single raid on a German industrial city, but that only served to indicate “the importance which the Nazis attached to his ball bearing industry at Schweinfurt.” Students of language will be interested to note that correspondents regularly attached racial epithets to the Japanese but not the German or Italian enemies and that they brought over the term doughboy, widely thought to have been used only in World War I: “There was singing and dancing and music on the banks of the Elbe today as doughboys of Gen. Hodges’ First Army and jubilant troops of Marshal Ivan Konev’s First Ukrainian Army celebrate the historic junction symbolizing the defeat of Nazi Germany.” Many of the photographs, such as Joe Rosenthal’s image of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, are iconic, but refreshingly, there are numerous lesser-known images as well. A vivid account that has something to please most WWII buffs.
AUTOPIA The Future of Cars
Bentley, Jon Atlantic Books (272 pp.) $16.95 paper | Jan. 1, 2021 978-1-78649-635-5 An update on the pioneering state of intelligent automobile technology. Bentley, a host on The Gadget Show and former executive producer for Top Gear, believes cars are both a significant transportation convenience and a “powerful psychological force,” but he acknowledges that the industry must continually evolve to remain relevant. After a streamlined history lesson and an outline of automation, the author explores modern technological advances in speed, efficiency, and gadgetry. He explains revolutionary “deep-learning” system advancements in autopilot car automation, including facial recognition, self-parking, and sound management technology, and he looks at the advent of robotaxis and the main manufacturing players behind them. While many of these thrilling enhancements look great on paper, the author effectively communicates the constant obstacles facing the visionary developers polishing their ultramodern
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innovations. This is the case with intuitive brain-to-vehicle technology, whereby electroencephalography transcribes a driver’s brainwaves via a cumbersome skull cap, as well as problematic laser-powered navigation and car-to-car communication technologies. Bentley shares his fascination with electric cars—though they are plagued with sluggish charging times, battery woes, and “range anxiety”—and the long-range potentiality of diesel and hydrogen fuel sources. While the author’s expertise and passion for cars are evident throughout, he doesn’t shy away from discussing the many hurdles of automotive innovation—e.g., job losses for professional drivers, traffic congestion, and compromised security and safety of driverless technology and its vulnerability to hackers. He tosses in plenty of entertaining surprises: fully driverless, remote-controlled freight trucks and taxis, trailblazing solutions to driver distractions, Elon Musk’s “hyperloop pods,” and the astonishing speed and hefty price tags of the hybrid Hypercar line. In nimbly balancing industry developments and challenges—he also includes a chapter on the endangered culture of classic car enthusiasts—Bentley
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offers an illuminating and spirited report on the technological wizardry of the car automation revolution. An impressively researched and fascinating look at the cars coming to a future near you.
THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS The Fall of the Anglo-Saxons and the Rise of the Normans Bradbury, Jim Pegasus (352 pp.) $27.95 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-64313-632-5
A chronicle of the significant 1066 battle. At the time of the Norman conquest, England, writes Bradbury, was “one of the most developed political units in western Europe,” its AngloSaxon rulers having solidified control over most of the country and expanded into Scotland and Wales. Normandy—not the present province, but the region of northwestern France controlled by people of Scandinavian descent—was emerging as a continental power, as well, and ranging far afield in search of lootworthy venues. When William II, the Duke of Normandy, came to power, he concentrated Norman power further, facing down the threat of local peasant rebellions and war with neighboring Anjou. William was decidedly unpleasant: When snickered at for being illegitimate, he “ordered the hands and feet of thirty-two mockers to be cut off.” Regardless of his temperament, owing to the confusing lineages of medieval Europe, William had about as much right to be king of England, across the Channel, as anyone. When Harold took the throne after more or less promising that he wouldn’t, William committed himself to storming the island and making England a Viking-tinged French colony. The author’s account is mostly dutiful and only occasionally illuminating. More of the book, though, is given over to a nearly real-time, blow-by-blow description of the Battle of Hastings and its hacked-off limbs and arrow-pierced eyes. Usefully, Bradbury points out that the result of the fight was far from a foregone conclusion, as many popular accounts have it, with the outcome hanging in the balance over the course of a long, bloody day. Yet, specialists aside, readers will find themselves bogged down by the author’s wonky attention to such things as the composition of a Norman shield (“some have a few rivets—four, six, nine, even eleven—probably to hold together the planks of wood”) and the exact composition of the opposing forces. Medieval history buffs of an obsessive trainspotting and detectorist bent will be pleased—general readers, less so.
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DEVILS, LUSTS AND STRANGE DESIRES The Life of Patricia Highsmith
Bradford, Richard Bloomsbury Caravel (272 pp.) $30.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-4482-1790-8
A critical examination of one of the 20th century’s most volatile novelists. Bradford’s portrait of Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) is occasionally compelling but largely consumed by an unsettling, didactic preoccupation with Highsmith’s same-sex promiscuity. Although many of Highsmith’s beliefs were morally reprehensible, notably her extreme anti-Semitism and later anti-Black racism, Bradford’s apparent distaste regarding her many lesbian encounters makes for an uncomfortable reading experience. The author develops some interesting and convincing parallels between Highsmith’s literary creations and
real-life relationships, suggesting that she channeled her darkest neuroses and impulses into her most infamous characters. Her most well-known works, Strangers on a Train (1950) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), are genre-bending stories with engaging, murderous protagonists. The blurred lines of fact and fiction between Highsmith’s diaries and her contemporaneous works of literature form the basis of Bradford’s examination of her erratic behavior. Throughout the book, comparisons between Highsmith and the criminally deranged, possibly gay Ripley abound—e.g., “Highsmith and Ripley are sexual predators, each manipulates the people in their lives and Highsmith transfers this to the relationships between her fictional creations.” What is concerning here is not their similarities but rather Bradford’s hyperbole in labeling Highsmith and Ripley as “sexual predators.” To be sure, Ripley is a predator and a murderer, but he does not overtly pursue Dickie Greenleaf sexually. More importantly, while Highsmith certainly had many affairs with women during her life, it is difficult to conceive of her actions as “predatory,” especially without known accusations. While she was certainly manipulative and struggled with relationships and alcoholism, labeling her a sexual predator is a mischaracterization. Here, as elsewhere in the biography, it is unclear which insights are gained from honest analysis of available material rather than authorial judgment. The potential for a nuanced analysis of Highsmith’s complicated life is clouded by a sanctimonious tone.
UNDAUNTED My Fight Against America’s Enemies, at Home and Abroad Brennan, John O. Celadon Books (464 pp.) $30.00 | Oct. 6, 2020 978-1-250-24177-1
Former CIA director Brennan gives a fly-on-the-wall view of life in Langley as well as a host of global hot spots. After the usual autobiographical preliminaries—“While my birth roots are in the urban jungle of Hudson County, I come from 100 percent rural Irish stock”—Brennan recounts a few formational encounters abroad: landing in Indonesia not long after the government had murdered untold numbers of suspected communists, with CIA support; or chasing down bad guys who might wind up in an offshore rendition site being tortured—though, writes the author, “Agency officers who carried out their covert-action responsibilities consistent with…lawful interrogation procedures, by definition, were not involved in the unlawful activity of ‘torture.’ ” Two principal events figure in the text. The first, ably narrated, is the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the subsequent negotiations about what to do with his bullet-riddled body; Brennan reveals that the Saudi leadership, offered the chance to bury him in his homeland, were perfectly fine with dumping him in the Indian Ocean. The second is the question of Russian interference in the 2016 election; here, 46
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A delightful slice of NASA life. the mission
the author is unsparing, as when he describes an intelligence briefing to high-level members of Congress: “The fact that the Russians attempted to undermine the integrity of the presidential election was well known to all those gathered around the conference table that morning, even if most of the Republicans were following Donald Trump’s lead in publicly downplaying, if not denying, the Russian role.” Brennan goes out of his way to scorn Trump, whose victory in 2016 threw him for a loop: “I could not understand how so many voters thought he was qualified—intellectually, morally, ethically, temperamentally, or experientially—to be president of the United States.” His scorn, of course, was reciprocated when, against all precedent, Trump removed his security clearance after Brennan retired. Not likely to sway established opinions about Trump but offers plenty of damning evidence.
verbal detailing, but they direct readers to their website for video demonstrations. Though occasionally repetitive, the text will help readers achieve a more centered state of mind: “what T.S. Eliot called ‘the still point in a turning world.’ ” A dynamic approach to focusing, connecting, and developing mutual understanding.
THE MISSION A True Story
Brown, David W. Custom House/Morrow (480 pp.) $29.99 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-06-265442-7 The inner workings of NASA through an enthusiastic account of an interplanetary probe to a distant moon. Although space travel hasn’t enraptured the U.S. since the 1969 Apollo
MISSING EACH OTHER How To Cultivate Meaningful Connections
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Brodkin, Edward & Pallathra, Ashley PublicAffairs (256 pp.) $28.00 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5417-7401-8
How to connect with others—and why it’s important. Brodkin is a professor of psychiatry and founder and director of the Adult Autism Spectrum Program at Penn Medicine, and Pallathra is a researcher and therapist currently pursuing her doctorate in clinical psychology. In this collaboration, the authors write that “to be aware of our own state of mind and body while also tuning in and connecting” with other people is “perhaps the most needed, and most neglected, human capacity.” There is a vital need to pay attention, to be seen and heard without distraction, and to thwart the countless misunderstandings that can occur every day. The authors tap into a wide range of disciplines—among them, neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, music, literature, and mindfulness—to bolster their argument about the importance of forming the “genuine, lasting connections” that are so often “elusive.” They write with a passionate, encouraging, come-and-join-me quality, showing how we can find attunement through the exercise of its basic components: relaxed awareness, a calm and attentive focus on your body, environment, and company; listening, being observant to the other person and your reactions; understanding, the recognition and appreciation of another’s point of view and intentions; and mutual responsiveness, maintaining connection through the vagaries of conversation. The authors wisely express the complexity and at times counterintuitive nature of these components—the balancing act between calmness and tight focus, listening to yourself and another person at the same time, expressing both emotional and cognitive empathy—but they provide examples and exercises to enable their use. The exercises, actual physical actions that promote synchronicity and proportional response, don’t lend themselves to the authors’ |
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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES
Wright Thompson
A SPORTSWRITER’S BOOK ABOUT BOURBON BECAME A MEDITATION ON FAMILY, CRAFT, AND INHERITANCE By Eric Liebetrau Thomas McCallum
family, identity, and craft, in a genre-blending book that will appeal not just to bourbon aficionados, but to those interrogating the mysteries of authenticity and legacy. I spoke to Thompson via Zoom; the interview has been edited for length and clarity. Early on, you note how the book expanded beyond a conventional biography of Julian and his brand. Can you discuss the process of shaping the story? My agent suggested I should hang out with Julian and write an ode to bourbon or something, and I thought it was going to be pretty straightforward. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized we were engaged in a serious, authentic discussion about things I was dealing with in my life, like fatherhood and legacy. So I had this road map, but I thought, why don’t I write about what it’s been like to do this? In a meta way, to step out of the architecture of a book and write a book about writing a book?
Ask a whiskey lover about their favorite bourbon, and you’re likely to hear the name Pappy Van Winkle. In his second book, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last (Penguin Press, Nov. 10), ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson uncorks the fascinating story of one of the best bourbons in the world. The history of the brand dates back to the 1890s, when Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr. worked for—and later purchased—a liquor distributor that, just before Prohibition, introduced a label called Old Rip Van Winkle. After Pappy died in 1981, his grandson, Julian III, took over operations and, through a variety of partnerships, has been running the company ever since. But this is more than just the life story of Julian III, keeper of the Pappy name and tradition. As our reviewer notes, Thompson offers “a blend of biography and meditation on any number of themes, including Southernness,” 48
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This line resonated with me: “We must be intentional with our myths and stories, and we must live the lives we want our children to live.” Talk more about how that concept influenced your narrative direction. No disrespect to Julian, but I wanted this to be more of a story about family, identity, and inheritance than about how whiskey is made. I don’t really give a shit what the barrel proof is, you know what I mean? I don’t know if you saw Springsteen’s Broadway show, but at one point, he talked about the difference between being an ancestor to your children or a ghost. I wanted this to be a book about the things we inherit, what we choose to pass on, what we owe those who came before, what we owe those who come after, and how all of those things intersect and diverge. This book could have been about John McPhee’s birch-bark canoe maker. Ultimately, it’s about the concept of craft.
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So why bourbon? Are you a fan? Do you buy $300 bottles of Pappy? I have bought $300 bottles of Pappy, but not often. I was always a bourbon drinker, but I’m not a student; I’ve never been on a bourbon message board in my life. But it was my drink of choice. I had met Julian at a party in Atlanta, and liked him, and I liked his son, Preston. And I realized that I was truly interested in how these people did it—how what they were creating was a reflection of them. It wasn’t just about bourbon.
Along your journey, you consulted the work of Kentucky native Thomas Merton, the well-known theologian, monk, and ethicist. Tell me about that. Reading him was the closest I’ve been to really believing there’s a God in a long time; it was that transformative. I don’t want to be overwrought and ham-fisted. It didn’t change my life, but it made me consider all sorts of things that I wasn’t before I went on this journey. In some very narcissistic part of my brain, I hope that if anything else, this book is sort of a travel companion as people think about these things in their own lives. I want it to be more than just a vehicle to learn about Julian or to hear my story, a way for people who are dealing with these things that Julian and I are dealing with to feel like somebody is walking there with them.
Pappyland was reviewed in the Sept. 15, 2020, issue.
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It comes back to craft, then, which seems rare in our modern corporate economy. Given that, what is your outlook for the future of Pappy and other craft-driven products? What’s interesting is that the amount of capital it takes to make good whiskey is pretty staggering. A craft maker doesn’t necessarily make a better product than a really great master distiller for a huge company. There’s a myth that somehow the small-time guy in the woods is making better whiskey. These guys that are doing tremendous quantities of whiskey, their “white dog” off of the still [raw, clear un-aged whiskey before it is barreled] is incredible. I guess the larger question is, what can we learn about the present and future of America by following these trend patterns—and circular returns in popularity—of various craft products?
What’s your relationship like with Julian now? Do you talk often? Not a lot. What’s left? It’s all in the book [laughs]. Julian is lovely. If something was going wrong in my life, I would call him. He’s such a steady, reasonable, ethical person; you just want his take on stuff. I don’t always agree with his view, but it’s always well considered.
It’s clear that this book was a journey for you as much as it will be for readers. Yes. If you go down the rabbit hole of the history of bourbon, you end up accidentally catching a glimpse of these big, tectonic, essential truths about the American idea and history. I think you can find significant elements of American history in that bottle. And that was really exciting, because that wasn’t intentional. I discovered things that I couldn’t have set off looking for. There was nothing rote or paint-by-the-numbers about the process. I took it section by section, and I could feel the story taking me somewhere. It felt alive, like it was taking me to a destination that I didn’t know existed. Were there times when you thought that it wasn’t going to work and you would have to move on to something else? Well, I put out another book in the middle of this [The Cost of These Dreams], and that wasn’t an accident. You can read those tea leaves however you would like, but this was three or four years in the making. I had false starts, times where I would write 8,000 words and think, this sucks. I couldn’t figure out the voice at first. Where is a narrator? Where do I stand in relationship to Julian? |
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100% Mariah, unburdened by filler material and written with pure heart and soul for both die-hard and casual fans. the meaning of mariah carey
moon landing, NASA continues to accomplish great feats, and more are in the offing, including this book’s subject: the 2024 launch of a multibillion-dollar spacecraft to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa. To puzzled readers, journalist and Army veteran Brown explains that the Galileo probe, which orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003, discovered a liquid water ocean beneath Europa’s icy surface. Life requires liquid water, and despite a torrent of probes and landers, none has turned up on Mars. No president since Lyndon Johnson has shown a genuine interest in space travel, a feeling shared by Congress with rare exceptions, including one of Brown’s unlikely heroes, a conservative from Texas. Furthermore, when Congress doles out tax money, anything involving astronauts takes priority. Even space buffs struggle to name a discovery produced by the manned space station, but robotic probes often return spectacular discoveries. Despite this, unmanned programs struggle for attention in this “astronaut-led, astronaut-centric organization,” but its scientists and engineers contain many brilliant workaholics. Brown delivers breathless biographies of a dozen as he describes their effort, now passing 20 years, to explore Europa. Since the 1990s, they have seen several proposals approved and then killed, but the Europa Clipper mission will probably happen for the only reason space programs happen: Congress approved the money. Readers will roll their eyes but keep reading as Brown engagingly describes the cutthroat NASA political landscape, in which Mars gets the most attention, leaving advocates of other planets fuming. Leading-edge technology usually goes over budget, but Congress rarely makes up the difference, so high priority space programs that run short extract money from other programs and sometimes get them cancelled. Few experts expect the 2024 launch date to hold, but some time after 2030, we may find evidence of fish on Europa. A delightful slice of NASA life.
THE OAK PAPERS
Canton, James HarperCollins (240 pp.) $27.99 | Feb. 16, 2021 978-0-06-303794-6 A daily journal in the company of an oak tree. Canton, who teaches a master’s course in “wild writing” at the University of Essex, is keen to locate the connections among literature, landscape, and the environment. But unlike his countryman Robert Macfarlane, Canton takes a more ethereal approach. In his latest book, he explores the strange sense of attachment he has to an 800-year-old tree known as the Honywood Oak on the Marks Hall Estate in northern Essex, in whose embrace he finds calm and contentment. The author reveres oaks above all, showcasing an appealing but excessively Romantic appreciation for these stately trees and ascribing to them significant powers and cognitive abilities. He gazes at old stumps and mourns felled oaks as if they were divine eminences, lending them a spiritual 50
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aura. Canton is highly observant, especially of bird species, and his descriptions are often lovely, but they also sometimes take on a purple hue. Within the umbra of the tree, inside the drip line, he is all giddy fascination, bewitched. While his enchantment is initially contagious, it becomes tiresome. Canton deals with the same tree for 120 consecutive pages, ruminating in a repetitive monologue before finally turning his gaze to another tree. The author is more engaging when he comes down from the canopy to relate the history of humanity’s relationship with oaks in shipbuilding and construction as well as literature and myth. When he confines himself to history and custom, the text is absorbing, with echoes of Walden. “Was there a time in some ancient prehistoric world when the creatures did not flee before us?” he asks. “Was there a time when humans did not strike fear and alarm into the natural world around them?” Canton is highly literate though rather at pains to show it. Eventually, even he begins to question his insistence on anthropomorphizing, which he does too often. Canton’s enthusiasm is admirable, but his roots tend to tangle.
THE MEANING OF MARIAH CAREY
Carey, Mariah with Davis, Michaela Angela Andy Cohen Books/Henry Holt (368 pp.) $29.99 | Sep. 29, 2020 978-1-250-16468-1 The mega-selling singer chronicles her life via the “moments that matter.” Carey begins with her early childhood on Long Island in the 1970s, when she used music as a form of escapism and distraction. The fearful youngest daughter of a Black father and an Irish Catholic, opera singer mother, Carey and her two siblings braved physical violence, racial prejudice, and emotional trauma within a turbulent household “weighed down with yelling and chaos.” In the late 1980s, her music career began to blossom, especially after she met and fell in love with Tommy Mottola, who was the head of Columbia Records at the time. Carey openly shares the lurid details of her controlling and emotionally abusive marriage to Mottola in the 1990s. Through her notes on the multifaceted recording process, readers will see the author’s undeniable passion and work ethic as well as her burgeoning self-confidence. Some of the most entertaining moments are encapsulated in dishy free-form anecdotes sandwiched between tales of music career honors, personal triumphs and hardships, and health problems. Carey is at her best when her outspoken personality shines through, as when describing numerous “diva” moments or her harsh regrets about the “collision of bad luck, bad timing, and sabotage” that characterized the making of her disastrous film Glitter. The author also offers appreciative commentary on Marilyn Monroe, Whitney Houston, and Aretha Franklin (“my high bar and North Star, a masterful musician and mind-bogglingly
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Inspiration for the Savvy Real Estate Investor SEPT 2020
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Profit like the Pros: The Best Real Estate Deals That Shaped Expert Investors
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Bidding to Buy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Investing in Real Estate Foreclosures
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gifted singer who wouldn’t let one genre confine or define her”). Carey frankly reveals the many conflicting emotions she has experienced as a mixed-race woman both energized by and dismayed at the music industry’s cutthroat, often prejudicial landscape. “Lambs,” as her fans call themselves, will find plenty of juicy gems, including the revelation that she recorded a neverreleased “breezy-grunge, punk-light” album. These intimate ruminations are impressively detailed without being overly concerned with industry gossip or petty squabbles, creating a refreshingly candid celebrity self-portrait. 100% Mariah, unburdened by filler material and written with pure heart and soul for both die-hard and casual fans.
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LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I MEAN
Didion, Joan Knopf (192 pp.) $23.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-593-31848-5
A dozen pieces of nonfiction from the acclaimed novelist, memoirist, and screenwriter. In an appreciative introduction, New Yorker theater critic Hilton Als praises Didion as “a carver of words in the granite of the specific.” Stylistic precision (“Grammar is a piano I play by ear,” she writes) and the “energy and shimmer” of her prose are fully evident in this volume of previously uncollected pieces, written from 1968 to 2000. Although Didion portrays herself as a diffident, unconfident writer as a college student, she learned “a kind of ease with words” when working at Vogue, where she was assigned to write punchy, concise copy. The experience, she recalls, was “not unlike training with the Rockettes.” Several pieces were originally published in magazines, and two were introductions: one, to a volume of photography by Robert Mapplethorpe; another, to a memoir by director—and Didion’s friend—Tony Richardson. All reveal the author’s shrewd, acerbic critical eye. In “Getting Serenity,” she reports on a meeting of Gamblers Anonymous, where, she notes sardonically, one woman “adapted her mode of public address from analgesic commercials.” William Randolph Hearst’s “phantasmagoric barony,” San Simeon, “seemed to confirm the boundless promise of the place we lived,” but, she decided, was best admired from afar, like a fairy-tale castle, “floating fantastically.” Didion’s rejection from Stanford elicited an essay about college as consumption, and her skewering of consumption and artifice recur as themes—for example, in her observation of the ways women stage themselves for portrait photographs. Several particularly revealing essays focus on writing: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking,” she famously admitted, a statement often misattributed to others. Writing, for her, is “the act of saying I, of imposing oneself upon other people, of saying listen to me, see it my way, change your mind. It’s an aggressive, even a hostile act.” As these pieces show, it’s also an accomplished act of seduction. A slender, highly satisfying collection.
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Exemplary journalism and a powerful argument for not putting soldiers in harm’s way unless we’re sure we know why. eagle down
EAGLE DOWN The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War Donati, Jessica PublicAffairs (288 pp.) $28.00 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-1-5417-6257-2
The former Kabul bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal delivers a searing, dispiriting portrait of America’s elite
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warriors in the field. If the title echoes Black Hawk Down, it’s for good reason: One of the many tragic episodes in Donati’s potent report from the front—not that there’s one in guerrilla war, of course—has at its center a downed helicopter, besieged Special Forces soldiers, and all the miscommunications and misunderstandings that the fog of war enshrouds. A terrible death anchors that episode, but death is the business at hand. So it is with the Green Berets whom Donati profiles, most of them professional soldiers of a serious, even scholarly bent skilled in various martial disciplines. Nowhere is that more true than Afghanistan, where, over the years covered here, regular soldiers were withdrawn, leaving it to Special Forces to fight the Taliban in places like the Helmand region, whose Sangin district British troops had nicknamed Sangingrad, “after the World War II siege by German troops of Stalingrad, where thousands perished during the Nazi invasion of Russia.” It’s a place specially designed to draw out foreign blood but also that of the native people. Donati recounts the accidental bombing of a hospital, killing civilians and leading to stern letters of reprimand in personnel files, as well as the story of a dedicated soldier who stepped on a mine, lost his legs, and would up in a bureaucratic nightmare of a kind at which the military excels: “No one could tell him how to get new orders generated and restart his medical coverage. He had to wheel himself from office to office, asking questions.” Donati’s on-the-ground account— and it’s clear that she put herself in constant danger to tell the soldiers’ stories even as American officials dithered about how to deploy those troops—is sometimes as hallucinatory as Dispatches and as taut and well written as Mark Bowden’s now-classic book. Exemplary journalism and a powerful argument for not putting soldiers in harm’s way unless we’re sure we know why.
As Molloy notes in the introduction, “Chick” Donohue seems an archetypal two-fisted, old-school New Yorker, a military veteran who’d become a Teamster and tunnel “sandhog.” In 1967, then a Marine veteran and merchant mariner, he accepted an outsized challenge at Doc Fiddler’s Bar in the Irish enclave of Inwood: to bring beer to neighborhood youth serving in Vietnam. “I was spurred to go to Vietnam,” writes Donohue, “by the sight of antiwar demonstrators in Central Park protesting against my friends from the neighborhood who were serving in the military. Having served overseas in the marines myself, I could only imagine what my buddies were feeling.” This tale seems improbable even by the standards of military yarns, but the narrative gains authenticity from the credible perspectives of the young American soldiers as well as the gritty sense of place. Sailing from New York to Vietnam, Chick found friends from Inwood, who reacted with humorous disbelief. Dramatic tension increases with the authors’ account of Chick’s observing combat patrols firsthand. He missed his ship and was stranded in Saigon just before the Tet Offensive, witnessing the enemy attack on the U.S. Embassy. Stuck in a war zone,
THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War Donohue, John & Molloy, J.T. Morrow/HarperCollins (272 pp.) $27.99 | Nov. 10, 2020 978-0-06-299546-9
The story of a patriotic prankster’s freelance incursion into Vietnam, bringing cheer (and beer) to Americans at war. |
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Chick scrounged food and lodging from old friends and colorful new acquaintances, his views transformed alongside American soldiers’ worsening fortunes: “I had believed that we were winning....But our leaders had told us Charlie was losing the war, and then they pop up all over the country? Tet changed everything.” Finally, Chick escaped aboard a supply ship that needed crew following the attacks—“I was never so happy to be below deck in a hot engine room”—and he acknowledges his changed perspective: “I wanted to go home...and all the mariners and all the soldiers in Vietnam to go home.” Indeed, a poignant afterword highlights the fortunes of the soldiers encountered on Donohue’s beer run, not all of whom returned. An irreverent yet thoughtful macho adventure reflecting the tumult of a fast-fading era.
I DIE EACH TIME I HEAR THE SOUND A Memoir
Doughty, Mike Hachette (320 pp.) $17.99 paper | Nov. 17, 2020 978-0-306-82531-6
The former Soul Coughing frontman recalls moments from a musician’s life that are funny, infuriating, or just too strange not to share. Doughty’s debut, The Book of Drugs (2012), was a relatively conventional addiction memoir, relating how his appetite for narcotics was exacerbated by his status as a famous-ish 1990s bandleader. In this follow-up, the author dispenses with an extended narrative arc and instead constructs the book out of brief anecdotes, some as short as a paragraph, relating tiny epiphanies and disappointments. Many of them turn on the phrase “the world was absolutely new,” usually relating to moments of musical revelation—e.g. hearing Nirvana and the Replacements for the first time or playing with an idol like the MC5’s Wayne Kramer. But Doughty’s earnest proclamations of glowing fandom have a counterweight in his seeming knack for attracting low-grade calamities into his life. There’s the roommate who climbed onto a fifth-story ledge, drunk; the producer of a Soul Coughing best-of album who sowed discord with his estranged band mates; a supposedly game-changing invitation to write a song for an X-Files soundtrack that ultimately fizzled; moments of disorientation in Kyoto, Shanghai, and a Las Vegas strip club’s Champagne Room. It’s all relatively inconsequential stuff in isolation, but Doughty has a finely honed, smirking style of observation that justifies most of the vignettes: The strip club’s bathroom was “as bright and cold as a Whole Foods”; a Tinder date “had written her profile in half-disguised twelvestep argot”; Shanghai’s skyscrapers “look like they were drawn on a coaster.” Together, the book accrues an entertainingly bemused, why-is-this-happening-to-me vibe, and Doughty’s terseness evokes the simple quirkiness of a Lydia Davis short story. Fans will appreciate his stories of struggling to finish his breakthrough solo album, Haughty Melodic, but he’s a talented observer in many contexts. A witty rock memoir delivered with arty, aphoristic verve.
HIMALAYA A Human History Douglas, Ed Norton (576 pp.) $36.00 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-393-54199-1
Robust history of the vast South Asian mountain range and its hold on the imagination. British mountaineering writer Douglas, who has visited the region more than 54
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40 times, has obviously combed through several libraries’ worth of material on all things related to the Abode of Snow, as the Sanskrit word Himalayas translates. Certainly he has found hitherto obscure connections—for one, the central place of explorers who would later turn out to be Nazis, such as Bruno Beger, a German anthropologist who merrily took skull measurements of the people he encountered and considered the Tibetan aristocracy to demonstrate “evidence of a common Aryan ancestor” and progenitors of the German people. “The murderous racial theories of the Third Reich meant about as much in prewar Lhasa as Hollywood’s version of Shangri-La, or the fertile imaginings of the Theosophists,” writes Douglas. “These were simply orientalist fantasies projected onto the Himalaya.” Many other fantasies come into play in his lucid account, sometimes held by local people—the Dalai Lama two incarnations ago who harbored a dream of making Tibet a pan-Asian stronghold against China—and sometimes by outsiders, such as the Arizona-born flimflam man Theos Bernard, who bothered people with his “intrusive photography” and was murdered. Numerous Europeans came to the Himalayas, Douglas chronicles, in an attempt
to spread Christianity to people already steeped in religion, and many of those Europeans came away with an intense interest in Buddhism, hastening its spread globally. Others didn’t quite get the message; Douglas writes dismissively of “the self-absorbed ramblings of Helena Blavatsky,” whose Theosophy was theoretically grounded in Tibetan Buddhism but was instead a garbled mess. Many well-known figures populate these pages, including British administrator and linguist William Jones, who, well before accurate measurements were secured, figured out that the Himalayas were the world’s tallest mountains, “without excepting the Andes.” A towering addition to any geography or mountaineering buff ’s library.
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This profile in sainthood is humane and compelling. the saint makers
THE SAINT MAKERS Inside the Catholic Church and How a War Hero Inspired a Journey of Faith
Drape, Joe Hachette (256 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-0-316-26881-3
The road to sainthood for a chaplain in the Korean War. New York Times sportswriter Drape tells the story of Father Emil Kapaun (1916-1951), a Roman Catholic priest from Kansas who, as a chaplain in Korea, displayed remarkable courage under fire and as a POW. Kapaun is now a candidate for sainthood, and the author provides a multilevel exposition of his impressive life, the dedicated individuals advancing his cause for sainthood, the role and process of sainthood in Catholicism, and the author’s own spiritual longings. Drape begins by introducing Father John Hotze, who was
charged with the task of gathering information about Kapaun for Rome. Hotze’s quest for records, background, and witnesses leads into the biographical portions of the book, which describe the remarkably pious and mature young Kapaun, his training for the priesthood, and then the story of his heroism in Korea. For his valor, he received numerous awards, including a Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, and posthumous Medal of Honor. Kapaun’s legendary spiritual and moral leadership, especially as a POW, affected the lives of not only the soldiers who served with him, but also the residents of his small Kansas community. The medically unexplained recoveries of two young people—one traumatically injured in a pole-vaulting accident, the other near death due to lung and kidney problems—were attributed by family and friends to Kapaun’s prayers. These miracle stories, in addition to the testimony of a virtuous life provided by Hotze’s research, provide the solid background of the case for Kapaun’s sainthood, a case most recently stalled by the pandemic. At points, the author discusses how Kapaun’s story and the experiences of others have reawakened his own sense of faith and hunger for a deeper spiritual life. Drape attempts to cover so many angles and viewpoints that the narrative is occasionally choppy—but it’s engaging nonetheless. Though sometimes roughly spliced together, this profile in sainthood is humane and compelling.
FRONTIER FOLLIES Adventures in Marriage and Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere Drummond, Ree Morrow/HarperCollins (352 pp.) $26.99 | Nov. 17, 2020 978-0-06-296275-1
More anecdotal tales from the Pioneer Woman. Best known for her cookbooks and Food Network show, Drummond offers readers a glimpse into her personal life with her family and animals on her Oklahoma ranch. Her latest book, she writes, is “a silly celebration of the everyday moments of my life in rural America, and every single story you’ll read is true.” It is not, she admits, “a sustained narrative, except in the sense that love is woven throughout.” In these vignettes spanning more than two decades, the author recounts a variety of mildly amusing stories: spooking her husband, Ladd, with a rubber snake, as well as the reciprocal tricks he plays on her; why she does the dishes when they argue; nicknames for each other; and lists of 20 interesting things about each of them (“I could sleep in a bed of crumbs and never notice”). On a more serious note, Drummond discusses motherhood and home schooling, the problems with summer on a cattle ranch, and struggling with a sound disorder called misophonia. It’s not long, however, before the author is right back to humorous tales about cows, including the castration of young bulls and how to prepare the testicles. Drummond includes a few recipes, but her aim here is less about instruction than about sharing 56
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her lifestyle, which she does with a conversational, sometimes overly cutesy tone. She also includes lists of what foods to stockpile, the names of the horses on the ranch, and why her prized rosebush died: “My poor, beloved plant had experienced death by urine, also known as nitrogen burn….Ladd had killed my rosebush by peeing on it repeatedly.” Overall, the author offers a scattered yet well-rounded portrait of her life behind the TV show and cookbooks. Sure to please Drummond’s many fans but may not convert those unfamiliar with the Pioneer Woman.
LONG TIME COMING Reckoning With Race in America Dyson, Michael Eric St. Martin’s (240 pp.) $25.99 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-250-27675-9
A scholar of race looks to the future with hope. In his latest, an apt follow-up to What Truth Sounds Like and Tears We Cannot Stop, Dyson, a Baptist minister, sociology professor, and contributor to the New York Times and the New Republic, offers a sweeping overview of racism in America through the pretext of letters to seven victims of racial violence: Elijah McClain, Emmett Till, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Hadiya Pendleton, Sandra Bland, and the Rev. Clementa Pinckney. Cellphone videos have made such violence shockingly public, stoking widespread anguish: George Floyd’s death, in particular, “struck a nerve.” Although
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Dyson acknowledges that “something feels different,” he asks, “how far are we willing to go? Are we prepared to sacrifice tradition and convention for genuine transformation?” Each letter offers the author an opportunity to expand upon the complexities of Blacks’ experience of hatred and oppression and to offer tempered suggestions for change. In his letter to Garner, for example, Dyson acknowledges that “Black bodies are still an object of scorn and derision” and “of nearly unconscious rage that rattles the cavernous egos of some men who think themselves mighty because they sport a badge and a gun and have referred swagger.” To counter what he calls the “blue plague,” the author proposes reconstructing police administration “so that the chain of command is shared with multiple agencies of safety and protection” as well as “redesign[ing] the architecture of police units and dispers[ing] their duties across a number of agencies while decentralizing both their composition and their authority.” Writing to Pendleton, killed when she was 15, he shares the “righteous anger” her death provoked, but he warns against responding with cancel culture, which he likens to fascism and sees as “a proxy for white supremacy.” In his letter to fellow clergyman Pinckney, Dyson reveals his enduring yet cautious faith in humanity. A timely, fervent message from an important voice.
WE SEE IT ALL Liberty and Justice in an Age of Perpetual Surveillance
Fasman, Jon PublicAffairs (288 pp.) $28.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-5417-3067-0
A cogent critique of the age of ubiquitous surveillance. By Economist correspondent Fasman’s account, much of the present inventory of tools used by various police agencies is a threat to our civil liberties. Take the cameras, for instance, with which police vehicles are ever more frequently equipped, ones that take photographs of license plates and feed those images into a vast database. Now, the author points out more than once, if a human police photographer were to wander up and down a street taking photographs of license plates, we would want to know why; so how has this less intrusive technology become so widespread and so little contested? Similarly, he suggests, facial recognition technologies normalize the workings of a police state in the making. It’s not just the police: As Fasman writes, a Chinese entrepreneur has made a fortune with an app called Clearview, which, while widely used by police agencies, allows nearly anyone to gather private information about anyone else. That same technology was developed by Google—and, says its former chairman, was “the only technology that Google has built and, after looking at it…decided to stop,” since the possibilities of its being put to bad uses were immediately obvious. It would not surprise readers to know that the National Security Agency can eavesdrop on anyone’s cellphone conversations, but it certainly should 58
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surprise everyone to know that even the smallest police department can do it. Similarly, any police agency can send a drone to photograph a perfectly legal demonstration. The overarching question such abilities raise, Fasman notes provocatively, is a simple one: “How much state surveillance are you willing to tolerate for improved public safety?” Anything more than the minimum is dangerous, he answers, for “that way China lies.” An urgent examination of police-state intrusions on the privacy of lawful and law-abiding citizens.
THE SHADOW DRAWING How Science Taught Leonardo How To Paint
Fiorani, Francesca Farrar, Straus and Giroux (384 pp.) $35.00 | Nov. 17, 2020 978-0-374-26196-2 The science of light and shadow illuminates Leonardo da Vinci’s revolutionary art. University of Virginia art historian Fiorani’s sparkling second book explores how Leonardo’s love of science informed his art. Intimately capturing the artistic, religious, and cultural landscape of Leonardo’s world, the author traces his development as an artist from his early apprenticeship days to the lessons he learned as he painted his greatest works and up to his posthumous legacy. In his book The Lives, Giorgio Vasari’s influential portrait of Leonardo “discredited” Leonardo’s “science of art,” ruining Leonardo’s reputation for years. Throughout, Fiorani’s detailed attention to Leonardo’s notebooks show how much his interests in art and science were interwoven. He produced a handful of paintings, many unfinished, but some 4,100 notebook pages filled with notations, sketches, and technical and shadow drawings. The author notes that in his late 30s, Leonardo’s interest in the world of art shifted to focus on science and philosophy, especially optics and the “subtle pattern of shadows” on objects. His earliest works were studies of drapery, and his innovative Florentine teacher, Andrea del Verrocchio, taught him to “carefully observe each fold and to capture the effect of shifting light.” Fiorani effectively describes Leonardo’s experiments with paints that allowed him to “achieve an astounding variety of optical effects” in his first solo painting, the Annunciation. With his “stunning” portrait Ginevra, he aspired to capture not just a young woman’s beauty, but also her soul and a “new way of painting.” Adoration, which he left unfinished, “forced him to rethink what he knew and did not know about the science of optics” while Virgin of the Rocks was a “masterpiece of optics.” Last Supper, which began to deteriorate shortly after he finished it, is “perhaps the saddest example of Leonardo pushing experimentation too far.” Mona Lisa remained unfinished as well. An absorbing inquiry into a legendary artist and his techniques.
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A subtle, expertly written repudiation of the American dream in favor of something more inclusive and more realistic. pedro’s theory
SHOOTING MIDNIGHT COWBOY Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic
STUDYING WITH MISS BISHOP Memoirs From a Young Writer’s Life
Gioia, Dana Paul Dry Books (186 pp.) $16.95 paper | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-58988-151-8
Frankel, Glenn Farrar, Straus and Giroux (432 pp.) $30.00 | Mar. 16, 2021 978-0-374-20901-8
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An inside look at the making of an American cinema classic. “Do you really think anyone’s going to pay money to see a movie about a dumb Texan who takes a bus to New York to seek his fortune screwing rich old women?” That’s the question John Schlesinger, the British director, asked Jon Voight, who played dumb Texan Joe Buck. Did they ever. Midnight Cowboy, the director’s first American feature, was the thirdhighest-grossing movie of 1969 and became the only X-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. In this outstanding work, following his worthy excavations of The Search ers and High Noon, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Frankel covers every facet of the film’s creation, from James Leo Herlihy’s original novel about the unlikely friendship between a “handsome but not overly bright dishwasher from Texas” keen to make his mark as a male hustler and Ratso Rizzo, a “disabled, tubercular con man and petty thief,” to the hiring of screenwriter Waldo Salt, who began each day’s work with “a joint as fat as a small cigar,” to Schlesinger’s daring decision to adapt “a novel that was so bleak, troubling, and sexually raw that no ordinary film studio would go near it.” In a canny move, Frankel places the film in historical context, detailing major world events at the time of the shoot, including the Vietnam War, New York’s “downward path to seemingly terminal decline,” and the Stonewall riots and competing attitudes toward gay people in general—Herlihy and Schlesinger were gay—and their depictions in cinema. Interviews with the film’s surviving principals add immediacy, and descriptions of small production details enhance the book’s power. For example, Dustin Hoffman (Rizzo), put stones in his shoes to perfect the character’s limp, and the filmmakers hired a dentist to make a false set of Rizzo’s bad teeth, which “looked really horrible,” said the dentist. “I was pleased.” A rare cinema book that is as mesmerizing as its subject.
A poet’s reflections on memorable individuals. In deft, graceful essays, poet, literary critic, and librettist Gioia recalls six “people of potent personality” who shaped his vocation: Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Fitzgerald, who taught him as a graduate student at Harvard; John Cheever, whom Gioia met at Stanford, where he was studying business; writer James Dickey; Ronald Perry, a little-known poet whom Gioia never met; and the author’s Mexican uncle, who died when Gioia was a child and whose library of books, stored in Gioia’s family’s apartment, inspired his reading and his aspiration to be a writer. No one among his relatives or teachers, he reveals, “ever encouraged my reading or intellectual pursuits,” but he was encouraged by his uncle’s presence, felt through the books he left. The author pursued his literary ambitions at Harvard, where two professors stood out: the “prim, impeccably coiffured” Bishop, the “most self-effacing writer I have ever met”; and Fitzgerald, whose “many strengths harmonized so naturally that one simply enjoyed the music of his company. Being with him, I understood for the first time how legendary pilgrims recognized their next master.” Both contrasted favorably with their celebrated, hugely popular colleague Robert Lowell. Gioia preferred Bishop’s and Fitzgerald’s modesty and humility, qualities he found in Cheever, too, who had come to Stanford on a campus visit with his son. Cheever seemed to Gioia “more bright young man than sagacious patriarch,” and his “intelligence was enlivening.” An unfortunate meeting with Dickey came after Gioia published a negative review of one of his books: “It is often better not to meet the writers you admire.” Gioia’s connection with Perry also came from reviewing; Perry wrote to thank him for an appreciative review, and the two continued to correspond, planning to meet, finally, in New York. Gioia’s portrait of this “invisible poet” and their role in one another’s lives serves as a moving elegy. An appealing literary memoir.
PEDRO’S THEORY Reimagining the Promised Land
Gonsalez, Marco Melville House (304 pp.) $26.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-61219-862-0 A searching memoir by an essayist and literature professor finally “proud of being Mexican and Puerto Rican” and “gay and femme and fat.” |
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Gonsalez begins with his childhood as the son of workingclass immigrants in what had been a New Jersey farming town on its way to becoming “a middle-class haven of housing developments.” There, living in two languages and what his classmates considered to be “the Mexican ghetto,” “a no-man’s-land of savages,” he came to understand his essential differences: different because he cried easily, different because he was ordered not to speak his native language in school, different because he was always made to feel the outsider. “It’s just procedure for little brown kids to be treated as a problem,” he writes. “For our ways of speaking to be policed at every turn. For us to be corrected by a world that would rather we not exist. Gonsalez got little help along the way: His father was not always present, and his mother was detached. White children, it seemed to him, were treated as something almost sacred, but, he asks, “what of the little queer and fat and feminine and neurodivergent child of color?” Such a person, he answers, is never allowed to have a childhood. When the author’s young brother died in a car accident, he was scarcely allowed to grieve. Instead, Gonsalez takes up the cause of all the “Pedros” in the world around him, a name he borrows from the Mexican immigrant and aspiring American Pedro of the film Napoleon Dynamite but who has counterparts everywhere, including the gay Cuban American TV personality Pedro Zamora. Like the first Pedro, Gonsalez writes, he overcame “peak pobrecitoness”; unlike him, he adds, he refuses to “identify with the false meritocracy this settler colonial country likes to imagine itself being.” A subtle, expertly written repudiation of the American dream in favor of something more inclusive and more realistic.
WIDOWISH
Gould, Melissa Little A (224 pp.) $24.95 | Feb. 1, 2021 978-1-5420-1878-4 An award-winning screenwriter’s account of how she survived the unexpected death of her beloved husband and learned to navigate life on her own. Gould had been married for 10 years when doctors diagnosed her healthy, athletic husband, Joel, with multiple sclerosis. Joel managed his illness well with drugs, but as he neared his 50th birthday, “the MS was getting hard to ignore.” Then, two months after he turned 50, Joel suddenly became ill with West Nile virus, which left him paralyzed and brain damaged. Gould had to make the extremely painful decision to end life support. Afterward, her life felt like an “uphill” climb that offered no reprieve from the feelings of loss she suffered, and she spent each night remembering Joel with her daughter. “In the dark weeks that followed,” she writes, “there were beacons of light shining a path for Sophie and me to follow.” Financial worries added “to the stress of grief.” She began looking for signs of Joel’s love for her and believed she found it when she accidentally stumbled across a Joel Osteen 60
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radio program that promoted positive spirituality and gratitude. A psychic medium later told the author that Joel “was still with” her and that he approved of the new man that the psychic predicted would enter her life. Not long after that, Gould finally began to refer to herself as a widow despite her preconceived notion that such women were “old, wrinkled, tragic. Wearing black. Maybe even a veil.” Acknowledgment of who she had become led to other breakthroughs, including friendships with other widows who led full lives and a passionate connection with a musician. The main strength of this memoir is Gould’s insight into the impact that spousal loss has on personal identity. Though not a standout in this genre, Gould’s book will appeal to women seeking to understand the meaning of widowhood. A candid, sometimes prosaic memoir of coping with grief and moving forward.
THE PATRIOTS Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the Making of America Groom, Winston National Geographic (464 pp.) $30.00 | Nov. 3, 2020 978-1-4262-2149-1
The late novelist and popular historian revisits the Revolutionary era. Groom (1943-2020) has fashioned another broad historical chronicle for a general readership, presenting parallel biographies of the three Founding Fathers who were integral to the creation of the American republican government—when no one could be sure it was going to take. As he has demonstrated in his many books of history and fiction, the author is a natural storyteller, choosing relevant engrossing details about each character amid the myriad historical detail. His account of Alexander Hamilton’s early life story, which opens the book, proves most compelling. Unlike John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who were favored sons from wealthy, well-regarded families, Hamilton was born “out of wedlock” in the Caribbean, and his mother died when he and his brother were teenagers, leaving them “for all intents and purposes…orphans.” Groom shows how Hamilton’s intelligence and alacrity—not to mention some luck—gained him powerful protectors and mentors early on. After arrival in the U.S., he received a first-class education and apprenticed with Gen. George Washington, and his fierce sense of honor, writes the author, “became a major feature of his character.” By Groom’s account, Adams comes across as the least personally appealing of the three despite his intellectual abilities. However, his sense of loyalty to country and family emerges beautifully in selections from voluminous letters to his beloved wife, Abigail. Jefferson’s story will be the most familiar to readers, and Groom adds little to the record. But the author effectively demonstrates how their battles with one another drove them forward and honed their political ideologies—yet never derailed them |
The author has a keen eye for turning and tipping points, and his lucid narrative serves his thesis well. the sports revolution
ALWAYS A SONG Singers, Songwriters, Sinners, & Saints: My Story of the Folk Music Revival
from their determination to forge the American nation when the prospects did not look promising. A useful selection for libraries because it imparts a solid civics lesson within an engaging historical narrative.
Harper, Ellen with Barry, Sam Chronicle Prism (240 pp.) $24.95 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-4521-8424-1
THE SPORTS REVOLUTION How Texas Changed the Culture of American Athletics Guridy, Frank Andre Univ. of Texas (384 pp.) $29.95 | Mar. 23, 2021 978-1-4773-2183-6
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The Lone Star State’s transformative role in American sports, from football to tennis and beyond. Guridy, a professor of history and African American Studies at Columbia, shows how, as with so much else in American popular culture, Texas has played an outsize part in the development of sports. He opens with a storied football game between the Don Shula–led Miami Dolphins and Bum Phillips’ Houston Oilers, a championship playoff dubbed the Super Bowl by Texas sports entrepreneur Lamar Hunt, who, in 1966, had brokered the merger of the National Football League and American Football League. With the assistance of ABC Sports, football grew to become the most popular sport in the U.S., surpassing baseball. It was a golden age, writes the author, in which, “fueled by a booming energy economy, a group of imaginative sports entrepreneurs teamed up with a host of talented athletes from the laboring classes to usher in an unprecedented era of inclusion and popularity.” That athletic labor would soon be sorted into superstars and plebes, with the vast bulk of the money going to a few elite players. Some of them were Black players who were finally allowed to play alongside Whites in Texas in the 1960s, with some of the credit for the end of Jim Crow going precisely to those sports entrepreneurs, who made cities such as San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston into sports powerhouses. Some of the innovations were less creditable: AstroTurf, for instance, “produced…more injuries to players who had the unpleasant experience of being crushed by head-knocking tackles on the concrete-like floor or who ripped up ligaments on zippered seams that stitched the carpet together.” Some were true improvements, however, including a “revolutionary event in the history of American sports,” namely the first match between professional tennis players who happened to be women, later capped off by the “Battle of the Sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs at the Astrodome. The author has a keen eye for turning and tipping points, and his lucid narrative serves his thesis well. Sports buffs will find Guridy’s explorations rewarding.
Musician and teacher Harper looks back calmly and objectively on a full life in and out of the folk music scene. Born in 1947, Harper started out as a “red diaper baby” in Boston, one of four children of an “atheist father and secular Jewish mother.” During the McCarthy era, her father lost his teaching job because of his earlier association with the Communist Party, and the family moved to Claremont, California. There, in 1958, her parents set up the Folk Music Center, where they sold and repaired musical instruments and sponsored concerts. The author worked at the center on and off throughout her life; now, she is the owner of what has become a nonprofit educational corporation. As she taught guitar classes and repaired instruments, Harper met a number of well-known musicians, many of whom, like Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, she admired for their skill while recognizing their “entitled” attitudes and other bad behavior. Though a product of the counterculture, she’s cleareyed about the damage caused by drugs and alcohol as well as some of its less predictable side effects—e.g., when she had to spend hours cleaning “sweat and patchouli” off guitars tried out and abandoned by shirtless musicians. While the center is a running theme, the author gives equal time to her life outside its reach. Her personal life included a marriage to a Black college administrator that produced three children and sadly ended when his alcoholism gained the upper hand and he began beating her. After a career in college teaching, Harper returned to Claremont, committed to “reinventing myself once again.” Besides writing the book, she has been performing with her son, popular singer/songwriter Ben Harper (who provides the foreword), and has released albums of her own. Without either sugarcoating or overdramatizing her experiences, the author crafts a compelling story of an ordinary life taking surprising turns. A memoir that will interest even those who have never heard of either Harper.
THE PRINCES OF THE RENAISSANCE The Hidden Powers Behind an Artistic Revolution Hollingsworth, Mary Pegasus (504 pp.) $29.95 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-64313-546-5
A history of Renaissance Italy emphasizing the wealthy and powerful and the artists, scholars, and architects they patronized. |
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Italian Renaissance scholar Hollingsworth has written several books on this eventful era, and readers would be advised to read them and a few other general histories before tackling this lively but intensely detailed chronicle of that land in the two centuries after 1400. Even readers who recognize political names from this period—Borgia, Medici, Visconti, Sforza, D’Este—may be surprised to learn that each family may represent half a dozen individuals. Luckily, the pantheon of great artists, from da Vinci to Michelangelo, stand on their own, and the book includes beautiful illustrations of their works, with architecture enjoying equal billing as painting and sculpture. From the Middle Ages through unification in the 19th century, Italy consisted of a handful of medium-sized states (Venice, Milan, the Papal States, the Kingdom of Naples) and a bewildering collection of principalities and city-states, mostly in the north, whose leaders seemed preoccupied with cheating, fighting, and murdering each other, often joined by some highly pugnacious popes. “For the rulers of the minor states of northern Italy, survival in the ruthless world of Italian politics was a matter of luck and judgement,” writes the author. “Too small to rely on their own military strength to overcome the aggression of the major powers, they needed to develop more cunning strategies—not least shrewd diplomacy and fruitful family alliances—to outwit their enemies.” Hollingsworth astutely shows how, in an era before royalties, museums, and mass-market printing, artists either worked for the rich or starved. Fortunately, it was considered proper for an aristocrat to take an interest in cultural matters. Readers struggling to sort out who was who in interminable wars and intrigues will welcome the author’s frequent digressions into the lives and work of Renaissance Italy’s pantheon of brilliant artists. Dense politics relieved by dazzling art.
THE MOVEMENT The African American Struggle for Civil Rights Holt, Thomas C. Oxford Univ. (152 pp.) $18.00 | Jan. 28, 2021 978-0-19-752579-1
A slender but potent history of the civil rights movement, which extends well before the 1950s and ’60s. In this lucid account, Holt, professor of African American history at the University of Chicago, notes that “the challenges to the Jim Crow order between 1955 and 1965 were clearly rooted in the generations of resistance that came before, and they cannot be understood without that prior history.” Certainly it is not well known that in July 1917, 10,000 African Americans staged a silent parade in Manhattan to protest anti-Black violence or that, a decade before Rosa Parks’ protest in Alabama, a 66-year-old Virginia woman named Carrie Fitzgerald refused to move to the “so-called ‘cullid’ seats” of a long-haul bus. “The driver,” writes Holt, “decided to leave well enough alone, Virginia law and custom be damned,” 62
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thus adding a moment to a long series of acts of resistance that “made a broader rebellion possible ten years later.” The author makes several salient points, among them the fact that much of this antecedent protest was mounted by women and that international events such as World War I and the Great Depression were important in loosening the hold of the Jim Crow South on the U.S. government. One effect of the Depression was that dispossessed rural Whites came in number to places like Montgomery, Alabama, a city that had earlier been roughly equal in racial makeup, a migration that “ironically destabilized rather than confirmed the political grip of the city’s traditional white elite.” That did not make White resistance to civil rights any less intransigent, but neither was it monolithic: The first lunchcounter protests were staged in Nashville and led to the desegregation of many of the city’s downtown diners. Conversely, when Black children marched against racism in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, police chief “Bull” Connor had no qualms about turning firehoses and police dogs on them, which only strengthened the movement. Essential for students of American history as well as activists in the ongoing struggle for civil rights for all.
THIS ISN’T HAPPENING Radiohead’s Kid A and the Beginning of the 21st Century
Hyden, Steven Hachette (256 pp.) $27.00 | Sep. 29, 2020 978-0-306-84568-0
A study of Radiohead’s 2000 classic album and how two decades have validated its dystopian vision. Uproxx cultural critic Hyden, author of Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me, among other music books, believes that Kid A, the British band’s fourth album, is a masterpiece. For music fans today, that’s an unprovocative, almost banal assertion. But as he notes in detail, the album received mostly middling and hostile reviews at the time, with the notable exception of Pitchfork, a then-little-known tastemaker that awarded the album its highest grade of 10.0. Like all innovative works of art, Kid A baffled many at first. Radiohead’s blend of proggy structures and glitchy electronics was new; the obsessive internet music culture that leaked the album early was new; singer Thom Yorke’s cynicism about our tech-sodden existence was new. And all of it was “weirdly prescient,” a “tone poem about our ‘doomed-to-be-extremely-online’ lives,” as Hyden puts it. His book is partly standard-issue band history, covering Radiohead’s path from “Creep,” the early megahit that threatened to make them one-hit wonders, to their present-day efforts to maintain their perch as innovators. But Hyden also argues that the album captured the zeitgeist both then and now. The author finds a Kid A sensibility in contemporary movies like Vanilla Sky and Fight Club as well as in the twitchy discomfort delivered by our social media addictions. Today, Radiohead’s push-me-pull-you relationship with the traditional record industry is the norm. Though
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An entertaining, inspiring approach to life-hacking that begs to be implemented by the willing reader. the art of impossible
THE ART OF IMPOSSIBLE A Peak Performance Primer
Hyden extrapolates too much cultural import from one album— Kid A wasn’t alone in railing against “soul-destroying remnants of omnipresent corporate culture,” after all—he is an intelligent and often amusing guide to its creation. The original reporting is slim, but the author writes like the best kind of music fan: informed and inviting. A knowledgeable, earnest, always persuasive testament to a cultural touchstone.
THE LAST QUEEN Elizabeth II’s Seventy Year Battle To Save the House of Windsor
Irving, Clive Pegasus (352 pp.) $27.95 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-64313-614-1
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“Very little is impossible with ten years’ practice.” Journalist and performance coach Kotler delivers an incitement for us all to up our games. Just about every human achievement was once deemed impossible, whether breaking the 4-minute mile or landing on the moon. Kotler’s Flow Research Collective, borrowing from the insights of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, studies “the neurobiology of human peak performance,” training and quantifying the nervous system at its optimum. Neurobiology being universal, it works for everyone in theory, even though when personality enters the picture, psychological traits such as risk aversion can affect the outcome. No worry, writes the author. Peak performance is attained through motivation, learning, creativity, and flow, the last of which is “how you turbo-boost the results beyond all rational standards and reasonable expectations,” surprising even yourself with the mastery that comes after figuring out how to do something perfectly. Kotler has something of the cheerleader about him, to be sure, but he’s thoroughly grounded in science, writing of the biological systems that drive fear, anger, grief, lust, and other emotions, all of which can be turned to advantage. He also offers a novel approach to learning, removing stress and letting curiosity make a game of it. “We’re letting our pattern recognition system find connections between curiosities that make us even more curious—which is how you cultivate passion,” he writes after chronicling a user-friendly approach to learning a new subject. Other strategies for performance optimization include getting enough restorative sleep; eating properly; spending your time effectively, including scheduling time for meditation and focused thinking; and avoiding stress. Kotler’s up-and-at-’em approach never sounds a false note, and it’s clear that he has applied his advice to himself. Besides, it’s fun to read sentences like, “Remember, the ROI on reading says books are the best way to go.” An entertaining, inspiring approach to life-hacking that begs to be implemented by the willing reader.
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A candid look at how the media has portrayed the monarchy. Despite the book’s title, Elizabeth II remains “a benign enigma” throughout this gossipy romp through a history of the British monarchy. Founding editor of Condé Nast Traveler and former managing editor of the Sunday Times, Irving is more revealing about the dramatic changes in British journalism throughout the 20th century, from the media’s unspoken control of the monarchy’s public image—the Sunday Times once sounded like “the membership committee of an Edwardian gentlemen’s club”—to the voracious exploitation of their every move, which intensified when they discovered Princess Diana’s enormous market value. Drawing on his own experience as an editor, reporter, and confidant of high-placed sources, Irving describes this transformation in sharp detail, homing in on the foibles, rivalries, and loyalties of editors and publishing moguls as well as the royal family’s efforts to block access to information, such as their connections to Nazis and the machinations of their wily uncle Mountbatten. Hewing closely to the narrative presented in the BBC series The Crown, Irving reprises major events, scandals, and family tensions among the Windsors; though he is an entertaining storyteller, he offers no special insight into the character of the “safely conservative and stolid” Elizabeth. A contributor to the BBC documentary Margaret: The Rebel Princess, Irving creates a more animated portrait of the younger sister, whose “rebellious effervescence” he admires. The author does not like the royals much: He deems Philip “a loose cannon” prone to public remarks that reveal “colonial bigotry,” and he calls Mountbatten a “vainglorious self-promoter.” He seems sympathetic to Elizabeth’s plight of having been taught to subjugate personality to duty but concedes that “it was impossible to tell if this was also the private woman—the whole or a part of her.” Decent modern British history, with cameos by the queen.
Kotler, Steven Harper Wave/HarperCollins (304 pp.) $27.99 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-0-06-297753-3
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SCORCHED EARTH Environmental Warfare as a Crime Against Humanity and Nature
Kreike, Emmanuel Princeton Univ. (538 pp.) $39.95 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-691-13742-1
A Princeton historian examines the shameful destruction of the environment as an instrument of war. Ecocide, the destruction of ecosystems in order to bring suffering upon the people living within them, is not an international crime—not yet, anyway, although Kreike notes that “several individual states have defined ecocide as a crime.” Aggressor states that employ scorched-earth techniques of battling enemies can always plead military necessity—and so they often have in places such as the grain belt of the Ukraine or the Brabant in Holland, looting what they could carry and then destroying what they could not to deny provisions to other armies or even civilian populations. As Kreike notes of territories destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, when seed corn and corn for eating were stored and then burned together, an aggressor force can deny another population food for two years—which, of course, amounts to genocide. The author recounts numerous episodes of just that: the use of eco-terror tactics against the people of Sumatra by the Dutch at the turn of the 20th century, the twin roles of plague and starvation in crushing the Inca Empire, the “Famine of the Dams” wrought on Indigenous peoples in South Africa by the actions of the White government, which placed economic development above their survival. “Loss of the environmental infrastructure was disastrous in the semi-arid floodplain. During the wet season, it meant exposure to cold, humidity, and disease. During the dry season, it meant hunger, thirst, and blistering heat,” writes Kreike—and that instance of “environcide” was by no means confined to the floodplain of a South African river, but has instead been repeated in places such as the Amazon basin. Famine, plague, destruction of food and water supplies: It all adds up to a heady catalog of crimes that warring states have too often applied and show no signs of eschewing in future conflicts. Waging war against the Earth is an old business, and this book provides ample—and dispiriting—evidence for it.
CHATTER
Kross, Ethan Crown (272 pp.) $28.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-525-57523-8 A professor of psychology examines the most crucial conversation: with ourselves. In this deft debut, Kross, director of the University of Michigan’s Emotion & Self Control Laboratory, helps readers 64
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better understand what it means to be human. We all talk to ourselves every day, and even the calmest characters among us do so at a blistering pace. What experimental psychologists and neuroscientists refers to as “chatter” is the part of this oneperson tête-à-tête that falls into a pattern of thinking, common to the human condition, in which reflection becomes a burden. Since we aren’t going to stop talking to ourselves—and, frankly, we don’t want to; the voices in our heads have valuable things to say—it’s important we use our introspection effectively: “Chatter underlies a variety of mental illnesses,” notes the author, who artfully describes how we talk to ourselves, why those conversations are helpful, and the triggers that can get us into trouble. He shows readers meaningful ways to reframe the discussion, when to seek assistance, and how to better support friends and family. The potential of a mind constructively channeled is no small thing, but it’s not all about being perpetually present. “The power of the mind to heal itself is, indeed, magical (in the awe-inspiring, not supernatural, sense).” Even if you have all the tools, which the author provides, “it’s critical that you build your own toolbox.” Throughout this fascinating narrative, fluidly written and packed with insight, Kross is consistently concise, practical, and well organized. Although an academic with impressive credentials, the author speaks to all students of life, grounding the text with illuminating vignettes pulled from the lives of public figures as well as his own. In the end, he shows us how we might have better chats with ourselves, ones that make us happier, healthier, and more productive people. A book that will truly change minds.
AN ANATOMY OF PAIN How the Body and the Mind Experience and Endure Physical Suffering
Lalkhen, Abdul-Ghaaliq Scribner (256 pp.) $28.00 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-982160-98-2
A physician who focuses on pain management illuminates his specialty. After a chapter describing the nervous system and another on the history of pain relief—opium has been around since prehistory—British anesthesiologist Lalkhen takes up pain as experienced by patients and dealt with by doctors. The author makes it clear that both could use further education on the subject, which is undeniably complex. A sprained ankle is agonizing while soldiers suffering gruesome battle injuries sometimes feel little pain. In Chinese and Korean cultures, it’s often considered shameful to complain during childbirth, and few women receive analgesics; other cultures insist on “a more vocal response.” While it may be understandable for a patient to not fully comprehend the social and psychological factors that influence pain as much as the physical damage, it’s inexcusable for a doctor. New analgesic drugs have been appearing for more than two centuries, beginning with morphine in 1804. Although many surgeons remain casual |
Authoritative and exhaustive—another jewel in Lee’s literary crown. tom stoppard
about postoperative pain, the treatment of short-term pain remains straightforward. Chronic pain, however, is another story; sometimes it persists after the injury heals. In most cases of chronic back pain, neck pain, neuropathy, and even arthritis and in syndromes such as fibromyalgia, there is no injury and nothing to be “fixed”—but there are numerous ways to help. Sadly, many doctors continue to use procedures—e.g., surgery or nerve injections—that rarely work and prescribe drugs that produce side effects and addiction without relieving much pain. Lalkhen describes his multidisciplinary clinic, where doctors work with physiotherapists, nurses, psychologists, dieticians, and even alternative healers to help sufferers who often arrive addicted and desperate after undergoing repeated failed procedures. The author emphasizes that chronic pain is not curable, but a collaborative approach in which patients actively participate improves quality of life, self-confidence, and the ability to move, function, and return to work. Readers won’t find miracles but rather a sensitive doctor who writes well about an ongoing epidemic.
Lee, Hermione Knopf (896 pp.) $35.00 | Feb. 23, 2021 978-0-451-49322-4
The celebrated playwright gets the Lee treatment. Stoppard (b. 1937) asked award-winning literary biographer Lee to write his biography, giving her “access to a wealth of materials and permission to quote from them.” In this thorough, sympathetic, and eminently readable text, the author tracks his early years in Czechoslovakia through his time in Singapore, India, and England, where he met his stepfather, Maj. Kenneth Stoppard. Interestingly Lee notes that Stoppard, who dropped out of college, didn’t show much interest in the theater until he was a reporter for a Bristol newspaper. The city’s vibrant arts scene motivated an “anxious, eager, ambitious, shy and unworldly” young man who became friends with Peter O’Toole. A job with another paper had him writing film and play reviews, covering “everything that came out, from new European cinema to Hollywood romances, from Westerns to film noir, from musicals to disaster movies.” As she has done in her previous top-notch books, Lee carefully unwinds autobiographical links between her subject’s life and works. Despite his newspaper work, Stoppard knew that plays were “his business” and “theatre was where he might find rapid success.” His first play, A Walk on the Water, was produced in 1963, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which began as a one-act play, debuted in 1966. Though the “first reviews” were “terrible,” most were “ecstatic,” making Stoppard “all at once successful and famous.” As Lee masterfully explores both her subject’s life and work, she portrays a uniquely talented writer fully in tune with a wide variety of influences. She pays close attention |
THE POWER OF ETHICS How To Make Good Choices in a Complicated World
Liautaud, Susan Simon & Schuster (304 pp.) $28.00 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-982132-19-4
An easy-to-use manual for determining ethical behavior in our bewildering times. Liautaud, who runs her own consulting company and teaches ethics at Stanford, proves that it’s possible to write a book about ethics without deploying the words virtue or utilitarian or the names Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Bentham, or Mill. Readers accustomed to historically grounded philosophical works of broad abstraction or technical argumentation will find this text less demanding. In one sense, the book is philosophy for the digital age: In promising that this “book will arm you with four straightforward steps to tackle any dilemma,” the author flirts with subsuming ethical deliberation to an algorithm. Applying her framework of identifying guiding principles, gathering relevant information, considering all stakeholders, and anticipating possible outcomes will direct an actor toward a decision. However, without normative standards for principles, ethics can quickly collapse to vested interests. The author sometimes reduces difficult philosophical questions to a series of bullet points that would fit nicely in a corporate PowerPoint presentation. Furthermore, if ethicists of the digital era such as Jaron Lanier and Tristan Harris have taught us anything, it’s that algorithms are not neutral. Liautaud neglects to interrogate some of the assumptions of her framework. Why, say, should we consider all stakeholders? Even if we allow applied ethics some lassitude with theory, the author runs headlong into the reality that we tend not to apply frameworks to our ethical dilemmas. Let’s say that after reading this book, we do apply the author’s framework but do not like the outcome it provides. Is it more likely that we will act against our intuitions or that we will plug some different principles into the framework until we get an outcome we feel better about? Liautaud provides several fascinating cases studies of recent ethical issues, which she analyzes with the kind of nuance we sorely need these days. Despite shortcomings, the simple-to-understand narrative encourages deliberate reflection, an ethical act in its own right.
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TOM STOPPARD A Life
to his screenplays, as well, including Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, Shakespeare in Love (“one of his best-loved pieces of work”), and a TV adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s Parade’s End. He enjoyed doing films but noted that they weren’t a “continuation of one’s life as a writer” but rather “a detour.” Ultimately, this expansive portrait of a significant 20th-century artist is a biographical masterpiece. Stoppard chose his biographer well. Authoritative and exhaustive—another jewel in Lee’s literary crown.
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THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR COLLEGE An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make Lieber, Ron Harper/HarperCollins (336 pp.) $27.99 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-06-286730-8
Can you pay for college without being broke until long after retirement? Sure—and this book offers plenty of pointers on how to do so. Today, attending a top-flight school can cost nearly $350,000. Yet, as New York Times financial columnist Lieber asks, pointedly, “what is the return on investment going to be?” There are other questions: Which schools are better at which disciplines? What kind of financial aid is available? Is your child suited for college? One central question, of course, is why higher education is so expensive. The answers are several, ranging from the recent movement of cash-strapped states to reduce or eliminate education funding to the fact that highly educated people—the tenured professors whom students usually encounter only in their junior or senior years—expect to be paid a decent wage, as do the endless layers of administrators and support staff. Lieber counsels that there are remedies available, though not even a committed high school guidance counselor can possibly know how to navigate them all: A student can go to community college to satisfy basic requirements, for example, though he or she better do the homework to be sure all the credits will transfer to their university of choice. A student can join the military and get GI Bill support. However, writes the author, “anyone considering enlisting in the armed forces for financial reasons alone should please think hard about the uncertainty they’re signing up for.” Perhaps his most important point is that in most instances, college tuition is negotiable and that the worst thing that can happen if you ask for a break is to be told no. But is college worth it? Quite apart from the educational aspect, Lieber holds, the answer to his first question is that the annualized ROI “is about 14 percent.” Given that the stock market is typically half that, it’s not a bad bet. A revealing and useful guide for the aspiring consumer of higher education.
THE UNUSUAL SUSPECT The Rise and Fall of a Modern-Day Outlaw Machell, Ben Ballantine (288 pp.) $28.00 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-0-593-12922-7
Machell, a writer for the Times of London, reconstructs the bizarre international crime spree of a self-styled Robin Hood who claimed he robbed banks to give the money to the poor. Stephen Jackley was a quiet British university student when, beginning in 2007, he launched a far-fetched plan to redistribute the wealth of “a callous capitalistic society that was destroying the planet and ruining lives for no good reason.” Over the next seven months—armed with a knife and replica of a pistol—he robbed banks and other cash-rich institutions until he was arrested in Vermont after trying to use a fake ID to buy a real gun, which was too difficult to obtain in Britain. Jackley was deported and sentenced to 13 years in prison. A psychiatrist’s report later found there was “little doubt” that he had Asperger’s syndrome, which led to a one-year reduction in his sentence. Drawing on interviews with Jackley and other sources, Machell, a fluid writer, agrees that the young bank robber had Asperger’s: “And while it’s true that none of this would have happened if Stephen did not have Asperger’s, it did not happen simply because he did.” Contributing factors, note the author, included his subject’s traumatic upbringing by a bipolar father and schizophrenic mother. Machell offers strong evidence that Jackley’s Asperger’s was made worse by a troubled youth. However, given Jackley’s months of con artistry and the fact that his parents had mental illnesses that can run in families, the author, though well-intentioned, gives too little attention to whether Jackley might have conned a doctor or two—or had a more serious, co-occurring condition that explains his behavior more plausibly than only Asperger’s. The result is a well-written page-turner that may cause readers to suspect that there’s more to Jackley’s crimes than Machell suggests. A fast-paced true-crime tale undercut by an iffy analysis of the perpetrator’s Asperger’s diagnosis.
FUCKED AT BIRTH Recalibrating the American Dream for the 2020s Maharidge, Dale Unnamed Press (160 pp.) $17.00 paper | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-951213-22-0
An open-hearted American travelogue through the new underclass. The raw title comes from a piece of graffiti Maharidge saw at a boarded-up gas station in the California desert. He then drove across the 66
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LET’S BE REASONABLE A Conservative Case for Liberal Education Marks, Jonathan Princeton Univ. (232 pp.) $27.95 | Feb. 9, 2021 978-0-691-19385-4
Why colleges and universities should cultivate reflection and analysis. Marks, a political scientist, professor of politics, and blogger for the conservative magazine Commentary, is dismayed at criticism of liberal arts institutions coming especially from conservatives. Much as Allan Bloom did in The Closing of the American Mind, Marks, who has taught at private colleges, defends liberal education, aiming his book at readers “looking for an alternative to the despair that passes for realism in our understanding of the present and possible future of college.” He underscores the importance of teaching critical thinking, decrying the “bland and scattered justifications” that liberal arts colleges fashion to define their mission, instead offering another: “to cultivate in our students an experience of and a taste for reflecting on fundamental questions, for following arguments where they lead, and for shaping their thoughts and actions in accordance with what they can learn from those activities.” Drawing on such expected thinkers |
as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, John Dewey, and Robert Maynard Hutchins—and privileging a curriculum based on “the study of old books”—Marks posits that “the highest aim of liberal education is not a set of skills but a kind of person.” That person must be initiated into a community of individuals “who pride themselves on following the evidence and arguments where they lead, and who share at least provisional standards for evaluating evidence and arguments, even in matters that can’t be definitively settled.” The author discusses efforts by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement to enlist anti-Israel support among students as presenting just such an unsettled matter. With little knowledge of the complexities of Middle Eastern politics, students, Marks asserts, cannot reasonably evaluate the claims of any speaker “who aims at conversion”—at odds, he argues, with the university, “which aims at reflection.” A thoughtful but not groundbreaking contribution to debates about the value of higher education.
THE COMMUNICATING VESSELS
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country to see if people could relate to the sentiment. Sadly yet unsurprisingly, many could. The Pulitzer Prize–winning author is here to sound a warning: The pandemic is leaving a trail of widespread poverty, homelessness, opioid abuse, and other maladies in its wake. Along his journey, the author visited good Samaritans running food banks and homeless encampments. He talked to professors and scavengers. Some of the new underclass still have their fancy cars; more don’t have any car at all. Maharidge bears witness, but he does more than that. He brings to bear his experience as a former newspaper reporter covering the down-and-out. More important still, he meets everyone where they live. Indeed, the book is a barely restrained demand for readers to pay attention to the have-nots lest you wake up tomorrow and find yourself among them. “We with white-collar employment make the assumption that a majority of Americans are exactly like us because most of us never interact with the working class,” writes the author. A student of the Great Depression, Maharidge understands the similarities with current times, but he also sees the differences: During the Depression, the homeless at least had the admittedly squalid Hooverville camps. Today, state and city laws are designed to make them get up and go…where? This is a book ripped from the headlines, from Black Lives Matter to recently thriving downtowns stripped of office workers and service workers. Those catching the brunt of it all, those with the steepest hills to climb, may have been fucked at birth. But for everyone, as Maharidge observes, the feeling of safety is folly. A sharp wake-up call to heed the new Depression and to recognize the humanity of those hit hardest.
Mayröcker, Friederike Trans. by Booth, Alexander A Public Space Books (224 pp.) $16.95 paper | Feb. 9, 2021 978-0-9982675-8-6 Pain and loneliness imbue a poet’s intimate revelations. In two companion pieces, The Comm unicating Vessels and And I Shook Myself a Beloved, award-winning Viennese poet Mayröcker (b. 1924) offers a swirling collage of thoughts, allusions, and reminiscences elicited by the death of her longtime companion, experimental poet and translator Ernst Jandl (1925-2000). Both works are marked by streams and juxtapositions of language evocative of Gertrude Stein, whom, along with Jacques Derrida, Mayröcker cites as a decisive influence. “My reading of Gertrude Stein,” she writes, “had opened up all the floodgates and I was really happy because my writing was spouting, almost without any resistance, and from my memory previously unknown images appeared, and they begot others.” Like Stein—and many artists that Mayröcker mentions, including Picasso, Juan Gris, and Salvador Dalí—the author aimed at producing art that “does not depict reality, but the perception of reality.” Her reality is dominated by memories of her life with Jandl: “1 mirror of the other, 1 mind-comfort.” While thinking about Stein’s sentence, “I am I because my little dog knows me,” she laments that when Jandl died, “I lost the greater part of my identity.” Mayröcker and Jandl shared books, music (jazz, the recordings of Maria Callas), and art. Grieving, she found comfort in the works of Spanish surrealist Antoni Tàpies. “Throughout all the wild months,” she writes, “he’d become my favorite painter, he accompanied me day and night, I dreamed of him and his works.” Although Mayröcker’s effusive interior monologue is sometimes impenetrable, her
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A bold, incisive book on heavy topics with a call to action for a more equitable future that doesn’t center White men. mediocre
MEDIOCRE The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America
overwhelming grief emerges clearly. “I went to the cemetery,” she writes, “and brought him five yellow roses and I thought he would speak to me, which he did not do, and I touched his gravestone and lit a candle and closed the lantern and left the cemetery saying to myself, everywhere different.” A raw literary meditation on loss.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS? Our Future on a Hot Earth
Mommers, Jelmer Trans. by Vroomen, Laura & Asbury, Anna Scribner (224 pp.) $16.00 paper | Nov. 17, 2020 978-1-982163-13-6 An irreverent, urgent look at climate change. Building on a column he writes for the Dutch magazine De Correspondent, Mommers seeks a “much-needed antidote to despair” in the face of the grave transformations that are manifesting themselves around the planet: skies choked with particulates and the smoke from countless wildfires, rising sea levels, declining species and ecosystems. He finds some in the small and personal—giving up meat, for example, in his own life, though he realizes that since he still participates in the worldly economy, “that’s no reason to get all self-congratulatory”; or taking young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s advice and giving up flying, since, as she explained, “When you are in a crisis, you change your behavior.” It’s difficult to change one’s behavior, notes the author, when the most powerful economic forces remain committed to a fossil-fuel regime that accounts for the 42 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere yearly—a staggering figure, Mommers writes, so huge that, even if we covered the planet with scrubbers, we could remove only 1% of the total of annual emissions “at a cost of $400 billion per year.” After surveying the nightmarish damage to world agriculture and environmental systems, Mommers finds odd solace in the coronavirus pandemic, which has had the effect of reducing those emissions by 7%. The problem is that in order to keep the global temperature from creeping up by a catastrophic 1.5 degrees Celsius, we’d have to maintain that 7% drop annually for another decade, which probably won’t happen. Mommers avoids hectoring or preaching to the choir, and he does turn up at least a flicker of hope in remaking the economy with an eye to sustainability. “Not enough is happening yet,” he writes, “but a green course is now visible and attractive.” A welcome reminder that there are things we can do to heal the planet that go beyond useless half-measures.
Oluo, Ijeoma Seal Press (336 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-58005-951-0
The author of So You Want To Talk About Race takes a close look at the perils and constraints of White male identity. In the U.S., a country built on slavery and exploitation, millions of Americans insist that our political, economic, legal, and educational systems are meritocracies when they clearly aren’t. While everyone else has to excel in order to get by, writes Oluo, we reward mediocre White men’s bad behavior: “We have, as a society, somehow convinced ourselves that we should be led by incompetent assholes.” White male mediocrity sustains “a violent, sexist, racist status quo” and robs others of greatness and keeps them powerless and poor. When average White men fail to reap what they believe is their natural birthright, they turn their rage not on elite White men but rather on the women and people of color they blame for their loss of opportunity. Not surprisingly, White men are currently the “biggest domestic terror threats in this country.” As the author clearly shows, “today’s titans of white male mediocrity” are part of a long line of “arrogant, entitled, irresponsible, willfully ignorant bullies” in powerful positions. Understanding this history, Oluo believes, is a prerequisite for survival and for enacting the systemic change that is required to alter the situation. She traces mediocre White men across centuries to the present, including the bloody U.S. westward expansion and cowboy mythology that fueled Native American genocide; male feminists; the two-facedness of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and the often vicious Bernie Bros; the war on higher education; racism in the NFL; and mediocre White men in the workplace. A gifted storyteller and thorough researcher, Oluo analyzes these histories, many of them lesser known, with solid scholarship and useful pop-culture references. A bold, incisive book on heavy topics with a call to action for a more equitable future that doesn’t center White men.
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs Park, Ina Flatiron Books (320 pp.) $27.99 | Feb. 2, 2021 978-1-25020-662-6
A guided tour through the science of sexually transmitted infections. Park, a physician who specializes in STIs, begins with an explanation of terminology. “The subtitle… uses STD, as I felt that term would be most recognizable…. 68
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ICEBOUND Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
Pitzer, Andrea Scribner (320 pp.) $29.00 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-982113-34-6
Biography/history of a 16th-century Dutchman who sailed courageously to the North Pole. Pitzer, a journalist who last wrote a global history of concentration camps, draws on diaries, archival material, and her own three trips to the Arctic to recount, in exhaustive detail, three arduous journeys carried out by navigator William Barents in search of a northern route to the Far East. Barents was in his mid-40s, with a wife and five children, when, in 1594, he joined an exploratory fleet whose mission was part of the Dutch Republic’s effort to “transform their country into a world power.” The first expedition was successful: After traveling more than 3,000 miles, the fleet identified two possible routes to China, and every sailor returned home safely. The |
second expedition, though, had worse luck. The seven ships that sailed in 1595 constantly feared being trapped by ice; weathered violent storms; and battled polar bears, which attacked and ate two sailors. Morale plummeted, and the ringleaders of a mutiny were hanged. Barents’ third expedition, which set out in 1596, proved disastrous. “They’d sailed once more into merciless terrain without even basic strategies to survive in it,” Pitzer writes, and they became locked in ice, forcing them to overwinter in the Arctic. The author chronicles the crew’s daily experiences, hauling lumber for miles, dismantling their ship for planks, building a shelter, hunting for meat, and surviving temperatures that dropped to 30 degrees below zero. They were weakened and ill from scurvy and once poisoned themselves from eating bear liver. By the time they freed two small boats from the ice and sailed for home, several had died. Though Barents succumbed during the return and had found no northern route to China, he became legendary, leaving a legacy of determination and becoming “the patron saint of devoted error.” Although sometimes overwhelmed by repetitive detail, Pitzer’s narrative vividly conveys tension and terror. A meticulously researched history of maritime tragedy.
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But I use STI as much as I can throughout the book, because that is where I think we are headed eventually.” Within this alternatingly fascinating, perplexing, and stomach-turning report, the author nonjudgmentally illustrates how STIs are one of the unfortunate forms of “interplay between sex and society as far back as the 1500s.” She begins with genital herpes, a “sneaky” virus that hides in nerve cells and reemerges as a recurrent “unwelcome guest.” A research conference in Brazil is the perfect setting for Park’s meditation on the pros and cons of “pubic landscaping” while a scientific glance at vaginal microbiomes reveals the vulnerability of women to undesirable bacterial compositions. The author never glosses over a topic; each chapter is a thoughtful combination of scientific study and informative anecdote. Park’s exuberance is obvious throughout, whether she is discussing how orgasmic meditation can mitigate the risks of STI contraction from sexual activity with multiple partners or the University of Washington’s “two-week-long boot camp on STIs and HIV.” Via lively, creative efforts to diffuse the lingering stigma surrounding genital warts, gonorrhea, syphilis, and other maladies, Park generously shares her knowledge and clinical experience, some of which is quite sobering—e.g., the possible connection between HPV and anal cancer and the more recent proliferation of terrifying antibiotic-resistant “superbug” STIs. The author also demystifies a variety of relevant issues, including HIV prevention and “female condoms,” weaving in knowledgeable input from public health experts, vaccine researchers, focus groups, and even a network of contact-tracing “sex detectives.” Fans of witty, meticulously researched chronicles of intriguing popular science topics—think Mary Roach—will devour this fluid mixture of scholarship and levity. A fresh, funny, sex-positive book that effectively destigmatizes sexual disease.
FIRST PRINCIPLES What America’s Founders Learned From the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country
Ricks, Thomas E. Harper/HarperCollins (416 pp.) $26.99 | Nov. 10, 2020 978-0-06-299745-6
An exploration of the major influences of America’s first four presidents. “What just happened?” That was the question that Pulitzer Prize winner Ricks—along with tens of millions of Americans— asked after the 2016 presidential election. The author also asked, “What kind of nation do we now have? Is this what was designed or intended by the nation’s founders?” He proceeded to study their writings, which turned out to pay some attention to the British Constitution and French Enlightenment but more to the ancients. According to Ricks, George Washington soaked up classic Roman values of honor, self-control, and, above all, “virtue,” by which the Romans “meant public-mindedness.” John Adams considered himself a modern Cicero, raging against tyranny. Jefferson preferred the Greeks, a more philosophical culture but also (unlike Rome) a fractious confederation during its golden age. This may explain why he, unlike his colleagues, felt no great need for the Constitution. The scholarly Madison spent years in a methodical study of ancient political systems, enabling him to steer the Constitutional Convention through sheer expertise. Ricks admits that by the time Washington assumed office in 1789, the classical model was running out of steam. Both he and Adams raged against “faction,” an evil during the Roman Republic. Jefferson was angry, as well, but proceeded to found the first political party. No one foresaw the
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A welcome reference, entertaining and information-packed, for any outdoors-inclined reader. the meateater guide to wilderness skills and survival
Industrial Revolution, the arrival of democracy (“mob rule” to the Founding Fathers), or a civil war, but the U.S. adapted. However, Ricks emphasizes that the Founders’ reluctance to confront slavery embedded a racism that continues to poison the American political system. The author reassures readers that the durable Constitutional order can handle a Donald Trump, and he concludes with 10 strategies for putting the nation back on course. All are admirable, although several—e.g., campaign finance reform, congressional reform, mutual tolerance—regularly fail in practice. Penetrating history with a modest dollop of optimism.
THE MEATEATER GUIDE TO WILDERNESS SKILLS AND SURVIVAL
Rinella, Steven with Henderson, Brody Illus. by Sucheski, Peter Random House (464 pp.) $25.00 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-0-593-12969-2 The bad news: On any given outdoor expedition, you are your own worst enemy. The good news: If you are prepared, which this book helps you achieve, you might just live through it. As MeatEater host and experienced outdoorsman Rinella notes, there are countless dangers attendant in going into mountains, woods, or deserts; he quotes journalist Wes Siler: “People have always managed to find stupid ways to die.” Avoiding stupid mistakes is the overarching point of Rinella’s latest book, full of provocative and helpful advice. One stupid way to die is not to have the proper equipment. There’s a complication built into the question, given that when humping gear into the outdoors, weight is always an issue. The author’s answer? “Build your gear list by prioritizing safety.” That entails having some means of communication, water, food, and shelter foremost and then adding on “extra shit.” As to that, he notes gravely, “a National Park Service geologist recently estimated that as much as 215,000 pounds of feces has been tossed haphazardly into crevasses along the climbing route on Denali National Park’s Kahiltna Glacier, where climbers melt snow for drinking water.” Ingesting fecal matter is a quick route to sickness, and Rinella adds, there are plenty of outdoorspeople who have no idea of how to keep their bodily wastes from ruining the scenery or poisoning the water supply. Throughout, the author provides precise information about wilderness first aid, ranging from irrigating wounds to applying arterial pressure to keeping someone experiencing a heart attack (a common event outdoors, given that so many people overexert without previous conditioning) alive. Some takeaways: Keep your crotch dry, don’t pitch a tent under a dead tree limb, walk side-hill across mountains, and “do not enter a marsh or swamp in flip-flops, and think twice before entering in strap-on sandals such as Tevas or Chacos.” A welcome reference, entertaining and informationpacked, for any outdoors-inclined reader. 70
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NOBODY EVER ASKED ME ABOUT THE GIRLS Women, Music and Fame
Robinson, Lisa Henry Holt (256 pp.) $27.99 | Nov. 10, 2020 978-1-62779-490-9
A longtime music writer empties her files. Vanity Fair contributing editor Robinson has sorted through decades of interviews with scores of female artists and divided their quotes and anecdotes into chapters entitled “Hair and Makeup,” “Fame,” Abuse,” “Motherhood,” “Sex,” “Drugs,” “Business,” “Age,” etc. The premise of the book—that nobody has been interested in stories of stars like Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Beyoncé, Rihanna, or Courtney Love until now—lacks evidence-based support and fails to justify this stitched-together jumble of retreads and outtakes. Though Robinson makes the point that she was never a critic, rather an interviewer, an editor of fan magazines, and a writer of “chatty columns,” she does have her likes and dislikes. She credits Madonna with “ruining the culture” in the 1980s, and she is particularly enraged by Taylor Swift, whom she met as “a fledgling country music singer with buck teeth. The second she heard I was from Vanity Fair, she grabbed my hand with such force that I thought she might break it, and her eyes lasered on me like something out of The Exorcist….The idea that she, or anyone, thought she could play Joni Mitchell in the still unmade ‘Ladies of the Canyon’ movie is laughable. (Joni told me she put a stop to that.)” Even the stars Robinson admires don’t come off well in these pages: Lady Gaga confides, “I feel like if I sleep with someone they’re going to take my creativity from me through my vagina.” Sheryl Crow reports that Stevie Nicks told her, “if you ever have kids you’ll never write a great rock song again.” The author also quotes Adele’s maunderings about motherhood at numbing length. One might conclude that decades-old gossip isn’t that interesting, but Ben Widdicombe’s recent stylishly written memoir, Gatecrasher, suggests that isn’t the problem. For devoted Robinson fans only.
TROUBLED The Failed Promise of America’s Behavioral Treatment Programs Rosen, Kenneth R. Little A (254 pp.) $24.95 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5420-0788-7
A look inside the “brutal” conditions of behavioral boot camps for adolescents. When parents decide to send their troubled teenagers to wilderness treatment programs, they do so because they feel that they are out of options. Their kids, |
CRAFT IN THE REAL WORLD Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping
Salesses, Matthew Catapult (256 pp.) $16.95 paper | Jan. 19, 2021 978-1-948226-80-6
A fresh view of teaching craft to writers of diverse backgrounds. Korean-born novelist and essayist Salesses, who teaches Asian American literature as well as creative writing, offers a thoughtful analysis of the teaching of craft in colleges and writing programs. “Craft,” he observes, “is the history of which kind of stories have typically held power—and for whom—so it also is the history of which stories have typically been omitted.” He argues persuasively that the widespread practice of silencing the writer while workshop members critique a piece of writing normalizes White, middle-class, Western values. As an MFA student, he recalls, “I still remember being banned from speaking while mostly white writers discussed my race.” This pedagogy conveys to a writer who does not share the reader’s race, ethnicity, class, or gender that their story is not worth telling. Those who are silenced learn “that in order to speak they must speak with an acceptable voice” and that their story “must be framed so that the majority can read via their own lens.” Salesses offers a detailed overview of the main points covered in writing |
workshops—including tone, plot, conflict, character arc, setting, pacing, and structure—which generally use realist fiction by White male writers as models. These stories “present the world as a matter of free will. The problems are caused by the self and can be solved by the development of the self. And somehow both external and internal conflict is like this.” Salesses counters that view with an illuminating chapter on East Asian and Asian American fiction, where he points to 10 ways that Chinese fiction is different from Western tradition, and he offers an innovative syllabus and exercises. “It is effectively a kind of colonization,” he writes astutely, “to assume that we all write for the same audience or that we should do so if we want our fiction to sell.” An insightful guide for readers, writers, and instructors from all walks of life.
SAVING FREEDOM Truman, the Cold War, and the Fight for Western Civilization
Scarborough, Joe Harper/HarperCollins (288 pp.) $29.99 | Nov. 24, 2020 978-0-06-295049-9
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often angry, bored, or both, may be skipping school, abusing alcohol and drugs, or self-harming, and some may be facing jail time for minor crimes. Believing that time spent in the wilderness is a useful strategy for turning their children toward a better path, parents sign them up, and they are whisked away, often in the middle of the night. They are stripped of anything personal and then spend weeks hiking, learning survival skills, and eating inadequate food, far from anyone who knows or loves them. As Wired contributing writer Rosen explains through the eyes of four victims, these wilderness camps are largely unregulated, leaving windows of opportunity open for verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, nearly all of which goes unreported. Even after successfully completing their tasks and going home, the kids are often worse off than before they left, as they now have the added stress of their time in treatment. Himself a victim of such treatment, the author shares his personal story as well as the history and development of these profitable groups. The stories are enlightening and engaging even as they reveal the shady, often abusive tactics used to snap these troubled children into behaving in a way that society deems acceptable. This book is a necessary exposé for any parent who has considered sending their child to one of these camps. Rosen also gives voice to the thousands who have gone through these programs, and the text should be helpful in encouraging them to speak out about their experiences. Highly charged personal stories coalesce into a frank disclosure about the “forced redirection of wayward teenagers.”
The story of the aid program that helped launch the Cold War. MSNBC host and former congressman Scarborough reminds readers that 1947 began with Americans basking in peace after the end of World War II less than 18 months earlier, and the budgets for the armed forces were slashed drastically. This was the scene in February when the British Foreign Office delivered two notes described as “shockers” by undersecretary of state Dean Acheson. They summarized events in Greece, which was impoverished and reeling under a communist-led civil war, and Turkey, threatened by Soviet expansion. Britain had long provided their support, but, bankrupt after the war, it could do so no longer. Tactfully, British leadership suggested that America step in to prevent those nations from falling to the communists. Acheson showed the notes to Harry Truman, who agreed that the circumstances required action. Scarborough delivers a lively blow-by-blow account of Truman’s consultations with advisers and meetings with congressional leaders, including Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (whom the author clearly admires), formerly a hidebound Republican isolationist but a convert to internationalism who won over many of his colleagues. There followed Truman’s famous March 12, 1947, address before Congress urging aid to Greece and Turkey; the president proclaimed that America “must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way.” Isolationist Republicans were opposed, as were liberal democrats, who urged that the matter be turned over to the U.N. and pointed out that Greeks were not “free” but ruled by an unpleasant autocrat. In the end, with Vandenberg’s backing, the aid passed, and the Truman Doctrine was born. Defeating Greek communist rebels turned out to require several years,
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WHERE GREAT POWERS MEET America and China in Southeast Asia
during which Truman returned America to world leadership with actions such as the Marshall Plan, the founding of NATO, and the defense of South Korea from the North’s invasion. Solid American history and another feather in the cap of Truman, whose presidential reputation is rising steadily.
RUN TO WIN Lessons in Leadership for Women Changing the World
Schriock, Stephanie with Reynolds, Christina Dutton (368 pp.) $27.00 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5247-4680-3
Tips on running for office from the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee aiming to elect “pro-choice Democratic women…at every level of government across the country.” Schriock believes that any woman can become a good political candidate “if this is the right time, if you have the right motivation, and if you’re in the right situation to get the job done well.” In her first book, she offers a useful but lackluster crash course for aspiring officeholders with the help of Reynolds, the vice president of communications at Emily’s List, and a foreword by Kamala Harris, whom the organization has endorsed. Schriock covers the basics of running a campaign—from deciding whether to run to regrouping after a defeat—in a narrative that’s part self-help, part paean to Emily’s List, and part memoir of her life on political beachheads, which have ranged from her quest to become a high school student body president [in Butte, Montana] to her work as the campaign manager for Al Franken’s 2008 Senate race. The author gets off to a rocky start when she lists seven “ingredients for a successful woman leader”—e.g., “integrity,” “energy,” and “passion”—without noting that any leader, regardless of gender, should possess those traits. She’s on firmer ground when she gives practical tips on money (candidates can use campaign funds for related child care expenses) or telling “your story” to voters. Unfortunately, the text abounds with corporate bromides (“Knowing how to delegate is the key to being a successful leader”) and clichés (“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”) that may dampen would-be candidates’ enthusiasm. Readers already committed to run for office will find some nuggets of wisdom, but others can find livelier, if slightly less comprehensive, advice on campaigning in Adrienne Martini’s Somebody’s Gotta Do It and Christine Pelosi’s Campaign Boot Camp 2.0. A helpful but uninspired primer on how women can run creditable political campaigns.
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Shambaugh, David Oxford Univ. (352 pp.) $29.95 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-0-19-091497-4
A close look at how Chinese and American rivalries are playing out in Southeast Asia. Shambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University, writes that the nations of Southeast Asia are less pawns than the setting for the great strategic chess game between China and the only nation with the wherewithal to contain Chinese ambitions, the U.S. The U.S. military, particularly its forward-projecting, hardpower Navy, is cause for worry in Chinese strategic circles. As Shambaugh writes, the Malacca Strait at its narrowest point is just 1.5 miles across: “Given their dependence on imported energy supplies, all Asian states—particularly those in Northeast Asia—would be profoundly affected if a blockade or naval conflict shut down this strategic passageway.” It is to America’s advantage that Singapore, even as it has military relations with China, with which it tries to maintain a balanced relationship, clearly favors the U.S: “Both sides gain—and gain a lot,” including a guarantee of protection for Singapore and access to that chokehold for American vessels. Cambodia, writes the author, is virtually a client state of China’s while neighboring Laos must balance the struggle between China and Vietnam. Myanmar, Shambaugh writes, quoting a professor of his, “is so non-aligned that it doesn’t even attend non-aligned conferences,” but even so it receives billions of dollars from China, including $1.4 billion in weapons. Indonesia, conversely, is well supported by American investments and arms deals, though, “owing to its sensitivities as an Islamic nation, the Indonesian government does not like to publicize the relationship.” Though cited as a model leader by the Trump administration—whose “AmericaFirst”–ism is jeopardizing American power in the region overall—Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte has canceled a military treaty with the U.S. and, speaking in Beijing, said, “In this venue I announce my separation from the United States—both in military, but in economics too. America has lost.” An eye-opening survey of a volatile, crucially important region and a must-read for students of geopolitics.
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A cleareyed study that sounds a serious alarm for the future of Israel—a must for any library’s collection on the conflict. mythologies without end
MYTHOLOGIES WITHOUT END The US, Israel, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1917-2020
COMPROMISED Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump Strzok, Peter Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (384 pp.) $30.00 | Sep. 8, 2020 978-0-358-23706-8
Slater, Jerome Oxford Univ. (480 pp.) $29.95 | Nov. 2, 2020 978-0-19-045908-6
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of 2016. One of many FBI executives fired for bringing his inquiries too close to the Oval Office, Strzok delivers the news that Trump was indeed under investigation even as a candidate—and then as president. The reasons are almost self-evident to anyone who remembers that he publicly asked for Russian help in winning his post, following it up almost immediately after being impeached with requests for help to another foreign power for the current electoral cycle. Strzok was in charge of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s infamous emails. “The fact is that if Clinton’s email had been housed on a State Department system,” writes the author, “it would have been less secure and probably much more vulnerable to hacking.” All the same, they released a finding calling it “extremely careless,” which certainly cost Clinton votes. The attention devoted to scrutinizing Clinton’s email, Strzok suggests, may well have kept the agency from spotting signs of Russian interference until it was too late. The author takes pains to clarify that the Mueller Report by no means exonerates Trump, though Trump’s attorney general interpreted it that way; he adds that the FBI could certainly have dealt damage to Trump’s campaign, as it did Clinton’s, simply by hinting at what it knew about his ties to Russia. Among Trump’s failings, however, has been his habit of underestimating the abilities and powers of the intelligence community as well as his penchant to ignore good advice—e.g., when his aides urged him not to congratulate Putin on winning his own rigged election, Trump did so anyway. Strzok corroborates numerous other accounts of Trump’s malfeasance, and he worries that Russian interference will be even more pronounced in the 2020 race given “Donald Trump’s willingness to further the malign interests of one of our most formidable adversaries, apparently for his own personal gain.” An important addition to the ever expanding library of Trumpian crimes.
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Evenhanded summary of Arab-Israeli relations since the beginning of the Zionist settlements 100 years ago. “For the past fifty years,” writes Slater, a retired political science professor, “I have been studying, teaching, and writing about Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and have many close connections in that country.” In this highly valuable contribution to the subject, the author combs secondary sources—he does not read Hebrew but notes that most studies are translated immediately into English—offering a “work of synthesis and interpretation of the existing literature.” Slater is especially influenced by the so-called new historians such as Ilan Pappé, Benny Morris, and Avi Shlaim, and he essentially provides a systematic refutation of Abba Eban’s famously snide 1973 comment: “The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” As Slater points out, along with Israeli aggression in the region, the U.S. has become a willing and noncritical ally. The author first debunks the myths that both Israel and the U.S. have long held regarding the founding of Israel—e.g., the “underdog” argument, the religious argument, and “Arab intransigence” argument, among others. Writing about the nature of Zionism, he shows that, “despite the Israeli mythology, the evidence is irrefutable that [David] Ben-Gurion and other Zionist leaders were not willing to compromise over Palestine and therefore ‘accepted’ the 1947 UN partition plan only as a temporary tactic to gain time until Israel was strong enough to take over all of Palestine.” Moving meticulously through the many relevant conflicts—1948, 1956, 1967, the Cold War, and wars with Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt—to the present, the author argues convincingly that Israeli officials have often worked from a policy of deliberate provocation. Slater concludes with the Trump plan, which makes a two-state solution nearly impossible. A cleareyed study that sounds a serious alarm for the future of Israel—a must for any library’s collection on the conflict.
“If the American people had known what we did at the time of the election, they would have been appalled.” Former FBI official Strzok recounts the events
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A LIGHT IN THE DARK A History of Movie Directors Thomson, David Knopf (304 pp.) $27.95 | Mar. 23, 2021 978-0-593-31815-7
A prolific film critic offers analyses of noteworthy directors. Despite the subtitle, Thomson presents a series of personal assessments of a handful of filmmakers. “I have omitted so many people,” he admits. Indeed, there are chapters on Fritz Lang, Luis Buñuel, Howard Hawks, and Orson Welles but not Sergei Eisenstein, Francois Truffaut, Akira Kurosawa, and many others. Much of this material appears in greater detail in other, better books, including some of Thomson’s own works. A typically florid sentence is the author’s appraisal of Hitchcock: “A time may come when he stands for Movies in the way Attila the Hun bestrides the Dark Ages or Cleopatra signifies Ancient Egypt.” Thomson’s opinions are often based on debatable logic. He notes with sadness that Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game has fallen behind Vertigo in greatest-films surveys, but even readers who agree that Vertigo is the lesser film might be baffled by the author’s claim that its triumph over Renoir’s indictment of maladjusted sophisticates represents “opting for neurosis over reason.” Curiously for such an acclaimed film critic, Thomson gets facts wrong. For example, he claims The Piano wasn’t nominated for Best Picture the year Driving Miss Daisy won. The Piano came out four years after Daisy, and it was nominated but lost to Schindler’s List. While the author makes some progressive statements—e.g., that the film industry needs more respect for women—he undercuts them with tin-eared comments, such as when noting the camera’s infatuation with Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour: “I have a similar wish to dwell on the smoothness of Deneuve’s skin.” Only one chapter focuses on women directors. But at least the book has some memorable lines: “There are instants in Pierrot le Fou where its grasp of love and love’s death are like hummingbirds on your veranda, while Doctor Zhivago is a pantechnicon struggling up a distant hill with a grand piano to be carried up the stairs.” A well-meaning but flawed book about legendary filmmakers.
THE NIGHT LAKE A Young Priest Maps the Topography of Grief Tichenor, Liz Counterpoint (336 pp.) $26.00 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-64009-406-2
A wrenching tragedy haunts a mother’s life. In her first position as a recently ordained priest, Tichenor was living in an Episcopal camp on the shores of Lake Tahoe with her 74
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husband, their 2-year-old daughter, and newborn son. One evening, she grew alarmed that her infant was in severe distress and rushed to see an emergency care physician. Assured that the baby was healthy, she returned home; hours later, her son died. In a memoir steeped in raw, often heartbreaking emotion, Tichenor recalls the horrifying event and its aftermath as she tries to draw upon faith and community for understanding and solace. From the first, she was astonished by people’s remarks and maudlin sympathy cards that reiterated “the trite explanation that ‘God needed another angel.’ ” Some parishioners, she noticed, “seemed to weirdly want me to take care of them, or who wanted to make it all seem all right, palatable, survivable, understandable, done.” She was exhausted, she writes, by the effort “to avoid the next sympathy attack.” Compounding her grief over her son’s death was the recent suicide of her mother, an alcoholic whose drinking, neglect, and erratic behavior had blighted Tichenor’s childhood. Her mother’s alcoholism, she writes, “was my inheritance, this the dark water I’d been swimming in for years.” Trying to survive those dark waters, Tichenor took up running, sought therapy, and leaned on the strength of a few stalwart friends; for a while, she sought the oblivion of alcohol. “I was angry at all I had been dealt,” she admits. “And I felt so very alone. Drinking didn’t make that go away. But with a drink in my hand, I didn’t have to feel as much.” Now, determinedly sober and a church rector, Tichenor acknowledges the persistence of grief over a death that “gutted me, sank me, its images flashing before my eyes, as I continuously relived it.” A powerful, forthright chronicle of surviving profound loss.
QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES England’s Medieval Queens
Weir, Alison Ballantine (560 pp.) $30.00 | Feb. 23, 2021 978-1-101-96669-3
The latest massively detailed British royal history/biography from the prolific historian and novelist. In this hefty follow-up to Queens of the Conquest (2017), Weir focuses on the period from 1154 to 1291, offering a meticulous tapestry that will appeal most to students of that and other medieval eras. The author begins with the greatest queen of the period, Eleanor of Aquitaine, the wife of Henry II, a natural ruler and mother of strong future kings who lived into her early 80s, an astounding feat for the time. During her first Crusade, she was a teenager married to young King Louis of France. However, according to Eleanor, she had married a monk, not a king,” and the marriage was annulled. A more vigorous political match was made with Henry FitzEmpress, who founded the Angevin royal dynasty. By most accounts, she was his equal and proved to be a major force in bolstering her sons’ rebellion against their father. Berengaria of Navarre, wife of Richard I, and Isabella of Angouleme, wife of John, were both kind of ciphers, without much political power |
A model portrait of person and place, a kind of cultural and literary geography that never fails to fascinate. the sea view has me again
of their own—except later in life as widows, and, in Isabella’s case, in a second marriage to Hugh X. Alienor of Provence had a successful marriage to Henry III that lasted nearly 37 years while Eleanor of Castile, queen of Edward I, also a devoted and long-suffering wife, has a reputation as the ideal medieval lady. As the author shows, all of these women had to constantly wrestle to gain their rightful dowry and properties from rapacious spouses. Weir effectively interweaves her minutely chronological account into the context of religious wars and cultural currents, such as the courtly Arthurian legends and troubadours. As in previous books, the exceedingly knowledgeable author’s prodigious research is impressive, but the narrative isn’t consistently entertaining. Another treat for Weir fans but not for readers lacking serious interest in the period.
Winchester, Simon Harper/HarperCollins (416 pp.) $29.99 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-0-06-293833-6 The latest sweeping, satisfying popular history from the British American author and journalist, this time covering a topic that many of us take for granted. Having bought 123 acres north of New York City, Winchester muses on what land ownership means. At the most basic level, it means that “you have the right to call the police to throw anyone else off what the title documents say belongs to you.” Bronze Age farmers began the process of defining boundaries, but human ingenuity, technology, and avarice produced increasingly accurate markers, surveys, and maps that delineated national borders, a matter of obsessive concern to governments around the world. Winchester delivers a riveting history of mapmaking, which culminated over the past few centuries as heroic surveyors trudged with their instruments thousands of miles to produce charts that were both beautiful and dazzlingly precise. (For a particularly illuminating example, see Winchester’s The Map That Changed the World.) For most of history, human yearning for land outstripped that for money, and the author offers familiar, disheartening accounts of mass acquisitions and theft: Native America (and Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) to Whites, Arab Palestine to Jewish immigrants, Africa to European powers. Readers looking for inspiration will perk up to read about the Netherlands, which acquired its land from the sea and didn’t evict anyone. Although less well known than tech billionaires, America’s land billionaires are prospering, increasing their holdings by 50% since 2007. In fact, the top 100 own land equal to the size of Florida. With some exceptions, they are strangers to public spirit and sometimes fiercely opposed to anyone setting foot on even their wilderness property. The chapters on the Stalin-ordered mass famine in |
THE SEA VIEW HAS ME AGAIN Uwe Johnson in Sheerness
Wright, Patrick Repeater Books (740 pp.) $29.95 | Dec. 8, 2020 978-1-912248-60-5
Engrossing account of the exiled East German writer Uwe Johnson (19341984), who found an obscure shelter in a gray English backwater. Wright, an accomplished interpreter of all things English, finds a site of frozen time in a bypassed place only 40-odd miles downriver from London, scorned by Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson for its “thousands and thousands of mobile homes, all of which I suspect belong to former London cabbies.” The Isle of Sheppey is indeed rather plain, emerging from the North Sea, Wright quips, “in a marshy and noncommittal kind of way.” Like so many edgelands, there was once a lot going on there, attested to by memories of a vast naval dockyard where a lucky survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade once worked; a halfsunken ship full of World War II ammunition that threatened to blow the town of Sheerness off the map; a hillside packed with the graves of Danes murdered at the behest of Aethelred the Unready “as an early ancestor of encroachment-hating Brexiteers”; and a rural schoolhouse once inhabited by a reformer who immigrated to Canada and became a feminist icon “who carried ancestral memories of Kentish radicalism with her as she campaigned for and among women farmers.” Into this milieu came Johnson, a curmudgeonly novelist who retained a Marxist vision even after fleeing East Germany—and who drank himself to death in Sheerness before the age of 50, “a man who wanted, by the end of his short life, to disappear into letters.” Johnson, whose magnum opus Anniversaries took decades to appear in English translation, found on Sheppey a rejoinder to his native Baltic coast, replete with Cold War vestiges (he descended into paranoia, convinced that his estranged wife was a spy). His grim determination to finish his late modernist masterpiece, despite his mental illness and alcoholism, befits the raw, forgotten places in which he lived. A model portrait of person and place, a kind of cultural and literary geography that never fails to fascinate.
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LAND How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World
Ukraine and the shameful World War II imprisonment of Japanese Americans (and confiscation of their property) make for painful reading but important historical reminders. The author also discusses climate change and the land that continues to disappear as rising temperatures melt the ice caps. Engaging revelations about land and property, often discouraging but never dull.
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WHEN BRAINS DREAM Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep
Zadra, Antonio & Stickgold, Robert Norton (304 pp.) $27.95 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-324-00283-3
Two sleep and dream researchers illuminate their specialty. Zadra and Stickgold hit the ground running by insisting that Freud did not have the last word on dreams—or even the first. Earlier 19thcentury scientists produced theories that Freud adopted or ignored, but his immense influence, especially the belief that he had discovered the source and meaning of dreams, discouraged research until decades after his death. Matters have improved since then, as psychological studies as well as neuroscience, aided by high-tech brain scanners, reveal a great deal about brain function. All animals sleep, but until perhaps 50 years ago, experts had no explanation except that it relieved sleepiness, and the popular explanation—to tidy up and rejuvenate the body—never acquired traction. The authors emphasize its essential role in learning and memory. In studies where subjects memorized a topic, a night’s sleep improved their ability to recall—but didn’t improve accuracy, as they also recalled errors better. Turning to their favorite subject, the authors agree with the “widely held view that dreams reflect the dreamer’s current thoughts and concerns as well as recent salient experiences,” but they doubt that dreams carry important messages and require interpretation. They explain dreaming as a form of “sleep-dependent memory processing” that “extracts new knowledge” from recent experiences but rarely offers “concrete solutions” to problems. Most readers will understand the authors’ theories, but they will especially relish the final chapters, which explore nightmares, lucid dreaming, narcolepsy, creativity via dreams, and even how to link a dream to wakinglife events. Readers convinced that dreams reveal deep insights and those who dismiss them as meaningless will both enjoy a painless education on dreams and memory. Few will object to the authors’ preferred theory because, as good scientists, they present their evidence without claiming that it’s overwhelming. An excellent update on the science behind dreams.
began emerging, which coincided with his decision to come out to his UCLA fraternity brothers. While working for a local newspaper during college, life became complicated by a “sketchy and terrifying” virus that was making its way through the gay community. Soon, he writes, around 1983, “people simply just disappeared.” Young and vulnerable, Zyda was petrified of the infectious “gay cancer” looming over his newfound community. But when he met Yale Law graduate Stephen at a West Hollywood gym, their whirlwind romance blossomed briskly despite a 12-year age difference and Stephen’s conservative political leanings. Woven throughout the narrative are generous details about the author’s family history and a youth spent gravitating toward a beloved, now-deceased lesbian sister who acted as a second mother. Zyda effectively sets his personal story against the backdrop of 1980s-era homophobic discrimination, experimental AIDS therapies, and precarious social, political, and clinical climates across LGBTQ+ communities. He conjures an authentic vibe for a pivotal era during which he established himself as both an out gay man and a brave, compassionate partner, particularly when Stephen’s health waned with a harrowing barrage of AIDS-related infections at age 35. Along with crushing statistical data, the author paints these personal scenes with palpable devastation, recalling the heartbreaking reality of his bedside vigil with Stephen and the alarming horror that he may have contracted the virus himself. Zyda’s deft navigation of the “AIDS Vortex of Insanity” makes the text an emotionally charged account well-suited for readers who may have survived that fraught period themselves. It’s also a moving, informative, and ultimately uplifting narrative for younger LGBTQ+ readers yearning to understand the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic. Searing and empowering reflections from a dark, defining era in LGBTQ+ history.
THE STORM One Voice From the AIDS Generation
Zyda, Christopher Rare Bird Books (320 pp.) $26.00 | Nov. 10, 2020 978-1-64428-168-0
A gay man chronicles his experiences with the devastating AIDS epidemic. Los Angeles native Zyda was in his 20s when hints of the impending crisis 76
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children’s LOLA’S SUPER CLUB
These titles earned the Kirkus Star:
Beigel, Christine Illus. by Foiullet, Pierre Papercutz (112 pp.) $14.99 | $9.99 paper | Dec. 8, 2020 978-1-5458-0563-3 978-1-5458-0564-0 paper Series: Lola’s Super Club, 1
THIS IS YOUR TIME by Ruby Bridges.................................................79 ICE! by Douglas Florian...................................................................... 82 EYES THAT KISS IN THE CORNERS by Joanna Ho; illus. by Dung Ho..................................................................................87 TIME FOR KENNY by Brian Pinkney................................................. 94
TRY IT! by Mara Rockliff; illus. by Giselle Potter............................... 96 ROOT MAGIC by Eden Royce.............................................................. 96
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SEEKING AN AURORA by Elizabeth Pulford; illus. by Anne Bannock..........................................................................95
When her parents aren’t looking, a girl and her toys go on secret-agent adventures in this duo of French graphic stories bound together for publication in the U.S. Lola is convinced her perfectly ordinary stay-at-home dad, Robert Darkhair, is secret agent James Blond. Whether he is or not is almost irrelevant; what’s important is that mustachioed archvillain Max Imum believes it, too. Thus Lola dons a cape and mask (the former cut from her bedroom curtains) and hares off on a series of joyfully chaotic adventures to thwart the villain and rescue whichever parent has most recently been kidnapped. In both of the short tales collected here (“My Dad Is a Super Secret Agent” and “My Mom Is Lost in Time”), Lola is assisted by her cat and a collection of toys and drawings, most of which become person-sized and animate whenever her parents aren’t looking. The excitement proceeds at breakneck pace, as Lola and her friends are propelled from frying pan to fire and back to frying pan every few pages. The adventures, translated from the French, don’t make the trans-Atlantic hop altogether smoothly. One sequence is an extended homage to the Asterix comics that relies on familiarity with same. Nonstop silliness and lively use of the form will propel most readers through jokes lost in translation. Harder to overlook are the hackneyed representations of race, especially when mute “Mayans, Incas, or Aztecs” serve Max Imum, who threatens human sacrifice to Quetzalcoatl. Main human characters all seem to be White. There’s pleasurably messy, madcap humor, but the casually dismissive cultural representations are très désagréables. (Graphic fantasy/adventure. 7-10)
EYES THAT KISS IN THE CORNERS
Ho, Joanna Illus. by Ho, Dung Harper/HarperCollins (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-06-291562-7 |
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“just being a kid” is harder than it sounds Leah Overstreet
In her Oct. 15 column, my colleague Laura Simeon decried an attitude often expressed in discussions about books for young readers: that kid characters should be allowed “just to be kids.” She wrote, “When people complain about ‘too many issues [in a book],’ it’s often a coded way of referring to the life experiences of people from marginalized groups [that cause readers to be] suddenly jolted out of the comfortable misapprehension that their own lives and concerns are universal.” Without disagreeing with Laura one whit, I’d like to further explore the notion of sheltering child readers from discomfort. When I was a public librarian, I frequently worked with parents who objected to sharing books on tough topics with their children. “They can learn about [substance abuse, sexual violence, etc.] later— right now I want them to read books about kids just being kids.” I frequently found myself grinding my teeth, but I understood: The experiences of the child characters in the books they objected to were experiences children should not be forced to endure; therefore, they didn’t want their children reading about them. And yet children do suffer the cruelest of circumstances, conditions and calamities no adult would wish visited upon a child. Children are separated from their parents at the southern border and held in cages. Children live with abusive caregivers. Children endure poverty, hunger, homelessness, war. The landmark CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study found that as children, onefifth of study participants experienced sexual abuse, over one-fourth lived with a person who abused drugs or alcohol, and almost one-tenth knew some form of physical neglect. Extrapolating from this suggests that in an average classroom of 20 children, four have been or are being sexually abused, five live with a family member who abuses drugs or alcohol, and two are uncertain of their physical safety. Only a bit over one-third of those studied reported none of the adverse childhood experiences surveyed for, so extrapolating again, just seven of the students in this hypothetical class are unaffected. This calls into question 78
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just how normative the experience of “just being a kid” is. And I believe that if children experience it, then it’s important to record those experiences in children’s books. Many of my favorite books of recent years take on hard topics. In Lexie Bean’s The Ship We Built (Dial, May 26), Rowan, a White trans boy, dreads school vacations, when he is trapped at home with his sexually abusive father. In Daniel Nayeri’s autobiographical Everything Sad Is Untrue (Levine Querido, Aug. 25) the Iranian American author’s child alter ego, Khosrou, spends years in a refugee camp before arriving in Oklahoma, where his mother’s second husband regularly beats her. The Black heroine of Alicia D. Williams’ Genesis Begins Again (Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum, 2019) lives with an alcoholic father whose gambling habit finds the family evicted again and again. In his memoir, Free Lunch (Norton Young Readers, 2019), Rex Ogle records growing up poor, a condition that fueled violence from both his Mexican mom and his racist White stepdad. These characters could well be in that hypothetical classroom, and kids like them are in real classrooms all over the United States. I’m sure many of the parents I used to work with would hand these books back to me with a shake of the head and a “Not yet.” But books on tough topics may help readers who have gone through or are enduring similar trauma process their feelings and understand that they are not alone. And, critically, they may help that minority of the children unaffected by adverse childhood experiences to better understand their friends. Vicky Smith is a young readers’ editor.
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Photographs present a striking reality concerning our collective past and the repetition of history. this is your time
THIS IS YOUR TIME
Bridges, Ruby Delacorte (64 pp.) $15.99 | $18.99 PLB | Nov. 10, 2020 978-0-593-37852-6 978-0-593-37853-3 PLB
THE TREASURE TROOP
Butler, Dori Hillestad Illus. by Budgen, Tim Penguin Workshop (128 pp.) $16.99 | $6.99 paper | Jan. 19, 2021 978-0-593-09483-9 978-0-593-09482-2 paper Series: Mr. Summerling’s Secret Code, 1 An 8-year-old’s summer gets puzzling when she’s named in her neighbor’s will. Marly, whose best friend recently moved out of town, didn’t even know nice Mr. Summerling had even died, and she certainly doesn’t expect to be called for the reading of his will. She had liked the old man, who wandered around town with a metal detector collecting junk, but “he was next-door-neighbor nice, not give-you-something-when-I-die nice.” At the will reading, Marly meets her classmates Isla and Sai—and the three of them receive the strangest bequest. Mr. Summerling has left the three of them a treasure, which they can have if they solve a series of puzzles. The three kids barely |
MY FIRST KITTEN
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin Photos by Wachter, Jill Simon Spotlight (32 pp.) $17.99 | $4.99 paper | Dec. 8, 2020 978-1-5344-7754-4 978-1-5344-7753-7 paper Series: My First
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International speaker Bridges applies lessons of history to the task before us. The text of the book reads like a letter, addressed to “you,” the children of today. Each spread has one page of simply phrased text—a short paragraph in a large font against a white background—facing a page of one or two black-andwhite photographs. The first 20 pages vividly recount Bridges’ experience as a first grader integrating an all-White school in New Orleans: the angry crowds lining her path, the federal marshals ordered to protect her, the difficult choice her parents faced, her kind teacher from Boston who spent the days alone with her in a classroom emptied of White children whose families protested integration. The words then transition to appreciation of the many children Bridges has spoken with during school visits. She shares individual encounters with hopeful and brave children who inspired her as well as general reflections on racism and generational dynamics. Finally, the text turns to the present day—the need for “love and grace for one another that will heal this world.” Pictures of 2020 protests, sometimes sharing the page with pictures from historical protests, show young people demanding change. The simple layout is powerful: The photographs present a striking reality concerning our collective past and the repetition of history. Bridges’ hopeful words, her faith born of experience, are soothing and encouraging in this time of unrest and uncertainty. Essential reading for all ages. (Nonfiction. 6-adult)
know one another, but they gamely work together on the clues, each of which is depicted as if a facsimile in Budgen’s illustrations. (Each has one component a reader might be able to solve and another only the characters can decipher.) The trio’s friendship builds slowly, but they solve well together, and they’re friendly kids. Marly, who wears an eye patch for her amblyopia, is startled to learn that Isla wore one herself when she was younger. Both girls are White; Sai is of Indian descent. Both a fun, readable introduction to the process of cracking anagrams and pigpen ciphers and a friendship-oriented chapter book. Maybe the real treasure is the friends they make along the way. (Fiction. 7-9) (The Hidden Room: 978-0-593-09486-0, 9780-593-09485-3 paper)
Kitten care presented early-reader style. “Something soft and furry / Is coming home with me. // It is my new kitten. / She is as sweet as can be!” First-person, easy-reading text describes meeting the kitten, feeding the kitten, playing with the kitten, then taking it to the vet and keeping it safe. The first half of this volume is presented in rhyme with Wachter’s photos of real children of various races and their kittens (always the same kitten-andchild pairings) imposed on simple cartoon backgrounds. On other pages, photos of kittens (all cute as the dickens) leaping, scratching, running, and sleeping appear against similar backgrounds. The second half reiterates the same information but in more detail. It passes on instructions in simple language for tasks like introducing a kitten to its litter box and interpreting the sounds and body language of your new furry friend. Jumping the species barrier, Biscuit creator Capucilli does a fine job of instructing young, new pet owners in the care of their wee feline friends in this companion to My First Puppy (2019). This helpful guidebook ends with a message encouraging aspiring young pet friends to adopt from shelters. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 85.7% of actual size.) Good advice and good reading practice rolled into one. (Early reader. 5-7)
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Chadda brings attention to the less-well-recognized mythology of ancient Mesopotamia with engaging humor and wit. city of the plague god
CITY OF THE PLAGUE GOD
Chadda, Sarwat Rick Riordan Presents/Disney (400 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-368-05150-7 Thirteen-year-old Iraqi American Sikander Aziz must stop the ancient Mesopotamian plague god Nergal from raining destruction and pestilence on New York City. After the death of his older brother, Mo, who died during a trip to Iraq, Sik has been working in his refugee parents’ New York deli nonstop, trying to stymie his grief. But when Nergal and his minions trash the deli while seeking a stolen treasure, they start a plague that infects Sik’s parents and threatens all of New York. Teaming up with the goddess Ishtar; her sword-wielding adoptive daughter, Belet; and Mo’s frequently typecast aspiring actor best friend, Daoud, they must find a way to stop Nergal and cure New York’s residents in an epic adventure worthy of Gilgamesh. Chadda brings attention to the less-well-recognized mythology of ancient Mesopotamia with engaging humor and wit. Dialogue between characters, most of whom are Iraqi and Iraqi American, allows exploration of heavier topics of Islamophobia, anti-Arabism, and terrorist and Orientalist tropes to be inserted with ease. The Aziz family and Daoud are Muslims; Chadda navigates the difficult line of reconciling the depiction of characters interacting with multiple gods with the fundamental Muslim belief in one God both in the text and the backmatter. Daoud and Mo are alluded to being gay and having been in love. Well paced and witty. (author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)
OH MY GODS!
Cooke, Stephanie & Fitzpatrick, Insha Illus. by Moon, Juliana Etch/HMH (200 pp.) $24.99 | $12.99 paper | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-358-29951-6 978-0-358-29952-3 paper Series: OMGs In this graphic-novel series opener, a girl discovers her father is a Greek god— sound familiar? When her mother gets the opportunity of a lifetime, Karen must stay with her estranged father, Zed, who lives on Mount Olympus. Upon her arrival, she learns that her father is obviously both affluent and influential, living in a palatial home and serving as both the mayor of the town and dean of her school. At Mt. Olympus Junior High, Karen quickly befriends Dita, Athena, and siblings Apollo and Artemis. When a classmate is turned to stone in the school library and Karen falls under suspicion, she and her new friends must find the culprit. Visually, Moon’s bright and expressive art propels Cooke 80
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and Fitzpatrick’s narrative, with tidy stylization and an alluring full-color palette. Karen, however, may be a polarizing character: She can be bratty at times and infuriatingly slow at others. At one point, her friends must practically spoon-feed her the concept that they are gods and goddesses—that their names are taken directly from the pantheon and that they live on Mount Olympus don’t seem to clue her in. Despite the high-interest format, this doesn’t bring enough novelty to set it apart from Percy Jackson. Nearly all the characters present White with the exceptions of Dita, who has a slightly darker skin tone, and assorted unnamed background characters. Intriguing but disappointingly derivative; here’s hoping future volumes find a groove. (mythology notes, bibliography) (Graphic fantasy. 9-12)
OONA
DiPucchio, Kelly Illus. by Figueroa, Raissa Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-06-298224-7 A young Black mermaid goes after a treasure but learns an important lesson along the way. Oona is “sweet,” a little “salty,” and “brave and curious, like most treasure hunters.” Since she was a baby, she has gotten into adventures chasing treasure. But now she has Otto, her rescue otter pup, to come along for the ride. The one special treasure Oona can’t figure out how to obtain is a crown wedged tightly into a rift. She tries three times to get the crown unstuck—the artistic but vague language and pictures make it difficult to see exactly how—but when she is struck on the head by a ship’s plank, she gives up on the crown and on treasure hunting altogether. Oona pursues other interests. She naps. She draws in the sand. She hangs out with her “land friends”—two White children. But Oona is “missing her spark.” Then a seashell washes ashore, and she gets a new idea. Some ingenuity and invention and encouragement from friends become the keys to her success. Oona is an adorable protagonist, with her dark skin, enormous Afro, and striped, orange tail. With her ups and downs and her fundamental ebullience, she will easily win fans. While the details of her obstacles and problem-solving methods are not quite clear, the messages of persistence and of valuing the work of one’s own creation are strong and effective. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.) A small heroine young readers will be happy to meet. (Pic ture book. 4-8)
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ICE! Poems About Polar Life
Florian, Douglas Illus. by the author Holiday House (48 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-0-8234-4101-3 Meet the animals and landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctica. Poems in a lilting meter provide insight about the Arctic or Antarctica or one of each region’s unique animals, with a bit of interesting information included. There are lots of surprises in the inventive wordplay along with twisted syntax that gets the point across while invoking giggles from young readers. The leadoff verse introduces both regions as remote and farthest from the equator, calling their frosty climates “an Earth refrigerator.” Krill is the food choice of many polar sea animals, eaten by “Millions! Billions! Trillions! Krillions!” The narwhal with its front-end spear is “very hard to ignar!” The silent P in ptarmigan is carried throughout the poem as “it ptoddles on the ptundra.” Notes containing fascinating facts about habitats, food sources, predators, and more enhance the poems and just might lead to further investigation by readers. Some serious issues regarding climate change and other endangering problems are addressed as well. Full-page illustrations, rendered in colored pencil and pastel, accompany the verses and capture the essence of each creature with great imagination and childlike innocence. Color abounds, not only in the illustrations, but also with bright blocks of orange, purple, blue, yellow and more that background the poems. Florian is a master of light verse with a purpose, and he matches it with art that charms. Thoughtful, fun, and delightful. (bibliography) (Picture book/poetry. 6-9)
ALONE
Freeman, Megan E. Aladdin (416 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5344-6756-9 Freeman’s middle-grade debut starts with a wallop and carries on from there. Twelve-year-old Madeleine Albright Harrison is inadvertently left behind when her whole region is abruptly evacuated in the night. Although there had been hints of unrest, she has no real idea why everyone left or when—perhaps if—they’ll ever come back. At first, there’s still electricity and running water, but as days turn into weeks and then months, utilities fail, and Madeleine comes to realize that she’s truly on her own. A Colorado winter will be coming soon enough. After rescuing a neighbor’s dog, her only companion, she becomes increasingly sophisticated in her survival efforts, collecting food and water, learning how to light a fire in her 82
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father’s woodstove and, bicycle helmet secured in place, teaching herself to drive a car. Not everything works. At one point she encounters but evades a vicious group of looters. Later she survives both a tornado and a wildfire that sweeps through her neighborhood. But it’s loneliness that becomes her greatest enemy and books from the local library that ultimately sustain her. Madeleine relates her own riveting, immersive story in believable detail, her increasingly sophisticated thoughts, as years pass, sweeping down spare pages in thin lines of verse in this Hatchet for a new age. Characters default to White. Suspenseful, fast-paced, and brief enough to engage even reluctant readers. (Verse novel. 11-14)
WAKEY BIRDS
Frost, Maddie Illus. by the author Templar/Candlewick (40 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5362-1546-5 The Wakey Bird is one of many unusual creatures in a rather amazing jungle. As the name implies, these birds have difficulty falling asleep. They can’t get comfortable, they itch, their minds race with scattered thoughts, and every noise startles them. Fortunately there are creatures in this jungle whose main purpose is to help Wakey Birds sleep. The bee-like Soothing Shushers and the froglike Go-To-Sleep Leapers succeed with most of the Wakey Birds, but the littlest one poses a greater problem. Bored and lonely, she wakes the others, and they have so much noisy fun that they awaken Shrieking Monkey, whose deafening screams add to the cacophony and disturb the Dreaded Jungle Beast. Maybe Littlest Wakey Bird will become his snack! How the clever Beast solves the problem is fun for all little ones who love a good bedtime story. Frost tells the tale with joy and verve along with some grunts, sighs, peeps, yawns, and just the right amount of that uh-oh feeling when Wakey Bird cannot be quiet. The very colorful Wakey Birds are all big, expressive eyes, slightly reminiscent of Mo Willems’ pigeon and duckling. The night sky is royal blue, purple, and black, but there is never a lack of brightness or clarity, with stars and a full moon to light the action. A few well-placed backgrounds in shocking pink and bright yellow highlight the noisiest events, with onomatopoeic sounds filling many pages in block capitals. Little readers and their grown-ups might find a few cautionary hints regarding reluctant bedtimes. Sweetly goofy. (Picture book. 2-7)
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Gravel’s signature drawings and oversized, colorful text stand out against generous negative space. puppy in my head
PUPPY IN MY HEAD A Book About Mindfulness Gravel, Elise Illus. by the author Harper/HarperCollins (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-06-303767-0
Ollie is only a puppy, and his barefooted child is having trouble soothing and training him. Ollie can get overly excited or very anxious—which wouldn’t be such a problem if he wasn’t constantly barking inside his person’s head! He yaps for no reason and wants to run and jump when he should be calm and quiet. What happens when the puppy controls the child and not the other way around? “AWOOO!” The narrator, who has brown skin and dark brown hair, mirrors the frantic antics of the puppy until the application of mindfulness techniques helps mellow out the two friends. Gravel uses the analogy of an exuberant puppy to help young children get the upper hand on
a stressed and anxious mind. The puppy analogy devolves at times to cutesy: “I love Ollie. He’s such a good puppy. He is my best friend.” Nevertheless, coping mechanisms are effectively introduced. The author demonstrates how the mind can be calmed by using breathing practices—the child calls their breath a “magical leash”—physical exercise, and focus. Gravel’s signature black-outlined, comics-style drawings and oversized, colorful text stand out against generous negative space. The golden, long-eared puppy’s expressive features (bugged eyes and lolling red tongue) and cavorting, stubby-legged body successfully convey kinetic energy overload. The subtitle’s a bit of a misnomer, as anxiety relief rather than mindfulness is the focus, but the advice is sound, buttressed by a brief afterword from a pediatrician. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-17.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) Every child can benefit from these important strategies. (Informational picture book. 4-8)
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COVER STORY
James Patterson & Kwame Alexander TWO BESTSELLING AUTHORS FOUND COMMON GROUND COLLABORATING ON A YOUNG READERS’ BOOK ABOUT THE CHILDHOOD OF MUHAMMAD ALI By Tom Beer Lois Cahall
Kwame Alexander & James Patterson
When the estate of Muhammad Ali approached James Patterson about writing a children’s book on the boxing legend, there was one writer he knew he wanted to work with: Kwame Alexander, Newbery Medal–winning author of The Crossover and many other titles for young readers. Patterson, of course, is a mega-bestselling author, publisher, and philanthropist—he recently donated $2.5 million to schoolteachers—known for his wide-ranging collaborations with Bill Clinton, Maxine Paetro, David Ellis, and others. But Alexander, whom he met at the Palm Beach Book Festival in 2018, was the right one for this job. “I knew that Kwame had been tremendously affected by Muhammad Ali’s autobiography,” says Patterson, referring to The Greatest, published in 1975. The result of their partnership is Becoming Muhammad Ali (JIMMY Patterson/HMH Books, Oct. 5), a lightly fictionalized account of young Cassius Clay’s childhood in Louisville, Kentucky, with illustrations by Dawud Anyabwile. Patterson, in Palm Beach, and Alexander, in London, joined me on Zoom to discuss the book; our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 84
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Why a children’s book about Muhammad Ali? James Patterson: Originally, the [Ali] estate approached me because they were familiar with the Max Einstein books that I’ve done with Chris Grabenstein, and they said, Would you be interested in writing about young Cassius Clay in Louisville? I started reading about his life, and I was impressed by how smart he was as a kid. He was so focused. He would never drink soda because he thought sugar wouldn’t be good for you, he wore heavy boots to build up his legs, he used to race the school bus, all these things to focus. I’m going to be great, I’m going to do something terrific. Kwame Alexander: I got a call from someone at the JIMMY Patterson imprint—“Jim would love to talk to you about working on a project.” And when Jim told me that he wanted to do something about Ali’s childhood, it just made perfect sense. Jim’s approach was, “I want to tell the story about him as a kid, because I want kids to relate to the fact that he wasn’t that good in school.” Ali was quite smart, but they didn’t diagnose dyslexia back then. Jim wanted to talk about the challenges that [Cassius] faced as a kid, how he was resilient, how he became Ali.
There are prose sections narrated by Cassius’ friend and poems in Cassius’ own voice. What were the mechanics of collaborating on a book like this? JP: Well, the first thing we did is work on an outline together. And we did a few drafts of that. We’re both big on outlines. Eventually, Kwame would write the poetry, and then I would write the prose after that—you need to see the poetry first. KA: Jim is a master plotter, and his outline was arguably about the size of one-fifth of the book. His outlines are pretty thorough, so we’re going to have this map of where we’re going. And that’s really exciting for me. JP: But we also mess with the outline a lot, which is really good. KA: Once we had the outline done, you know, the 30 or so pages of it, we just took off. For me, the exciting thing was |
how to imagine some of the things we just didn’t know from our research—how to imagine those in an authentic way. JP: Kwame did a lot of listening to tapes, a lot of memories that people have. KA: I want to say it was somewhere between 10 and 15 hours of oral history tapes that have not been released yet by the Muhammad Ali Center. Lonnie, Ali’s wife, made it possible for us to have access to those. And those were essentially oral history tapes of Ali’s friends growing up. That was invaluable.
I love the portrait of Louisville’s West End in the 1950s, the neighborhood and the characters in it, the little details like the woman who puts her television in the window so people can watch the prizefights that are broadcast. How did you get a feel for the place and the time?
Becoming Muhammad Ali received a starred review in the Aug. 15, 2020, issue.
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JP: Somebody visited. KA: I tried to get you to come with me! Maybe next time. JP: Actually, my best friend is from Louisville, so he had some insights, which was helpful. But Kwame, he was there hanging around. KA: I spent a long weekend and stayed in the Muhammad Ali Suite at the Brown Hotel. It has all his memorabilia in it. On Saturday morning, I went to the pink house on Grand Avenue, where his family moved in a year or so after he was born. I’m walking around back, looking in the glass in the back door, and see this framed poem that Ali wrote after the Olympics—it just is so inspirational. I look at the backyard, I see that back alley where the kids rode their bikes. I come back around, I see an older Black man and a Black woman sitting on their porch [next door]. I go up and I sort of wave through the gate, and he comes over. I tell him my name and about the book. OK, he doesn’t know who I am, but then I mentioned James Patterson, and he let me in [laughs]. It’s Mr. Montgomery; Cassius used to babysit their kid. So he ends up talking to me for like an hour.
And the mere fact that we did this book together is a testament to that. You know, I had friends who were like, You’re working with James Patterson? The implication was that it’s odd. It’s an odd thing that the two of you all would have something in common. And I posit that we have more in common than we are different. JP: When we’ve gotten together in front of schools, we don’t think about it, we don’t talk about it. The kids just go, That was fun, that was interesting. And that’s the way it should be. KA: The reality is that, in America, in this world, in my estimation, White privilege is a real thing. And people of color in general, Black people in particular, we need allies. We need people who believe in the full humanity of all of us. And so the more this kind of thing happens, the more it presents itself as a model for how the world should be.
You open doors, James. JP: [Laughing.] Yeah.
The book comes at a really interesting moment in our American conversation about race. JP: What’s going on this summer—we’ve seen things like this before. And we’ve always hoped that, OK, now we’re going to move things forward. One of the things that needs to happen is what happened with this book on a very small level, which is a Black man and White man get together, hope that they can write a beautiful book about a beautiful human being. That’s at least a piece of it: We need to get together and move things forward. KA: I think it’s a big piece. We’re writing about a man who believed in and fought for equity, social justice, racial justice. |
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MR. CORBETT IS IN ORBIT!
Gutman, Dan Illus. by Paillot, Jim HarperAlley (96 pp.) $8.99 paper | $15.99 PLB | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-06-294761-1 978-0-06-294762-8 PLB Series: My Weird School Graphic Novel The popular My Weird School chapter-book series gets a graphic revamp. At Ella Mentry School, puns and goofiness reign supreme. Narrator A.J.—who dislikes zombies and broccoli as well as school and coffee—truly abhors know-it-all Andrea. Their class takes a field trip to NASA, and while on a space shuttle, a comic mishap finds a peckish A.J. pushing the “launch” button instead of the “lunch” button, propelling the class into the cosmos. Tour guide Mr. Corbett faints, leaving the class’s launch in a lurch when they must figure out how to pilot the vessel. However, when an alien spaceship appears and seems to be nearing the shuttle, what will the class do? Gutman’s trademark punning panache is instantly recognizable alongside longtime series illustrator Paillot’s vibrant full-color cartoon art, giving this just the right feel of being both new and familiar. Most chapters end with the incantatory cliffhanger “that’s when the weirdest thing in the history of the world happened,” urging readers onward. Gutman briefly touches upon climate change, interspersing a few factoids here and there, and as the plot comes to a close, a zany solution is offered. The issue is addressed with greater seriousness in both an afterword and list of resources. Established fans should be at home here, and the story stands alone well enough to entice new readers, though those new to the rampant jokiness may be overwhelmed by the combined narrative and visual busyness. Most characters present White save for a select few adults (including the titular Mr. Corbett, who is Black) and students. Catnip for those who relish silliness. (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)
JOURNEY TO THE MOON
Hapka, Cathy & Vandenberg, Ellen Illus. by Reid, Gillian Penguin Workshop (96 pp.) $6.99 paper | $15.99 PLB | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-593-09571-3 978-0-593-09572-0 PLB Series: Astronaut Girl, 1
An 8-year-old science enthusiast takes a surprise trip to the moon with her new neighbor, her cat, and her baby brother. First in a series for transitioning independent readers, this chapter book introduces Astronaut Girl, also known as Val, a confident White girl who’s full of facts about space. While her botanist mom and physicist dad work, Val pretends to command Apollo 11. Astro Cat and the Baby aren’t the most diligent of crew members (which makes for some mild humor), but a 86
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new one soon shows up in the form of a Black boy Val’s age. Wallace has just moved in next door, and he loves the space-themed TV show Comet Jumpers. Instead of exciting Val, though, that makes her roll her eyes. When she watched Comet Jumpers, she “wasn’t impressed. The science is totally wrong,” she says. (This is pretty rich coming from someone whose Apollo history is, in fact, totally wrong: Val tells Wallace that “a problem with the ship’s computer” almost stopped Apollo 11 from landing on the moon, but in fact, the ship’s computer prevented a problem. The computer was the reason Apollo 11 was able to land, thanks to work led by real-life space heroine Margaret Hamilton.) Wallace doesn’t let Val shout him down, and she grows to respect his knowledge in their ensuing space adventure. Purple-toned illustrations are simplistic but energetic. A passable steppingstone to books that truly honor women in space. (Fiction. 6-8)
THE REMBRANDT CONSPIRACY
Hicks, Deron R. HMH Books (272 pp.) $16.99 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-0-358-25621-2 Series: Lost Art Mysteries, 2 Art and Camille return to foil another art thief. Twelve-year-old Arthur Hamilton Jr. (“Art” to his friends) is certain that the National Portrait Gallery’s newest exhibit is in danger. Art’s father, recently appointed director of the gallery, doesn’t share Art’s concerns; the paintings are protected by several state-ofthe-art security systems after all. But Art can’t shake the feeling that something’s up, and he ropes his friend Camille Sullivan into helping him expose the suspicious characters buzzing around the museum for the thieves they are. The novel mirrors its predecessor’s mixture of propulsive plotting, dynamic character work, and nifty art facts. Fans of The Van Gogh Deception (2017) will be thrilled to see not much has changed here. The mystery provides a few pleasant twists and turns, culminating in a rousing conclusion that handily points to the next book without feeling incomplete. While the QR codes included effectively render the works mentioned, the scanning is sometimes difficult when using a digital copy of the book, interfering with the mystery’s momentum. Thankfully the art history lessons never feel too artificially wedged into the narrative. The author’s note discusses the notorious 1990 heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the subject of tantalizing discussion in this story. Art and Camille are White. A solid second helping. (Mystery. 9-12)
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Illustrator Ho’s textured cartoons and clever use of light and shadow exude warmth and whimsy. eyes that kiss in the corners
EYES THAT KISS IN THE CORNERS
Ho, Joanna Illus. by Ho, Dung Harper/HarperCollins (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-06-291562-7 A young Chinese American girl sees more than the shape of her eyes. In this circular tale, the unnamed narrator observes that some peers have “eyes like sapphire lagoons / with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns,” but her eyes are different. She “has eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea.” Author Ho’s lyrical narrative goes on to reveal how the girl’s eyes are like those of other women and girls in her family, expounding on how each pair of eyes looks and what they convey. Mama’s “eyes sparkl[e] like starlight,” telling the narrator, “I’m a miracle. / In those moments when she’s all mine.” Mama’s eyes, the girl observes, take after Amah’s. While she
notes that her grandmother’s eyes “don’t work like they used to,” they are able to see “all the way into my heart” and tell her stories. Here, illustrator Ho’s spreads bloom with references to Chinese stories and landscapes. Amah’s eyes are like those of the narrator’s little sister. Mei-Mei’s eyes are filled with hope and with admiration for her sister. Illustrator Ho’s textured cartoons and clever use of light and shadow exude warmth and whimsy that match the evocative text. When the narrator comes to describe her own eyes and acknowledges the power they hold, she is posed against swirling patterns, figures, and swaths of breathtaking landscapes from Chinese culture. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 80.5% of actual size.) This tale of self-acceptance and respect for one’s roots is breathtaking. (Picture book. 5-9)
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The open relationship and positive problem-solving between this mother-son team are cheerful and warm. i am smart, i am blessed, i can do anything!
TWINKLE’S FAIRY PET DAY
Holabird, Katharine Illus. by Warburton, Sarah Little Simon/Simon & Schuster (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-5344-2919-2 A young fairy learns that wishes don’t always meet expectations. Twinkle and her friends each long for a pet. Fairy Godmother decides they are old enough and makes their wishes come true. Pippa’s pet spell summons a fluttering butterfly. Lulu casts her spell, and a ladybug appears. Twinkle’s spell seems harmless enough: “Abracadabra, skiddledee-day, / my pet loves to run and play!” But with a crash from the fireplace, out tumbles a plump, feisty dragon. Twinkle was hoping for something a little more fluffy and cuddly. Twinkle tries to train her boisterous (and at times naughty) pet. Her words are polite—“Please fetch the ball now, Scruffy”—but frustration is apparent in her knitted brow and frown. Scruffy pays her no mind. There is no way Scruffy will win anything at the upcoming Fairy Pet Day! Luckily, with a few small words of encouragement—“Just do your best, Scruffy”—the little dragon steals the show. Warburton’s delicate world, complete with floating fairy dust and magic sparkle bursts, lifts Holabird’s somewhat cumbersome plot into a light and buoyant confection. Twinkle, Lulu, and Fairy Godmother present White, and Pippa, one of a small minority of fairies of color, presents Black. Scruffy has a round snout and little wings and is green with pink spots. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 41.4% of actual size.) Unconditional love prevails—under a thick coating of pink. (Picture book. 3-6)
I AM SMART, I AM BLESSED, I CAN DO ANYTHING!
Holder, Alissa & Holder-Young, Zulekha Illus. by Myers, Nneka Flamingo Books (32 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 29, 2020 978-0-593-20660-7
Young Ayaan needs affirmations to prepare for his day at school. Ayaan loves school, but today he feels “a little bit worried.” His mom notices that he’s not looking happy as he usually does. He tells her what’s bothering him: “Sometimes at school I don’t feel very smart.” In the accompanying illustration, he imagines his classmates all raising their hands while he frowns. Ayaan’s mom has an answer for that, and it’s one Ayaan knows. They say it together: “I am smart.” Ayaan feels better, but he’s still dubious. As his mom walks him to school, they see encouraging friends and neighbors, which prompts their second affirmation: “I am blessed.” When Ayaan needs to tie his shoelace, his mom encourages him to try it all by himself. When he succeeds, they chant their third affirmation: “I CAN DO ANYTHING!” At 88
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last, Ayaan feels confident and ready for a good day at school. The bright, saturated, animation-style illustrations show a small, brown-skinned Ayaan with bright eyes and a high-top, a brown mom with colorful locs, and a racially diverse neighborhood and classroom. Ayaan’s dilemma is a common one, and the open relationship and positive problem-solving between this mother-son team are cheerful and warm. Families looking to practice affirmations may find inspiration here. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-18.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 62.2% of actual size.) A sweet pick-me-up. (Picture book. 3-7)
THE AMBASSADOR OF NOWHERE TEXAS
Holt, Kimberly Willis Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt (320 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-250-23410-0 This sequel to Holt’s National Book Award winner, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (1999), revisits Antler, Texas, 30 years later; this time our guide is Toby’s daughter, Rylee. Rylee, 12, is a passionate booster of her tiny hometown. Unlike her mercurial best friend, Twig, she’s blessed with a happy family. Rylee’s stunned by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then heartsick over their faltering friendship. Joe, a new classmate from Brooklyn, provides welcome distraction. He ridicules Antler but warms to self-appointed tour guide Rylee, who piques his interest in Zachary Beaver. Learning how the attacks affected Joe’s family makes 9/11 personal to locals. Stalwart Rylee, navigating tween angst, is engaging, but comprehensive updates on characters from the first novel slow the narrative. Little has changed for the White residents. Antler’s success story is Juan Garcia, the impoverished teen from the Mexican side of town, now a world-famous golfer, his childhood home a tourist attraction. Juan’s affluent extended family includes the brilliant Garcia twins, Rylee’s classmates. A new character, Vietnamese immigrant Mr. Pham, cooks for and lives at the bowling alley’s cafe. He suddenly buys the town’s mansion, planning to open an upscale restaurant. White residents’ struggles, missteps, and achievements are affectionately chronicled; the Garcias and Mr. Pham get no humanizing backstories, and they seem to serve to validate Antler’s post-racial bona fides. Sticks to the shallows. (Fiction. 10-14)
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THE COUCH POTATO
John, Jory Illus. by Oswald, Pete Harper/HarperCollins (40 pp.) $18.99 | Nov. 3, 2020 978-0-06-295453-4
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Can a couch potato peel themself off their beloved, comfortable couch? John and Oswald’s titular spud certainly finds it very hard to do so. Why should they leave their “comfy, cozy couch” when everything that’s needed is within reach? Their doodads and gadgets to amuse and entertain, their couch’s extendable gloved hands to grab food from the kitchen, and screens upon screens to watch their favorite TV shows (highlights: MadYam, Fries), play their favorite video games, and livestream their friends. Where’s the need to leave the living room? Then…“PEW-WWWWWWW”! The electricity goes out one day. Left without screens and gizmos, the couch potato decides to take dog Tater “for a walk…outside,” where the trees and birds and skies seem rich, “like a high-resolution 156-inch curved screen, but even more realistic.” The outdoor experience proves cathartic and freeing, away from those cords that bind, liberating enough to commit this couch potato to spending more time off the couch. Similar to The Bad Seed (2017), The Good Egg (2019), and The Cool Bean (2019) in small-scale scope and moral learning, this latest guidebook to life retains John’s attention to textual goodness, balancing good-humored laughs with a sincere conversational tone that immediately pulls readers in. Naturally, Oswald’s succinct artwork—loaded with genial spuds, metatextual nods, and cool aloofness—continues this loose series’ winsome spirit. No counterarguments here, couch potatoes. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch dou ble-page spreads viewed at 65.9% of actual size.) Looking for a spud-tacular read? Starch here. (Picture book. 4-8)
Princess Antoinette for ransom. Helen, however, cleverly manages to behead him and returns to the woods, leaving Princess Antoinette determined to discover the giant-killer’s identity by opening an all-day, all-night storytelling hotel, hoping it will attract the mystery giant-slayer to tell her story. “Inspired by many versions of similar stories from Newfoundland and Labrador and from all over the world,” according to a concluding note, this earthy, quirky, humorous version blends traditional folktale elements with the contemporary spin of a strong female heroine who lives happily-ever-after with the princess in a “s’blendid family.” What begins as a single story evolves into stories within stories, pulled together in a surprising climax. Striking, original illustrations, worked in black and white as well as vibrant color, capture the fierce dramatic action in a trim more usually seen in picture books than middle-grade fiction. Redheaded Helen is as white as paper, the princess has beige skin and brown hair, and “their seven ten-toed children” are racially diverse. A twisted tall tale told with verbal and visual bravado. (Folktale. 8-10)
BAREFOOT HELEN AND THE GIANTS
Jones, Andy Illus. by Brosnan, Katie Running the Goat (70 pp.) $12.95 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-927917-29-9
A spunky girl takes on three fearsome giants in this rousing tale. Fostered by black bears, a human orphan climbs trees, sleeps in caves, and catches salmon with her fingers. Discovered in the woods by a childless couple who adopt her and name her Helen, the girl learns to talk, eat with a knife and fork, and sleep indoors—but she always remains barefoot. One day Helen happens upon a castle where she spies a trio of infamous “cruel killer-giants” feasting and decides to attack them with her slingshot. She eliminates two of them, but, alas, the third giant—Bulleybummus—captures Helen, coercing her to help him kidnap |
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THE WORLD BETWEEN BLINKS
Kaufman, Amie & Graudin, Ryan Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins (336 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-06-288224-0 Series: The World Between Blinks, 1 An adventure to a world where lost things—and people—live on. Cousins Jake and Marisol grew up listening to their late Nana’s exciting tales of adventures whenever the family got together at her house in South Carolina. This summer marks the time to say goodbye, as the house needs to be sold, but Marisol is not ready to move on yet. Finding one of Nana’s old maps is just the excuse for one last adventure. The duo accidentally slips into the World Between Blinks, a place where anything lost in our world—from historical figures like Amelia Earhart to lost cities, extinct animals, and everyday mislaid objects—ends up. Jake and Marisol must find their way back before they start forgetting their own memories and become lost there forever. Chapters alternate between Jake’s and Marisol’s points of view in a novel that beautifully delves into each cousin’s inner turmoil: Marisol struggles with the grief of losing not only Nana, but the house where so many memories were built while Jake feels he has sadly grown used to constantly saying goodbye due to having a traveling diplomat mother. The authors deftly weave those elements into an enduring tale of love, loss, and memory. Jake is White and American; Marisol lives in La Paz with her Bolivian father and her mother, who is Jake’s mother’s identical twin. An inventive, heartwarming first book in a new middlegrade series. (glossary of historical figures and places) (Fantasy. 9-14)
FROM ARCHIE TO ZACK
Kirsch, Vincent X. Illus. by the author Abrams (40 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 29, 2020 978-1-4197-4367-2
Two little boys express their love for each other. Everyone in Zack and Archie’s class knows they love each other. The two boys do everything together: ride a tandem bike, build elaborate sand castles, play miniature golf, fly rainbow kites. For unexplained reasons, neither boy can admit their love to the other even though they each want to. Archie, who’s White, writes brief letters telling Zack, who’s Black, his feelings, but in each one, “something’s missing.” He hides each one. Finally three girls find the hidden notes and give them to Zack in an elementary school version of forced outing. Since the entire book is about two kids who both love each other and everyone seems fine with it, it’s unclear where the tension is coming from, and the climax fizzles when it’s revealed that 90
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Zack has also been writing letters to Archie. The illustrations are goofy and energetic, with lots of small details on every page. Their classroom includes some background diversity; unfortunately, two children, likely intended as East Asian, are depicted with stereotypically slanted eyes. One girl wears a hijab and another a bindi, and a third uses a wheelchair; a Hanukkah scene indicates that at least one of the boys is Jewish. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 15.3% of actual size.) Models how to say “I love you” for children—but readers may wonder what all the fuss is about. (Picture book. 4-7)
PENGUINS & POLAR BEARS Getting To Know the Arctic and Antarctic
Klepeis, Alicia Z. Illus. by Helmer, Grace Little Gestalten (56 pp.) $24.95 | Nov. 24, 2020 978-3-89955-851-7
Breezy introductions to the flora, fauna, natural features, residents, and researchers of our planet’s “crazy cold” polar regions. Though characteristic plants and animals get generous coverage in the casually organized single-topic spreads, the human presence at the top and bottom of our world comes in for at least as much notice. Readers pay quick visits to the town of Ilulissat, Greenland (4,530 people, 3,500 sled dogs), and Antarctica’s skimounted Halley VI station, among other locales, and meet representatives of eight of the Arctic’s 40 Indigenous groups and a group of schoolchildren in Nunavut. Nods to select explorers include mention of both two White women who together made a trans-Antarctic ski trek in 2001 and the names of the four Inuit men who accompanied Matthew Henson and Robert Peary to (the vicinity of) the North Pole. Budding scientists can also follow a brown-skinned researcher through her day at McMurdo Station. In her commentary, scattered throughout in easily digestible blocks, Klepeis properly acknowledges interactions between contemporary and traditional cultures and practices—noting, for instance, that “nowadays, lots of Arctic people buy winter clothing made from synthetic materials” and that ketchup or mayo are popular condiments for seal meat dishes. Helmer’s painted figures, human and otherwise, tend to be small, but she depicts them and their icy settings with easy naturalism. A wide-angled view of two forbidding but far from deserted climes. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 7-10)
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Little listeners can have fun counting along and making all the different animal sounds. ducks on the road
DUCKS ON THE ROAD A Counting Adventure
bright, cartoon characters against largely pastel backgrounds. The self-made adventure is reminiscent of Harold and the Pur ple Crayon with its unpredictable, child-controlled narrative in which imagination takes one around the world and back home again. Readers who have afro puffs themselves may give the side-eye to the line “She fell so fast, her hair fell up,” but otherwise the tale succeeds nicely. An adventure worth sharing. (Picture book. 3-8)
Lobel, Anita Illus. by the author Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-1-5344-6592-3
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A family of ducks enjoys a country outing—with a sweet surprise. After frolicking in a pretty blue pond surrounded by colorful flowers, Mama and Papa Duck and their 10 ducklings set out on a bucolic stroll. The 10th duckling in line stops to greet Frog, and now there are nine. The ninth duckling stops to greet Mouse, and now there are eight. Greetings to Squirrel, Rabbit, Cat, Dog, Pig, Sheep, Owl, and another duckling follow, and finally the number of little ducks in line dwindles to none. Mama and Papa finally notice with alarm. But not to worry. The ducklings reform their row with all their newfound friends and a quacking addition. Now there are 11 ducklings, and the duck family ends up back in the pond surrounded by a very noisy menagerie. Little listeners can have fun counting along and making all the different animal sounds. Lobel’s pastelhued illustrations are bright and cheerful. They have a folk-art feel that’s reinforced by flat perspectives and gently stylized trees with perfectly spherical crowns; the rolling hills in many backgrounds recall Wanda Gág’s or Virginia Lee Burton’s work. The text does not include numerals, but the number words are flagged in colored type, and the fuzzy yellow ducklings are easy to count. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.3-by-20-inch dou ble-page spreads viewed at 31.5% of actual size.) Feathery fun for little ones. (Picture book. 2-4)
THE WHOLE HOLE STORY
McInerny, Vivian Illus. by Lamug, Kenneth Lit Versify/HMH (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-358-12881-6
A child creates adventures with a marvelous, mind-bending hole. It begins as a hole in Zia’s pocket. As the hole grows bigger and bigger, it falls to the ground. One day, Zia falls through the hole, but since it is “an imaginary hole,” Zia isn’t scared. Zia sits at the bottom of the hole and considers what to do. She decides to make a fishing hole, and then a swimming hole, and then a watering hole, and then a hole to the other side of the Earth. Throughout her adventures, she encounters friendly animals and handy playthings, and she stays in control of events to the very end. Zia is a brave, adventurous Black girl with afro puffs and bright red overalls, and she always knows what she needs and how to get it. The story goes on at some length, but the absurdity remains entertaining as the scenes change, and the ending is surprisingly satisfying. Engaging illustrations set |
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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES
Uri Shulevitz
IN CHANCE, THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR REVISITS A REFUGEE CHILDHOOD BRIGHTENED BY THE LIFE OF THE MIND By Vicky Smith Paula Brown
years, an often harrowing experience lightened by his two passions: art and story. He spoke to Kirkus by telephone from his home in New York City. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. What caused you to write Chance now? Well, I know I’m old enough at this point. But I wanted to write it before I get even older and start forgetting. There have been books about the Holocaust in this country, and rightfully so. But there haven’t been that many that were about the people who escaped, who ended up in Russia and other countries. There were some books for young readers, for example, of my dear friend Esther Hautzig, The Endless Steppe [T.Y. Crowell, 1968]. There aren’t too many, and mine is one of the few. And that’s why also I think that it was important to tell my story.
Between 1939 and 1949, from ages 4 to 14, Uri Shulevitz traveled from Poland to Belarus to northern Russia to what is now Kazakhstan, back to Belarus and Poland, then on to Germany and France, and finally to Israel. He and his parents traversed thousands of miles, fleeing first Nazi-occupied Poland and then the Soviet Union. He eventually settled in the United States and has since become one of our most beloved illustrators, winning the Caldecott Medal for The Fool of the World and the Fly ing Ship (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968). His Caldecott Honor Book, How I Learned Geography (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008), recounts an episode from his family’s time in Turkestan, in the Kazakh Republic. In his new memoir, Chance (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Oct. 13), Shulevitz, 85, takes young readers through those 10 92
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Those must have been incredibly difficult memories to relive. Yes, those were very painful memories, especially some of them. Not every single thing. [But] I didn’t mind reliving them. I assure you, it’s not because I’m a masochist or something. It’s just that it sheds a certain light on one’s life. And it gave me a deeper understanding of what took place. I also wanted to examine—for myself and for the reader—the sequence of events and what took place. And although some of the memories were painful, I didn’t want to avoid them. And I’m glad that I wrote about them. Since it is difficult material, I’m wondering how you decided to present it for young readers? Even when I do a picture book, I don’t think of it as being for very young children; I think of it as being for all ages. But I write it in the simplest terms so that children and adults can appreciate and enjoy it. And that’s pretty much the approach that I took when I worked on |
Chance, as well. So in that sense, it’s very straightforward. [I’m not trying to] twist myself into a pretzel in order to appeal to a certain audience. [Take] How I Learned Geography. Although it’s such a sad story, children have responded [to it]. I get a lot of emails from teachers [whose] children want to ask me questions about it and so on. We may sometimes have the wrong impression about how a young audience would respond to things. [What] children learn about the world has been imposed upon them. They did not ask to be here, but they were brought by their parents, and now they want to find out what it is, where they are. The range of curiosity is really wide.
How do you feel, as a Holocaust survivor, to know that a really shocking number of people don’t know that 6 million Jews were killed? Well, the subtitle of the book is “Escape From the Holocaust” because I and my parents were survivors as a result of the war. The reason I’m saying this, that I don’t consider myself a Holocaust survivor, is because we weren’t either in the ghetto or in the concentration camps. None of our family in Poland survived. [If we hadn’t escaped] we would have been just as they were. Holocaust survivors deserve all our admiration and respect, but I don’t feel that I deserve that. Is there something that you would like to say about your book that I haven’t asked you? My experience was the war, and now, there is also a war against an invisible enemy, the coronavirus. There is a deep connection between the two. As kids in those days, we coped. My lifeline in those horrible times was my drawing and my love of stories. I hope my experience will inspire young readers to seek their own lifeline. In my case, it was drawing and stories, but it doesn’t mean that it has to be that for every single person. Every person has to find their lifeline to give them that deep connection to life and to positive thinking.
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I have not been able to get over your having to leave Turkestan before your friend could finish reading The Wizard of Oz to you. Stories are extremely important to me. And I believe they are very important to people in general. We live in two worlds at once. One of them is the world of the body, and the other one is the world of the mind. Both are very, very important needs. And that is something which really differentiates us from animals. You have to feed your body, you have to eat, you have to have a roof over your head. But you also need to feed your mind and soul. And that’s where stories come in. I was heartbroken [to leave in the middle of The Wiz ard of Oz], but I couldn’t remain there by myself. My parents were anxious to get out, because they knew about so many people who got stuck in the Soviet Union and were not allowed to leave. This wasn’t a free country where you could just do what you wanted and go where you wanted to go—you needed papers for all those things. I didn’t realize at the time, when I was listening to The Wizard of Oz, how our trip back to the West would resemble in some ways the hardships of Dorothy in trying to get back to Kansas. So it actually has very deep echoes, which I wasn’t fully aware of at the time, but when I was working on the book, I realized [it]. There were those discoveries which I made, and so it wasn’t all a painful experience to work on the book. It was also a journey of discovery.
They just couldn’t survive in exile from their own country. And yet we managed to.
Chance received a starred review in the July 15, 2020, issue.
This book is a testament to your parents and their will— not just to survive, but to keep you safe. Were you conscious of that at the time? Yes, I was aware of that. We were starving. Night after night, I went to bed hungry. And when I say hungry, I don’t mean that there was kind of a meager supper— there was nothing, absolutely nothing. It was a different world, it was a different time. When [Chechen refugees] arrived [in Turkestan], they kept dying one by one. |
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HOORAY, IT’S GARBAGE DAY!
Ode, Eric Illus. by Llewhellin, Gareth Kane Miller (32 pp.) $14.99 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-68464-114-7
Who knew that trash collection could be such a treat? For one young brown-skinned kid, the cacophonous sound of the garbage truck approaching the house brings excitement galore. Don’t you know, “it’s GARBAGE DAY!” That means thrilling noises, lights, and shaking emanating from the truck and—even better—scrunching of the contents of the neighborhood’s trash cans. The kid’s pals aren’t immune to the high drama as they watch and listen in awe and then reenact a garbage-collecting scenario that includes assembling a toy truck and gathering assorted throwaway items. As they take in this ode to rubbish pickups, children will collect some brief tips about composting and recycling, though a scene in which kids repair and buff up items to give away is downright confusing when the implication is that they will go into the garbage truck as well. Though the text is a tad overlong, the jaunty, rollicking rhymes will keep children entertained, and they will merrily chime in with the refrain: “Hooray, it’s GARBAGE DAY!” Some number- and color-recognition cues are incorporated via text and art. Illustrations are colorful, cheery, and lively; children and sanitation workers are diverse in gender and racial presentation. A brown-skinned child wears glasses; a Whitepresenting kid is shown in a wheelchair. Onomatopoeic words in display type appear throughout, emphasizing the rumbling, crashing sounds the garbage truck makes. Useful for community-helpers units and fun for vehicle mavens. (Picture book. 3-6)
THE TROUBLE WITH GOOD IDEAS
Panitch, Amanda Roaring Brook (288 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-250-24510-6
A Jewish tween creates a golem to care for her ailing great-grandfather. Leah Nevins’ Conservative Jewish family recently moved to be closer to her 93-year-old Zaide. Having left behind friends from the Jewish school she attended and transitioned into sixth grade in public school, Leah is convinced that her large nose makes her stand out among her overwhelmingly non-Jewish peers and is a barrier to acceptance. She cherishes the Saturday afternoons she spends with her older cousins at Zaide’s house, but that tradition is threatened when Zaide starts exhibiting symptoms of dementia and her parents discuss moving him to an assisted living facility. Shaken by this idea, Leah devises an unlikely plan inspired by Zaide’s stories of the 94
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golem, a creature created to protect the Jews of Eastern Europe. She manages to create a golem in her own image—albeit with a tiny button nose—to protect Zaide. Before long, the golem develops an attitude, showing up at Leah’s school to win over the popular crowd and making demands. Meanwhile, Leah’s own efforts to fit in force her to confront painful anti-Semitic microaggressions from her classmates. This fast-paced story provides a window into the cultural and religious traditions of one modern Jewish family. However, character development of the supporting cast and the golem is limited, resulting in their actions feeling flat and heavy-handed. A representation of a modern Jewish family with a folkloric twist. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-12)
TIME FOR KENNY
Pinkney, Brian Illus. by the author Greenwillow Books (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-06-073528-9 Here comes Kenny, a boy in perpetual motion. In the first of four episodes, a Black boy named Kenny attempts to dress in different family members’ clothes while the patterned text unfolds as a series of questions and answers: “Can he wear these shoes?” the text asks as Kenny stands in a pair of purple pumps, answering its own question right away: “No, those are Mommy’s shoes.” When he finally gets dressed, the family walks Grandaddy to the bus with his suitcase. The second story tells of Kenny’s fear of the vacuum cleaner. Because it “roars like a lion” and eats off the floor, Kenny wonders if it might eat Kitty, his toy, or even him. In the third story, Kenny’s big sister gives him a lesson in soccer, a “no hands” sport (except for a high-five at the end). In the final story, although it’s Kenny’s bedtime, he isn’t tired…until he is. But there’s still time to snuggle up with Mommy for a story. Young readers who enjoyed Pinkney’s Puppy Truck (2019) will eagerly grow into reading these stories alone, but they also work well as participatory read-alouds because of the repetitive text. Solid, pastel-colored pages divide one vignette from another. With plenty of white space and colorful swirls depicting Kenny’s perpetual motion, Pinkney’s recognizable illustrations affirm the closeness of this Black family and paint an empathetic picture of one kid’s resistances, fears, and joys. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25% of actual size.) A bedtime, daytime, anytime family story with a Black child at the center. (Picture book. 4-7)
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The spare, effective text is simple and lyrical, pairing neatly with the textured art. seeking an aurora
SO YOU WANT TO BE AN OWL
Porter, Jane Illus. by Frost, Maddie Candlewick (32 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5362-1521-2
Bespectacled Professor Olaf offers nine lessons on being an owl for human
SEEKING AN AURORA
Pulford, Elizabeth Illus. by Bannock, Anne Blue Dot Kids Press (32 pp.) $17.95 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-1-7331212-7-9
A father awakens a child for a nighttime adventure in nature in this import from New Zealand. “We’re off to find an Aurora,” the father says, and the two quietly slip past the sleeping mother and baby and exit the house into the night. The child doesn’t know what an aurora is. As they walk past the cows and away from the house and up a hill, the child asks questions about the aurora. Are stars in the aurora? (No.) Is the moon in the aurora? (No.) The mystery builds as they approach the top of the hill, where they can see “only the sky, the stars, and the moon.” They sit there at the top, and at last the child sees the aurora: “dancing light, glowing and…glimmering, shimmering and shining. Colored ribbons swirling and twirling, lighting up the sky on the still, dark night.” The pastel-drawn artwork successfully evokes the warmth of the home, the cold of the dark night, and the splendor of the |
MARYAM’S MAGIC The Story of Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani Reid, Megan Illus. by Jaleel, Aaliya Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (40 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-0-06-291596-2
The achievements of mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani—first woman and first Iranian to win the Fields Medal, the most important award in the field of mathematics—are celebrated in this new picture book. Readers meet Maryam as a young girl, a storyteller and an avid reader—her favorite street was filled with bookstores. She was not, however, a fan of math until she discovered geometry, which made her feel like “every number held a story.” Reid delves into Maryam’s life, describing her studies and interests in high school and college in Iran, her pursuit of a graduate degree at Harvard University, her winning the Fields Medal in 2014, and her death in 2017, at the age of 40. She weaves in details such as Maryam’s native language, Farsi; her best friend, Roya; her daughter, Anahita; her secret battle with breast cancer. Jaleel’s soft cartoons pair well with Reid’s words, reinforcing that Maryam was not just a math genius, but someone who loved books and used stories to solve tough problems. When depicting her life in Iran, illustrations show Maryam wearing hijab according to custom; in the U.S. Maryam’s short hair is shown uncovered. An author’s note includes more information on the connections Reid felt with Maryam; a timeline and further reading round out the work. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 63.9% of actual size.) Highlighting an important figure, this book also demonstrates that one can excel in more than one field. (Picture book/ biography. 5-8)
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readers. After pointing out that readers are quite a bit larger than any owl, the owl instructor poses some questions about skills. Can they fly? blend into their environment? see in the dark? Cleverly engaging readers with these and similar personal connections, Porter introduces important facts about owls’ silent flight, camouflage, sight, hearing, eating and regurgitation habits, sounds, homes, and chicks. Though this is clearly a book for very young readers, it has a simple but effective index, like all good nonfiction. First published in England in 2020, this appealing import specifically names many owls that live in parts of this country: eastern screech owls, burrowing owls, snowy owls, great horned owls, barn owls, and long-eared owls. The tutorial begins and ends with the owl code: “Be alert! Be watchful! Be silent!” But there’s a time to make noise, too. One grand spread invites readers to try out owl sounds. “LOUDER! You need other owls to hear you from half a mile away.” Frost’s amusing illustrations add to the charm. Her owls are clearly distinguishable and recognizable. But after learning that owl eye color generally correlates with the time of day they hunt, sharp-eyed readers may wonder why all the owls they see after that have yellow eyes. A clever, owl-centric introduction to a familiar bird most readers have never seen. (Informational picture book. 5-9)
colored lights of the aurora. The spare, effective text is simple and lyrical, pairing neatly with the textured art. A simple endnote, titled “Everything Dad Knew About the Aurora,” offers a child-friendly explanation of how an aurora comes to be without interrupting the immersive nature of the story. The narrator and their family have brown skin and straight, dark hair. A magical experience. (Picture book. 3-8)
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Rockliff ’s snappy sentences and rollicking alliteration make this a fun read-aloud. try it!
TRY IT! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat
Rockliff, Mara Illus. by Potter, Giselle Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5344-6007-2 Baby corn? Seedless watermelons? Purple potatoes? Who’d eat that? Frieda Caplan was the plucky produce promoter who mainstreamed much of the world’s delicacies and innovative hybrids into the American kitchen. Starting her own eponymous company—Frieda’s—in 1962, she ensured that her reputation was made in what was then an all-male wholesale produce business. Almost nothing was too far-out for Frieda; after all, spaghetti squash was just one more recipe card in search of a convert. However, even Frieda was stumped with the Chinese gooseberry—but sales took off after she renamed it a kiwi. Anyone who bites into a crunchy jicama or a fiery habanero purchased from a supermarket can thank the adventurous taste buds of this pioneering greengrocer. Rockliff ’s snappy sentences and rollicking alliteration make this a fun read-aloud: “Farmers dug for tips on what to grow. Cooks peppered her with questions”; “mounds of mongosteen, heaps of jicama, and quantities of quince.” Potter’s signature flat palette gives way to bright purples, brilliant reds, and crisp greens. The retro illustrations follow Frieda from her entry into a marketplace filled with “boxes of bananas. Piles of potatoes. Truckloads of tomatoes” to a consumer wonderland filled with boxes of donut peaches and cherimoyas. Frieda, a Jewish Angeleno, presents White; people of color appear as both fellow wholesalers and customers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) A delectable delight daring readers to embrace the 80,000 species of Earth’s edible plants. (author’s note; bibliography) (Informational picture book. 5-10)
ROOT MAGIC
Royce, Eden Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins (352 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-06-289957-6 An African American tween learns about her family’s connection to conjure magic—and human evil—in 1960s South Carolina. Jezebel and her twin brother, Jay, know their family will never be the same following their Gran’s death. Their father’s unexplained disappearance a few years back is another loss that has yet to heal. Gran was a talented Gullah rootworker whose abilities were sought by some and 96
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reviled by others. The local White deputy harasses families who use rootwork even as they are needed for the healing denied by segregated hospitals. Now, Jezebel and Jay are about to learn these skills from their uncle to keep the legacy alive. For the first time, the twins will not be in the same class since Jezebel will skip fifth grade. She becomes the target of bullies but manages to make one friend, a girl new to the school. As the rootwork lessons proceed, the twins become more aware of change all around them, from whispered voices in the marsh to the strange actions of Jezebel’s doll. It becomes clear that they have inherited connections to the spiritual world and that they face a very human threat. This richly detailed narrative offers elements of magical realism against a backdrop of social change, presenting a convincing family story and exploring community differences. Although Jezebel is a spirited narrator, Jay and other characters are fully realized. A strong coming-of-age story grounded in a vibrant cultural heritage. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)
LIFE-SIZE ANIMALS An Illustrated Safari
Schiavo, Rita Mabel Illus. by Grott, Isabella Abrams (40 pp.) $19.99 | Nov. 3, 2020 978-1-4197-4460-0
Nature large in tooth and claw. Ample enough in trim size (doublepage spreads are 15 inches high by 22.4 inches wide) to offer a frontal view of a tiger’s face on the cover and full-body portraits within of evocatively named creatures including both the goliath frog and the goliath birdeater tarantula, this album of digital paintings rivals Steve Jenkins’ classic Actual Size (2004) for both realism and visual drama. Along with portraying the jagged dentifrice of a white shark and the eyes of an elephant, a blue whale, and a giant squid from just inches away, Grott intersperses collective gatherings of naturally posed animal relatives in full or partial views, plus select galleries of outsized tongues, claws, tails, and other parts. Schiavo occasionally waxes grandiose in her one- to three-sentence captions, dubbing bats “Lords of the Night,” for instance and, even less plausibly, hummingbirds “Warriors of the Sun.” She also leaves armchair naturalists unenlightened about how a ball python could keep its eggs warm, how a goliath frog’s lack of vocal sacs would amplify its croaking, or the significance of a musk deer’s pointy “primordial” canines. Still, she does offer common names and measurements (albeit and regrettably in English units only) for each subject. Sketchy text notwithstanding, an eye-filling gallery of creature features. (Informational picture book. 7-10)
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CASE FILE Little Claws
Schrefer, Eliot Illus. by Duncan, Daniel Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins (176 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-06-298233-9 Series: The Animal Rescue Agency, 1
KATE’S LIGHT Kate Walker at Robbins Reef Lighthouse
Spires, Elizabeth Illus. by McCully, Emily Arnold Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House (40 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-8234-4348-2
A quiet life can contain multitudes. In 1882, Kate Kaird, a German widow, and her young son, Jacob, arrived in the United States in search of a better life. Kate had no way of knowing that she would soon move to a lighthouse, be appointed an assistant keeper, and become one of the first female keepers of an offshore lighthouse on the East Coast. McCully’s loose, sweeping, yet specific illustrations combine seamlessly with Spires’ clear and engaging description of Kate’s |
KAT WOLFE ON THIN ICE
St John, Lauren Farrar, Straus and Giroux (272 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-374-30964-0 Series: Wolfe and Lamb Mysteries, 3
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The Animal Rescue Agency, helmed by fox Esquire and rooster Mr. Pepper, saves a stranded polar bear cub. Mother polar bear Big Claws and her baby, Little Claws, emerge from hibernation only to have Little Claws fall into a trap that leaves him stranded on an ice floe. Big Claws’ message for help sets Esquire and Mr. Pepper into action. They hop on a train to Anchorage, then dog-sled to Utqiagvik, Alaska, as the story plunges them into intrigue and action, working against an openly evil wild-animal trafficker. Although the action maintains a steady pace—with captures and escapes aplenty—certain plot elements fall apart under scrutiny. Instead, the focus is on the duo’s dynamic, crotchety and full of good-natured insults. Esquire’s dashing and flashy—down to her fashion statements—while business-minded Mr. Pepper tends toward the practical. Utqiagvik’s description isn’t exactly flattering, even given the vulpine perspective, and readers looking for Alaskan Native representation there will be disappointed. The villain is the only human character, described as “gray” but presenting White and looking like a fur hat–wearing Capt. Hook in the cartoon art. Backmatter includes information on how climate change threatens polar bears, along with Mr. Pepper’s recipe for mushroom jerky (a favorite of Esquire’s, who’s sworn off eating animals). Esquire, unlike the other animals, is highly anthropomorphized in the art, mostly going about on two feet. Only she and Mr. Pepper wear clothing. A well-meaning but only partially successful series opener. (Animal fantasy. 8-12.)
new marriage to lighthouse keeper John Walker and subsequent relocation to a lighthouse in New York Bay. Daily rituals—the light was tended, the sirens were prepared to run during storms, and a boat was kept ready to be sent out in emergencies—are described with just the right amount of detail. At the same time, dramatic events show how a seemingly simple life of solitude (she was eventually appointed keeper after her husband’s death) can include action and heroics: Kate rescued more than 50 people before she retired at age 71. While not an obvious choice for a children’s biography, Kate comes alive through the combined talents of Spires and McCully, and their portrayal highlights how an ordinary woman can excel and pave the way for others by virtue of her dedication and fortitude. The illustrations reveal an all-White cast. A distinctive selection that highlights an unknown heroine and her world as a lighthouse keeper. (biographical note, source notes, additional sources) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)
A vacation turns into another mystery for young animal lovers–turned– amateur sleuths. Having solved previous mysteries near her home in Dorset, England, 12-year-old Kat Wolfe is ready for a vacation across the pond. So is her overworked veterinarian mother. Together they are set to accompany Kat’s best friend, 13-year-old Harper Lamb, and her paleontologist father on a trip to New York’s Adirondack Mountains. When unexpected events, including a nor’easter, converge in this third stand-alone installment of the series, Kat and Harper find themselves parentless and snowed in for several days. At first the pair is intrigued by a recent news event—a botched heist of a diamond necklace—but when they learn that the key witness, Riley, is not only a girl Kat met at a rest stop en route to the Adirondacks, but also has disappeared in the area, Kat and Harper set out to find her. Once again, they combine savvy computer talent, keen observation, and cleverness with animals in a lighthearted adventure with just the right amount of danger. This time the girls must also test their survival skills amid a pack of huskies, assorted wild animals, and blizzard conditions. Most notably, their sleuthing spotlights biases around the types of individuals society often overlooks. Whiteness is the default; Harper’s late mother was Cuban. A fun, socially conscious mystery that continues to take the series in new directions. (Mystery. 9-12)
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WELCOME TO YOUR PERIOD!
Stynes, Yumi & Kang, Melissa Illus. by Latham, Jenny Walker US/Candlewick (176 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5362-1476-5
An Australian writer and doctor team up to empower “the next generation of bleeders” to become “period boss[es].” Casual and engaging, this seeks to demystify, reassure, and arm readers with information about menstruation and other aspects of puberty. With the book’s focus on managing periods and how to prepare, topics range from menstrual products— both the use and the environmental impact of each kind—to how to advocate for your needs to parents, caregivers, coaches, teachers, and friends. Personal stories and quotes from both other teens and adults are peppered throughout, and crossreferences with page numbers are often provided so readers can jump to other sections for further reading on specific topics. Effort has seemingly been taken to avoid using gendered language—people who “have a uterus”—but the occasional feminine term (girls, ladies, sisters) slips through. The fact that some people who are assigned female at birth do not identify as female is addressed, and an anecdote from a trans man recounts correcting a drugstore clerk with the inclusive term sanitary items. Cartoon illustrations provide anatomical information and instructions as well as showing a fairly diverse group of teens, but images are reused, and the preponderance of figures present female. Energetic and accessible, this guide serves as a cheerleader in your corner. (glossary, resources) (Nonfiction. 10-15)
BUNNY WILL NOT JUMP!
Tharp, Jason Illus. by the author Simon Spotlight (32 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 8, 2020 978-1-5344-8303-3
A bunny loses his bounce and needs help buoying his spirits. Big—a blue bear—greets readers and explains the problem. Big’s friend Bunny, a mauve rabbit, will no longer jump. “He usually loves to jump,” Big explains, “but now he will not even try.” Big speculates that Bunny might be sad because of what happened when the animals had a jumping contest. Big jumped the farthest and the highest, and Bunny gave up: “I will never be able to jump like you!” Big tries offering Bunny prizes and scaring him, but nothing gets his friend bouncing again. Ultimately, Big needs readers’ help to motivate Bunny to hop. Readers are instructed to “shake the book up and down,” to “push the blue button,” and to perform other tasks. But will any of it be enough for Bunny to take the leap? In this rousing follow-up to Bunny Will Not 98
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Smile! (2019), Big and Bunny prove themselves a playful pair. With around 150 words and their variants—many of which are unique one- or two-syllable words—the text best suits emerging readers with a bit of fluency. Still, Tharp builds in additional support by holding to a maximum of six lines of text per page and providing color-coded dialogue boxes (blue for Big; mauve for Bunny). The interactivity, though brief, will have broad appeal. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 57.6% of actual size.) Boundless fun. (Early reader. 4-6)
A FRIEND IS...
Thiesing, Lisa Illus. by the author Aladdin (40 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 8, 2020 978-1-5344-6572-5 Thiesing’s simple offering joins the shelves of books about friendship. While the text doesn’t stand out amid those crowded shelves, simply listing what friends are “for” (“singing,” “giggling,” “wondering”), the adorable illustrations may draw readers in. Anthropomorphized animal pairs, sometimes of the same species and sometimes different, show readers friendship in action. “A friend is… for listening, / sharing, // and for playing” is illustrated with three vignettes: a rabbit whispering to a clearly shocked pig, another rabbit sharing a wheel of cheese with a mouse, and a squirrel and a mouse flying a kite together. The final spread breaks the pattern with the hopeful but not necessarily accurate sentiment “A friend is…forever.” As the pages turn, children may notice the seasons also turning from winter through spring and summer to fall. Simple backgrounds with just enough detail to mark the time of year and activity keep the focus on the friends, who clearly care about one another enough to be fully present to each other through thick and thin, even when it might be tough (a cat listens patiently as a dog gesticulates while complaining). But while this might be a good reminder of what a good friend looks like, it likely won’t be one readers reach for repeatedly. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 36.5% of actual size.) Doesn’t stand out from the crowd despite cute illustrations. (Picture book. 3-6)
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Drawing on his family’s own history, Unger conveys the claustrophobia and anxiety caused by the looming war. sleeping with the light on
THE WALL & THE WIND
Tomova, Veselina Illus. by the author Running the Goat (38 pp.) $10.95 paper | Jan. 26, 2021 978-1-927917-32-9
SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHT ON
Unger, David Illus. by Aguilera, Carlos Vélez Groundwood (96 pp.) $14.95 | Nov. 3, 2020 978-1-77306-384-3 As the sound and violence of war seep into Guatemala City during the 1950s, little Davico gradually sees his life change piece by piece. Within the city stands La Casita, a renowned restaurant operated by Davico’s family that’s beloved by many. La Casita’s second floor also serves as the family’s living quarters, where Davico plays with his older brother, Felipe, and Mamá and Papá sometimes argue once the blackouts start. But before the blackouts come, a rain of yellow and blue papers falls from planes. The bright papers speak of “guns, armies and tanks” and “liberación and revolución.” Having fled from the “nonsense” in Germany, Papá struggles to keep the restaurant open as nights full of increasing gunshots and blackouts remind them of the oncoming rattles and bangs of war. Mamá, meanwhile, commits |
SCARLET’S TALE
Vernick, Audrey Illus. by Jarvis Disney-Hyperion/LBYR (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-368-04308-3 A young human girl with an unusual physical feature gains acceptance. At Charlotte’s birth, her parents counted: “Two eyes. One nose. Ten fingers. Ten toes. / Also, one long, fluffy, fuzzy, furry tail. That was a surprise.” Her parents shower her with love and accept that her foxlike tail means custom-made clothing and keeping low-lying surfaces clear of objects. But school is another matter. People stare and point, and her classroom has not been adapted to her swishing tail, which inadvertently knocks objects about. The next day is especially lonely until she gets on the swings, which always make her happy and cause her tail to wag. Callie and Josh decide to join her, and the three become inseparable, gradually turning wagging—whether it be tail or bottom—into their own happy, welcoming language. And because “Happiness can be kind of contagious,” the school and then the whole town take to wagging their butts when happy—the street scene is quite amusing. Charlotte and her family present White, as does Callie, while Josh presents Black; students and the townsfolk are diverse. Bright background colors and simple details in the illustrations keep the focus on emotions and interactions. Even tailless children will empathize with Scarlet, though it’s a bit sad that others’ acceptance is so important to her sense of self-worth. A young girl’s difference unites a community. (Picture book. 4-7)
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A young girl seems to lead an idyllic life somewhere in post–World War II Eastern Europe. Happy in her rural home and safe in the care of a loving family, the girl longs to extend her reach and uses her art to create an imagined world that she can visit in her dreams. The narrative shifts suddenly, and the girl is now in East Berlin in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, her dreams unfulfilled, her person trapped and unable to leave. How many years have passed and what happened in the interim are never explained. The narrative jumps ahead 30 more years, and the protagonist is a mother with a young son when the Berlin Wall finally crumbles. She and her little boy take a brave leap and end up in Newfoundland, where they can build a new life in the crisp, wild wind of a rugged land with beauty of its own. The author’s note reveals it’s her own story, narrated in descriptive, emotional language. Illustrations employ rich tones and deep textures conveying both her beloved homeland and her beautiful adopted home while the dreariness and despair of East Berlin are seen in dull grays, khakis, and browns. It is a powerful tale, but there are significant stumbles in its telling. As well as wondering at huge chunks of missing time and events, young readers might believe that Canada is next door to Berlin. The note provides some clarifying information. In spite of flaws, the poignant longing for freedom shines through. (Picture book/memoir. 5-10)
to keeping them whole. Then Papá and Mamá announce that they’re heading to the United States of America, leaving Davico and Felipe behind with stoic Uncle Aaron and strict Aunt Lonia until Papá and Mamá find new jobs and a new house. With a clear focus on Davico and his family—and drawing on his family’s own history—Unger conveys the claustrophobia and anxiety caused by the looming war in just a few pages while building Davico’s life in broad yet vivid strokes. It’s a tenuous balance, especially for a story aimed at such a young readership, but the book works, thanks in part to Aguilera’s illuminating illustrations, which open each chapter. A bittersweet tale of life amid war. (Fiction. 6-9)
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This gripping story shines a light on another hidden hero of the struggle for rights for African Americans. race against time
RACE AGAINST TIME The Untold Story of Scipio Jones and the Battle To Save Twelve Innocent Men Wallace, Sandra Neil & Wallace, Rich Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills (144 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-62979-816-5
An African American lawyer takes on the difficult task of defending a group of Black men sentenced to death. When Black soldiers returned from World War I, many attempted to improve their lives, including a group of sharecroppers in Arkansas determined to unionize. A gathering at a church was fired upon, and one White law officer was killed. The violence escalated when local officials encouraged White men from other states to come and take up arms against Blacks. All this occurred during the nation’s “Red Summer” of 1919. The number of Black people killed in this area of Arkansas was thought to be in the hundreds, but it was the deaths of five Whites that resulted in speedy trials, convictions, and death row sentences. The attorney who stepped up to seek justice for the group known as the Elaine Twelve was Scipio Africanus Jones, from Little Rock. For the next five years, Jones used his knowledge, energy, and money to keep 12 innocent men from being executed and ultimately prevailed while the Black press covered his efforts. This gripping story shines a light on another hidden hero of the struggle for rights for African Americans. An important, well-researched narrative, rich in historical context, is enhanced by archival photographs and glimpses into the lives of working men and women who sought economic fairness and the protections of the United States Constitution. A powerful story of tireless determination for justice in the face of overwhelming odds. (author’s note, bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
IF ANIMALS BUILT YOUR HOUSE
Wise, Bill Illus. by Evans, Rebecca Dawn Publications (32 pp.) $8.99 paper | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-58469-677-3
Wise and Evans explore the many types of houses animals build. Wise creates the fictional Fin & Claw Village to introduce five diverse children (and readers) to animal homes. Wearing hard hats and carrying flashlights, the five crawl through tunnels made by mound termites underneath the tallest structure made by animals. Living in a honeybee colony would be sweet, but the bedrooms are awfully small and hot. Other species introduced include tree squirrels, red groupers, chimpanzees, grey foam-nest tree frogs, satin bowerbirds, polar bears, alligators, pack rats, and beavers. One quick sentence on each 100
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spread is followed by a paragraph in a smaller font that gives more information; these focus on keeping kids’ attention and are often humorous. Straight facts are presented at the back. A final question asks readers what sort of house they might make; a Literacy Connection section provides teachers with lesson ideas, including a STEAM activity to extend on that question. Backmatter sorts fact from fiction for readers, especially with regard to the illustrations: Homes depicted are child-sized, but their builders are proportionate to the kids, and the habitats are accurately portrayed on the individual spreads, if not in the endpaper map of the village. Small details delight, from the amusing mailboxes to the visual clues pointing to previous and future species. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29% of actual size.) Readers will surely pay closer attention on nature walks. (Informational picture book. 4-8)
MUSTACHE DUCKSTACHE
Young, Amy Illus. by Young, AJ Viking (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-0-593-20558-7
It’s a whiskers-off in the animal kingdom. The walruses are holding a mustache contest, and animals of many species sign up to show off their crumb-catchers. First come the judges (all walruses) and spectators, then the contestants, beginning with a rabbit with an impressive lip rug. A frog hops up to compare its pushbroom…followed by a mallard with a pencil-thin handlebar “duckstache.” When a penguin in a top hat shows off some pretty impressive lip luggage, the crowd— with fake mustaches on sticks and big foam mustaches— goes wild. Snake sports a “musssstache,” and the mice their “mousestaches.” There is a “moooostache” and a “meowstache” and a “moosestache.” Whales, skunks, a giraffe, a snail, and more show off their facial hair. Bear causes a stir with a “beard” that seems to be the front-runner if excitement in the crowd is any indication. But last to arrive is a sporty “goatee” for the win. The Youngs’ debut picture book is short on text (it is conveyed entirely in speech bubbles containing plays on the word mus tache) but long on foolishness. The cartoon illustrations (a mix of spot and full bleed) will incite giggles as the animals compare their nose-bugs while trying to out-whisker one another. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.8-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.4% of actual size.) Good hairy fun. (Picture book. 2-6)
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AMY WU AND THE PATCHWORK DRAGON
Zhang, Kat Illus. by Chua, Charlene Simon & Schuster (40 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 15, 2020 978-1-5344-6363-9
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Amy Wu flexes her problem-solving skills again in this sequel to Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao (2019). After reading them a story about dragons, Ms. Mary has Amy and her classmates design their own dragons. While her classmates quickly fill the show-and-tell table with winged, potbellied dragons fashioned with modeling clay and stamps, Amy struggles. At first she paints a thin, long-bodied dragon inspired by Eastern cultures, but her classmates are confused and challenge the authenticity of her creation since it is a departure from the Western dragons showcased during storytime. The straightforward text narrates as Amy doubts her design, eventually drawing Western dragons yet still feeling dissatisfied. Accompanied by her classmates Willa and Sam, Amy returns home to Grandma, who tells the trio tales about Asian dragons, which causes Amy to remember the dragon costume used during Chinese New Year that’s stored in the attic. Inspired, Amy is finally able to showcase a dragon at school that takes a bit from both cultures and is a design she can call entirely her own. Chua again brings plenty of colorful spirit with her cartoons, perfectly capturing Amy’s fun, creative energy and surrounding her Chinese protagonist with a diverse school community. (Sam has brown skin and straight, black hair, and Willa presents White.) What is even more appealing is the courage Amy models to readers to stay true to oneself, especially when faced with a lack of role models. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 78.8% of actual size.) Cheerful and bright, this heroine calls for authenticity and representation. (crafts) (Picture book. 5-8)
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young adult UNCHOSEN
These titles earned the Kirkus Star:
Blair, Katharyn Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins (416 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-06-265764-0
ONE OF THE GOOD ONES by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite.................................................................................106 GONE TO THE WOODS by Gary Paulsen.........................................110
The world ended three times for Charlotte: when she left Ohio, when she realized the boy she loved actually loved her sister, and when the Crimson came. No one took the legend of Anne de Graaf seriously—curses weren’t real, or so everyone thought, until the real-life nightmare of the Crimson arrived. Locking eyes with an infected person spread the curse, turning victims into cannibalistic Vessels. After the first major wave, survivors banded together in settlements. The one hope left was finding the Chosen One who would save the world. When traffickers who profit from the disaster show up, Charlotte pretends to be the Chosen One in order to protect her younger sister, Vanessa, who is the actual Chosen One. This starts an exciting chain of events that takes Charlotte across the ocean in search of the man she thinks she loves, the sisters she’s lost, and maybe even Anne herself. Vessels feel like a mix of zombies and vampires: They are quick, smart, deadly, and terrifying. The worldbuilding is well thought out, with clear rules around how the Crimson works. However, messages of female empowerment and self-direction get lost in Charlotte’s pining for a boy—an instigator for most of her major decisions, which often leads her to put herself and others in danger. Experienced readers may find the resolution predictable. Main characters are White by default; passing mentions of diversity in the supporting cast have no bearing on the story. A fun and action-packed read. (Horror. 13-18)
CHLORINE SKY
Browne, Mahogany L. Crown (192 pp.) $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-593-17639-9 978-0-593-17640-5 PLB
ONE OF THE GOOD ONES
Moulite, Maika & Moulite, Maritza Inkyard Press (384 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-335-14580-2
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A girl who is tired of being in the shadows decides to shine. Skyy is used to hiding in the shadow of her best friend, Lay Li; shrinking away from her sister Essa’s harsh words; and turning invisible among her peers. The only place she stands y o u n g a d u lt
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out is on the basketball court going toe-to-toe with boys who think she shouldn’t be playing. While she and Lay Li are fighting and not speaking to each other, she reflects on the way her friend treated her, both during their friendship and afterward. Skyy garners the attention of Clifton, an attractive neighborhood boy, but his attention isn’t enough to help Skyy love herself. Through a process of self-discovery and by listening to the stories of girls around her, Skyy learns to stand in her truth and determine what she’s worth. Writing in free verse, Browne explores concepts that will resonate with readers navigating toxic friendships and budding relationships and growing into themselves. Her clear, descriptive word choices conjure vivid images and sharp feelings that pair well with the conversational flow, making the story accessible and appealing to reluctant readers. The decision to withhold Skyy’s name until the end of the text allows readers to find themselves in this story. Skyy and the majority of characters are cued as Black. A coming-of-age novel for Black girls who have been told they’re too much and yet never enough. (Fiction. 13-18)
A teenage singer gets a backup role on Broadway and lessons in fame and love. Sixteen-year-old Jerzie Jhames is a Black singer from New Jersey who dreams of being a Broadway star. She auditions for the role of Jewel in Roman and Jewel, a hip-hopera retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and is disappointed when she only gets the part of standby to superstar Cinny, who plays the lead. On her first day of rehearsals Jerzie meets Zeppelin, the musical’s Roman, and declares it love at first sight. When a video of Jerzie and Zeppelin singing a duet goes viral, Jerzie begins to realize that she may be in for more than she anticipated. Conflict arises when Cinny stakes her claim on Zeppelin and warns Jerzie to stay away from him. Despite her occasional resistance, Jerzie comes to find that she will need the support of her friends and family to help her navigate both Broadway and first love. Unfortunately Davis’ prose feels heavyhanded at points, and her execution of the story, restricted by attempts to create parallels with the classic tragedy; Jerzie’s love of musicals comes across as more intriguing than the insta-love storyline. Many characters read as one-dimensional, making it hard to get invested in the outcome. The cast of characters is racially and ethnically diverse. Like its inspiration, Romeo and Juliet, this love story contains much drama and unfulfilled potential. (Fiction. 14-18)
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Ed. by Friedman, Amy & Danziger, Dennis Out of the Woods Press (224 pp.) $17.95 paper | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-952197-06-2 An inspiring collection of teen-created poems, prose, and artwork that elucidates the hidden world of young adults living in a carceral state. Created by members of the POPS the Club, a national organization for high school students who have been impacted by incarceration (as the children or other loved ones of the incarcerated), the pieces are emotive but not resigned. Readers will connect to many of the major themes, including navigating change, overcoming adversity, advocating for social justice, and questioning one’s place in the world. Divided thematically into 12 sections, the entries show the daily realities and struggles of the student writers as they deftly navigate multiple spaces. Many of the teens’ challenges present as ordinary angst, like navigating school, while others point to deeper traumas, like parents with substance use disorders. Overall, their contributions are lyrical, haunting, and poignant, and the anthology marches toward hope. While the execution of some reflects the contributors’ youth, others, like “Me Nombraron Después de Ella” (“They Named Me After Her”) by Donaji Garcia, stand out for their mature use of metaphor, language, lyricism, movement, and pacing. Other pieces are a call to action, directly confronting the impact of incarceration on families and challenging adults to fix a justice system that is overburdened with imprisoned people while neglecting children’s emotional health. Birds sing outside cages: Overall hopeful selections inspire a desire to rethink justice and enact change. (Anthol ogy. 12-18)
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ROMAN AND JEWEL
Davis, Dana L. Inkyard Press (320 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-335-07062-3
DREAM CATCHERS POPS the Club Anthology
LOVE, IRL
Goldfarb, Tracy James Lorimer (224 pp.) $27.99 | Jan. 1, 2021 978-1-4594-1565-2 Teens forge an in-person connection online. Two random Canadian teenagers start chatting in a random-people-chatting app, and both decide they want more. The two boys choose code names, Tristan and Dorian, to discuss their favorite books, roommate drama (Dorian left home and lives with a friend), and their growing attachment to each other and anxieties around meeting in person. In a story told almost entirely in chat transcripts, Alejandro Marquez and Jacob Greenspan, classmates and mild antagonists in real life, fall in love online. It’s only toward the end that the story reveals that the characters present in the
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diverting reads for stressful times November 2020 finds us nine months into the Covid-19 pandemic. Teens are dealing with the stress of continued disruption to school and socializing. Anticipating the outcome of the presidential election is a source of anxiety for many—and of course we can’t help but wonder what life in 2021 will be like. Sometimes you just want to dive into a book that will distract, entertain, and offer a few hours’ relief from reality. Each of the YA titles below will serve that purpose admirably. Heartstopper: Volume 1 (Graphix/ Scholastic, May 5) and Heartstopper: Volume 2 (Nov. 10), written and illustrated by Alice Oseman: These graphic novels follow rugby-playing Nick and slender Charlie, British teen boys who are fumbling their way into a budding romance. The masterful artwork enhances the sweetness and charm of their relationship. Hood by Jenny Elder Moke (Disney-Hyperion, June 9): Fans of the Merry Men will enjoy returning to Sherwood Forest in this exciting historical adventure that introduces readers to Isabelle, daughter of Marien and Robin Hood, as she leaves behind the safety of her childhood home in the priory and flees for her life. Chasing Starlight by Teri Bailey Black (Tor Teen, Aug. 11): The glamour of 1930s Hollywood—and its dark underbelly—creates an immersive setting for a suspenseful mystery. A teenage girl goes to live with her once-famous movie-star grandfather and his hopeful-actor boarders…and murder soon follows. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and Crystal Chan, illustrated by Kuma Chan (Manga Classics, Sept. 1): This well-loved classic has endured for over a century as readers have been charmed by orphan Anne Shirley. Her story is presented here in an engaging, expressive, and accessible manga format. White Fox by Sara Faring (Imprint, Sept. 22): In this atmospheric psychological mystery, sisters Noni and Tai are close in age but complete opposites in personality. Their film-star mother disappeared a decade earlier, and now an 104
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incomplete screenplay she was writing has turned up, possibly revealing answers to her fate. Shine by Jessica Jung (Simon & Schuster, Sept. 29): Real-life K-pop star Jung takes readers behind the scenes for a tantalizing look at the gossip-filled world of an elite Seoul talent agency. A Korean American teenager seeks success (and finds love) even though the odds often seem stacked against her. Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, Oct. 13): Blackmail unexpectedly leads to love in this tale of Henri, a charismatic, first-generation Haitian American teen whose life involves juggling his parents’ academic expectations, his dog-walking business, and a mutually beneficial deal with classmate Corinne. Folding Tech: Using Origami and Na ture To Revolutionize Technology by Karen Kenney (TwentyFirst Century/Lerner, Nov. 3): The ancient practice of paper folding might seem worlds away from 21st-century technology, yet scientists and engineers are using the principles of origami in their work. Readers who pick up this well-illustrated guide will wonder at these marvels. Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao (Simon & Schuster, Nov. 10): A Taiwanese American college student attempts to fend off her parents’ pressure to marry a successful (but obnoxious) man by hiring a fake boyfriend. Fortunately for readers, what should have been a simple business transaction evolves into something more. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and To morrow by Laura Taylor Namey (Atheneum, Nov. 10): After one too many things in her life goes wrong, Lila leaves Miami for England, where she helps out in the kitchen of her aunt’s inn—which turns out to be just the thing her battered and bruised heart needs. Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.
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Honest truths delivered with humor and heart. this will be funny someday
few interstitial third-person chapters are the same ones baring their souls over text, but it’s so clearly laid out that the reluctant reader target audience will enjoy being in on the surprise and figuring things out before the characters do. In this extremely wholesome depiction of queer teen dialogue, cis Jacob responds with a perfect script when Alex discloses his trans history, and Jacob is a fan-fiction–style tough guy with a hard life hiding a secret cinnamon-roll interior. Authentic adolescent drama abounds over the course of the few weeks the characters meet, fall in love, and then meet for real. Neither characters’ racial or ethnic identities, hinted at in their names, are ever discussed A light and fluffy queer romance. (Romance. 12-18)
PLAYING WITH FIRE
Henry, April Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt (240 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-1-250-23406-3
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Henry, Katie Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins (400 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 19, 2021 978-0-06-295570-8 A lost and timid high school junior finds her voice through stand-up. Sixteen-year-old Isabel Vance feels like the odd one out in her own family: Her successful, professional parents are preoccupied, and her 18-year-old siblings’ forceful personalities shut her out. Now that the twins are off at college, Isabel’s parents fail to see her loneliness and count on her to fulfill her family role as the kid who causes no trouble. Her alpha-male boyfriend, Alex, says he loves Isabel, but he cuts her off from her best friend and closely monitors her movements. Although Isabel fears angering Alex, she tells herself that he genuinely needs her. A series of misunderstandings results in her performing an impromptu stand-up routine at an open mic event and meeting new friends who believe she’s in college, too. Events quickly spiral out of control: Isabel relishes her secret life as comedian Izzy V., exploring the power of standing on stage, boldly and hilariously speaking her truth. As a straight, White, upper-middle-class girl, her new friendships with a Persian lesbian, a wealthy Black boy, and an Asian transracial adoptee offer glimpses of a world beyond the narrow confines of her prep school. Naturally, the deception cannot continue indefinitely, and Isabel/Izzy must apply the courage of her stage persona to her offstage relationships. Isabel is achingly and sympathetically flawed and her growth, realistic; readers will undoubtedly connect with her journey. Honest truths delivered with humor and heart. (Fiction. 13-18)
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A group of strangers searches for a path to safety as a forest fire encroaches on them in this adventure thriller. Natalia and Wyatt, two teens from Portland, Oregon, venture on a short hike which goes awry when a fire breaks out, blocking the trail. Wyatt’s wilderness experience and Natalia’s aspirations to become a doctor prove to be boons for the people they encounter and join forces with as they are trying to escape. These include a family—Ryan, Lisa, and their toddler, Trask; a man called Darryl and his grandson, Zion; Beatriz and Marco, a young couple; an older woman named Susan; and two men, AJ and Jason. In an escalating accumulation of bad luck that strains credulity, the group members in turn experience extraordinary injuries, health problems, and psychological challenges during the ill-fated journey. Natalia struggles with tragic events from her past that are explained in several interspersed flashbacks. The fast-paced action described through Natalia’s anxious but practical third-person voice will initially hook readers, and for those able to suspend their disbelief, it may carry them through the novel. However, the shallow presentation, particularly of the secondary characters, may lessen the title’s appeal. Natalia and Wyatt seem to be White by default; there is ethnic diversity in the supporting cast. A frantic and harrowing but predictable tale of group dynamics and survival. (Thriller. 12-18)
THIS WILL BE FUNNY SOMEDAY
HEIRESS APPARENTLY
Ma, Diana Amulet/Abrams (304 pp.) $14.99 | Dec. 1, 2020 978-1-4197-4996-4 Series: Daughters of the Dynasty, 1 Eighteen-year-old Gemma Huang lands her first major acting role—and in a film co-directed by her idol, veteran actress Eilene Deng, no less. She hops on the plane to Beijing for filming with only a twinge of guilt for breaking her parents’ cardinal rule: never go to China, and especially not to Beijing. Gemma’s always wondered what’s kept her parents away from their homeland, but she only begins to understand the extent of their secrets when she’s nearly mobbed at the airport. Turns out Gemma looks identical to Alyssa Chua, a Chinese socialite and fashion influencer—and the cousin she never knew she had. According to Alyssa, Gemma’s mother was banished from their
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An explosive look behind the hashtags at race and history. one of the good ones
affluent family years ago after stealing a priceless Tang dynasty painting. This revelation stuns Gemma, who, in addition to family drama, also has to contend with a film script full of tired stereotypes and a White co-director skeptical of her talent. Light historical context around the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square protests lends weight and realism to the plot, as does commentary about Asian American representation in Hollywood, mainly presented through Gemma’s conversations with Eilene and her struggles to demand a more nuanced treatment of her film character. Readers will also enjoy Gemma’s will-they, won’t-they flirtation with handsome Eric Liu, whose family has had a decadeslong feud with the Chuas. Soap-opera–worthy twists are grounded by ties to significant events in contemporary Chinese history in this meaningful debut. (author’s note) (Fiction. 13-18)
INTO THE HEARTLESS WOOD
Meyer, Joanna Ruth Page Street (368 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-64567-170-1
In Tarian, a magical forest fights the kings’ railroads and telegraphs, and a young man is caught in the crossfire. Owen, 17, raises his sister and keeps house by day while maintaining star charts for the king by night. Across the wall that edges his garden, the Gwydden, the power in the woods who has turned eight birches into her humanoid treesiren daughters, steals souls and has her daughters kill in scenes reminiscent of a literary horror novel. Owen’s present-tense, first-person narration alternates with the jagged, vaguely poetic narration of Seren, the Gwydden’s youngest daughter, who no longer wants to kill for her mother. Centered on the relationship between Owen and the tree siren, this is a story with limited space for secondary characters, although an intriguing background mythos reveals itself through Owen’s and Seren’s stories. The emphasis on souls—evil feeds on them, the tree siren longs for one, and their importance, along with hearts, anchors much of the magic—lends a Christian moral code to an otherwise firmly fantastical setting that has a Welsh flavor. Familiar motifs, such as wilderness versus technology, a witch versus a king, and star-crossed lovers, placed in unfamiliar settings ensure that this dark romantic fantasy fulfills expectations without becoming formulaic. Owen is White in a world with some racial diversity and no prejudice. Diverting. (Romantic fantasy. 12-18)
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DON’T TELL A SOUL
Miller, Kirsten Delacorte (384 pp.) $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Jan. 26, 2021 978-0-525-58120-8 978-0-525-58121-5 PLB Haunted girls reclaim their narratives in this modern take on a gothic novel. When scandal drives her out of Manhattan, Bram Howland goes to stay with her Uncle James. He lives in a grand mansion in a small Hudson Valley town where outsiders are despised and local lore about the so-called “Dead Girls” leads many to believe the house is cursed. Recently, a fire destroyed part of it, killing Uncle James’ second wife. Although officially ruled an accident, James believes his stepdaughter, Lark, who is now in a mental hospital, started the fire after becoming fixated on a girl who once lived in the manor and drowned herself. Bram knows what it’s like to be silenced and not trusted, and she expects that Lark was saner than rumors say: She’s determined to find the truth even as strange, eerie happenings occur and she finds herself in danger. The book opens during a blizzard and succeeds in maintaining a moody, unsettling atmosphere throughout the straightforward, plot-driven story. Some characterization is thin, and Bram’s history with drug abuse and rehab feels underexplored. However, the novel is thematically rich, encouraging readers to question the crazy-woman trope and showcasing women’s fortitude against all odds. Twists abound, and numerous plot threads are satisfyingly tied together in the powerful ending. All main characters are White by default. The real world proves more frightening than ghosts in this fast-paced, female-driven story. (Paranormal. 14-18)
ONE OF THE GOOD ONES
Moulite, Maika & Moulite, Maritza Inkyard Press (384 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-335-14580-2 Loved ones face the fallout after a young Black activist dies in police custody in Los Angeles. “She was my sister before she became your martyr,” says Happi, the younger sister of Kezi, an activist and influential YouTuber who dies after taking part in a social justice rally on her 18th birthday. In the wake of police brutality, victims’ life choices are often brought into question in an attempt to justify their deaths. But Kezi is “one of the good ones,” a model student with a promising future. Temperamental Happi, by contrast, skips school, gets drunk at parties, and is now haunted by her last words to Kezi—Kezi, who loved history and was in love with her best friend, Ximena, a secret she kept from her parents, who are pastors. Through
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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES
Mike Curato
A BOY SCOUT GRAPPLES WITH HIS SEXUALITY—AND MORE—IN A GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT THE HARD-WON JOURNEY TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE By Laura Simeon Dylan Osborne
spoke with me from his home in Northampton, Massachusetts; the conversation has been edited for length and clarity. You’ve had a very successful career writing and illustrating picture books. Why switch gears and write a YA novel? I’ve always heard the saying “write the book that you wish you had as a child,” and this is that book: the story that I wrote for myself but realized very quickly could help many people who were struggling with the same problems. I didn’t see myself in books or onscreen as a kid, whether that be [as a] queer youth, a person of color, or a mixed [race] person. I also realize that it can be a window for people who can stand to learn something— and, maybe, inspire empathy in people who might not think about how hard it is being the other in this country.
With Flamer (Henry Holt, Sept. 1), Mike Curato has gifted readers with a graphic novel that Kirkus’ review said would be, for many teens, “the defining book of their adolescence.” Inspired by Curato’s own experiences, this deeply personal work introduces Aiden Navarro, a rising ninth grader and Boy Scout trying to navigate a world that is not always kind to effeminate, biracial, Catholic boys who struggle with body image. Aiden’s story will be a lifeline to those who see aspects of themselves in his journey; countless others will find their hearts and minds opened up by the raw pain, vulnerability, and hope radiating from each page. Curato
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The artistic style in Flamer is a real departure—did you enter the project with a definite plan? I didn’t have a clear vision; I knew that I wanted it to be kind of rough to match the temperament of the text. So that was a challenge because my other work [is] pretty polished. There was a lot of experimentation because it was new territory. I got inspiration from books like Stitches by David Small [Norton, 2009] and Kampung Boy by Lat [First Second/Roaring Brook, 2006]. The art is made with black pencil and ink washes, and then I used colored inks for all the fiery bits, which are on different layers and assembled in Photoshop. What has been the response from readers? At least three old Scout friends have read the book. It made me so nervous; everyone I was in Scouts with was straight, so for them to take the time to read the book and be so supportive meant a lot. One of them said he cried when he read it. Hearing from complete strangers has been amazing too—my favorite was a tweet from a mom who said that her 15-year-old bi daughter demanded [she] purchase three more copies for her to secretly deliver to friends who needed it really badly, and that
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got me right in the gut. I heard from an author who said, Oh, is this what it’s like for straight people to just open up a book and feel completely seen? Why the summer camp setting? The book is in part an homage to camping; I loved Boy Scout camp—it was the highlight of my year. You’re out in the wilderness, which can be magical, and there’s this potential, a really special atmosphere. The flip side is that it’s also isolating, because you are with your peers 24/7 instead of school, where you’re only there for a few hours. It’s an awesome setting for a young person to explore their boundaries and learn things about themselves. Scouting gave me a lot of self-confidence. There’s so much drama packed into just one day: You can be at the height of your social status in the morning and then, come lunch, you’ve been leveled to social pariah and then, come campfire, everything’s fine again. The wheel turns quickly and often. It was also useful as a storytelling arc to use the summer camp structure because it is very regimented; that helped me create the bones of this giant book that was very intimidating coming from the 40-page format.
Body positivity is something else you explore. It’s all connected, right? Toxic masculinity informs boys that they have to be strong, can’t display any weakness, and [must] never display shame. In the gay male community, there’s a huge underaddressed problem with body dysmorphia that starts at an early age, too—I think a lot of us felt disempowered as youth and are maybe overcompensating for it as adults. All these little pieces add up; it’s not just beauty standards, it’s “I’m stronger, I can protect myself now,” but also, “I want to be attractive.” And that ties into racial stuff too. You can’t talk about one isolated ism without bringing in others, which brings me back to intersectionality: You can’t separate these problems because they’re all connected and they all play off each other. Flamer received a starred review in the July 1, 2020, issue.
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Writers who incorporate characters with multiple facets to their identities are sometimes critiqued for including “too many issues.” I’m living proof of intersectionality; I think it’s essential to have characters that have complicated identities that are sometimes at odds with each other. People who have multilayered identities can experience insecurities and self-hatred because their struggle is based on trying to reconcile them. A perfect example is being queer and Catholic: Aiden wants to be devoutly Catholic, he wants to be a good person, but there’s this part of the dogma that he’s trying to adhere to that says you can’t be you and be good. The question becomes, well, how do I not be me? A lot of the struggles that I dealt with as a child, as a young adult, prepared me to be able to take on bigger problems. I’ve seen people who kind of coasted through their childhood years where they didn’t have a lot of inner conflict—or outer conflict—ill-equipped to deal with bigger things as a grown-up. I think it would be a mistake to say that a character has too many problems: It’s useful for kids and also important for educators to have access to stories that are going to be windows into various students’ lives. One thing that drives me insane is hearing educators say, “Well, we don’t have any kids like that at our school.” You definitely do, and if you’re saying that, your school is an environment [where it] is not safe for them to be out.
my own experiences [and] I didn’t have to dig very deep in exploring how scary it was to be effeminate—how it still is. On one hand, as a young cis boy, you’re trying to prove that you can be a man [and] for some of the guys, [who] maybe have grown a little more than their peers, there’s the sudden sense of power, and it can go to their heads.
The constraints of masculinity play such a critical role in Aiden’s life. I wasn’t really going into it thinking, “Let’s talk about toxic masculinity”—but I just had to think back about
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Brightly funny and darkly tragic. gone to the woods
brilliant storytelling, sharp dialogue, and flashbacks, the narrative becomes a story within a story as Kezi delves into her family history beginning in the late 1930s. Her research sets the stage for a present-day trek inspired by The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide that helped Black American travelers stay safe during the Jim Crow era. This novel, the second collaboration by the sisters behind Dear Haiti, Love Alaine (2019), is an explosive look behind the hashtags at race and history, taking readers on a road trip mapped by love and grief. Close to perfection. (maps, family trees) (Fiction. 13-18)
LYCANTHROPY AND OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES
O’Neal, Kristen Quirk Books (384 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-68369-234-8
In O’Neal’s debut, a girl with Lyme disease attempts to cure her best friend— who’s a werewolf. Nineteen-year-old narrator Priya Radhakrishnan feels like Lyme disease has stolen her life. Instead of studying pre-med at Stanford, she’s back home in New Jersey with her loving and protective parents, struggling with debilitating fatigue, mental fog, and joint pain. Fortunately, she and her online friend Brigid—who’s reluctant to share details about her own illness—find comfort and camaraderie in a virtual chronic-illness support group, whose members navigate diagnoses ranging from endometriosis to fibromyalgia. Though the members’ personalities are nearly indistinguishable, their wisecracking chats and texts sympathetically acknowledge the physical and mental tolls of dealing with both chronic illness and others’ misconceptions. When Brigid ominously goes offline, Priya tracks her down and discovers her diagnosis: She’s a werewolf, and she’s getting worse. Can Priya help Brigid find a cure before she becomes a wolf permanently? More medical than paranormal, Brigid’s lycanthropy sensitively explores such issues as treatment risks, independence, and identity. A somewhat anticlimactic ending is mitigated by the love and support suffusing Priya’s and Brigid’s interactions with the group and each other, reassuring readers living with health conditions that they’re not alone. Most characters default to White. Priya is the daughter of South Indian immigrants; there is diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity among the cast. A heartwarming, quirky take on chronic illness in all its hairy detail. (Fiction. 13-18)
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GONE TO THE WOODS Surviving a Lost Childhood
Paulsen, Gary Farrar, Straus and Giroux (368 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-0-374-31415-6 Life was hard for the boy, who wasn’t an orphan but was close enough to being one while still having parents. In this emotional memoir, Paulsen writes about himself in the third person as “the boy,” choosing several pointed childhood experiences that were instrumental to his maturation into a writer. As a child, the boy is rescued by his grandmother, who is appalled to learn that, at 5, he is performing for an array of his mother’s suitors in Chicago bars while his father is serving in World War II. Upon her insistence that he relocate to his aunt and uncle’s farm, the boy makes the journey by train to Minnesota alone. There, he experiences unconditional love for the first time. However, all good things come to an end, and when the mother retrieves the boy to join his father in the Philippines, the narrative shifts, and the boy experiences ongoing trauma that many readers will connect to. Paulsen keenly observes his youth from a distance, only identifying himself once by name. In this way, he effectively executes the roles of both an actor in the story and director of the text. This sense of close-detachedness results in a rich, compelling read that is emotive and expressive without forcing empathy from the reader. Both brightly funny and darkly tragic, it is fresh in its honest portrayal of difficult themes. Readers will fall into this narrative of succeeding against overwhelming odds amid deep trauma. (Memoir. 12-18)
THE MEET-CUTE PROJECT
Richardson, Rhiannon Simon & Schuster (384 pp.) $19.99 | Jan. 12, 2021 978-1-5344-7352-2
Mia’s friends concoct a plan to find her a date for her sister Samantha’s wedding. When the groomsman Mia was paired with has to cancel at the last minute, bridezilla Sam insists Mia can’t go to the wedding alone because the photos will look asymmetrical. But instead of finding another friend of the groom for her, Sam decides Mia should find her own date—which is easier said than done because Mia has spent the first three years of high school absorbed in studying, swim team, and math club. Mia’s friends decide to help her out by arranging meet-cutes; they are convinced that if she bumps into someone and has a special moment with them, it will give her the opening she needs to take things further. Mia reluctantly agrees, nervously approaching each surprise meet-cute. After a few disastrous
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meetings, Mia turns to Gavin, the guy she volunteers with at the community garden, for relationship advice. The dating fails and Mia’s exasperation provide just enough cringeworthy comedy to move the story along. The supportive female friendships are also a strength of the book. Although readers will see the ending coming, Mia’s personal growth and the romance project will keep them engaged. All major characters are Black or people of color. A satisfying, feel-good rom-com. (Romance. 14-18)
HOLD BACK THE TIDE
Salisbury, Melinda Scholastic (384 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-338-68130-7
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All Alva Douglas wants is to survive long enough to escape her Scottish Highland home. Seven years ago, Da killed Mam. Since that time Alva has lived by a set of rules she created to protect herself. Now, the day when she can secretly escape her small village draws closer; soon she’ll be safely away from her father and the scornful locals. Unfortunately, fate has other plans for the 16-year-old. Human greed is causing the loch levels to lower at an astonishing rate, setting free the òlanfhuil, terrifying, ancient creatures who have been hidden away for centuries. Alva has always known that her father is the Naomhfhuil, or caretaker of the loch. When his crime is finally exposed and Da is at last arrested for Mam’s murder, Alva reluctantly steps into his role, fulfilling the Naomhfhuil’s true purpose: to protect the village from the bloodthirsty òlanfhuil. Narrator Alva is a hero readers will get behind: She is a decisive, take-charge fighter who presses on when she discovers that everything she believed is a lie. The book takes place in an unnamed bygone era, and rich descriptions imbue both the setting and action with cinematic intensity. The characters, especially the almost impossible-tokill òlanfhuil, who are described in nightmarish detail, come alive on the page. The only thing missing is a Highland bagpipes soundtrack. Assume Whiteness for all characters. Skin-tingling, blood-curdling horror perfect for reading by firelight. (Horror. 14-17)
sister, who manifested the Voice. When their country forces every Singer into the military, Miren convinces Kesia to hide her gift…only for Kesia to be kidnapped by pirates. Miren will do anything to save her, even join forces with her sister’s naïve noble boyfriend and a family of runaway indentured servants. The narrative alternates between each sister’s perspective but feels more like two different books: one, Kesia’s harrowing life as a slave, relieved at first by her wonder at the airship she helps fly but even more by her discovery of her own capabilities; the other, Miren’s tedious accounts of arguments about logistics, topography, and political structures among a large group, all of whom she regards with coldness and contempt. The world is exceptionally well defined, although details of the magical system are mostly hand-waved away. Once the separate storylines finally intersect and immediate crises are averted, so much is left unresolved that a sequel seems inevitable. Singers lose their speaking voices and communicate using universally understood phonetic signs that appear to be transcriptions of spoken speech rather than a separate language. Characters seem to be White by default. Half fantastical coming-of-age; half notes for a geography report. (Fantasy. 12-18)
DIVIDED FIRE
San Filippo, Jennifer Clarion (368 pp.) $17.99 | Nov. 10, 2020 978-1-328-48919-7 In a world where the elements are controlled by magical Songs, one young woman struggles to rescue her sister. Miren had always hoped to be a Fire Singer, but it was Kesia, her frail younger |
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indie GOBBLEDY
These titles earned the Kirkus Star:
Anna-Langston, Lis Illus. by Powell, Rich SparkPress (232 pp.) $16.95 paper | $9.95 e-book Oct. 20, 2020 978-1-68463-067-7
HEART-SHAPED FRIENDSHIP by Andra Barros; illus. by Thalita Dol............................................................................ 113 THE CHRONICLES OF THE VIRAGO by Michael Bialys.................114 DEAR DURWOOD by Jeff Bond......................................................... 115
In this novel, a boy gets into even more trouble than usual after encountering a cute (and hungry) alien creature. Kissmas—a child’s pronunciation of Christmas that stuck—won’t be the same this year. Six months ago, Dexter Duckworth, 11, lost his mother, leaving him, his father, and his 8-year-old brother, Dougal, with a hole in the family: “Not a bad hole, but a big hole. The kind of hole that sneaks up on me late at night when I remember.” Dexter’s science project, a “Cricket Colony,” goes badly awry when he enhances an enclosure with a rock from the forest on which a strange bug seems to have hitched a ride. It’s furry, ravenous, and growing larger all the time. It soon becomes evident that Gobbledy, as he’s dubbed, is an extraterrestrial alien who needs help and protection. A comedy of errors ensues as Dexter tries to avoid getting grounded for life. Anna-Langston, whose middle-grade fiction has won numerous prizes, successfully balances comedy and drama in this latest outing. Dexter’s narrative voice sounds convincingly fifth grade in his sense of humor, but he also expresses thoughtfulness and compassion; the family’s palpable grief and their attempts to restore normality for this first Christmas without their mother are poignant yet understated. Meanwhile, Dexter’s misadventures build upon each other for great comic effect, culminating in a school Winter Extravaganza where his role as Gingerbread Man goes hilariously wrong. As he comments, “Trouble is a plague. Trouble follows fun. Trouble is my mortal enemy.” The alien’s plight, too, is affecting, and the devotion he inspires in the cast reveals the story’s warm heart. Powell, a prolific artist and illustrator, contributes engagingly humorous and skillfully crosshatched drawings. Hugely entertaining as well as emotionally moving.
MAGNOLIA CANOPY OTHERWORLD by Erin Carlyle.................. 117 THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV by Julie Gray...............120 MUSICAL YOUTH by Joanne C. Hillhouse........................................ 121 WEST OF IRELAND by C.P. Hoff...................................................... 121 A LITTLE BIT OF DINOSAUR! by Elleen Hutcheson & Darcy Pattison; illus. by John Joven.............................................................................122 WOMEN IN THE WAITING ROOM by Kirun Kapur.......................122 THE KING’S DRAPES by Jocelyn Tambascio; illus. by Jen Born.......128
DEAR DURWOOD
Bond, Jeff Self (190 pp.) $13.99 paper | $0.99 e-book Apr. 5, 2020 978-1-73225-529-6 112
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QUEEN OF NONE
HEART-SHAPED FRIENDSHIP
Barron, Natania Vernacular Books (325 pp.) $9.99 e-book | Dec. 1, 2020
Barros, Andréa Illus. by Dol, Thalita Self (40 pp.) $6.99 e-book | Jun. 20, 2020
After decades spent in obscurity, an ignored royal discovers how to make an impact late in life in this novel that reimagines the Arthurian legend. Anna Pendragon has the misfortune of being the only full-blooded sister of Arthur Pendragon. Yes, that famous king. On the day Anna was born, sorcerer Merlin, the manipulator of Carelon, said of her: “Through all the ages, and in the hearts of men, you will be forgotten.” Anna is married off to the much older Lot of Orkney, bearing him three sons: Gawain and younger twins Gaheris and Gareth. Following Lot’s death, Anna returns home, surrendering Orkney’s crown to Arthur. She hopes she will be allowed to settle down with her true love, Bedevere. Instead, at Merlin’s insistence, she is forced into an arranged marriage with Lanceloch, the knight who is Arthur’s current crush. Her exiled aunt Vyvian helps Anna to see the power inside of her, an ability to disappear in the shadows. Using a book of spells supplied by Vyvian, Anna creates Nimue, a comely young woman whose purpose is to seduce and entrap Merlin. The trouble is that Nimue develops a mind of her own: She isn’t ready to let go of her short life. Meanwhile, Anna starts to fade away while powering Nimue. Anna must get her creation back on track or perish. Barron, an established fantasy writer, appears right at home crafting this reinvention of Camelot. As the author unveils her new versions of wellknown characters, it isn’t essential for readers to be familiar with Arthurian history and myth, but those who are will enjoy her twists. Her protagonist is ideal for providing an outsider’s perspective on the machinations happening in the Carelon court. But Anna’s curse keeps her from being as plugged in as she should be, having to rely on others—such as her half sister, Morgen, Merlin’s apprentice—for intelligence. The intricate narrative begins with Anna’s birth and then jumps forward. The story spans decades and feels a little draggy at times. But Anna’s righteous crusade to save her kingdom from Merlin’s schemes will propel readers past those slow spots. A captivating look at the intriguing figures in King Arthur’s golden realm.
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A child discovers that friendship can overcome the challenges of language and differing abilities in this debut picture book. Hope, excited about the first day of school, is startled by a collision with a girl on a scooter. The rider, Summy, says, “Ooo... Eee…,” which her mother explains means “Sorry.” Hope finds out that Summy has trouble learning words. Their teacher devises a task. Each student will teach Summy one word, and then the class will have a Popsicle party. Because Hope and Summy love hearts, Hope decides to teach the word heart, but no technique works. When Summy overhears a conversation between Hope and a classmate, who says dismissively, “My parents told me everything about kids like her,” Summy’s feelings are hurt. After Hope rescues Summy, who’s stuck on a climbing wall, she apologizes for hurting the girl’s feelings. Summy then explains what heart means to her: love. Barros’ straightforward narrative style is from Hope’s point of view; the vocabulary is accessible to early elementary school readers. Although Barros never explains the reason for Summy’s difficulties, the descriptions of her eyes and speech—as well as a note that the author has a child with Down syndrome—indicates that Summy has the syndrome. Hope’s understanding and love for Summy, despite the prejudices of others, are a wonderful model of acceptance of those with different abilities. Dol’s beautifully detailed cartoon illustrations feature a diverse group of students. A winning story of acceptance and love, especially for those who are different.
OPTIMAL
Berger, J.M. Self (352 pp.) $14.99 paper | $2.99 e-book Aug. 25, 2020 In Berger’s dystopian tale, an accountant searches for a man who’s somehow disappeared in a strictly monitored society. In this futuristic world, the System aids citizens with nearly every aspect of life, from finding compatible dating prospects to getting to work each morning. Jack, just a typical accountant at a bookkeeping company in New Boston, has a business meeting with Megumi, general counsel at UVblZCofKX Corp., a company headquartered in Asia; its North American subsidiary is one of Jack’s clients. Unexpectedly, Megumi asks him to help locate missing financial officer Stanton Lime. Sure enough, Jack’s ping for Lime gets no response whatsoever, which is practically inconceivable. Consequently, he initiates an investigation of sorts to find the missing man. |
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movie magic Watching a new or classic Hollywood film while sitting on the couch with a bowl of buttered popcorn and a purring cat sounds like heaven to many movie fans. But selecting a film for home viewing can be difficult: Toy Story 4, Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, or The Bank Dick, starring W.C. Fields? Kirkus Indie recently reviewed three nonfiction books that should help readers choose the per-
Though there’s little information in Lime’s workstream to indicate his whereabouts, Jack makes headway when he talks to two of the last people who saw him before he vanished. Once he uncovers “subversive” materials among Lime’s belongings, Jack, in little time, begins to question the System itself. He learns, for one, that the System’s most recent update includes a recorded historical fact that’s been slightly altered. Jack teams up with Megumi and others and tries to unearth whatever else the System may be hiding. Berger’s absorbing story skewers reliance on social media. What makes the System so unsettling is that it merely sends “prompts”; citizens can ignore these prompts but often abide by them regardless. Lighter moments help alleviate the overall somber tone. For example, after Jack’s genderfluid pal, Jesse, suggests Jack is a detective, the accountant subsequently researches Sherlock Holmes for reference. As the narrative progresses, the mystery slowly unravels, though the biggest surprise is saved for the final act. Berger’s prose is crisp, although the narrative can be vague since Jack gets few answers until the end. A sharp, gripping story of a bleak future.
fect movie to savor. Arthur Frank Wertheim’s W.C. Fields From Sound Film and Radio Comedy to Stardom explores the cranky comic’s success in movies like It’s a Gift and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break as well as his turbulent personal life. Fields was a “virtuoso comedian…who brought so much laughter to millions while enduring so much anguish,” Wertheim writes. Our critic calls the biography “a thorough, insightful study not only of Fields’ film comedies, but of the inner turmoil that fueled his genius.” A Guide to Streaming Great Films by Elliott Kanbar, a movie-industry consultant, examines various formats and on-demand, rental, and subscription services. The author also discusses public-domain films: “Most were released prior to 1960 and some may even go back to the days before sound. But they are free, so what the heck!” According to our reviewer, this “cheerful, functional reference work” should “appeal to film and television fans.” In Hitchcock’s California, movie historian Dan Auiler and photographers Aimee Sinclair and Robert Jones celebrate the legendary director’s celluloid achievements. Jones’ 80 photos of California locations in the auteur’s films form the striking centerpiece of this endeavor. The work also includes Sinclair’s “Souvenirs of a Killing,” 17 recreations of remarkable moments in Hitchcock’s movies, and the transcript of a conversation between Auiler and Jones. “A rich and vibrant homage to a singular visual stylist,” our critic writes.
THE CHRONICLES OF THE VIRAGO Book III: The Triumviratus Bialys, Michael Self (330 pp.)
This final book in a middle-grade fantasy trilogy sees a young teen and her friends protect her twin siblings while trying to save her father’s soul. In her previous adventure, 13-yearold Makenna Grace Gold defeated a seven-headed Red Dragon in China. She’s the Virago, a “Protector of Protectors” who shares a heroic lineage with Joan of Arc. However, a Souler has taken her father Michael’s soul to the Under Realms. It’s the work of Sir Malvado Seaton—the Dark One—who wants to keep Makenna’s infant siblings, Noah and Emi, from spreading a sense of hope around the world. Marigold Frith, the fairy Prelate, sends Makenna’s classmates Sam Taylor and Stephen Levine down to the Under Realms to retrieve Michael’s soul. Fairies Bree and Dee Delphine stand in as magical doppelgängers of Sam and Stephen on Earth while they’re away. And to keep Makenna’s mom, Misty, from worrying about her husband, the fairies secretly turn Fluffy, the Virago’s loyal worm, into Michael’s double as the Gold family visits China. The heroes must be ready for anything as Seaton flies in his private jet to Shanghai; his wicked, two-tailed cat, Savannah, arrives early and tries to attack the twins in their room at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel. Meanwhile, the real Sam and Stephen infiltrate the underworld after giving DuGaiman, a halftroll bouncer, the runaround. Thanks to Sam’s knowledge of a particular video game, they manage to track the Souler through hell’s numerous levels. The danger for Makenna increases when Ms. Creante, an Alghanii Demonesse, heals from her last battle and reenters the fray.
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An energetic page-turner with intriguing social commentary. dear durwood
In Bialys’ third series installment, the author performs a narrative victory lap, securing his trilogy a permanent place on his readers’ shelves. The tale expands the cast but maintains an excellent pace and a perfect balance between comedy and drama. Self-doubt torments the principal characters as much as any vampire cat might; indeed, Ms. Creante reminds Makenna, “you have yet to win a battle all on your own.” Later, in the Under Realms, a being named Orsin feeds Stephen from the tree of knowledge, and the boy experiences a vision in which Sam and Makenna get married as adults. Stephen and Sam nearly have a falling out over this possible future, and Bialys offers a potent illustration of young love. Seaton eventually tempts Makenna with a vision of herself as the most popular, graceful student at school (even the obnoxious Heather Stern worships her); the vision could be reality—if only she’ll give up the twins. Fluffy, in the guise of Michael, provides comedic relief as he struggles with being human. Bialys also offers plenty of quick jokes for adult fans, as when Marigold threatens to withhold DuGaiman’s tickets to a Celine Dion show. Such consistently entertaining details keep the story fresh and buoyant despite the darker themes. The sparkling prose never bogs down, and it’s a joy to meet creations with clever names, such as Ms. Judged. In the end, the Virago’s adventure ably delivers a fine message of selflessness. A nuanced and grand fantasy-series finale.
WHEN CAREGIVING CALLS Guidance as You Care for a Parent, Spouse, or Aging Relative Blight, Aaron Rivertowns Books (238 pp.) $16.95 paper | $6.99 e-book Oct. 13, 2020 978-1-73391-414-7
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caregiving from a very personal perspective. Often, he exposes the changing roles and conflicting emotions associated with caregiving, expressing feelings that may be uncomfortable but are widespread among practitioners. He writes, for example, “When the mother who cared for you becomes dependent upon care by you, the change can be unexpectedly difficult to comprehend and accept.” He references a study by two researchers that helps explain this “role identity conflict,” offering helpful suggestions for how to cope with such a common situation. Blight also deftly discusses the complex dynamic if the caregiver and the receiver have “an imperfect relationship.” In this case, caregivers “need to decide how much they can tolerate and then set boundaries with the care receiver.” Throughout the book, the author brings up thorny, challenging issues and then applies his experience in proposing mechanisms to deal with them. In writing about time management, for example, he acknowledges that caregivers often need to adjust their schedules to meet receivers’ needs. He then suggests six time-management strategies to handle this reality. When he points to “compassion fatigue,” a condition that occurs when caregivers get worn out, he lists 10 “stress-reduction tips” for them to follow. Blight diligently covers many aspects of how caregiving affects both parties, such as the impact on other members of the family, the problems of juggling caregiving and work, the pros and cons of hiring outside assistance, the discomfort surrounding ministering to an aging body, the demands of coping with dementia, and more. Blight writes in a conversational, informal style. He demonstrates a keen understanding of the entire spectrum of caregiving and uses pertinent examples. He continuously reassures the caregiver, especially when he talks about the “rewards” of the role. In this respect, Blight is both educator and cheerleader. His intimate knowledge of caregiving—how it affects the two principals— makes this a valuable resource. Candid, compassionate, and comforting caregiving advice.
DEAR DURWOOD
A debut work directed at caregivers delivers straight talk and a lot of
Bond, Jeff Self (190 pp.) $13.99 paper | $0.99 e-book Apr. 5, 2020 978-1-73225-529-6
understanding. About 21% of adults in the United States—as many as 53 million Americans—act as caregivers for aging or disabled loved ones, according to a 2020 research report cited by Blight. This segment of the population performs a service that the author is all too familiar with. He and his wife were caregivers to his mother-in-law in their home for close to two years following brain surgery, after which she lived independently but needed assistance from health aides. The episode led Blight to start his own home care company and eventually become a caregiving consultant. These three experiences—caregiver, owner of a home care service, and consultant—uniquely qualify the author to comprehend the complex, often emotional aspects of providing care for a spouse or aging parent. The book is smartly organized into 18 brief yet highly relevant chapters, each addressing an aspect of caregiving. At the close of every chapter, questions are included for reflection. Rather than attempt to create a manual, the author shares salient observations about
A paramilitary do-gooder defends a Texas town from corporate skulduggery in this rollicking adventure tale. This is the second novel in Bond’s Third Chance Enterprises series about a trio of private-eye security specialists. It’s a solo outing for Durwood Oak Jones, an ex-Marine contractor and West Virginia sorghum farmer with a sideline in righting injustices for people who respond to his ads in Soldier of Fortune magazine. One such letter comes from Chickasaw, Texas’ Democratic mayor, Carol Bridges, who thinks the Hogan Consolidated factory, a mainstay of the local economy, is being forced by lawsuits into a buyout that will result in mass layoffs. Nosing around corporate paperwork and court filings isn’t a |
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typical project for Durwood, who usually solves problems with his fists, an M9 semiautomatic, and his arthritic hound dog, Sue-Ann. But Carol, an attractive, redheaded Iraq War vet who can quote Scripture, appeals to him, and the apparent villains— a 28-year-old CEO and some lawyers—are so loathsome that he feels compelled to get involved. The case leads to violence that gets Durwood framed for murder after he uncovers evidence of double-dealing (and a bit of BDSM); the case later takes a swerve that makes him question everything he thought he knew about the case. Bond’s tale features his usual lean, laconic, and evocative prose and mixes vivid character development (“He fared poorly when talking just to talk. Every useless word felt like some tiny roofing nail you’d spilled and had to go hunting through the grass for”) with gripping procedural and fight scenes (“Durwood punched his spine again. Harder….Holcomb, on his knees, was sinking like a slab of butter left out overnight”). It also has unobtrusive political themes, as Durwood feels himself a defender of honest capitalism against those who decry it and the “Wall Street sharks” who parasitize it. Eventually, however, he finds himself second-guessing his own heartland ethos; at one point, he muses that “The story had looked simple, black lines on white paper,” causing him to nurse “his own righteousness like the worst men of the age.” The result is an energetic page-turner with intriguing social commentary. An entertaining, richly imagined action yarn with intellectual bite.
Camarda, Len AuthorHouse (298 pp.) $31.99 | $20.99 paper | $5.99 e-book May 31, 2020 978-1-72836-147-5 978-1-72836-149-9 paper The mysterious disappearance of two young women involves international crime and cultural manipulation in this novel. Drawing on his globe-trotting travels throughout Europe, former businessman-turned-author Camarda again re-creates the atmospheric, dramatic tension permeating his impressive debut, The Seventh Treasure (2012). This sequel focuses on the abduction of two University of Madrid law students. Spanish student Paz de la Cruz and her American best friend, Francesca “Frankie” Fontana, met while both were in high school. Frankie’s father was managing director of the Spanish subsidiary of a pharmaceutical company based in the United States. He held lavish annual dinners with his partner, Rodrigo, Paz’s father. Under the orchestration of ruthless Assad al-Amin, leader of the Saqr (Falcon in Arabic) militant faction, the young women are abducted and taken to Dubai. They are set to become pawns in a nefarious “hundredyear plan” to empower, educate, and emancipate female citizens beyond the patriarchal restraints of radical Islamic cultural suppression. The details of Assad’s crusade involve kidnapping “the best and brightest female leaders from universities throughout Europe.” They are then auctioned online to the highest bidders and forced into becoming “special educators,” mentoring and teaching leadership skills to the children of Middle Eastern families. As expected, the spirited Paz and Frankie don’t acquiesce easily, but conceding their limited options, they begin teaching kids and unexpectedly bond with them. Meanwhile, pulled back into action and assigned to investigate the two women’s disappearance are the tough, seasoned detectives from Camarda’s debut: Spain’s National Police Force Capt. Mercedes Garcia Rico and FBI special agent Gino Cerone. Because the women have prominent fathers, the captain finds herself under intense scrutiny to act fast, but the probe is hindered by an absence of both evidence and any ransom demands. Delivered in short, clipped chapters, the author’s plot continues to branch outward, laying the somewhat convoluted groundwork for an engrossing story of Middle Eastern intrigue and modern cultural transfiguration thankfully devoid of egregious violence. International suspense fans will appreciate Camarda’s impeccable narrative pacing as he seamlessly interweaves the perspectives of cunning Assad, reluctant teachers Paz and Frankie, and the two (smitten) detectives who desperately maneuver to rescue them. A smooth, satisfying conclusion ties up loose ends while opening the door for more installments. An adventuresome investigative thriller with global flair and captivating, hardcore sleuths to cheer.
YOU BE YOU
Brehm, Richard Illus. by Coelho, Rogério BeeZeus Publishing 978-1-64999-718-0
Faced with a blank canvas, a young girl finds her creative spirit in Brehm’s unusual picture book. Emerging from a dark forest, a sickle moon overhead, a young girl enters “a whispery house / At the edge of the wild,” where mysterious “Old Master Paint” awaits her in a cape of luminous, swirling colors. Too tongue-tied and uncertain to say her name, the girl is given a bucket and a brush and led down strange hallways and upstairs to a room dominated by an enormous, white canvas—hers to paint, she is told. After a tentative, disappointing first effort, the little girl’s anger and self-doubt— in the form of trolls, wolves, and her alter ego—threaten to get the better of her until she realizes that she is in control. It is her own life the girl is painting, and she can choose to “Dream large! Grab on! / You’re just getting started, / Such adventures to come!” The offbeat cadence of inspirational, rhyming, and almost-rhyming text winds through dreamlike images by awardwinning Brazilian author/illustrator Coelho. Shadowed rooms (odd angles and haunting details), rich abstractions of patterns and color, and showers of light reflect the little girl’s initial hesitation to claim her place in the world and her subsequent, celebratory sense of self-discovery. An uplifting, eye-filling adventure encouraging children to realize their innate creativity and individuality. 116
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Carlyle’s poems resonate with lived experience. magnolia canopy otherworld
MAGNOLIA CANOPY OTHERWORLD
of kindness multiply as people begin to pass out food, sing carols, and notice one another. A storm unfortunately blows the Christmas Weed away, but the memory of the plant helps the people of the city remember “the spirit of giving.” This sweet story is accompanied by lush illustrations by Gortman, who portrays Toledo’s citizens as diverse. The author manages to convey the importance of charity and community without making the tale mawkish or trite. She closes the text with the real story of the Christmas Weed and the hope that the holiday magic will continue. A heartwarming holiday tale that proves even the littlest things can make a big difference.
Carlyle, Erin Driftwood Press (78 pp.) $14.99 paper | Dec. 15, 2020 978-1-949065-08-4 Carlyle spins lyrical realities and grim fantasies in her first collection of poetry. Set against the dreamy backdrop of an uncanny American South, the poet weaves together more than 30 poems that explore family dynamics, awakening sexuality, unexpected dangers, and the lasting, systemic effects of poverty and drug abuse. The author draws from her own upbringing in Kentucky and Alabama but infuses her recollections with fairy-tale logic and mythic figures. Some girls are depicted as ghostly sirens in creeks or as corpses that eerie “Rivermen” might dredge up. The woods are populated with strange desires, and there are references to the Animal, a totemic creature apparently located at the precipice of puberty. A pain clinic is portrayed as both a church and temptation, with the pills it doles out as the only communion available. Carlyle’s poetry will absorb readers with lush imagery that doesn’t shy away from the carnal and disturbing: “What man made their bodies into tables—arms and legs bent backward, / a coffee cup on the sternum?” The poetry also makes use of space, with stanzas strategically formatted to draw attention to specific thoughts or words and entire sections that call back to others, adding to the cyclical, fablelike quality of the collection. Carlyle’s poems resonate with lived experience; in an interview, she acknowledges that some of her subject matter was influenced by her family’s struggles with opioids, which contributed to her father’s death in 2019. There’s a clear sense of loss in these poems, which helps to transform a paean to rural adolescent girlhood into a catharsis for both the poet and the reader. A set of works suffused with wonder, terror, and honesty.
20/20
Clark, B. Shawn First Run Books (240 pp.) $24.95 | $2.99 e-book | Dec. 1, 2019 978-1-73430-830-3
THE WEED THAT WOKE CHRISTMAS The Mostly True Tale of the Toledo Christmas Weed Christian, Alayne Kay Illus. by Gortman, Polina Blue Whale Press (40 pp.) $16.99 | Oct. 1, 2020 978-0-9814938-1-7
Based on a true story, this picture book spreads Christmas cheer through an unlikely character. Taking some liberties with the truth, Christian tells of Weed, a scraggly plant who, as a small seed, floats on a breeze into the middle of a traffic circle and grows there. Though most people ignore the unremarkable Weed as they pass by, a little girl decides to wrap the plant in tinsel. Now very flashy and obvious, Weed becomes a focal point for Toledo, Ohio, citizens to drop off necessities for the needy. These small acts |
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In Clark’s cautionary climate change tale, a Florida village leader in a deluged future recalls his boyhood in the 2020s. Clark’s novel opens in the late 21st century. The “Captain,” a village elder living on Florida’s disappearing coastline, describes his youth in the catastrophic 2020s (“the Roaring Twenties”), when climate change led the seas to nearly swallow the Sunshine State. After his sailor father went AWOL from the Navy in a George W. Bush–style resource war, the juvenile hero finds a surrogate dad in the neighborhood eccentric, a hermit called Harrison, whose DIY compound is self-designed and landscaped to survive escalating storms and floods. Harrison’s mysterious partner is a striking, dark-skinned “Amazon Warrior Princess” called Calusa, an alleged remnant of lost tribes who thrived before White invasion. The boy introduces his skeptical mom to Harrison’s “Hermitage” and its peculiar ways. The little commune lacks building permits and maintains a welcoming attitude to the area’s Haitian minority, aggravating the vile, racist bureaucracy in the local housing association. But Harrison is vindicated when only his structure withstands a killer storm (“the Big One”) that drowns much of the state. A remote federal government cannot bring relief to the general populace. Only Harrison’s minicolony shows a sustainable future using tidal irrigation, shell middens, and off-the-grid technology, like solar power. The tone here is agreeably all ages, and while many “cli-fi” novels (including YA ones) maintain a dreary pessimism, Clark’s invokes the utopian rather than dystopian. Harrison, with wry pop-culture references, outlines Western civilization’s sins (like the Industrial Revolution). With the Captain by his side as an apprentice, Harrison turns disaster into positive change via small-is-beautiful philosophies, revivals of a barter economy, and conducting maritime trading among the fresh island chains wrought from post-flood Florida. Literary allusions include The Swiss Family Robinson, though readers may remember another Harrison-like visionary/survivalist protagonist in Paul Theroux’s The Mosquito Coast (1981). That guy ended 117
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a doomed madman; in comparison, this serves a more upbeat, if still bittersweet, forecast of rough weather ahead. Florida gets a much-needed reset via climate apocalypse in a bighearted instructional tale.
Count, Susan Hastings Creations Group (200 pp.) $8.99 paper | $3.99 e-book Aug. 24, 2020 978-0-9970883-2-8
NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE
A Texas boy and his cousin face unexpected challenges when trying to protect fireflies in this middle-grade novel. In Book 1 of the new Texas Boys Adventures series by Count, 12-yearold Davy, a budding entomologist, arrives for a summer visit at his grandfather’s farm, “the best insect observation site he knew.” At first, it seems that annoying younger cousin Anderson will spoil Davy’s plans, until the two discover a colony of endangered fireflies, which communicate by flashing in code, in the forest on the edge of Grandpa’s farm. Davy learns that a neighboring farmer’s pasture-clearing is decimating the fireflies’ habitat. He and Anderson decide to become “Firefly Warriors,” seeking ways to help the glowing insects. The author’s touch of the supernatural in the plot is deftly balanced with the boys’ lively, reality-based adventures and by strong messaging about insects and their vital place in the world’s ecology, under threat from pesticides and loss of habitat. “If the insects die, then everything that needs them for food dies too,” Davy says. (Davy’s knowledge about nature isn’t restricted to fireflies. His opportunities for sharing facts about insects and other wildlife arise naturally in conversation—and during a scary encounter with a rat snake.) Davy learns of a possible solution to the fireflies’ plight that would allow farmers to turn part of their land over to wildlife preservation, but before he can promote this idea, a raging fire breaks out, threatening farms and forest and sending the fireflies’ chances for survival plummeting. Davy and Anderson will use their strength and ingenuity to corral frightened cattle and help firefighters’ efforts to control the blaze, but will they be able to help the fireflies? Meanwhile, the successful, warm heart of the novel is found in the changing dynamic between Davy and Anderson and in subtle character-building messages about friendship, empathy, and courage in the face of fear. A handful of cleanly rendered, black-and-white line drawings illustrate the action; the back of the book includes numerous firefly facts. Appealing young male protagonists, a touch of magic, respect for nature and human connection, and plenty of action.
Conrey, Barbara Red Adept Publishing (276 pp.) $13.99 paper | $7.99 e-book Aug. 4, 2020 978-1-948051-57-6
In Conrey’s debut novel, a woman sacrifices her personal relationships in her quest to find a cure for glioblastoma. Emma is a dedicated neuro-oncologist who has a promising career and a stable marriage to Tim. As the novel opens, they’ve just discovered that Emma is pregnant. He’s elated, but her excitement quickly dissipates as, she narrates, “I struggled between what I wanted and what my work demanded.” When she was a child, Emma lost her best friend, Kate, to glioblastoma—a form of cancer that occurs in the brain or spinal cord. Emma works relentlessly on a glioblastoma treatment, spurred on by the memory of Kate and the fact that she works for Kate’s father, Ned, at the hospital. After she gives birth to her daughter, Ali, her husband hopes that she’ll slow down and refocus her attention on her family. But postpartum depression (and a firm belief that “I had to put Kate first. I had to. I couldn’t give up”) leads Emma to push Tim and Ali away. Emma agrees to get counseling from Susan, a kind, unflappable therapist. However, despite Emma’s attempts to open up, the memory of Kate may prevent her from reconnecting with her own family. Overall, this novel offers a nuanced look at one woman’s complicated relationship with motherhood. For example, although Emma loves Ali, she’s unable to say reassuring things to her when she needs them, such as, “I’m your mother. I love you. I’m sorry.” There are moments when Emma’s empty promises start to feel repetitive, although they do allow readers to sympathize with Tim’s frustration as Emma pulls away from the family. Conrey also loads a fair amount of important exposition into Emma’s conversations with her therapist, but these sections help to explain the protagonist’s mindset and her relationships to Kate and Ned. Although Emma irrationally still wants to save her childhood friend, Conrey shows how Susan tries to help her patient help herself. An often engrossing narrative about putting one’s vocation first, no matter the personal cost.
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FitzPatrick captures Mansfield’s fervent dedication to her craft. katherine mansfield
LAW FIVE
An Italian referee is thrown into the center of a corruption scandal in Disco’s debut thriller. Milo Sant’Elia is a referee for an Italian professional football—that is, soccer— league. It’s not an easy job: He must stay as fit as the players while also performing under the gaze of the sport’s unforgiving fans: “At the highest level, when a player makes a mistake, the fans forgive them after the next touch of the ball,” explains Milo’s brother, Dino, one of the book’s narrators. “But when a referee makes a mistake, it’s inexcusable—the abuse can follow an official for the rest of their career.” However, Milo is understandably horrified when he receives a package at his home in Palermo containing an amputated human thumb—a clear message of intimidation. Milo suspects it has to do with an upcoming high-stakes match, and he refuses to go to the local police until he identifies the culprits with the help of Dino and their attorney friend, Sansone; the ref specifically fears that the Referees’ Association may have been compromised. He attempts to referee games as usual, but he quickly finds his career, and his life, under threat; a mobster, who’s part-owner of a football team, had a referee killed in a game-fixing scheme—and Milo thinks he’s next. The novel is formatted like an oral history, with multiple characters recounting memories. This epistolary style gives the book a somewhat antiquated feel, but it doesn’t hamper the story’s pacing. Disco’s prose captures a convincing conversational tone, as when Dino and Milo drive to the airport: “Milo’s car was a furnace. The engine rumbled steadily behind us….We drove with the windows down, and I don’t know how, but sitting in that heat gave me chills.” Milo is a particularly intriguing character—an aging referee and bookstore employee who lives by a rigorous code of conduct and also likes to rock out to Austrian heavy metal. The various narrative voices are distinctive, and the transitions between them add a sense of momentum to the narrative. The novel is relatively brief, and the pages mostly fly by, keeping readers pleasantly engrossed. A lean and enjoyable crime novel set in the sports world.
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friend and contemporary of Virginia Woolf, Mansfield is sent to Queens College in London at the age of 14. In New Zealand after graduation, Mansfield persuades her wealthy father to let her return to England to pursue a career in the arts. He grudgingly agrees, offering her a small allowance, hoping that poverty will convince her to come home. In London, she dabbles in music and performance and becomes a hit at parties. But the literary world beckons, and after her first short story collection is published, she connects with and eventually marries John Middleton Murry, the publisher of a new literary journal. Unfortunately, an earlier fling in Bavaria leaves her with gonorrhea and then she contracts tuberculosis. As her literary star is rising due to her innovative stream-of-consciousness style, Mansfield becomes increasingly more ill and flees to Italy for better weather. During a protracted five-year battle with TB, she seeks a miracle cure while never ceasing to write stories and reviews, creating an impressive body of work in a very short lifetime. FitzPatrick’s heavily researched novel, which focuses mainly on the five years that Mansfield fights her battle with TB, truly gets into the head of the innovative writer as she balances career, a shaky marriage, and a fatal illness while struggling financially. The dialogue and period details are convincing, and bright spots come from close friends, including Woolf, but mostly the bizarrely devoted Ida Baker, a writer, whom FitzPatrick recreates with generosity. The story is a tragic one, but the author deftly captures Mansfield’s fervent dedication to her craft and her unwavering hope that she will overcome her illness. A well-informed, intuitive account of a singular modernist writer whose life is cut short.
Disco, Ubbi Self (219 pp.) $12.95 paper | $6.99 e-book Mar. 17, 2020
THE BLIND PIG MURDERS
Gertcher, Frank L. Wind Grass Hill Books (320 pp.) $29.99 | Oct. 15, 2020 978-0-9835754-6-7
Caroline Case and Hannibal Jones, now living in a lush penthouse in Chicago, return in Gertcher’s second installment of a series, once again navigating the crossfire of the warring Al Capone and a North Side gang. It’s October 1928, and Caroline—formerly the madam of a houseboat brothel in the Wabash Valley and currently a private detective together with her partner Hannibal—receives an early morning phone call from neighbor and new friend Ruth Meltzer. The police are at Ruth’s apartment, having just informed her of the death of her 28-year-old son, Sydney. His lifeless body was discovered in his suite at the luxe Steven’s Hotel. Caroline and Hannibal have their next case. Sydney, a handsome, rich playboy, frequented one of Chicago’s vast assortment of speakeasies, known as “blind pigs.” As Caroline explains, “rival Chicago gangs fight bloody battles over control of the illegal booze trade. Murders are frequent, and I investigate.” Two different poisons are found in Sydney’s system, and it appears more than one person wanted him dead. Meanwhile, the duo is handed
KATHERINE MANSFIELD
FitzPatrick, Joanna La Drome Press (308 pp.) $16.95 paper | Oct. 14, 2020 978-0-9916549-8-7
A historical novel reconstructs the life of Katherine Mansfield as she becomes a noted short story writer and critic while battling tuberculosis. Though Mansfield’s life begins in New Zealand in the late 19th century, she makes her mark on the literary world in England. An eventual |
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another case. Someone is trying to kill Giuseppe Costanzo’s youngest son, Michael. Giuseppe owns a string of bakeries in Chicago; not incidentally, he also launders money for Capone. There is plenty of fuel for a high-action drama, and Gertcher doesn’t disappoint. Like the series opener, the novel is enjoyably lightened by humor and a strong protagonist. And vivid portrayals of locale, décor, and clothing land readers squarely in the Roaring ’20s. One caveat: Caroline’s repetitious description of her favorite evening lounge attire becomes wearying. Nonetheless, Caroline is smart, confident, and spirited, and in between the shootings, knifings, and a kidnapping is some solid sleuthing. Gertcher supplies a sizable cast of likable secondary players; kudos go to Ruth, a clever, wealthy widow with a wickedly useful cane. A fun murder-and-mayhem detective story enhanced by historical details and a sturdy female lead.
torture room at Theresienstadt: “Starlings were swooping in and out of nests….Diving up, under the eaves on the outside of the buildings, they pulled bits of string and straw in after them.” Some readers may question the juxtaposition of Gray’s and Lev’s very different voices, but they blend together well, informing each other, and Gray ensures that Lev remains the central focus. Illustrated with Lev’s family photographs, this is a remarkable tale of survival and unexpected kinship. A vitally important Holocaust story eruditely captured.
BUBBLE ’N’ SQUEAK A Collection of Short Stories Groak, Stephen Outskirts Press (156 pp.) $14.95 paper | $2.99 e-book Jun. 10, 2020 978-1-977226-39-6
THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV Rascal. Holocaust Survivor. Optimist.
A collection offers humorous and heart-rending stories inspired by the writer’s childhood in New Zealand. Nigel Sorenson, the protagonist of these tales, copes with his mother’s death with as much stoicism as the 6-year-old can muster. But Groak, the author of Christmas Yve (2016), presents Nigel’s loss with skillful levity, setting the tone for this assemblage of stories. Nigel is desperate to connect with his father, Ian, who is loving but reserved. The protagonist has a stronger relationship with his sister, Helen, who is three years younger: “A mate, especially a sister-mate, always knew what a fellow mate was thinking.” The siblings are sensitive to changes in their father’s behavior: “Both siblings exchanged a furtive glance: What’s happ ening? Dad never drops a wheelie.” Ian is noticeably happy on a few occasions, such as driving to Kentucky Fried Chicken (“ ‘It’s American,’ Dad boasted”), watching rugby, and starting a new relationship. The tales unfold chronologically, describing moments of togetherness—such as Nigel playing chess with his grandfather—as well as isolation. In “The Face of Death,” Nigel, then 13, is terrorized by his “pimple-faced” reflection, telling him he’ll always be a loner. “King of Queen Street,” the book’s final story, takes place when Nigel is 18 and going on his first job interview. His inner monologue once again berates him, finally relenting when Nigel cracks a smile. Groak’s collection is filled with rewarding surprises. The narrator delivers playful and heartfelt observations in unexpected places, like a public restroom, where young Nigel resists glancing at his father: “Some things you did alone: peeing, taking a school test...dying.” Although Nigel is consistently the book’s focus, the narrative perspective changes from third person to first. The shifts can feel jarring, and readers may crave the continuity of a novel for such a compelling protagonist. But the work remains a delightful journey through the ups and downs of childhood and adolescence in suburban New Zealand. Touching coming-of-age tales about boyhood and resilience.
Gray, Julie Self (322 pp.) $16.95 paper | $5.99 e-book Jun. 30, 2020 978-1-73524-970-4
In this elegantly conceived memoir, a Czechoslovakia-born Holocaust survivor works with an LA editor to write his life story, and a tender friendship ensues. Gidon Lev was born in Karlsbad, Czechoslovakia, in 1935. When he was 6, he and his mother were ordered by the Nazis to board a train to Theresienstadt concentration camp, where he remained until the age of 10. Lev lost 26 members of his family in the Holocaust. In 1959, he immigrated to Israel and served in the Six-Day War. His marriage to his first wife “fell apart incrementally but dramatically”; Lev found a note on her door saying she had gone to America, taking their children with her. A two-time cancer survivor himself, he lost his second wife to lung cancer months before Gray moved to Israel in 2012. Lev sought out Gray as an editor, but while collaborating on his book project, they spent “almost every day together” and realized they made “great life partners.” The memoir later recalls their visit to the West Bank and Lev’s horror that the “fenced-in” Arab villages remind him of Theresienstadt. Gray’s narrative voice—which fills in historical detail and offers personal commentary on moments such as when she returned to Theresienstadt with Lev—is delicately balanced with transcriptions of interviews with Lev. Lev’s vivid recollections of the concentration camp are haunting: “We didn’t really know that there were gas chambers. But there were rumors of things like that.” Lev casually throws in tantalizing nuggets of information about his family history (“The truth is, my grandfather owned a Stradivarius viola”), and Gray’s descriptions augment scenes, like when she recalls entering a 120
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QUEEN’S GAMBIT
A 19th-century journalist becomes a potential target in a mission to kill the queen in this thriller. It’s 1897, and Margaret Harkness is a 40-year-old writer who describes herself as a suffragette and Christian socialist. She’s working on freelance pieces for newspapers when she’s diagnosed with “something resembling lupus.” Her illness and age make her consider retirement to Australia, but she’s doesn’t have the money necessary for the journey. As a result, she accepts a job with her old friend professor Joseph Bell—a real-life figure who provided author Arthur Conan Doyle with the inspiration for his famed fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Bell’s latest spy-hunting assignment takes the two to Germany, where Harkness works as Bell’s translator. However, their mission coincides with that of Herman Ott, a man with a connection to the Russian revolutionary group Narodnaya Volya (“People’s Will”), who’s on a mission of revenge against Queen Victoria. Soon, Harkness discovers that she, herself, is in danger, as well. Harper, the author of A Knife in the Fog (2018), offers an excellent continuation of Harkness’ adventures. All of the characters are vivid creations, but the middle-aged Harkness is a standout as a middle-aged female protagonist—a demographic that’s unfortunately rare in thriller fiction. Harper’s prose is often as humorous as it is well researched; an early scene in which Harkness meets Queen Victoria and deals with a snobbish chamberlain is but one of many fine examples of his skill. Harper seamlessly and enjoyably blends elements of historical fact with a thrilling story of political intrigue and anarchy. There are some slightly slow moments, but they’re few and far between, and Harkness’ sharp intellect and delightful personality more than make up for them. A marvelous tale that will satisfy historical fiction enthusiasts.
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confident boy who calls himself Shaka; he’s not only her match in musical knowledge, he also writes his own rap verses with a schoolboy hip-hop crew. Shaka finds himself smitten by Zahara and tries to bring the anxious girl out of her shell. However, he has his own doubts and insecurities underneath his showman persona. Unlike the private-schooled, light-complexioned Zahara, public-schooled Shaka comes from the poor part of town and has been ridiculed all his life for his dark skin. As summer starts, the two teens grow closer, and a tender romance begins to blossom. Soon, Zahara and Shaka are caught in a whirlwind of creative collaboration, self-discovery, and family revelations that will leave them forever changed. In the tradition of the best YA stories, Hillhouse’s characters are convincing because they’re unfailingly realistic in their interactions, interests, and struggles. Her players sound like actual people, and specifically like Antiguan teens. Through their personal journeys, readers learn about issues that affect young people in Antigua and across the globe, including internalized racism, colorism, economic inequality, generational trauma, and old-fashioned teenage angst. This is not to say that the book is heavy or maudlin in tone; on the contrary, Hillhouse’s writing is overwhelmingly joyful and explicitly invested in the power of Black joy, Black excellence, and Black self-love. A charming and edifying work with a romance that will make YA fans swoon.
Harper, Bradley Seventh Street Books (288 pp.) $10.99 paper | $9.99 e-book Sep. 17, 2019 978-1-64506-001-7
WEST OF IRELAND
Hoff, C.P. Black Crow Books (346 pp.) $15.00 paper | $4.99 e-book Oct. 1, 2019 978-0-9812215-0-2 An Irish family in Canada faces a stark generational choice. Hoff ’s impressive fiction debut centers on the O’Brien family in New Brunswick, Canada. Mr. O’Brien is garrulous and tries to be optimistic, holding court at The Donnybrook, the local pub, every day, and Mrs. O’Brien is sharp and forceful, haunted by the fact that all of her many children but one died very early (“Three boys and five girls buried one after the other in the churchyard, none living long enough to open their eyes to see, or their mouths to cry”). Tended by servants, the couple lives in a fine house with their only daughter, Mary-Kate, a highspirited, bookish young woman who’s continuously being proffered by her father to all the eligible or semi-eligible men in the town of Tnúth. Mary-Kate is the book’s most complex dramatic creation, and the subject of her matrimonial future is a contentious one. Years ago, Mrs. O’Brien made a rash promise to her sister-in-law, Sister Mary-Frances, pledging one of her children to religious orders, and Sister Mary-Frances is determined to collect (“The long line of O’Briens was coming to an end,” we’re told, “and she wanted to make sure it finished with some dignity”). Hoff adds to these charged premises a third storyline that’s customarily a staple of comedy rather than drama: Mrs.
MUSICAL YOUTH
Hillhouse, Joanne C. Caribbean Reads Publishing (280 pp.) $16.99 | $10.99 paper | Sep. 15, 2019 978-1-73382-996-0 978-1-73382-995-3 paper Two very different teenagers with a shared gift for music fall in love over a summer in this YA novel by Antiguan and Barbudan author Hillhouse. In Antigua, painfully shy Zahara can play guitar and has an encyclopedic knowledge of famous musicians, but she just can’t work up the courage to perform in front of people—and her strict grandmother likely wouldn’t allow it, anyway. Then she meets a cute, |
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Joven’s comical, retro, and ingenious illustrations are brimming with kid appeal. a little bit of dinosaur!
A LITTLE BIT OF DINOSAUR!
O’Brien’s quarrelsome mother (referred to by her son-in-law as “Our Lady of Blessed Misery” and called by her daughter simply “Herself ”), having just recently buried her husband, has decided to come and live with the O’Briens. Hoff animates this tale of over-the-top family dysfunction with wit, considerable writing skills (at one point we read “There was enough blue in the sky to cut out a pair of pants”), and deadpan humor (“I’m not ignoring you,” one character tells another, “I’m just pretending you’re not here”). And the very human pathos of the novel is always present but never heavy-handed, with even the most outlandish characters written to a fine shade of believability. An eccentric, ultimately moving novel of an expat Irish family in turmoil.
Hutcheson, Elleen & Pattison, Darcy Illus. by Joven, John Mims House (32 pp.) $23.99 | $11.99 paper | $5.99 e-book Feb. 9, 2021 978-1-62944-153-5 978-1-62944-154-2 paper An atom of calcium makes the journey from dinosaur bone to child’s body in this entertaining tale about the conservation of mass. When the narrator announces to a brown-haired, blue-eyed child: “You have a little bit of Tyrannosaurus rex in your jawbone,” the child looks astonished. It is, the narrator explains, the child’s mother’s fault. But how did the bit of dinosaur get there? The narrator guides the child—and the reader—through the saga of a dinosaur’s living, dying, and being buried long ago. As rain erodes both the rock burying the dinosaur and a little bit of the dinosaur’s toe bone, calcium from the bones washes into the river. From there, the water irrigates a corn field, the corn is fed to a cow, and the cow makes milk, which becomes cheese, which the child’s mother purchases for lunch. The calcium becomes part of the child’s bones—and will one day again return to the cycle to perhaps become calcium in the spine of a blue whale. Hutcheson and Pattison introduce difficult science concepts in simple, accessible language. Although death is a part of this cycle, it’s handled in a scientific and not scary way. Joven’s comical, retro, and ingenious illustrations—featuring bright colors as well as a cow that rides inside a tractor and has a milk faucet inside her body—are brimming with kid appeal. A science-centric winner, especially for young dinosaur lovers.
CHUCKLES AND SMILES Children’s Poems
Howell, Raven Illus. by Wray, Jordan Warren Publishing (34 pp.) $16.95 | $9.99 paper | Aug. 16, 2020 978-1-73509-155-6 978-1-73509-156-3 paper A captivating use of language to spark children’s interest in words and rhymes shapes this collection of 26 short poems by Howell, a prolific picture-book author whose poetry has frequently appeared in children’s literary magazines. A jaunty orange squirrel is a “Bulb digger, / nest rigger, / seed stacker, / nut cracker, / tree stalker, / fence walker.” A balloon wants to hear words “that lift and fly, / like float and waft, / or DRIFT and sky.” Ranging in style from couplets and quatrains to free-form poetry and nontraditional haiku, the poems are graphically designed so that certain words are capitalized and set in different colors for eye-catching emphasis. The fanciful, funny, kid-respecting tone of the poems is delightfully matched by respected Canadian illustrator Wray. Among his brightly colored images of Howell’s subjects—the seasons, trees, the wind, animals, insects, and a diverse cast of kids—are “hysterical” hyenas, a clown in a pickle jar, bare feet in summer grass, a tantrum-throwing baby lettuce, a little girl eating cake with a blue dinosaur in a chef ’s hat (“Pete, My Dino”), dancing piggies with umbrellas (“Thud and Splash”), swirls of lap-threatening spaghetti, anchovies afloat over a pizza, and rosy-cheeked, sleepy mushrooms wearing “spongy caps / for little shaded buggy naps.” Lap-sitters and early readers are sure to have their favorites. This is a book made for read-aloud (and rereading) fun. An entrancing, lively book that celebrates words and a child’s imagination.
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WOMEN IN THE WAITING ROOM
Kapur, Kirun Black Lawrence Press (85 pp.) $16.95 paper | Oct. 20, 2020 978-1-62557-823-5 Kapur’s collected poems compellingly respond to afflictions and healing in women’s lives. This second collection for Kapur, following Visiting Indira Gandhi’s Palmist (2015), was a finalist for the National Poetry Series; many of the poems first appeared in literary magazines while two won awards and were anthologized. Several threads weave through the book, including Hindu mythology, conversations on a crisis hotline, and the ravages of illness for both sufferer and onlooker. Much of the work addresses the corrosive ways girls are portrayed as responsible for their own rape and abuse. Drawing on the Hindu epic Ramayana, in which Sita, wife of Rama, must prove her innocence via fire ordeal after being kidnapped by a demon |
king, Kapur writes in her opening poem that “Every girl can be taught / her middle name is shame.” Whether ancient or contemporary, the same story prevails, as suggested by the poetic form in “Steubenville Ghazal” (referring to the 2013 Steubenville High School rape case). An Arabic poetry form dating to the seventh century, the ghazal is written in couplets that repeat an ending refrain—in this case, a preposition plus him. Narrated by the survivor, the building up of this phrase leads to a devastating conclusion: “My name is redacted, it no longer applies. / I end every line writing him, him, him,” just as media accounts tended to focus on harm to the promising futures of the accused. The spareness of Kapur’s lines throughout the collection speaks of emotions that must be contained; in the hotline poems, fragmentary lines halt and hesitate across the page as the callers struggle to articulate their stories. “I wish the old me would just,” reads one unfinished, perhaps unfinishable, thought. Such lines thrum with coiled tension. Throughout, the speaker’s role is often to bear witness, sometimes in ways that can find expression only on the page. As a hotline worker, she’s been trained not to react with shock; as a hospital visitor, in the poetry cycle that gives the collection its name, she must be circumspect: “I watch the last / whip of light blurring the far bank slip away. / It will be back tomorrow. I know better than to say so.” Kapur’s craft is everywhere evident, as in these lines from “Waiting for Sleep, I Imagine Sita in Her Youth,” a poem that also uses imagery from Sita’s captivity, though the she in the poem could be any Indian woman: “From the window she could see / women from every corner of the city // walk into the river, disappear / then rise clean, saris soaking.” The sibilants in these lines onomatopoeically recall the rush and rinse of water, as they do in the final stanza when the speaker imagines herself with Sita in the river, “so we might both rise ready / to wring out the story.” The alliteration of window/women/walk and rise/ready/wring skillfully enacts both the connection described and the process of transforming experience through the work of art making. Poems of craft, power, and compassion: a fine collection.
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make him an offer he cannot refuse. He is to lead the efforts in a clandestine operation “for the benefit of parties you may or may not sympathize with, but who pose no direct threat to anything or anyone you hold dear.” For his role in setting up holding companies in strategic locations around the world, he will be paid a million euros. Ironically, Rose’s anonymity is what makes him so valuable: “Pascual Rose disappeared before everything was put on the computer,” he is told. “That means we have a blank slate for creating a digital record of his activity for the last twenty or more years, starting with the irrefutable fact of his existence.” But despite implied threats to his family, Rose cannot just take their money and do the job. He uses his long dormant skills to try to stay one step ahead of his minders. It has been almost two decades since the last Rose thriller. It is not necessary to have read Martell’s previous three books to be swept up in this complex and cunning tale. The dialogue is not just recycled action clichés. When told that he will be traveling first class and will need to expand his wardrobe, Rose remarks, “It’s a costume drama, is it?” “It is. And you’ve got the lead role,” he is told. Less tech-savvy readers will not find the machinations of the operation too daunting. In Rose, they will discover an empathetic hero caught in a precarious struggle to do the right thing and make peace with his past. A strong hero hasn’t lost his mojo in this welcome return of a thriller series.
FEAR, FOLLY & FREUD A Psychotherapist in Psychoanalysis
Mendenhall, Nicola Zion Publishing (280 pp.) $14.95 paper | $9.99 e-book Aug. 27, 2020 978-1-73339-821-3
Psychotherapist Mendenhall explores her experience undergoing psychoanalysis in this debut memoir. As is explained early in the text, psychotherapy and psycho analysis are not interchangeable terms. Psychotherapy refers to a broad range of therapies practiced under various psychological theories while psychoanalysis refers specifically to the therapy pioneered by Sigmund Freud. The author’s story centers around her 10 years undergoing the latter. In such therapy, one is urged to explore their subconscious mind, she notes—a process that tends to “unsettle rather than to calm.” Whereas the author, herself a licensed and long-practicing psychotherapist, would often seek to comfort her patients, a psychoanalyst leads a process that encourages one to explores one’s “inner-feelings, however nasty they may be.” In the time she underwent psychoanalysis, the author also endured major life events including retirement from her private practice and taxing medical concerns. As one might expect from Freudian analysis, much of the author’s analysis involved looking at her early family life. She grew up in the rural Midwest, a place where one’s feelings
KILL CHAIN
Martell, Dominic Dunn Books (358 pp.) $14.99 paper | $4.99 e-book Oct. 6, 2020 978-1-951938-05-5 In this fourth installment of a thriller series, a former terrorist becomes compelled by shadowy figures to emerge from anonymity to facilitate the “heist of the century.” After renouncing his past (but still haunted by the deaths in which he played a part), ex-terrorist Pascual Rose has made a concerted effort to live off the grid. But a six-word text message (“Come join us on the terrace”) shatters the nondescript life he lives in Barcelona as a freelance translator with his wife, a popular singer, and son. Two mysterious operatives |
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The colorful, slightly abstract cartoons depict a rainbow of people and pets, many of them living in apartments but some residing in larger, greener spaces. and the people stayed home
were considered “to be, well, ridiculous,” she was an only child until the age of 6. These and other points are explored in the text, and although the author’s family dynamics aren’t particularly revealing, the broader story told here is highly insightful and candid; for instance, Mendenhall’s analyst told her, “You like to be mean to me.” It seems a startling statement for any professional to tell a client, but, as one learns, analysis is a special kind of therapy, and even silence has its place. Such details allow the reader to consider Freudian theory through a new and intriguing lens. A personal and edifying look at Freudian analysis.
America’s entry into the war. This is a powerful work of history, as informative as it is dramatically gripping. An impressive blend of painstaking historical scholarship and riveting storytelling.
AND THE PEOPLE STAYED HOME
O’Meara, Kitty Illus. by Di Cristofaro, Stefano & Pereda, Paul Tra Publishing (32 pp.) $18.99 | $9.99 e-book | Nov. 10, 2020 978-1-73476-178-8
YANKS BEHIND THE LINES How the Commission for Relief in Belgium Saved Millions From Starvation During World War I
During a period of quarantine, people discover new ways to live—and new lessons about how to care for the planet—in this debut picture book. In this work’s poem, O’Meara describes lockdowns experienced by many across the world during the first days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Beginning with the title phrase, the author discusses quiet activities of solitude and togetherness as well as more boisterous ways of interacting. These times of being apart give people a new perspective, and when they reunite, “they grieved their losses, / and made new choices” to restore the planet. The spare verse allows the illustrations by Di Cristofaro and Pereda to take center stage. The colorful, slightly abstract cartoons depict a rainbow of people and pets, many of them living in apartments but some residing in larger, greener spaces. Images of nature healing show the author’s vision of hope for the future. While this was written in March and originally published as an online poem, the lack of an explicit mention of the reason behind the lockdowns (and the omission of the experiences of essential workers) could offer readers an opportunity to imagine a planetary healing beyond the pandemic that inspired the piece. The accessible prose and beautiful images make this a natural selection for young readers, but older ones may appreciate the work’s deeper meaning. A poem about the pandemic with vivid illustrations and a strong environmental message.
Miller, Jeffrey B. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (296 pp.) $94.00 | $29.00 paper | $27.50 e-book Oct. 20, 2020 978-1-5381-4163-2 978-1-5381-4164-9 paper
A historical work focuses on the massive humanitarian effort designed to feed a Belgian population starving under German occupation during World War I. In 1914, Germany invaded Belgium on its way to France, a remarkably brazen violation of the nation’s avowed neutrality. The occupation that ensued was an unmerciful one—factories and coal mines were shuttered; the harvest was largely destroyed; and whatever provisions were available were commandeered by German soldiers. As the first winter approached, it was increasingly possible that a considerable swath of the Belgian population—and many civilians in Northern France, too—faced starvation. Miller chronicles, with the granular precision of an investigative journalist, a brilliant effort to urgently usher supplies to the Belgian people, “one of America’s finest hours in humanitarian aid.” Two collaborative organizations were born—the Commission for Relief in Belgium, founded in London and headed by Herbert Hoover, and the Comité National de Secours et d’Alimentation, established in Brussels and led by Émile Francqui, a business tycoon. The CRB bought and transported the food by ship to Rotterdam while the CN prepared and distributed it. The two sister agencies grappled with myriad obstacles—the British opposed the program because it broke its blockade of German shipments; vessels were hard to find; and the political hurdles were extraordinary, all meticulously documented by the author. The Germans only acquiesced because they thought a better fed citizenry would be more docile and easier to control. Miller brings a complex story to vivid life, astutely explaining the political and cultural landscape of Belgium but also the unfolding of the conflict. The author even accounts for the ways in which the CRB, in particular Hoover, contributed to 124
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SICILIAN DREAMS
Panella, Vincent Bordighera Press (228 pp.) $18.00 paper | Nov. 10, 2020 978-1-59954-156-3 In this historical novel, a Sicilian immigrant navigates the spheres of workers rights and organized crime in his adopted homeland. The year is 1907. Santo Regina, already a widower at age 32, is skeptical of the Fasci movement taking hold in his native Sicily, where the peasants are organizing to demand better treatment from the landowners. But he is intrigued by Don Vito Cascio Ferro, a former |
landowner–turned-agitator with assumed ties to the local Mafia. Vito is not a typical Mafioso, however. He looks like a religious hermit, tall and gaunt with a long gray beard, and he rails against the concept of private property. “I tell you now,” he says to Santo upon their meeting, “within five years most of the men around you will be in L’America, and Sicily will be left to those with the foresight to see its future.” When his own attempt at activism fails, Santo joins the stream of men immigrating to America for work, leaving his young son and teenage daughter behind in the care of his mother. In Louisiana, Santo encounters the same oppressive working conditions that he faced in Sicily—as well as bosses willing to use violence to enforce the status quo. In New Orleans, Santo again meets Vito, who has cut his long beard and evolved away from his earlier politics. “Let’s say I’m in another part of the same business,” he tells Santo as he describes his new activities within America’s growing Sicilian community. As Santo’s daughter, Mariana, back in Sicily gets herself in a compromising position with a local tough, he must decide to what lengths he will assist his countrymen in their attempts to gain financial independence—and just what side of Vito’s law he will stand on. Panella’s prose is concise and insightful, capturing not only the era in which it is set, but also the contemporary worldviews of his characters. At one point, Santo wonders: “What kept him in Sicily? A house and a shovelful of land? A mother whose life was a path between home and church, and who wouldn’t even hear of L’America? Or was it the image of his father, who walked the streets like a ghost, a bag of bones in a black suit, railing at the ignorance of his fellows.” The author largely avoids the more clichéd depictions of the Mafia in the United States, presenting instead a less formal, more organic outgrowth of the cultural upheavals present in Italy and America during this period. There are times when the story moves a bit slowly, but the book’s relatively short length and streamlined plot help to maintain its momentum. Santo and Vito are both intriguing characters, and Mariana provides a particular window into the precariousness of life back home. At its best moments, the volume calls to mind the work of 20th-century Italian novelists like Cesare Pavese and Leonardo Sciascia, wherein the convictions of a moral man are tested by an invariably amoral environment. A richly textured tale of the less romantic aspects of the early Italian American experience.
“jitter-bitter,” the middle-sized one is a too “treat-sweet,” but the biggest dish is a “just right-delight.” She also sits in and breaks (!) one of their chairs. Neighbors peek through the window, watching Goldilocks, who eventually takes a “snap-nap” in the trolls’ beds. The police are called. Papa Troll tells the cop, who’s a pink bear, “This is the third time I’ve found Goldilocks in my cave this bleak-week!” The cop awakens Goldilocks and tells her she is a thief. She retorts, “You can’t do anything to me!” The story concludes with Goldilocks in the clink and a reminder to stay out of “rubble-trouble.” Pattison’s use of silly language adds an amusing layer to the story, making this a good pick for a read-aloud. Bartolomé’s colorful, simple illustrations offer drawn interpretations and unique textured backgrounds; for example, the last page depicts Goldilocks in “folktale-jail,” laughing and swapping stories with the Big Bad Wolf. A funny, creative take on a well-known fairy tale.
BOTH SIDES The Classroom From Where I Stand
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Potter, Rebecca Lulu.com (136 pp.) $17.94 paper | Jun. 30, 2020 978-1-71681-845-5
A high school teacher reflects on challenges she’s faced as a student and an educator in this debut memoir. Potter’s book begins with a Kentucky high school principal putting the author and all the other teachers on buses to visit poverty-stricken sections of their district, where many of their students reside. The roads are so bumpy that one of Potter’s colleagues throws up on the bus. As they drive past rundown trailers and dilapidated shacks, an administrator tells the passengers, “Don’t forget that when you get mad about them not having a pencil.” It’s a lesson that Potter, who taught high school English for more than 17 years, learned well. In a series of essays that move forward and backward in time, the author gracefully explores the ways in which good teachers help students navigate lives full of poverty, drugs, violence, unintended pregnancy, and death. Fortunately for Potter’s students, she remembers her own struggles on their side of the desk. Her father had to quit high school to get a job, her grandfather couldn’t read, and she dealt with her own obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her writings show that she knows what it’s like to face tall odds during one’s teen years; every minor failure feels like the end of the world. Potter also effectively pays tribute to the teachers who helped her at pivotal times in her life as a student and new teacher, but the biggest tribute to their legacy is her own remarkable career. Throughout the book, she admirably relates how she’s gone the extra mile for students by giving them a pat on the back, for example, or attending a funeral. Although she honestly recognizes times when she’s come up short and shies away from trumpeting her victories, it’s hard to come away from this collection without a sense of awe for the herculean efforts of teachers like her. An absorbing and inspiring remembrance.
GOLDILOCKS The Name-Fame-Dame
Pattison, Darcy Illus. by Bartolomé, Soraya Mims House (32 pp.) $23.99 | $10.51 paper | $3.99 e-book Oct. 5, 2020 978-1-62944-162-7 978-1-62944-163-4 paper
Pattison’s picture book offers a unique spin on an old classic. Goldilocks is famous in town for her golden hair. She enters a cave where a troll family lives, sees food on their table, and commences tasting. She decides the smallest dish is too |
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BEYOND THE SAGA OF ROCKET SCIENCE In Space To Stay
space shuttle flight in 1981, for instance, pilot Robert Crippen reported that the toilet suffered from an annoying “low urinal flow and a feces separation problem”—to the awe-inspiring; the shuttle, Sierra says, was “the most complex machine ever built,” with more than 2.5 million parts, including almost 230 miles of wiring. Particularly memorable is the portrait of the Germanborn Wernher von Braun, who led NASA’s development of the Saturn V rocket that took Apollo 11 to the moon. The book was published before the successful maiden voyage of Elon Musk’s spacecraft, but Sierra is hopeful that private enterprise can help keep the space dream alive: “In the coming decades human expansion will take place across the solar system,” he predicts. A work that provides enough detail to satisfy laypeople and exacting space buffs.
Sierra, Walter Xlibris US (372 pp.) $134.95 | $115.95 paper | $9.99 e-book Oct. 3, 2019 978-1-4990-9523-4 978-1-4990-9524-1 paper The third installment of a rocket scientist’s odyssey through the history of space exploration. In this series entry, Sierra traces an arc that leads from the United States government sparing almost no expense to beat the Soviet Union in landing men on the moon in the 1960s to the virtual mothballing of NASA amid “the harsh realities of public apathy, shifting priorities, and a turbulent political environment.” Today, he laments, the U.S. space program “seems to have lost the luster it had during the space pioneering days of the 1960s when the nation was in a space race with the Soviet Union.” Sierra’s phenomenally researched and lavishly illustrated book captures the excitement of that halcyon period, spanning everything from the Apollo missions and the Chal lenger space shuttle disaster to the International Space Station. Space-program aficionados could hardly ask for more detail, and the technically inclined can plumb the intricacies of “density specific impulse” and combustion dynamics. The author has a talent for making the science accessible even for the layman, noting, for example, when discussing the concept of Lagrange points: “Like a ball balanced at the peak of a steep hill, any slight perturbation will push the satellite out of equilibrium and roll it down the hill.” Details range from the mundane—after the first
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Skjolsvik, Pamela Fawkes Press (356 pp.) $16.95 paper | $7.99 e-book Nov. 5, 2020 978-1-945419-62-1 In this darkly comic novel, a vampire’s chance to become mortal again requires tracking down all the people she turned into the undead. As a vampire, Texan Veronica Bouchard keeps a low profile. She’s a hospice nurse who typically feeds on terminally ill patients. But when there’s a chance authorities will link her to two recent deaths, Veronica flies to California to see her daughter, Ingrid. As she was the one who turned her mother into a vampire in the 1800s, Ingrid apologizes to Veronica. Not only does this make Ingrid mortal, the act also returns Veronica’s soul. For the first time in over a century, Veronica can see her reflection. She can be mortal, too, but she will have to make amends to everyone she turned into a vampire. She’s more than willing to do this. At the perpetual age of 51, Veronica endures never-ending menopause. She consequently takes a road trip, bringing along her new friend Jenny Pearson, a struggling addict who discovers what Veronica is. Veronica’s vampire victims are a motley assortment, some more dangerous than others. And the possibility of arrest back in Texas isn’t even Veronica’s biggest threat: Jenny’s politician father puts someone on his daughter’s trail. Skjolsvik’s fanged hero is profoundly complicated. For example, Veronica has an aversion to men who hurt women, but she has killed many people, and not all of them were hospice patients. This novel’s vivid journey is a learning experience for her. She acknowledges some of her flaws and realizes certain vampire fundamentals, like things that can kill the undead, are simply untrue. Jenny is a strong supporting character, earning Veronica’s sympathy (the vampire regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to help control her own addiction). Jenny’s hemochromatosis tempts Veronica with delicious, iron-rich blood. And much of the catchy, often humorous dialogue involves Jenny, whose incessant insults—douchebag is an unquestionable favorite—are especially entertaining. Complex characters propel this diverting vampire tale.
This Issue’s Contributors
# ADULT Paul Allen • Mark Athitakis • Amy Boaz • Jeffrey Burke • Catherine Cardno • Lee E. Cart • Kristin Centorcelli • K.W. Colyard • Emma Corngold • Coeur de Lion • Dave DeChristopher • Kathleen Devereaux • Elspeth Drayton • Lisa Elliott • Chelsea Ennen • Mia Franz • Jenna Friebel • Janice Harayda • Katrina Niidas Holm • Natalia Holtzman • Kerri Jarema • Jessica Jernigan • Damini Kulkarni • Tom Lavoie • Peter Lewis • Elsbeth Lindner • Michael Magras • Gregory McNamee • Anna Mundow • Jennifer Nabers • Liza Nelson • Mike Newirth • Mike Oppenheim • Scott Parker • Deesha Philyaw • Jim Piechota • William E. Pike • Margaret Quamme • Riley Rennhack • Rosanne Simeone Linda Simon • Clay Smith • Wendy Smith • Margot E. Spangenberg • Angela Spring • Rachel Sugar Tom Swift • Bill Thompson • Chris Vognar • Kerry Winfrey • Marion Winik CHILDREN’S & TEEN Autumn Allen • Nastassian Brandon • Timothy Capehart • Ann Childs • Alec B. Chunn • Miah Daughtery • Erin Deedy • Brooke Faulkner • Jenna Friebel • Nivair H. Gabriel • Judith Gire • Carol Goldman • Ana Grilo • Abigail Hsu • Ariana Hussain • Kathleen T. Isaacs • Danielle Jones • Betsy Judkins • Deborah Kaplan • K. Lesley Knieriem • Angela Leeper • Kyle Lukoff • Meredith Madyda • Joan Malewitz • Michelle H. Martin PhD • J. Alejandro Mazariegos • Kirby McCurtis • Sierra McKenzie Mary Margaret Mercado • Lisa Moore • Katrina Nye • John Edward Peters • Deesha Philyaw • Susan Pine • Kristy Raffensberger • Nancy Thalia Reynolds • Amy Robinson • Leslie L. Rounds • Hadeal Salamah • John W. Shannon • Karyn N. Silverman • Laura Simeon • Jennifer Sweeney • Deborah D. Taylor • Jenny Zbrizher INDIE Alana Abbott • Marie Anello • Kent Armstrong • Jillian Bietz • Hannah Bonner • Darren Carlaw Charles Cassady • Brian Cronin • Michael Deagler • Stephanie Dobler Cerra • Steve Donoghue • Ana Grilo • Morgana Hartman • Lynne Heffley • Matthew Heller • Justin Hicakey • Ivan Kenneally • Alexis Lacman • Donald Liebenson • Barbara London • Collin Marchiando • Dale McGarrigle • Jim Piechota Matt Rauscher • Barry Silverstein • Bessie Taliaferro
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The collection creates a world mired in uncertainty and turmoil but also a place where people can learn from others. my darlin’ quarantine
SOCIALLY DISTANCED A Keepsake Journal Stern, Robert Illus. by Hill, Mark Self (32 pp.)
In this picture book, a poem about the Covid-19 world invites readers to answer questions about their own experiences. Beginning a poem with a familiar Valentine refrain about roses and violets, Stern’s narrator claims to have crafted the piece due to having “nothing to do / … / You can blame all of this / on the Corona flu!” The narrator chronicles the start of the Covid-19 pandemic through the stockpiling of toilet paper and lockdowns. The poem briefly mentions political divides but focuses more on the emotions and doubts experienced by families during the ordeal. Beneath several illustrations, the author leaves blank lines for readers to answer questions about their own thoughts and feelings as well as including lined pages at the end of the book for more elaborate memories to be recorded. Though Stern mixes up two viruses (coronavirus and the flu) for the sake of the rhyme in his opening, the stanzas scan well and the vocabulary is accessible. The questions seem designed to be used in conversations between parents and their elementary or middle school children. Hill is a political cartoonist. It makes sense that the humorous illustrations here feel like newspaper political cartoons. Along with offering some satirical images (the line for toilet paper stretches down a city block), Hill captures the uncertainty faced by one (pale-skinned) family with sensitivity. Other illustrations of larger groups feature a more diverse population. For families wishing to discuss the pandemic, this timely tale works as a conversation starter.
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bar is the location for the first story, featuring a discreet regular whose bracelet flashes red and blurts out official warnings. The patrons and staff proceed to drink and become acquainted for their mandatory six-week quarantine. Elsewhere, the situation repeats at the Golden Pin-Up Salon, a gossipy, smalltown beauty parlor where the beaming bracelets strike terror in the hearts of a feuding housewife and a distressed colorist. The same bright red beacons flash for other strangers who unexpectedly find themselves quarantining together at a rural Missouri dentist office, a Southern California BMW dealership, and the conference room of a prominent attorney. Once introduced, the heartwarming, character-driven tales progress through short chapter snippets. The cross-section of locales sets the scene for a diverse assortment of characters varying in age, race, and gender—and from all walks of life—who personify differing political persuasions, faiths, and perspectives on life and love. The author leaves no person unaffected or plotline dangling, as all of her players recognize, even if fleetingly, the power of human kindness and self-love. As she demonstrated in her advice book about possessions for parents with millennial children, No Thanks Mom (2017), Stewart exhibits a lust for life and parlays the lessons she’s learned throughout her travels into the engaging storylines of this cornucopia of worthy and addictive characters—with cute line drawings by Brallier included. Amusing and immediately relevant, the collection creates a world mired in uncertainty and turmoil but also a place where people can learn from others and become surprised by their capacity for change. An entertaining, thought-provoking spin on rebooting the mind and heart while in quarantine.
THE KING’S DRAPES
Tambascio, Jocelyn Illus. by Born, Jen Atmosphere Press (34 pp.) $16.99 | $12.99 paper | Sep. 1, 2020 978-1-64921-882-7 978-1-64921-863-6 paper
MY DARLIN’ QUARANTINE Intimate Connections Created in Chaos
Stewart, Elizabeth Illus. by Brallier, Christine Flandricka House Press (180 pp.) $19.95 paper | $4.99 e-book Jun. 30, 2020 978-0-9981025-5-9
In this debut original fairy tale, a clever girl teaches the king to look beyond his own avarice. Every day, an unhappy king orders new drapes, uttering the repeated phrase: “Here ye! Here ye! These drapes will not do! / Change them! Change them! I must have brand new!” The court scrambles to use all the fanciest fabrics to create the perfect drapes, and the people of the kingdom are reduced to wearing rags. When the tailors run out of cloth, all fear what will happen next until one brave girl convinces the king to leave the windows bare. The king sees the suffering of his people, and he orders the old drapes to be refitted as clothing, even helping to hand-stitch the new clothing himself. Reminiscent of other greedy rulers, like the emperor of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” or the wicked queen in “Snow White,” the king in this story is both foolish and demanding. His change of heart is quick but in keeping with the fairy-tale tone. Tambascio’s rhyming stanzas scan beautifully, and the repeated phrases make this a fun
A collection of five vignettes portrays life in the age of Covid-19 quarantines. In the spring of 2020, arts journalist Stewart, befuddled by the pandemic raging across the globe, laughed “at life’s new absurdities.” As a creative outlet, she began writing humorous tales starring quarantined strangers forced to interact with one another and to ultimately learn more about themselves through the “complexities offered by chaos.” The vignettes imagine a time in August 2020 when a second viral mutation emerges and the government distributes permanently locking bracelets to detect and track the infection. The Forget-Me-Not dive |
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read-aloud. Born’s brightly painted, geometric illustrations feature bird characters in all the roles, and the added elements belonging to the clever girl—her cardboard-box rocket ship, a book of great ideas, and a “dream big” poster on the wall—offer even deeper insight into her character. Though the story is new, the moral and tone, accompanied by artful illustrations, make it feel like a classic.
attention—it’s widely reported that Republicans believe that “Trump Dog” is a reincarnation of the former president—Jerry is overwhelmed by anger from those who loathed Trump and lavished with fawning attention by those who loved him, many wearing “Make America Trumpy Again” hats. Tilberry’s satirical novella thoughtfully reflects on the long shadow cast by a controversial public figure, a shadow that survives even death. The humor is decidedly slapstick—the account of Trump’s last day in office is memorably funny. But while readers will enjoy the blithe silliness, they will also likely be grateful the book is mercifully short. Nevertheless, the author’s story is a breezily easy one to consume—playfully unserious and lightheartedly astute. An effortlessly game and amusing satire.
TRUMP DOG A Wild Tale of Lies, Hair Dye, and Dog Poop
Tilberry, Jim Self (120 pp.) $9.95 paper | $2.99 e-book | Jul. 1, 2020
SUDDENLY SINGLE IN PALM BEACH Sex, Death, and the Pursuit of Happiness
In this novella, a struggling artist pretends that his dog is the reincarnation of Donald Trump for publicity, but the hoax takes on a life of its own. Jerry Kendall, a freelance artist in Chicago, adopts a pooch from a shelter named Mabel, a “big, dumb, disobedient mutt.” She helps herself to some pumpkin pie one day, and the messy remnants congeal into a kind of “birthmark” on her fur that is the “spitting image” of former President Donald Trump. Trump has been dead for some time now, though Jerry is so thoroughly apolitical he can’t remember when he died or under what circumstances. People take notice, and eventually he’s contacted by a local reporter. Egged on by his friend Orley, Jerry pretends the birthmark is real and that Mabel exhibits the personality traits for which Trump was infamous. Mabel is now an “extreme alpha male,” an alleged genius, and a lover of Fox News. Jerry even uses a hair-coloring product for women—“Miss Caroline ‘Copper’ ”—to render more permanent the likeness. But when the story garners national
Yost, Marianne Manuscript
In Yost’s novel, a widow’s search for love in Palm Beach leads to potential romances, disappointments, and myriad new relationships. Three years after her husband’s suicide, Caroline Ryder leaves Maryland for a cottage in Palm Beach. In her 50s, Caroline enters the dating scene looking for something serious. She sees a variety of men, from personable ones to the tactless guy who she eventually discovers isn’t single. Luckily, sunny Florida has its perks, including lobster salads and endless beaches. Caroline also makes quite a few friends in Palm Beach who, like her, are looking for love, or at least a fun fling. Margaux, for example, is a rather charming woman interested in a relationship, preferably with a one-percenter. Much less appealing is divorced Sylvie Silverstein, who also wants a sugar daddy. The story’s latter half takes a shocking turn when Margaux, blaming Sylvie for an injury she receives, initiates a “revenge plot” against her. Although much of Yost’s story is Caroline’s first-person narrative, chapters often focus on other characters, including Margaux, Sylvie, and a local “lash girl” (she affixes fake eyelashes at a salon). This drama-filled novel has its humorous moments, like Margaux’s being appalled by her date’s foot fetish. At the same time, there are convincing sentimental scenes as well, and Yost’s light touch keeps the mood buoyant: “She never, ever ate meals out. That was for rich people. And she never did not have a next place to be.” Later chapters, however, are jarring, as the story becomes decidedly darker and more violent. Nevertheless, Caroline is endearingly optimistic, seeing the good that sometimes emerges from unhappy occurrences. A mostly upbeat tale of a middle-aged woman starting over in the Sunshine State.
K I R K US M E DI A L L C # Chairman H E R B E RT S I M O N President & Publisher M A RC W I N K E L M A N Chief Executive Officer M E G L A B O R D E KU E H N # Copyright 2020 by Kirkus Media LLC. KIRKUS REVIEWS (ISSN 1948- 7428) is published semimonthly by Kirkus Media LLC, 2600Via Fortuna, Suite 130, Austin, TX 78746. Subscription prices are: Digital & Print Subscription (U.S.) - 12 Months ($199.00) Digital & Print Subscription (International) - 12 Months ($229.00) Digital Only Subscription - 12 Months ($169.00) Single copy: $25.00. All other rates on request. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 2600Via Fortuna, Suite 130, Austin, TX 78746. Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, TX 78710 and at additional mailing offices.
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This short, fun, humorous novel feels like a cross between Horrible Histories and Game of Thrones. lassa the viking and the dragon’s inferno
LASSA THE VIKING AND THE DRAGON’S INFERNO
Yurke, Dean Golden Productions (176 pp.) $3.99 e-book | Oct. 22, 2020
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Vikings, Saxons, and dragons meet in this middle-grade fantasy novel sprinkled with humor and magic. All 13-year-old Lassa Erikson wants is to be a quiet, studious apprentice alchemist in Denmark, but he and his brother, Sven, are conscripted into the Viking army and find themselves heading to fight the infamous Saxon Lord Mordred. The kids know they have no place in the company of the fiercest warriors they’ve ever seen, and they try to hide during their first battle. But after Lassa accidently kills Mordred, he’s hailed as a hero, deemed a fierce “berserker,” and given a prominent position in a Viking group that aims to rescue King Magnus, who’s imprisoned in England. Meanwhile, in English King Harold’s castle, 14-year-old Princess Ann would rather be a warrior than be married off for political purposes. Her opportunity arises when hooded figures, apparently Norsemen, invade the castle and capture her father and sister. Ann escapes to get Mordred’s help—not knowing he’s already dead— and ends up joining Lassa’s group of warriors to fight a common enemy. Both kings have been captured by a mysterious halfman, half-dragon cult leader who has witches and druids under his control. This short, fun, humorous novel feels like a cross between Horrible Histories and Game of Thrones, and it deftly combines elements of a comedy of errors and a fantasy epic. It also features a plethora of lovable secondary characters, but Ann and Lassa are the real draws, the former as a tough, loyal fighter, and the latter as a coward-turned–brave hero who uses his scientific knowledge to face problems. The comedic tone is quite goofy at some points, even in the face of very real danger, and the story is almost entirely ahistorical, but readers likely won’t be bothered by either of these factors. A fast-paced, funny, and adventurous read.
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Se e n & He a r d By Michael Schaub Adam Pottle’s debut children’s book was just published. And he wants to make sure that you don’t buy it. The Canadian author is asking readers to boycott his book, The Most Awesome Character in the World, because it features an illustration that has been criticized as a racial stereotype, HuffPost Canada reports. Pottle said that he objected to an illustration of an Asian girl wearing a kimono and a doublebun hairstyle. He asked the publisher, Reycraft Books, to remove the image; they refused. Pottle’s book follows a Deaf girl who’s dissatisfied with the children’s books she’s given and decides to create a story of her own. A reviewer for Kirkus called the book “a fun story that any young reader could enjoy” but noted that the illustration in question, by Ana Sanfelippo, “unfortunately plays into Asian stereotypes.” “If you haven’t ordered it, I ask that you please don’t,” Pottle tweeted. “It’s strange to tell people not to buy my own book, but the book does not accurately reflect the world I had in mind when I first wrote the story. Thank you all for listening. I love you all.”
Tenille Campbell/Sweetmoon Photography
CHILDREN’S AUTHOR ASKS READERS NOT TO BUY HIS BOOK
David Yoon
NICOLA AND DAVID YOON LAUNCH A YA ROMANCE IMPRINT
Nicola and David Yoon are planning to bring diversity to the young adult romance genre. The married couple will lead a new imprint, Joy Revolution, for Random House Children’s Books, Publishers Weekly reports. It will focus on “young adult romance novels by people of color, about people of color,” the publisher said in a news release. The Yoons are themselves critically acclaimed authors of young adult novels. Nicola Yoon’s novels Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star were both New York Times bestsellers, and the latter was a National Book Award finalist. She is a judge for this year’s Kirkus Prize for Young People’s Literature. David Yoon made his literary debut with the 2019 young adult novel Frankly in Love; his follow-up, Super Fake Love Song, is slated for publication in November. “The Joy Revolution imprint is all about telling stories of big love,” Nicola Yoon said. “The characters in them have big ideas about the world and their place in it. I believe love stories are truly revolutionary. Because love has the power to unmake and remake the world.”
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Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb
STANLEY TUCCI IS WRITING A FOOD MEMOIR
Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books announced it will publish a food memoir by Academy Award–nominated actor Stanley Tucci in 2021. The publisher calls Taste: My Life Through Food “an intimate and charming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen.” “Taste is a reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about growing up in Westchester, N.Y., preparing for and filming the foodie films Big Night and Julie and Julia, falling in love over dinner, and teaming up with his wife to create conversation-starting meals for their children,” the publisher says on a webpage for the book. Tucci is the author of two cookbooks, The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table. He also went viral in April with a thirst trap (in more ways than one) Instagram video post showcasing him making a Negroni. Taste is slated for publication on July 6, 2021.
Appreciations: Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy Turns 30
B Y G RE G O RY MC NA MEE
Kincaid Anthony Barboza/Getty Images
Lucy Josephine Potter, the protagonist of Jamaica Kincaid’s 1990 roman à clef, Lucy, doesn’t like using her full name, which reminds her of hard times. At the outset of the novel, however, that’s the least of her concerns: At 19, Lucy has never eaten refrigerated food, ridden in an elevator, or had a room of her own. Until now, that is, for Lucy has come to an East Coast city full of mysteries—for one, the alien fact that it can be cold even as the sun shines brightly. “I was no longer in a tropical zone,” she muses, “and this realization now entered my life like a flow of water dividing formerly dry and solid ground, creating two banks, one of which was my past…and the other my future.” If her future is unknown, her past is something to obliterate, a locus of unhappy memories of childhood on a little Caribbean island 8 miles wide and 12 miles long. Even so small a place, Lucy recounts, was largely terra incognita: “I had never set foot on three-quarters of it.” On that other quarter lived Lucy’s father, who sired an archipelago of descendants, and a mother who disapproved of Lucy’s interests and, while envisioning long and successful lives as doctors and lawyers for her brothers, found no room in her mind for Lucy to flourish. So it is that Lucy departed the island, and now she refuses to answer, even to open, the letters her mother writes to her. Those letters find Lucy caring for the four children of wealthy parents. While papa is off at his law firm and mama is off doing whatever it is that she does, Lucy walks the children to school, walks them home, makes them lunch, reads and plays with them in the afternoon. At night she studies to become a nurse. All the while she marvels at the cold and at the ways of the bourgeoisie, whose complaints about the cold “made me think that they said this every time winter came around.” The household maid does not like Lucy, she announces, because Lucy speaks like a nun. She’s far from it: She develops a healthy sex life and a friendship with an Irish American tough girl with whom she smokes pot and finds youthful escape. But neither is she a wastrel, and as the marriage of her employers disintegrates in lovelessness and betrayal, she becomes an ever more acute judge of character. When Mariah, the children’s oppressively needy mother, announces that she is part Native American, Lucy pegs it exactly: “How do you get to be the sort of victor who can claim to be the vanquished also?” Jamaica Kincaid, who also arrived in this country as an au pair at the age of 16, gives Lucy plenty of time to chart the course of her own life. Like a Jane Austen heroine—and Kincaid, a fan of Austen’s, clearly had her in mind— Lucy succeeds in finding her way with a resolute refusal to be overwhelmed by new surroundings and customs. She’s a wonder, and, 30 years on, her adventures in a strange land resonate.
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HC 9781250162748 | Ages 13-18
H“McLemore weaves another magic spell...
This novel will leave an indelible mark on readers’ hearts.” –Kirkus, starred review HBooklist HShelf Awareness