October 1, 2019: Volume LXXXVII, No 19

Featuring 262 Industry-First Reviews of Fiction, Nonfiction, Children's and YA books

KIRKUS VOL. LXXXVII, NO.

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REVIEWS Edward Snowden

on mass surveillance, life in exile, and his new memoir, Permanent Record p. 56

Also in this issue: Jeanette Winterson, Joe Hill, Maulik Pancholy, and more

from the editor’s desk:

Stories for Days B Y T O M

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

B EER

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Photo courtesy John Paraskevas

Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation, recently told her Twitter followers that she has been reading a short story a day and that “it has been a deeply satisfying little project.” Lisa’s tweet reminded me of a truth I often lose sight of: You’re not required to read a story collection cover to cover, all at once, as if it were a novel. As a result, I’ve started hopscotching among stories by old favorites such as Lorrie Moore, Deborah Eisenberg, and Alice Munro. I’ve also turned my attention to some collections that are new this fall. Here are three: Where the Light Falls: Selected Stories of Nancy Hale edited by Lauren Tom Beer Groff (Library of America, Oct. 1). Like so many neglected women writers of short fiction from the middle of the 20th century—Maeve Brennan, Edith Templeton, Mary Ladd Gavell—Hale isn’t widely read today and is ripe for rediscovery. Her tales of stultifying upper-crust life in New England and Virginia are precise and beautifully written—Groff refers to the “hard and brilliant glaze of Hale’s prose”—with a powerful undercurrent of resistance to the confining mores of that society. My favorite so far is “To the North,” the shrewdly observed and wildly lyrical tale of a wealthy Maine summer community, the working-class Finnish immigrants who serve them, and the young boy who crosses the social divide. I look forward to dipping in and out of these stories in the months to come.

Grand Union: Stories by Zadie Smith (Penguin Press, Oct. 8). Did I say that short stories were meant to be consumed one at a time as the mood strikes? Well, I tore through this kaleidoscopic collection in one long mad rush—but then Zadie Smith’s prose often has that effect on me. There’s much to unpack here and a wild variety of modes and styles— from the grim fantasy fiction of “Two Men Arrive in a Village” to the surreal post–9/11 road trip of Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando—quite possibly based in fact!—of “Escape From New York” to the literary realism of “Just Right,” set in the bohemian Greenwich Village of the 1950s. My favorite of the bunch is “Miss Adele Among the Corsets,” in which an aging African American drag queen pays a visit to the Clinton Corset Emporium on the Lower East Side, leading to a culture clash of epic proportions with the shop’s Old World proprietors.

Finally, on the impassioned recommendation of a friend, I’m picking up Edwidge Danticat’s new story collection, her first in more than a decade, Everything Inside: Stories (Knopf, out now).

These are tales of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora, loss and grief—the great subjects of Danticat’s many works of fiction and memoir. In a starred review, the Kirkus reviewer writes, “These are stories of lives upended by tragedies big and small, from political coups to closely guarded maternal secrets. Throughout each story, Danticat attends to the ways families are made and unmade….An extraordinary career milestone: spare, evocative, and moving.”

With this many promising stories on the docket, I may have to tackle two a day.

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from the editor’s desk

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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: JEANETTE WINTERSON............................................. 14 INTERVIEW: JOE HILL........................................................................ 24 MYSTERY.............................................................................................. 27 SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY.......................................................... 36 ROMANCE.............................................................................................37

nonfiction

INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS.......................................................... 41 REVIEWS.............................................................................................. 41 EDITOR’S NOTE................................................................................... 42 ON THE COVER: EDWARD SNOWDEN............................................ 56 INTERVIEW: JEANNIE VANASCO.................................................... 62

children’s

INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS.......................................................... 79 REVIEWS.............................................................................................. 79 EDITOR’S NOTE................................................................................... 80 INTERVIEW: MAULIK PANCHOLY....................................................88 INTERVIEW: AIMEE LUCIDO........................................................... 100

young adult

INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS.........................................................111 REVIEWS.............................................................................................111 EDITOR’S NOTE..................................................................................112 INTERVIEW: KIM LIGGETT............................................................... 116 INTERVIEW: R.J. PALACIO.............................................................. 118

Brazilian creative team André Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo, and Pedro Markun give U.S. readers a refreshingly sane primer on electoral politics, via Lynn Miller-Lachmann’s translation. Read the review on p. 104.

SHELF SPACE: HEAD HOUSE BOOKS, PHILADELPHIA............... 120

indie

INDEX TO STARRED REVIEWS.........................................................121 REVIEWS.............................................................................................121 EDITOR’S NOTE................................................................................. 122 INDIE Q&A: ROBERT L. SLATER...................................................... 128

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FIELD NOTES..................................................................................... 142 APPRECIATIONS: HARLAN ELLISON’S “A BOY AND HIS DOG”.......................................................................143

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fiction HUSBAND MATERIAL

These titles earned the Kirkus Star:

Belden, Emily Graydon House (304 pp.) $15.99 paper | Sep. 24, 2019 978-1-525-80598-1

THE LIVING DAYS by Ananda Devi; trans. by Jeffrey Zuckerman.....7 THE HEART IS A FULL-WILD BEAST by John L’Heureux................. 13

A 20-something woman is keeping a big secret from her friends and co-workers: She’s a widow.

Charlotte Rosen thinks she’s moved on pretty well from her husband Decker’s death five years ago. She started a new job with a social media influencer firm, found a roommate who knows nothing about her past, and convinced her coworkers that she’s just another single young woman in LA. She’s even working on developing her own data-driven dating app that determines a couple’s compatibility based on their social media profiles. Charlotte calls herself a “Numbers Queen” and knows that even though life may have thrown her a curveball in the past, data will never let her down. But life, it turns out, still has plenty of surprises left for her. When Decker’s mausoleum burns down and his ashes show up on her doorstep, Charlotte begins to realize that she didn’t deal with her grief so much as she ran from it. Now, she needs help from the people she left in the past—including her status-obsessed ex–mother-in-law, who’s so controlling that she tries to sneak into Charlotte’s building to steal her son’s ashes back. Charlotte also reconnects with Decker’s best friend, Brian, who used to be a partying frat boy but is now a children’s doctor. Charlotte and Brian shared one impulsive kiss shortly after her husband’s death, and unfortunately, she discovers that her attraction to Brian hasn’t gone away—in fact, now that he’s grown up a little, it’s even stronger. But when Charlotte runs into a woman from Decker’s past, she’s forced to reckon with the fact that she might not have known him as well as she thought she did—and everyone else in her life might be full of surprises, too. Belden (Hot Mess, 2018, etc.) paints a realistic portrait of grief while still creating a story that is fast-paced and fun. The dialogue sparkles, especially when Charlotte is arguing with her snarky roommate, Casey.

Plot twists near the end, though, strain credulity—Charlotte is quick to forgive some of the people in her life for major transgressions, and it seems like a more realistic reaction is ignored in favor of tying the ending up with a bow.

A quick, entertaining read about making sense of your past and making the most of your future.

THE STORY OF A GOAT by Perumal Murugan; trans. by N. Kalyan Raman.................................................................................18 THE SACRAMENT by Olaf Olafsson.................................................. 20 THIS IS HAPPINESS by Niall Williams..............................................25 THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY 2019 edited by Carmen Maria Machado......................................................36 DEAD ASTRONAUTS by Jeff VanderMeer..........................................36

DEAD ASTRONAUTS

VanderMeer, Jeff MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux (352 pp.) $27.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-374-27680-5

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THE OTHER WINDSOR GIRL

Blalock, Georgie Morrow/HarperCollins (400 pp.) $15.99 paper | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-06-287149-7

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A title-rich and money-poor writer in postwar Britain finds herself appointed as second lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, sister to the eventual Queen Elizabeth II. Once upon a time, the Honorable Vera Strathmore was engaged and her life was happily mapped out for her. But then Henry, her beloved, was killed—just one of the many who never came home to Britain after World War II. Vera’s grief is deep and long-lasting, in part because she and Henry may not have been legally married but they— to gloss over their behavior as the book does—enjoyed their time together intimately. Based on those experiences, Vera starts secretly writing romance novels as Mrs. Rose Lavish.

One of her fans—Princess Margaret—is eager to meet the author of these naughty books, and Vera’s cousin Rupert, who is part of Margaret’s set of friends, introduces the two. This meeting leads to a closeness between the women and Vera’s employment with Margaret. Part friend, part confidante, and entirely a woman who only serves at the (temperamental) royal will, Vera always remembers her subservient position.

This is author Blalock’s first work of historical fiction, but she has written a number of historical romance titles under the name Georgie Lee (His Mistletoe Marchioness, 2018, etc.). Much like a gracious aunt who still likes a bit of genteel gossip about scandalous behavior, however, this book follows Margaret and her set and their hard-drinking, partner-swapping shenanigans without talking about exactly what goes on behind closed doors. Blalock places Vera within historic events and surrounds her with real people so the reader experiences wellknown elements of this period in British history through the thoughts, dreams, grief, and love of a fictional character.

A frothy, fun, escapist read.

to Omar Platt, an exiled African American from Mississippi.

Kath eventually becomes pregnant with Omar’s son, Little Omar. But with Omar out of the picture, and her life firmly set in Montreal, Kath marries a white man named Timothee, who adopts Little Omar as his own. Renamed Etienne, Little Omar struggles with his racial identity. He becomes an academic, has a son of his own, and moves to Alabama, where he and his son, Warner, must reckon with racial realities and their family history. Colvin’s storytelling ranges back and forth in time, unearthing his fictional community’s history, examining everything from the uses of baby dolls to cure fevers to the origins of the phrase “You’re a lying crow.” This results in an exploration of how time and migration can change a family and impact its experience of race, but it can also turn the narrative into a confused jumble of incidents. Important characters like Kiendra, Kath’s prankster friend whose antics doom her, are too thinly drawn to have the impact Colvin intends. Meanwhile, time that could be used to round out these characters is spent on detours that don’t pay off. Colvin’s prose can also plod. A scene in which Kath throws a rock to avenge Kiendra’s fate means to stun the

AFRICAVILLE

Colvin, Jeffrey Amistad/HarperCollins (384 pp.) $25.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-0-06-291372-2 In his debut novel, Colvin tracks three generations of an African Canadian family hailing from the fictional settlement of Woods Bluff in Nova Scotia, a dizzyingly diverse community founded in the 18th century by itinerant Americans, bold Africans, and rebellious Caribbean blacks.

We enter this world in 1918 alongside Kath Ella Sebolt, a bright young girl who soon earns a scholarship to attend college in Montreal. As she drifts away from Woods Bluff, she gets close |

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valuing books by women Canadian novelist Miriam Toews’ latest book, Women Talk­ing, wins my award for title of the year.

“Women talking” has been the instigation for the #MeToo movement, for changes in the publishing world that include female editors at the Paris Review and the New York Review of Books, and for non–book world events such as the flowering of TV shows steered by women (Fleabag is talking to you, ladies). “Women talking” are at the heart of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, in which the infamous Aunt Lydia reveals how she earned her role in Gilead. Are you convinced yet?

“An exquisite critique of patriarchal culture” is how our starred review describes Toews’ novel. It takes place in a barn, where the women of the Molotschna Colony of Mennonites have gathered to figure out what to do after realizing that they’ve been repeatedly drugged and raped by the men of their community. As our review concludes, the book is “stunningly original and altogether arresting.”

There’s been an upsurge of feminist novels appearing in the past few years, many with a dystopian bent, including The Power by Naomi Alderman, The Farm

by Joanne Ramos, and Red Clocks by Leni Zumas. Meg Wolitzer’s The Female Persua­ sion, one of my favorite recent novels, hearkens back to earlier feminist blockbusters; as our starred review says, “This symphonic book feels both completely up-to-the-minute and also like a nod to 1970s feminist classics such as The Women’s Room, with a can’tput-it-down plot that illuminates both its characters and larger social issues.”

Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Kates Shulman, one of those ’70s classics, has just been reissued by Picador with a new preface by the author, who writes, “Today, many of the predicaments in which the titular ex–prom queen, Sasha Davis, found herself have a powerfully, emotionally charged name: ‘sexual harassment’—a term not 6

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coined until well after I wrote the novel.” One scene in particular feels painfully up-to-the-minute with all the news about coaches and doctors abusing their patients and also given the increasing restrictions on abortion across the country: “What a tight little twat you have,” a doctor tells Sasha when she goes in for an illegal abortion. “It’s a pleasure to work on you after the gaping smelly cunts that come into the hospital.” The novel obviously doesn’t tiptoe around egregious male behavior.

I’ve long been a fan of feminist novels by writers such as Marge Piercy, Marilyn French, Alison Lurie, and Erica Jong, so when I went to the Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair recently, I made sure to look for books in this category, but they were few and far between. There were two copies of Mary McCarthy’s The Group, which I would call a progenitor of feminist fiction, and a copy of Flying, a memoir

by Kate Millett. Allison Devers, the proprietor of The Second Shelf, a London shop focusing on rare books by women, said she’d already sold a few before I arrived.

Allison opened my eyes to the way the rare book trade values books by men more than books by women, so I was curious to see what was available at various booths around the fair. There was a first edition of The Color Purple for $625 and a later printing of Song of Solomon for $200. I saw several first editions of The Secret History, including a signed copy for $450. (It’s amusing to learn that Kirkus called it a “precious, waytoo-long, and utterly unsuspenseful town-and-gown murder tale.”) The hardcore book collector could have taken home a copy of The Yellow Wallpaper for $18,000 or early printings of several Harry Potter books for similar prices. Sadly, the most valuable books by women were all by Ayn Rand, including a signed first edition of Atlas Shrugged for $35,000. I went home with a copy of Home Truths by Mavis Gallant for $40, and I’m looking forward to reading it. —L.M. Laurie Muchnick is the fiction editor.

reader but mostly frustrates. “The rock descends toward the window, moving and tumbling and cutting....A fraction of an inch before the window pane, the rock’s leading edge shakes off the last bit of dust, the last length of spider filament, the last bit of rat’s hair....”

A promising debut that aims high but stumbles.

THE LIVING DAYS

Devi, Ananda Trans. by Zuckerman, Jeffrey Feminist Press (176 pp.) $15.95 paper | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-936932-70-2

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In her latest work to be published in the United States, Devi (Eve Out of Her Ruins, 2016, etc.), a celebrated Mauritian author, uses modern London as a place to explore the legacy of colonialism and the limitations of global culture.

Mary Grimes, an old white woman, is sitting in her rotting home in Portobello Road, reminiscing as she waits to die. Her thoughts drift back to her youth during World War II. With death looming, young people are given license to live, and even timid Mary Rose manages to have a sexual adventure. She escapes her family and the countryside for London when her grandfather leaves her his terraced house, and, there, she works as a sculptor until arthritis makes that impossible. She is now purposeless, poor, and alone—until she meets Cub. The son of a single mother of Jamaican descent, Cub is 13 when he begins doing odd jobs for Mary, 13 when he moves into her house, and 13 when he starts sleeping in her bed. Devi’s language is luscious (translator Zuckerman deserves notice for turning the author’s French into fluid, exquisitely precise English), and her depiction of Mary so gentle, that the reader might be lulled into hoping that this relationship is somehow not as grotesque as it seems. Like the best narratives that use fantastic tropes, this one defies being reduced to one simple set of meanings, but it’s fair to say that the novel uses the lens of post-colonialism to test the promises of cosmopolitanism and liberalism. Devi is a native of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean ruled by the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain before its independence in 1968. It’s not difficult to see Mary, in her frailty, as a ghost of the British Empire, drawing fresh vitality from young black newcomers to the kingdom while relegating them to the status of subhuman chattel. The genius of this story is that Devi goes beyond revealing this dynamic to explore its insidious, often invisible reach.

A gorgeously written, profoundly upsetting fairy tale of race, class, power, and desire.

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THE GENERAL ZAPPED AN ANGEL

Fast, Howard Ecco/HarperCollins (160 pp.) $16.99 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-06-290844-5

Nine fantastical, oddly endearing short stories rescued from the ravages of time.

The late Fast (Greenwich, 2000, etc.) was a writer with a lot of roles, among them an activist against the Red Scare of the 1950s, which landed him a three-month prison sentence.

He’s probably best known for writing the novel Spartacus (1951), which Stanley Kubrick famously adapted into the classic film.

But he was also one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century, having written nearly 100 books, including both fiction and nonfiction as well as plays, poetry, and hundreds of short stories. Here, a collection of nine stories sharing fabulist tendencies, originally published in 1970, has been reissued, and it’s well worth revisiting. The title story has the absurd humor

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of Catch-22, as a profane general brings down a real-life angel out of the skies over Vietnam. In “The Mouse,” the title character argues philosophy with a pair of visiting astronauts. “The Vision of Milty Boil” is a Kafkaesque satire on society; a small man brings the world down to his size through extraordinary effort and questionable justification. “The Mohawk” is very much an artifact of its time yet also timeless: A man named Clyde Lightfeather decides to meditate on the front steps of New York’s famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The prescient story “The Wound” seems familiar these days, as an absurdly dumb businessman proposes detonating atomic bombs underground to profit from mining oil shale. “Tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal” is a literal devil’s bargain written with the wit and style of O. Henry. “The Interval” is a first-person reflection on age and time by a grieving widower. “The Movie House” is something of a Schrödinger’s cat quandary involving a locked door inside a theater and the projectionist who insists it can’t be opened. Finally, in “The Insects,” Fast ends with the apocalypse, initiated not by the dreaded Communists but by nature itself.

A collection of delightful and still relevant stories that certainly earns its resurrection.

A treasure hunt leads a young girl to discover her mother’s darkest secret. the glittering hour

THE WIVES

a treasure hunt that helps lift her out of her depression. Alice’s Blackwood sojourn alternates with chapters set in 1925, when young Selina, age 22, is setting the London tabloids ablaze with her antics as one of a cadre of Bright Young People, devil-maycare upper-class flappers and their escorts. But everything changes when, on a madcap treasure hunt of her own, Selina meets Lawrence Weston, a struggling portrait painter and aspiring photographer. The two are drawn inexorably into an affair.

Selina’s choice of a passionless marriage to Rupert over life with her soul mate, Lawrence, is the fateful decision on which the novel turns, and her rationalizations will be a little too pat to satisfy most readers. Nor will readers be long baffled by Alice’s hunt—given the 1925 backstory, the solution to the puzzle is obvious almost from the start. But genuine surprises do await, even if they entail punishing Selina, after the manner of postCode Hollywood melodrama, for her breach of class boundaries, disregard for propriety, and unladylike smoking and drinking. The characters verge on stereotypical although there are no true villains and only the domestics lack flaws, particularly Polly and Mr. Patterson, the gardener who introduces Alice to

Fisher, Tarryn Graydon House (320 pp.) $16.99 paper | Dec. 30, 2019 978-1-525-80978-1

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Marriage is hard enough without having to compete with two other wives in Fisher’s (I Can Be a Better You, 2018, etc.) psychological thriller.

Businessman Seth is married to three women. Well, he’s actually only legally married to the narrator, a Seattle nurse he only sees on Thursdays. She calls the other two Monday and Tuesday since she doesn’t know their names. They’re polygamists, but Seth has no interest in a sister wife situation, and he’s done a good job so far in keeping the three lives he leads, and the women he leads them with, separate. Until now. In fact, his Thursday wife is getting downright restless. She’s tired of living only for Thursdays and is still haunted by the loss of a child. Though she truly believes she loves Seth, she frequently wonders how she lost herself so completely in such an unsatisfying and unbalanced marriage. When she finds a slip of paper with the name Hannah, who she believes is another of Seth’s wives (the pregnant one, in fact), a whole new world of snooping opens up to her. She even goes so far as to set up a meeting with Hannah—without revealing her true identity, of course—and is alarmed to see that Hannah is hiding some bruises that look an awful lot like finger marks. What she subsequently discovers leads her down a rabbit hole of startling revelations, and the narrative takes a sharp left turn that would be shocking if most genre readers hadn’t already seen similar twists before. It’s all a bit over the top, but Fisher is a slick writer who keeps a tight rein on her lightningfast plot, and the lengths that her feisty narrator goes to in order to reclaim her life make for salaciously satisfying reading.

Derivative and shamelessly manipulative but still a lot of fun. Fisher is a writer to watch.

THE GLITTERING HOUR

Grey, Iona Thomas Dunne Books (480 pp.) $28.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-250-06679-4 A treasure hunt leads a young girl to discover her mother’s darkest secret.

In 1936, 9-year-old Alice has been consigned by her mother, Selina Lennox Carew, to the care of her Lennox grandparents at their ancestral stately home, Blackwood Park. The reason for this custodial arrangement is Selina’s trip to Southeast Asia with Alice’s cold, distant father, Rupert, who needs to visit his ruby mines in Burma. Alice is kept abreast of her parents’ travels through her mother’s letters, delivered by longtime family servant Polly. Alice is also directed,

by Polly, to discover clues set by her mother, leading the girl on |

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the redemptive joys of nature. However, Grey’s use of sensory detail, enlivening the most mundane of scenes, redeems this novel, too.

Flamboyantly written, if a little too conventionally peopled and plotted.

called in 1963 to translate at the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, that she will soon confront truths about the past never before revealed. Eva Bruhns, a young woman still living with her parents—the proprietors of the eponymous German House restaurant—looks forward to a betrothal to Jürgen Schoormann, her reserved boyfriend, and routinely works as a Polish-language interpreter in mundane contract matters and business disputes.

Her sister, Annegret, works as a pediatric nurse while younger brother Stefan dotes on the family’s black dachshund. The Bruhns are a thoroughly average family. Eva’s growing awareness of the atrocities perpetrated by the Auschwitz defendants, coupled with a vague sense of déjà vu, jolts her out of complacency and ignorance about the role the average German citizen played during the war. Eva’s increasing passion to secure justice for the victims of Auschwitz, whose stories she absorbs daily, contrasts vividly with the attitudes and actions of her neighbors (and family members), whose desire to leave the past behind is clear. Hess, a popular television screenwriter in Germany, delivers scenes and dialogue in a linear sequence, and it is easy to envision almost any of the scenes (courtroom or dining room) on screen via the straightforward translation by Lauffer. Less linear are the continuing deceptions Eva confronts on an average day, in an average life, in an average city.

Questions of complicity and culpability are resolved by prosecutors and daughters alike in Hess’ slow reveal of large truths which are obscured by larger lies.

THE GERMAN HOUSE

Hess, Annette Trans. by Lauffer, Elisabeth HarperVia/HarperCollins (336 pp.) $25.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-06-291025-7 What is the cost of learning the truth? And who is responsible for telling that costly truth?

A prosecutor’s exhortation to learn “every conceivable” Polish word for “how to kill a person” is an early signal to a naïve German interpreter,

NIETZSCHE AND THE BURBS

Iyer, Lars Melville House (352 pp.) $16.99 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-61219-812-5

A group of prep schoolers reckon with their ennui thanks to doom metal and a new classmate nicknamed after a famous nihilist.

Iyer has found a niche in seriocomic fiction about very serious philosophers: Wittgenstein Jr (2014) was a funny campus novel about logic, and this follow-up is a funny campus novel about despair. At its center is a group of students in Wokingham, 20 miles away from London, eager to finish classes and move on with their lives. But as their final semester begins, a new arrival, kicked out of his previous school under vague circumstances, at once unsettles their relationships and sharpens their cynicism. The new boy scribbles “NIHILISM” in his notebook, is prone to dark and gnomic pronouncements in class (“All things die in time”), and maintains a blog musing on the meaning(lessness) of suburbia (“Nothing will happen here….Unless the voiding of time is itself an event”). His dour temperament quickly earns him the nickname Nietzsche. (We never learn his real name.) The clique soon welcomes him at school and, later, at band practice, where they’re laboring on droning, sludgy rock that evokes their angst.

Iyer neatly captures the way Nietzsche’s philosophy of the eternal return is a perfect fit for cynical teenagers who are sure it’s 10

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all been done, but Iyer also wants to explore how frantic teenage emotions challenge their assurances; suicide, love, sex, and self-destructive instincts all figure in the plot. As for comedy, Iyer has a knack for the one-upping banter that demonstrates maturity and insecurity at the same time. The cycles of hopedespair-repeat among the characters get repetitive, but credit Iyer for thinking big: That little garage band is determined to “start a new society” and be a “clue to a new way of life.”

Dark, brooding fun.

MEG & JO

Kantra, Virginia Berkley (400 pp.) $16.00 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-593-10034-9

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The two eldest March sisters have chosen very different life paths. Can both find happiness?

Based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women, Kantra’s (Home Before Midnight, 2017, etc.) latest sets the March sisters in modern times with modern troubles. Married to her beloved husband, John, Meg is a stay-at-home mother to charming toddler twins. In contrast, Jo has become fiercely independent.

After a disappointing stint in an MFA program, she’s become a talented food blogger and a prep cook at the fancy restaurant Gusto in New York City. An unexpected romance with her boss, Eric Bhaer, however, throws Jo off balance. Is there a real chance for love with the tattooed, muscular, Michelin-star chef?

How will she ever tell him about her writing when he dismisses bloggers as parasites? Meg’s and Jo’s personal problems must be set aside, though, when their mother falls ill with a bone infection. The two eldest March sisters must shoulder the burdens of keeping the farm running and looking out for their younger sisters, fashionista Amy and songwriter Beth. Returning to their North Carolina (not Massachusetts, as in Little Women) farm also means Jo must face her broken romance with Trey Laurence. Sticking close to the original plotlines, Kantra uses Alcott’s beloved characters to question the choices women now confront, so the paths to romance reflect more contemporary concerns. Yet in trying to remain faithful to Alcott, Kantra’s updates ring a bit too familiar. Her choice to cast Meg as a stayat-home mom, trying to shield John from any domestic chores yet wondering if she can reenter the workforce, seems familiar.

And even though Bhaer becomes a powerful, sexy food warrior instead of an intellectual, his romance with Jo runs along welltrod tracks.

A thought-provoking adaptation of a beloved classic.

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11

CHRISTMAS SHOPAHOLIC

and extended network of family friends, but she’s never met a problem she couldn’t shop her way out of. As usual, however, Becky finds herself stuck with a ton of problems. First, she needs to find the perfect gift for her husband, Luke, but in order to get it she just might have to petition an all-male billiards club to accept female members (Becky, of course, doesn’t play billiards). She might be in trouble with the entire country of Norway after creating her own (fictional) version of hygge, “sprygge.” Her environmentally conscious sister wants Becky to decorate a broom instead of a Christmas tree and have a vegan turkey on the table. And then there’s her musician ex-boyfriend who unexpectedly shows up in town with his new girlfriend. With everything on Becky’s plate, will she be able to create the picture-perfect Christmas she dreams of? Becky is still a hardworking, eminently lovable character who just wants to do the right thing, even if she usually screws everything up and finds herself in hilariously awful situations (like, for example, storing 30 pounds of smoked salmon on her front lawn under a duvet).

A laugh-out-loud funny book that will delight longtime Kinsella fans and those looking for a cozy holiday story.

Kinsella, Sophie Dial Press (448 pp.) $27.00 | Oct. 15, 2019 978-0-593-13282-1

Kinsella’s (I Owe You One, 2019, etc.) much-loved Shopaholic is back—and this time, it’s Christmas.

Becky Brandon is looking forward to spending Christmas with her husband and daughter at her parents’ house, just like always. It’s cozy and warm and, other than her favorite Christmas tradition (shopping), Becky doesn’t have to do much of anything.

But then her parents drop a huge surprise—they’re moving to an apartment in the superhip London neighborhood of Shoreditch.

Now, instead of Christmas sweaters and carols, they’re into unicycles and avocado toast. Her parents’ transformation into hipsters means that Becky has to host Christmas at her home in Letherby.

Becky has no idea how to host a holiday dinner for her entire family

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A sweeping posthumous collection wrestles with faith, irony, and the redemptive nature of love. the heart is a full-wild beast

THE COMPLETE GARY LUTZ

hypothetical and the real, struggles to rationalize her terrifying new affliction: stigmata, which have appeared on her wrists. In “The Anatomy of Desire,” a soldier, skinned alive during a war and finding himself “desperate to possess and be possessed” by another human being, cuts the skin off his lover and wears it as his own only to realize, terribly, after the act is consummated, that “there can be no possession, there is only desire.” In “Communion,” which takes place during the years of the Vatican II Council, a change-minded young Jesuit finds himself assigned to a stodgy conservative parish where, to his surprise, he is forced to reckon with his deepest loyalties. The sheer creative range of this collection is impressive. It’s no surprise that L’Heureux, who was himself a Jesuit priest for 17 years, can render so convincingly the moral and emotional quandaries faced by aspiring priests, drunken priests, idealistic priests, adulterous priests, doubting priests, dead priests, priests who (like L’Heureux) would be poets, and priests who (also like L’Heureux) are abandoning or have abandoned the priesthood—but what’s wonderful is that he doesn’t stop there: In his relentless drive to capture the ironies and follies and tragedies of life, L’Heureux gives us

Lutz, Gary Tyrant Books (499 pp.) $19.95 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-73353-591-5

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A writer’s writer gets his due in a welcome gathering of short fictions from three decades.

“If you are looking for story and plot, you have come to the wrong place.” So writes Brian Evenson in his foreword to this omnibus collection of stories by Lutz (Assisted Living, 2017, etc.), gathering five published volumes and a few unpublished pieces. Evenson is right: Not much happens inside a Lutz story save for some neatly written sentences with, more often than not, some strange non sequitur at their heart: “After lunch, in the undemanding dark of a movie theater where he goggled at some stabby, Romannumeralled sequel, I would plug my ears and loot my own heart.”

Most of Lutz’s stories seem more prose poems than traditional yarns with beginnings, middles, and ends. His characters tend to be divorced or on the way to divorce (“Then came nights when, lying awake beside my final wife, I would spend too much time putting my finger on what was wrong. I was wearing the finger out.”). Their time is invested in the ordinary—in the opening story, a man makes love without much conviction, anticipating the “accurate parting of the ways,” then goes to a diner, gets himself inky with a newspaper, and goes to a washroom with a door worthy of Kafka’s Castle. That story is called “Sororally,” which reflects Lutz’s liking of arcane words, glittering in his prose like emeralds in a streambed. Sometimes he lets out a quiet joke—“there are two types of people,” he writes, adding: “Just don’t ask me where they live”—and sometimes he invites a question without answering it, as with a fellow who has found a “new way to cheat on his wife” with no confirming details. Sometimes he accomplishes all this in just a couple of paragraphs, more often just a few pages, though the book is a sturdy volume that proves his aside, “A lot of toner has gone into all I have done.”

A pleasure for fans of postmodern fiction.

THE HEART IS A FULL-WILD BEAST

L’Heureux, John A Public Space Books (446 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-9982675-7-9 A sweeping posthumous collection wrestles with faith, irony, and the redemptive nature of love.

In this compilation of new and previously published stories, L’Heureux (The Medici Boy, 2014, etc.) explores the beauty, pain, and grotesque humor of life in the world of an “ironic God.” In “Witness,” a statistician, professionally trained to measure the relationship between the |

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Jeanette Winterson

THE AUTHOR’S NEW NOVEL, FRANKISSSTEIN, IS A HEADY NARRATIVE ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND TRANS BODIES INFORMED BY MARY SHELLEY’S CLASSIC

By Bethany Schneider Photo courtesyLily Richards

Jeanette Winterson’s Frankissstein: A Love Story (Grove, Oct. 1) is an intricate nervous system of a novel. The afterlife of an author’s fictional character is compared to the imminent domination of humans by artificial intelligence. The bodies of complexly gendered human beings are pitted against the bodies of glaringly gendered sex robots, whose protuberances and indentations herald a horrifying future of nondiversity. In Switzerland in 1816, 18-year-old Mary Shelley is writing Frankenstein on a dare. In the near future, a trans doctor named Ry Shelley falls in love with a mysterious scientist of AI, Victor Stein. Mary writes and loves alongside Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron, whose romantic version of sexual freedom fails to liberate women. Ry and Victor’s love tries to rise above 14

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convention but can’t shake the fiction of gender, either literary or robotic.

Across a narrative arc that electrifies the brain while charging ahead with the energy of a thriller, Winterson ties together the origin stories of feminism, fiction, and science and opens up the question of their future.

Whither our creativity? Our freedom? Whither our very bodies? Ultimately Winterson reminds us that our creations, be they stories or robots, have their own capacity for artifice, their own intelligence, their own immortal power. They may well choose our ending for us.

“I read Frankenstein when I was 21 and frightened myself to death,” Winterson says. “But lately I’ve been obsessed with the wacky world of AI and robotics. Then I reread Frankenstein, and everything came together.”

Ry is transgender—which for them means being both male and female—but their radical selfhood is threatened by the ever present fembot. Meanwhile, Mary struggles to be an artist in a world that won’t allow women to speak. “I am a woman, and I feel rooted in the lives that we have and the truth of those lives,” says Winterson. “And I am terrified by the way things might go. You know, the future might not be female. A lot of guys really think fembots serve women right. Or they think ‘this is going to help guys. It’s going to help them socialize,’ and it’s rubbish. It is a way of writing women out.”

Winterson has spent 23 books and counting writing women in. “I’m proud,” she says. “When I wrote Orang­ es Are Not the Only Fruit in the early ’80s, there weren’t women’s voices talking about sexual identity. Since then, it’s been about just saying ‘I’m not going to be silenced.’

I remember reading Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing and thinking, ‘This isn’t the angel in the house telling me to be safe. This is an avenging angel, telling me to risk it.’ I also wanted to be that kind of voice, making space and allowing the conversation to build and build.”

Now the chorus has swelled to include trans voices.

Frankenstein has long been important to trans self-identification; in the early ’90s, trans scholar Susan Stryker shot down characterizations of the trans body as medically grotesque, reclaiming Frankenstein’s monster as beautiful. Winterson herself is more interested in the scientist than the monster and hopes her trans doctor and their immortal mad-scientist lover express the liberatory possibilities of artificial intelligence. “At the moment, we’re just obsessed with gendering our AI, male, female,” observes Winterson. “Which is really annoying.

This should be a moment when we can say ‘If we’re sharing the planet with nonbiological self-created life-forms, why would we gender them?’ The growth of trans voices is happening right at this moment when we are going to have to share the planet with nonbiological life-forms.

Between the two this could be a real fuck-the-binary moment. It could be.”

So is Winterson pro- or anti–AI? “We could be so free,” she muses, sounding sad, like her version of Mary Shelley, and also zealous, like her Victor Stein. “And that’s why I feel excited about this possible coming world. I mean, look—in the book it’s clear that the human dream is something that always turns into the human nightmare. We’re bad at making the good stay good. But we could try. Little kids right now—maybe they won’t need to define themselves in these worn-out ways. When the most exciting thing in their lives will be that they will be the generation that sees a new creation on this planet, made by us.”

abused housewives, bullied children, spoiled children, a ritualistically dancing pope, and dozens of characters who, contorted by their feelings or by the world, stumble—accidentally, briefly, and sometimes unconsciously—into versions (or inversions) of epiphany. It is typical of L’Heureux’s dark wit that his single most enlightened character may be the eponymous narrator of “The Torturer’s Assistant.” “The work [of torture] is bad,” the assistant admits, “but I do what I can. I give comfort, I give love,” and then at night (“even torturers’ assistants have a life outside the workplace”), he tucks his kids into bed: “I touch their small bodies gently, gently, because I know what can be done to them. No, mine is not a life I would have chosen in every respect, but whose is?”

Moral tales full of love and irony written by a master.

THE DEVIL’S DUE

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MacBird, Bonnie HarperCollins (384 pp.) $26.99 | Oct. 29, 2019 978-0-00-834810-6 Is Sherlock Holmes the devil? Don’t be too quick to dismiss the possibility until you’ve reviewed the evidence MacBird (Unquiet Spirits, 2017, etc.) has amassed.

November 1890 sees Dr. John Watson return for an extended visit to Holmes at a critical moment.

Gabriel Zanders, of the Illustrated Police Gazette, is spreading the word that Holmes is the devil and whipping the crowds who hear him inveigh against the great detective into a frenzy. Titus Billings, the new Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, doesn’t go quite as far as Zanders, but he’s equally contemptuous, even to the point of violence. Ironically, these attacks on Holmes’ authority come just when his brother Mycroft and the City of London need him most. It seems that a number of wealthy members of the mysterious Luminarians have died under suspicious, and diabolically appropriate, circumstances. Shipbuilder Horatio Anson has been found drowned in his bed; Theodore Clammory, who owns a chain of barber shops, has had his throat slit with a razor; MP Sebastian Danforth, who made a fortune in paper goods, has been stabbed 17 times with a letter opener. Billings, convinced that Danforth was murdered by his son, Charles, is deaf to any talk of a serial killer; Holmes, noting the near-alphabetical progression of victims, wonders when he’ll hear about B, who turns out to be a thriving cloth merchant hanged with a bolt of his own product. Viscounts Andrew and James Goodwin, pillars of the Luminarians, blandly assure Holmes that no one has ever listed its membership, and Holmes, stymied by their stonewalling and distracted by an apparently unrelated case the importunate Lady Eleanor Gainsborough has brought him, fails to prevent the asphyxiation of operatic baritone Claudio Enrietti and can only hope he’ll be in time to save Luminarian playwright Oliver Flynn.

Loose-limbed, prodigiously inventive, plotted with infernal logic, and riotously implausible from beginning to end.

Bethany Schneider is an associate professor of English at Bryn Mawr College. Frankissstein received a starred review in the Aug. 1, 2019, issue.

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15

WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS

husband, Stuart, and her children, 7-year-old Bertie and baby Ulysses, weak-kneed with relief. Stuart takes the opportunity of his wife’s absence to pursue a chaste affair. But Bertie’s malevolent schoolmate, Olive, remains as actively present as ever, and her threat to expose a secret Bertie shares with his friend Ranald Braveheart Macpherson seriously complicates both boys’ lives. Finlay, another 7-year-old whom coffee bar owner Big Lou is fostering, turns out to be a ballet prodigy—which would be great news if Lou could only afford the expensive boarding school program his teacher recommends to her. Gallery owner Matthew Harmony is so determined to find a suitable man for his assistant, Pat Macgregor, that he fails to notice how trapped his wife, Elspeth, feels in Nine Mile Burn with the couple’s triplet sons. Bruce Anderson, the blandly self-absorbed twit who dumped Pat ages ago, deigns to accept the companionship of Jenny, a looker whose wealthy father owns a distillery. Anthropologist Domenica Macdonald, who once filched a Spode teacup from Antonia Collie, continues to run into her former neighbor, embarrassing moments that are only heightened by Antonia’s new flatmate, Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori di Montagna, who never met a situation she couldn’t dampen with a flat aphorism. Domenica’s husband, portrait painter Angus Lordie, descends into a frighteningly believable bureaucratic morass when he seeks to bury the dead cat he’s found. Spoiler alert: Most of these complications work out fine, and as for the ones that don’t, there’s always next year.

Fragrant, refreshing, and soothing as a cup of—well, you know what.

MacDonald, Andrew David Scout Press/Simon & Schuster (336 pp.) $27.00 | Jan. 28, 2020 978-1-9821-2676-6 A young woman with cognitive disabilities finds inspiration in Viking legends and prepares herself to become a hero when her brother gets involved with drug dealers.

Zelda knows she’s different than most people she meets, and she understands that difference is because of something called fetal alcohol syndrome. She has seen the unkind glances and heard the muttered slurs, but really, she just wants what any 21-year-old wants: love, acceptance, and some degree of independence to make decisions about her life.

Also? A really good sword would be useful. Zelda is obsessed with Vikings—their legends, their fierce loyalty, their courage in the face of danger. Like the ancient clans, she finds strength in her tribe: her older brother, Gert, and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, AK47, plus her helpful therapist and her friends at the community center, especially her boyfriend, Marxy. He isn’t the best kisser, but he’s willing to try sex, a subject about which Zelda is definitely curious. But when Gert struggles to pay the bills and gets involved with dangerous drug dealers, Zelda knows she has to step in and help him whatever the cost.

“The hero in a Viking legend is always smaller than the villain,” she reasons. “That is what makes it a legend.” In this engaging debut novel, MacDonald skillfully balances drama and violence with humor, highlighting how an unorthodox family unit is still a family. He’s never condescending, and his frank examination of the real issues facing cognitively disabled adults—sexuality, employment, independence—is bracing and compassionate.

With Zelda, he’s created an unforgettable character, one whose distinctive voice is entertaining and inspiring. Will appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

An engaging, inclusive debut.

VIRTUOSO

Moskovich, Yelena Two Dollar Radio (258 pp.) $15.99 paper | Jan. 14, 2020 978-1-937512-87-3 A fractured, hallucinatory novel about female friendship and who knows what else.

Every so often a book comes along that is so utterly strange it can’t be classified—it can barely be described. Moskovich’s (The Natashas, 2016) latest novel is one. So how to start? The first chapter begins with a body, face down on a hotel bed. An ambulance arrives; the medics labor over the body. It isn’t until later that we find out whose it is. That’s one storyline. Another involves Jana and Zorka, two Czech girls growing up in Soviet-controlled Prague.

Then Zorka lights her mother’s fur coat on fire, leaves it burning in the hallway of their apartment building, and disappears.

That’s another storyline. Yet another follows Jana, now an adult, through Paris, where she works as a translator. And another recreates chat-room conversations between Dominxxika_N39 and 0_hotgirlAmy_0. And there’s more. How it all ties together, and what any of it means, is anyone’s guess. Moskovich’s novel has more in common with David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive than it does with any contemporary piece of writing. The narrative is fractured, and so is Moskovich’s sense of reality: Dreams

THE PEPPERMINT TEA CHRONICLES

McCall Smith, Alexander Anchor (336 pp.) $15.95 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-9848-9781-7

The charmingly imperishable regulars of 44 Scotland St. and environs have reason to wonder: “Was that what life entailed: not doing very much, and doing it every day, in the same place…?”

After announcing her intention of departing from Edinburgh to pursue graduate studies (and a barely concealed affair) with Dr. Hugo Fairbairn (A Time of Love and Tartan, 2018, etc.), Irene Pollock has finally decamped, leaving her spineless 16

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Because a novel is worth a thousand tweets.

Zulu Lulu Amos Bwire Three children with troubled pasts grow into adults looking for retribution and change—but can they fix the present without exorcising the past?

The Revelation of Number 10 A Galactic Neighbor’s Appeal

$27.32 paperback 978-1-5462-8315-7 also available in hardcover & ebook www.authorhouse.co.uk

Cliff Joseph

The Work of the Devil Red Penn

Two artists become the global focus of extraterrestrial intervention that will influence earth’s choice between life and self-destruction. $13.99 paperback 978-1-5320-4225-6 also available in ebook www.iuniverse.com

The peaceful town Leighford is not a likely crime scene, but that’s what it becomes one rainy night in September as police chase a black Cadillac. $13.66 paperback 978-1-5246-6217-2 also available in ebook www.authorhouse.co.uk

Absolute Abundance

Callista Bowrightt

The Psychology behind Wealth and Affluence

The Sixth of September offers a no-holds-barred, emotional, and goodhumored journey through two women’s lives that couldn’t be more different, but collide with devastating and humorous consequences.

Ambarees Clever Zulu

$23.05 paperback 978-1-7283-8515-0 also available in hardcover & ebook www.authorhouse.co.uk

$14.35 paperback 978-1-5462-9723-9 also available in hardcover & ebook www.authorhouse.co.uk

13 Days

The Lunchtime Club Detective Agency and the Mystery of Strangway Tower

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The Sixth of September

This self-help guidebook explains the psychology behind attaining wealth and affluence, showing people how to unleash the power of their desires and thoughts to gain success in life.

Michael Robinson

13 Days takes readers on a roller coaster of human emotions and changing values, which will ultimately leave them with more questions than answers. It is a narrative of triumph and hope over stagnation and resentment. For three years, each man has lived within the dark shadow of their actions. Will their meeting help overcome mistrust and non-forgiveness?

Michael A. Gilby Professor Weiss and his Lunchtime Club are actually a secret detective agency— and they’re hard at work to put down the shadowy, powerful Strangway empire! $18.67 paperback 978-1-5462-9772-7 also available in hardcover & ebook www.authorhouse.co.uk

$19.76 paperback 978-1-5049-3725-2 also available in hardcover & ebook www.authorhouse.co.uk

Real Authors, Real Impact

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THE STORY OF A GOAT

give way to hallucinations, which give way to oddly realist bits of prose that seem, in this context, weirder than anything else.

At times, the book is hypnotically engaging; some passages, though, seem to go on and on, with Moskovich dwelling on minor details linked to minor characters for longer than seems necessary—or interesting.

Moskovich breaks almost every rule of contemporary fiction but doesn’t always manage to do something simpler: engage the reader.

Murugan, Perumal Trans. by Raman, N. Kalyan Black Cat/Grove (192 pp.) $16.00 paper | Dec. 10, 2019 978-0-8021-4751-6

A goat’s life serves as an allegory for the human condition in this novel from an acclaimed Indian author (One Part Woman, 2018, etc.).

Poonachi, the goat of the title, arrives the way characters often do in fairy tales: strangely, under circumstances fraught with portent. She’s presented to an old man in a drought-stricken Indian village by a “giant” who needs “someone who will look after her properly.” The goat is feeble and the old man’s family is poor, but he and his wife nurse her with care.

Still, life is always at least somewhat unstable: The government is nosy about Poonachi’s provenance, other goats treat her like an outcast, and a wildcat abducts and nearly kills her. Fighting her way to survival only frees her to more sophisticated disappointments, including lost children and thwarted romance; Murugan deftly sketches out a nanny-meets-billy, nanny-loses-billy scenario that’s as affecting as many human tales of unrequited love.

Which is the point: In anthropomorphizing Poonachi, Murugan finds a path to describe the essence of humans’ struggle to survive while grasping for fleeting moments of joy and grace. Murugan can be openly comic about this, as when he satirizes the endless bureaucratic lines goats and their keepers endure. But he’s mostly straight-faced, in the tradition of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a similar allegorical tale; translator Raman notes the connection to the classic, and, as with Orwell, the story is straightforward as a fable while open to interpretation. In its closing pages, the novel returns to its more mystical roots, and while it gives nothing away to say that the story is ultimately tragic—from the start, Poonachi’s life is a study in precariousness—Murugan subtly pays tribute to our capacity to stubbornly endure under the most difficult circumstances.

An affecting modern fable reflecting Murugan’s enchanting capacity to make a simple story resonate on many levels.

THE REVISIONARIES

Moxon, A.R. Melville House (608 pp.) $27.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-61219-798-2

Sprawling, postmodern shaggy dog debut novel about a strange city made even stranger by new arrivals from the hinterlands.

Someplace in the decaying industrial heartland, inside a “gray donut of shuttered factories,” lies a place called “Loony Island,” most of whose residents live in Stalinist apartment blocks. The name is well earned if accidental, for in one of its quadrants stands a psychiatric hospital whose residents have been released to the streets, ministered to by an apparently self-appointed priest, bearded and denim-clad, who funds his church by means of a fat trust fund. Alas, Loony Island is run by a cabal of criminals who don’t have much time for the new insane constituency except to figure out how to rob them, of which Father Julius decidedly doesn’t approve. Among the bad guys are a would-be writer who’s “shit at it” and a young woman, tough as iron, who is far and away more competent than anyone else in the gang. Their efforts pale against the arrival of a very bad man from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, home of Dollyworld and some very strange doings. Morris is on the trail of a young man named Gordy who appears to Father Julius as a flickering apparition. Morris, a Keyser Söze of the Smokies, drops his enemies, perceived and real, into “oubliettes,” or dungeonlike boxes, of which he is the proud inventor; it makes good sense, then, that he should tumble into a sewer whose manhole cover has been spirited away by the local tweakers. What Gordy has that Morris wants is— well, call it an instrument that allows “control over everything in the universe.” Against this background there are all sorts of memorable characters, including murderous rednecks from the Deliverance cutting-room floor, a bearded lady from a traveling circus, and the ever elusive Gordy’s worried father, who swears that he’ll never go back to Pigeon Forge as long as he lives. If the yarn doesn’t always add up and runs a bit long, it’s good fun to wind the characters up and watch them go.

Moxon’s storyline isn’t easy to follow, but it makes for a tasty entertainment.

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AGATHE, OR THE FORGOTTEN SISTER

Musil, Robert Trans. by Agee, Joel New York Review Books (464 pp.) $18.95 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-68137-383-6 A reconstructed novel that brings a “forgotten sister” to play in a winding narrative.

Now considered a classic of early-20thcentury literature, Musil’s The Man Without Qualities (1943) presents a neurasthenic fellow who lives entirely too much inside his own head, a |

mathematician who is indifferent to bourgeois life but partakes of it all the same. At the start of the present novel, Frankensteined from chapters of the former and bits of the thousands of pages of manuscript Musil left behind, Ulrich is disembarking from a train: “Drops of the general conversation that had seeped into him during the trip were now draining away,” and now, preparing for the funeral of his father—who has helpfully sent notice of his own impending death—he’s left to his own musings. There’s plenty to think about: His long-lost younger sister, Agathe, widowed and remarried, is in town for the occasion, and she announces that she’s leaving her husband, a bore of a pedagogue. “Let him sue!” she says brightly, whereupon Ulrich is moved to remark, in his otherworldly way, “inner oblivion is more loathsome than anything.”

In time, Agathe has moved in with Ulrich, and the relationship becomes—well, let’s just say there are universal strictures governing their behavior, which, though more cerebral than physical, in fact does have something of the physical to it “that with great tenderness paralyzed their limbs and at the same time enchanted them with an indescribable sensitivity.” This is very much a European sort of tale, reminiscent of Goethe here and Pessoa there,

without much in the way of action but very long on talk—talk of love here, of misunderstanding and grief there: “Someone who talks a lot,” says Ulrich, “discharges another person’s grief drop by drop, the way rain discharges the electricity in a cloud.” That, or the chatterbox numbs the listener, which happens from time to time even as Musil carefully structures his twisting, unexpected storyline.

Not entirely to contemporary tastes but a valuable addition to modernist European literature.

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THE SACRAMENT

of narrator Sister Johanna Marie, whose measured, melancholy voice expresses great internal ferocity. Traveling back to Reykjavik, the now aged nun reconsiders her 1987 investigation as well as her life in Paris during the 1960s, both times of emotional stress. As a repressed Sorbonne student named Pauline, she fell deeply in love with her Icelandic roommate, Halla, drawn to Halla’s capacity for joy (and love of the Beatles). Although Pauline never expressed her passion, Father Raffin, an observant young priest, shamed her into cutting off communication with Halla. Pauline became a nun out of “despair,” hoping to “find freedom in faith.” As a rising star at the Vatican in the 1980s ambitious, morally ambiguous Raffin, whose “ability to speak to people as if he were standing in their shoes, and yet at the same time superior” represents the church’s power over its congregants, deliberately sent Johanna Marie to Halla’s home, Iceland.

Her task proved impossible: Despite evidence of harmed children, a wall of silence encircled August Frans—Olafsson implicates church authorities without becoming polemical—forcing the nun into enormous, life-altering choices, including whether to seek Halla. Now returning to Iceland, again at Raffin’s order, Johanna Marie faces distressing truths yet finds something like peace.

Emotionally gratifying and spiritually challenging—a compelling novel that grabs the reader’s psyche and won’t let go.

Olafsson, Olaf Ecco/HarperCollins (304 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-06-289989-7 Building his plot around the issue of child abuse by Catholic clergy, Olafsson (One Station Away, 2017, etc.) explores complex issues of morality and, to quote Corinthians, “faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Locked in a broom closet as punishment for a minor offense, Icelandic Catholic schoolboy Unnar witnesses Father August Frans fall from a bell tower to his death in 1987. French nun Sister Johanna Marie is in Reykjavik at the time investigating anonymous charges of abuse against August Frans. Thirty years later she revisits the city because Unnar has written saying he has more information to give her concerning what he saw. Olafsson’s portrait of his homeland is almost as vivid as his portrayal

BOB HONEY SINGS JIMMY CRACK CORN

Penn, Sean rare bird (168 pp.) $26.00 | Sep. 10, 2019 978-1-64428-058-4

Actor/director Penn continues his foray into fiction with this shaggy dog yarn of a secret agent–turned–freelance dispenser of justice.

Bob Honey is a man with a plan.

When last we saw him, in Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff (2018), the enigmatic killer was being hauled off to the pen; now, having “opted for fugitive flight,” he’s the subject of a manhunt. He goes blackface, a disguise that a grimace-inducing fellow agent in like garb sees right through, first muttering, “When a black man use soap, his skin dry ashen,” then dropping the patois to say, “You just look like a crazy white guy with tar all over his face.” Honey tries again, this time going in drag on the Acela train to Washington and speaking in falsetto to a senator who once did right by the downtrodden but then became a supporter of the “flimflamming finger fucker” who won the 2016 election, for which, Bob thinks, he deserves death by mallet, Bob’s favorite instrument. Penn risks crossing over the boundaries of political incorrectness at many points, from those incidents to the very title of the book (which comes from a song of slave resistance that celebrates “cranium cracked and plashed on a pulverizing plantation stone” ). He’ll likely be tarred as an incorrigible member of the Hollywood elite as his tale winds to its close with the 20

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Scalzi injects plenty of holly and jolly into his second short story collection. a very scalzi christmas

A VERY SCALZI CHRISTMAS

explosive destruction of the White House in a scene that might have been an outtake from Fight Club, spectacular but strange, perfectly in keeping with the feel of the rest of the book. It’s all very much of a piece with its predecessor, complete with sometimes-unnecessary footnotes and bursts of alliterative language (“Trees that seem to masturbate an ejaculation of wounds wishing and longing for Lennon’s laments”) that seem to be there for their own sake rather than to move the story along.

It’s clear that Penn is having good fun with this soufflé of a story. As for the reader, maybe not so much.

Scalzi, John Subterranean Press (144 pp.) $40.00 | Nov. 30, 2019 978-1-59606-932-9

Bestselling sci-fi author Scalzi injects plenty of holly and jolly into his second short story collection, a follow-up to Miniatures (2016).

You’ve finished rewatching your bootleg version of The Star Wars Holiday Special and every episode of Futurama featuring the murderous Robot Santa, the Doctor Who Christmas special won’t be on for hours yet, and you already have Jonathan Coulton’s “Merry Christmas From Chiron Beta Prime” on infinite loop. How else can you fill the Yuletide season with geekiness and laughs? This slim stocking stuffer may be just what you need. The Christmas-themed works contained herein offer a surprising, heartwarming, but potentially threatening

OPPO

Rosenstiel, Tom Ecco/HarperCollins (336 pp.) $27.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-06-289260-7

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Political observation in a thriller’s guise.

Rosenstiel’s (The Good Lie, 2019, etc.) new novel, like his last, twines around upto-the-minute political concerns, in this case, the effects of big money on politics.

Wendy Upton, senior senator from Arizona, may be the world’s last centrist; at least it seems that way when she is asked, on consecutive days, to be the vice presidential candidate by the campaigns of front-running presidential contenders of opposing parties. Then this fulcrum candidate is threatened: She’s told to drop out or her life will be ruined. The call goes out to Rena, Brooks & Associates, consultants, to try to discover and neutralize whatever dirt the threatener possesses. Peter Rena and Randi Brooks have a few new associates this time around, and as the team researches Upton’s life, Brooks and Rena explain to their inexperienced new colleagues the changes wrought in electoral politics by the Citizens United decision and the inrush of nearly unlimited money. Their work results in an “opposition book,” which is essentially an in-house compilation of all the background that an opposition campaign might uncover, thus avoiding nasty surprises and possibly averting or diluting any public relations issues. Sure enough, Sen. Upton has a few skeletons in her closet, which of course she attempts to conceal, but only a very few, barely enough to keep her human, and the team next concentrates on discovering who might want to threaten her. Big money plays a role as Rosenstiel clearly connects the dots linking wealth to the corrupt manipulation of public policy.

Rena and Brooks are as amiable as ever, their expanded associates as clever and more diverse than ever, and the threats posed by unrestrained political money are clearly descried, but the ride could be more compelling.

Admirable and sharp political analysis afloat in a lukewarm thriller.

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ANYONE

Christmas in July; some satiric listicles regarding holiday songs and TV shows; and amusing but ultimately somewhat repetitious interviews with Santa’s lawyer, the reindeer wrangler, the Christmas Bunny, and a certain Bethlehem innkeeper; as well as two sappy but sincere pieces about the true meaning of Christmas and family. The collection is bookended by a few Thanksgiving selections, including an enjoyably specific pop culture–studded grace, and an uproariously funny set of New Year’s resolutions involving clones and deadly robots from a despondent man whose ex-girlfriend is now dating his coworker Chuck.

A pleasant and often chuckleworthy Christmas trifle.

Soule, Charles Harper Perennial/HarperCollins (432 pp.) $21.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-06-289063-4 A woman searching for a cure to an unfathomable disease accidentally makes a breakthrough that will change the world.

Talented comic book writer Soule’s debut novel (The Oracle Year, 2018) was a serious brain bender, enjoyable as a twisty, well-written paranormal thriller and, more importantly, one of those books you find yourself thinking about days later. So, brace yourself—this book is even more merciless in that regard. Readers won’t feel that they’re on the edges of their seats as much as they’re on a balance beam above a pit of lava while trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube. First things first: In the present day, brilliant scientist Gabby White is independently working on a cure for Alzheimer’s in her barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One jolt of a laser later and she finds that she’s beamed herself into her husband Paul’s body while her own self might just be dead. Whoa, indeed. This would be enough of a launch pad for a techno-thriller by itself but then Soule jumps ahead a quarter-century to a near future where Gabby’s breakthrough, now branded the “flash,” has not only transformed society for well-meaning citizens, but also for a deeply perverted underground, the “darkshare,” that rents out people’s bodies for a variety of deviant purposes. We’re introduced to Annami, a spy who needs to put together $1 million or so in a month in order to win an auction to occupy one of the world’s biggest celebrities, for her own secretive purposes. There are plenty of villains here as well, among them Sara Kring, Gabby’s lawyer, who sells her out, and Annami’s body-jumping nemesis known only as “Bleeder.” Like the tick-tock of a metronome, Soule oscillates between Gabby’s dilemma and Annami’s mission until we reach an unexpected but satisfying convergence between the two.

An imaginative, time-fragmented thriller about the bitter and potentially deadly consequences of body-snatching.

REPUTATION

Shepard, Sara Dutton (384 pp.) $16.00 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-5247-4290-4 When a mysterious hacker exposes sensitive emails at Aldrich University, everyone’s secrets are laid bare to public scrutiny. But no one saw surgeon Greg Strasser’s murder coming.

The data breach reveals Blue Hill, Pennsylvania, to be a veritable Peyton Place of disgrace, including extramarital affairs, testing scandals, and fraternity rape accusations. Hidden in Greg’s trash folder are emails to a “Lolita Bovary” that cast him as certainly a philanderer and quite possibly a pedophile. After the Aldrich Giving Gala, Greg’s wife, Kit, awakens from a drunken stupor to discover him stabbed in the kitchen. Could she have killed him out of rage? Or perhaps it was Kit’s ambitious co-worker Lynn, eager to push Kit off the corporate ladder by framing her for murder? Then again, where was Lynn’s husband that night? And who is Lolita? Kit’s daughter, Sienna, is certainly sad about her stepfather’s death, but her friend Raina’s grief seems suspiciously excessive. Meanwhile, Kit’s sister, Willa, is back in town. An investigative reporter with secrets in her own past, Willa is loath to stay a minute past the funeral reception, but how can she refuse to help Kit stay out of jail? With nods to Big Little Lies as well as her own Pretty Little Liars series, Shepard (The Elizas, 2018, etc.) brilliantly hides the identity of the true villain in the gaps between characters. An Agatha Christie for the 21st century, Shepard masterfully crafts a prestigious town rife with hidden temptation and sin. So Willa gets her chance to play Miss Marple, albeit a much younger, hipper version, and her sleuthing deftly exposes unexpected links between characters. From chapter to chapter, Shepard’s plotting breathlessly careens between characters, with each cliffhanger swiftly answered by another, ratcheting up the stakes until the killer is finally unmasked.

A fast-paced, twisty-turny mystery perfect for a cozy weekend read.

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THE HILLS REPLY

Vesaas, Tarjei Trans. by Rokkan, Elizabeth Archipelago (272 pp.) $18.00 paper | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-939810-38-0 In a new translation of Norwegian author Vesaas’ (1897-1970) final novel, the landscape transforms into a source of awe and menace.

Vesaas’ book (which was first published in English in 1971 as The Boat in the Evening) opens with a pair of prefaces told in verse, and at times the prose with which this novel is told transforms into poetry before shifting into a more structured |

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Joe Hill

THE AUTHOR OF FULL THROTTLE FINDS PLEASURE IN WRITING CREEPY STORIES—AND IN COLLABORATING WITH DAD STEPHEN KING

By Chelsea Ennen Photo courtesy Lawrie Photography

“Why does anyone want to read a story about being relentlessly hunted by an uncaring predator?” asks Joe Hill—who has a new collection of stories featuring characters being relentlessly hunted by uncaring predators. His answer? “We’ve evolved to imagine ourselves into these terrible scenarios and to even take pleasure in that—it’s a form of play for us. What would I do if I was on a motorcycle and a madman in a truck was trying to run me off the road?”

The first story in Full Throttle (William Morrow, Oct. 1) explores how one group of bikers react when a relentless semi picks them off one by one. The collection also features the creatures of a hellish carou24

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sel chasing a group of teenagers. There’s a businessman on a British train who suddenly notices that he is surrounded by massive, bloodthirsty wolves and a ruthless hunter who goes on a trip that makes The Most Dangerous Game look tame by comparison.

But the hunting isn’t always literal. Hill focuses more on a sense of peril, which he says is the only thing he really trusts. Several of the stories have no supernatural element whatsoever, but the sense that something is coming keeps the pages turning.

“I always imagine you’re walking along the street, and you look up, and you see a man on a ledge 10 stories up, crawling on all fours to rescue a kitten,” says Hill. “That’s a scene no one looks away from.

When I’m writing, I feel like my job is to get a guy out on a ledge. And when he gets to the kitten, it scratches him in the face.”

Despite all that terror, supernatural and otherwise, Hill’s writing is never bleak. Hill says he owes readers “some ray of sunlight after all the darkness.”

His writing is often humorous, and the collection includes an introduction and story notes at the end— bookending the terror with anecdotes of how he got into writing horror, how he got his ideas, and what it was like to collaborate with his father on two of the stories in Full Throttle.

Hill’s father also happens to be a horror writer: Stephen King. Hill maintained his secret identity for several years after he started writing professionally, selling his debut novel, Heart-Shaped Box (2007), and the stories that would eventually form

his first collection, 20th Century Ghosts (2007), using the name Joe Hill instead of Joseph King. Hill describes what it’s like to write with King: “Ever see one of those Road Runner cartoons? I always feel like Wile E. Coyote strapped to the rocket, and my dad is the missile.” Hill shares many of his dad’s best storytelling traits—like that sense of humor—so their writing blends beautifully. “In the Tall Grass”, one of the stories they wrote together for Full Throttle, has been adapted into a movie that will stream on Netflix in early October.

Though he isn’t immune to the immense pressure of his parentage, Hill cites his loving family dynamic and the support he’s found in the horror community as the reasons he’s been able to forge his own path in the genre. And, of course, the game of imagining all those terrible scenarios makes the writing itself enjoyable. It seems like a strange recommendation to call a horror collection “fun to read,” but Hill makes his work a pleasure. “Even when it’s hard it’s still play,” he says. “I like to dream up someone interesting and get them into trouble.”

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register. Peer closely enough into this book and a narrative begins to emerge, about a family and a young man’s comingof-age—but even here, Vesaas focuses more on the landscape and the natural world than on what the characters within it are doing. Even when there are scenes with dialogue, Vesaas largely leaves these characters unnamed. It’s of a piece with the sense that the landscape is largely alien to the people living within it, which reaches its apex with a description of the bodies of five soldiers lying in a grove. In one chapter, “The Dream of Stone,” there’s a mention of the rock itself “singing sonorously the song of sorrow about man’s brief span.” Vesaas writes beautifully about the natural world, but he presents it as a frequently harsh and brutal place. Early in the book, one character encounters a crane, and a sublime passage about the grace with which birds move gives way to something much more visceral. “The bird starts on being seized by the leg, and shrieks a reply to my shriek before it has died away—a horrible sound. Like lightning it strikes at me with its giant beak, slashing a strip of fire down my face in its haste.” There’s beauty to be found outdoors, but it’s not without its horrors.

The conflicted role of humans in nature is a familiar theme, but few narratives hum with the surreal power of this one.

THIS IS HAPPINESS

Williams, Niall Bloomsbury (400 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-63557-420-3

Chelsea Ennen is a writer living in Brooklyn. Full Throttle received a starred review in the Aug. 1, 2019, issue.

The heart-expanding extremes of life—first love and last rites—are experienced by an unsettled young Dubliner spending one exceptional spring in a small Irish village.

Christy McMahon “walked this line between the comic and the poignant,” and so does Williams (History of the Rain, 2014, etc.) in his latest novel, another long, affectionate, meandering story, this one devoted to the small rural community of Faha, which is about to change forever with the coming of electricity to the parish. Delighting in the eccentricities of speech, behavior, and attitude of the local characters, Williams spins a tale of life lessons and loves new and old, as observed from the perspective of Noel Crowe, 17 when the book’s events take place, some six decades older as he narrates them. Noel’s home is in Dublin, where he was training to become a Catholic priest, but he’s lost his faith and retreated to the home of his grandparents Doady and Ganga in Faha. Easter is coming, and the weather—normally infinite varieties of rain—turns sunny as electrical workers cover the countryside, erecting poles and connecting wires. Christy, a member of the electrical workforce, comes to lodge alongside Noel in Doady and Ganga’s garret but has another motive: He’s here to find and seek forgiveness from the woman he abandoned at the altar 50 years earlier. While tracing this quest, Williams sets Noel on his own love trajectory as he falls first for one, then all of the |

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A lovely, humorous ode to romantic comedies. would like to meet

GLASS SLIPPERS, EVER AFTER, AND ME

daughters of the local doctor. These interactions are framed against a portrait of village life—the church, the Gaelic football, the music, the alcohol—and its personalities. Warm and whimsical, sometimes sorrowful, but always expressed in curlicues of Irish lyricism, this charming book makes varied use of its electrical metaphor, not least to express the flickering pulse of humanity.

A story both little and large and one that pulls out all the Irish stops.

Wright, Julie Shadow Mountain (336 pp.) $15.99 paper | Oct. 21, 2019 978-1-62972-607-6

When a writer’s life is turned upside down by sudden success, she finds that getting everything she wants comes at a price.

Aspiring author Charlotte “Lettie” Kingsley writes fairy tales and hopes to be published. When she gets one more rejection, her feelings of pique lead her to an inspired idea: She’ll write a self-help book called The Cinderella Fiction that will encourage readers to live their best lives. She takes vacation days from her full-time job—which consists of writing “descriptions about fun and sassy eyewear that leads to a fun and sassy life, which is actually the most fictitious thing I’ve ever written”—and pours all the life lessons she’s learned from her own disappointments into the book. Amazingly, she attracts the attention of her dream agent, Jennifer Apsley.

Meanwhile, Lettie and Anders, her Scandinavian hottie neighbor, have realized their feelings about each other have moved beyond friendship, and Lettie, who’s never been interested in a long-term relationship, decides to give one with Anders a chance. Lettie’s agent has big plans for the book and has created a team to make it a bestseller, including a PR firm that demands a complete makeover for Lettie. From wardrobe to apartment to a new nickname, “Char,” every detail is changed to create an image that inspires admiration and a legion of followers. However, it also means that her real-life relationships are affected, and the new Char is so different from the old Lettie that she’ll have to sift through what she wanted, and what she’s gained, so she can live her own best life, authentically.

Wright updates “Cinderella” with a modern twist and smart, satisfying details.

WOULD LIKE TO MEET

Winters, Rachel Putnam (368 pp.) $16.00 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-525-54231-5

A film agency assistant follows all the rom-com rules in an attempt to save her job…and maybe fall in love in the process.

Evie Summers has always loved love—specifically in romantic comedies.

She grew up dreaming of writing her own film, and her father was her biggest champion. But after his death, she lost her writing spark. Now she’s stuck toiling as an assistant at a film agency, waiting for the day she gets her big break and gets promoted to agent. It seems she may get her chance when her agency’s biggest and worst-behaved client, Ezra Chester, needs some motivation to produce the rom-com screenplay he promised. Ezra thinks rom-coms are trite and unrealistic, but he agrees to finish his screenplay if Evie proves to him that meet-cutes can lead to true love. Evie has to recreate some of her favorite rom-com scenes and report back to Ezra. Spilling orange juice on a stranger, à la Notting Hill? Check.

Sharing a car with someone, just like in When Harry Met Sally…?

Check. Staying at a charming cottage that seems to be straight out of The Holiday? Check. Evie tries it all, humiliating herself in front of the general public, including a cute but quiet single father and his precocious daughter. Meanwhile, she also has to help plan a bachelorette party and wedding for her hilariously high-maintenance bridezilla of a friend, but her dedication to work keeps getting in the way. But just like in all the best romcoms, Evie might find true love where she least expects it. Evie is a scrappy, winning heroine whose decisions may occasionally be frustrating (as is the rom-com tradition, there are lots of miscommunications) but are always well intentioned. The references to classic films of the genre will delight rom-com fans, as will the sweet romance. The best scenes, though, are with Evie and her three best friends, who have the warmly mocking dynamic of friends in a Richard Curtis film.

A lovely, humorous ode to romantic comedies.

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THE MURALS

Bayer, William Severn House (224 pp.) $28.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7278-8973-7

ROBERT B. PARKER’S ANGEL EYES

A photojournalist poking around in an abandoned house discovers a room covered in mysterious wall-to-wall paintings.

Photography teacher Jason Poe, suffering from the trauma of documenting the carnage of the war in Syria, opts for a somewhat tamer enterprise back home: breaking into derelict houses in the Rust Belt and taking pictures of the possessions owners left behind when they decamped. The granite mansion on Locust Street in the little town of Calista holds particular fascination for him. When he and his student Tally Vaughan finally sneak inside, their patience is richly rewarded. In a room at the top of the building is a set of four murals, painted by a talented but obviously untrained artist, that Poe finds breathtaking. To

Atkins, Ace Putnam (320 pp.) $27.00 | $37.99 lg. prt. | Nov. 19, 2019 978-0-525-53682-6 978-1-4328-7172-7 lg. prt.

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Spenser goes to Hollywood.

In the two years since she’s moved from Cambridge to Los Angeles in pursuit of stardom, Gabrielle Leggett has been a dog walker, a personal assistant, a model, an actress, a media influencer, and now, for the past two weeks, a missing person. The LAPD knows about Gabby’s disappearance, but her mother, dissatisfied with their efforts, sends Spenser (Robert B. Parker’s Old Black Magic, 2018, etc.) out to the Left Coast to do the job right. Predictably, Gabby’s agent and former romantic partner, Eric Collinson, doesn’t want to talk to him. Neither does Jeffrey Bloom, the acting coach who thought Gabby had just dropped out of his class, or Jimmy Yamashiro, the married studio CEO who took Collinson’s place. And the only thing publicist Nancy Sharp, Gabby’s ex-boss, wants to talk about is how much fun she and Spenser could have if he’d only lighten up. Eventually Spenser works his contacts to get an audience with Yamashiro, but the results are less than impressive. He must be making an impression, though, because five Armenian thugs ambush him and shoot his West Coast associate, Zebulun Sixkill, in the arm, disabling him and requiring Spenser to look for another sidekick. Eventually he gets a lead that connects Gabby to Joseph Haldorn, aka Phaethon, the founder of HELIOS, a hush-hush organization that promises self-actualization and conducts itself suspiciously like a cult. But instead of thickening, the mystery surrounding Gabby just gets more violent and diffuse. Surprisingly, Atkins gets the hardest parts right—his hero/narrator now sounds indistinguishable from Robert B. Parker’s—but bogs down in the plotting, the area in which he presumably had the freest hand. As for the cod-out-ofwater milieu, it evokes not so much particular SoCal locations as dozens of earlier SoCal whodunits.

Readers who’ve always wanted to see Spenser in Tinseltown can cross that off their bucket lists.

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As usual, Beaton conceals any number of surprises behind her trademark wry humor.

identify the creator of this unknown masterpiece, Poe seeks help from fiber artist Hannah Sachs, his colleague at the Calista Art Institute and his sometime lover, and reporter Joan Nguyen of the Calista Times-Dispatch. Nguyen fills him in on the history of the house, which was abandoned after Elizabeth and Theodore Schechtner, a pair of psychotherapists, were accused of leading a cult that imprisoned teenage girls there. Hannah helps track down the art dealer who currently owns the house—and the murals. The mystery behind the murals’ creation, which takes several trips to Santa Fe and Switzerland to unravel, couldn’t be more predictable. Bayer (The Luzern Photograph, 2016, etc.), who presents his tale as a series of first-person narratives told by the searchers and their informants, doesn’t differentiate them enough to give each character a unique voice. But the most notable absence is of the murals themselves, which are described by a variety of encomiums but never in enough detail for readers to imagine what they’re not seeing.

A picture would have been worth a thousand words.

TRACE OF EVIL

Blanchard, Alice Minotaur (384 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-250-20571-1 Detective Natalie Lockhart seeks to solve the brutal murder of a friend— which may connect to the slaying of her own sister 20 years earlier.

Centuries ago, three women were executed for witchcraft in Burning Lake, New York. Perhaps because of this violent history, it’s almost a rite of passage for Burning Lake teens to flirt with Wicca and darker forms of witchcraft. But when a high school teacher is found murdered in her home, the exploration doesn’t seem quite so innocent, especially when a poppet, a kind of black magic voodoo doll, is found buried in the teacher’s garden.

Natalie can feel the dark influence everywhere; in addition to the murder investigation, she’s been assigned to investigate the disappearances of nine transients over the past several years.

When she discovers the desiccated corpses of tortured crows at more than one of the sites where the missing people were last seen, it becomes more and more obvious that there is something—or someone—dark and deadly at work in Burning Lake, someone who may even have been responsible for the murder of Natalie’s own sister 20 years before and who hasn’t stopped killing since. There are a number of crimes being investigated in this novel and a lot of movement between past and present, but for the most part, Blanchard (A Breath After Drowning, 2018, etc.) successfully navigates these complexities and keeps the reader, and the story, grounded with the appealing character of Natalie. Dogged, empathetic, courageous, and driven by her own childhood trauma, she leaves no stone unturned, even if it means investigating people she loves. Blanchard indicates this is the first of many Lockhart mysteries to come—good news!

A fast-paced, intricate, and atmospheric mystery that introduces a plucky, engaging detective.

BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH

Beaton, M.C. Minotaur (288 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-250-15772-0

A most unusual suspect helps a detective solve a case.

The engineering firm Morrison’s has hired Agatha Raisin and her assistant, Toni Gilmour, to investigate a case of industrial espionage after a mysterious fire at their factory in the Cotswolds. On their way home, they spot a disembodied leg in the woods and recognize its shoe and stockings as those of Mr. Morrison’s secretary, Mrs. Dinwiddy.

They call the police but feel like fools when the limb is revealed as fake. Many circumstances seem unusual back at Morrison’s, where no one seems to do much and the factory that’s supposed to be producing battery packs for electric cars turns out to be in Poland instead. Agatha’s favorite employee at Morrison’s turns out to be Wizz-Wazz, a donkey belonging to Morrison’s wife, even though she attacks after Toni whacks her on the nose.

After Mrs. Dinwiddy is found dead at the stable, the police are ready to write it off as an accidental death at the donkey’s hooves. But Agatha’s certain the obviously traumatized WizzWazz is innocent. When Sir Charles Fraith, Agatha’s longtime friend and sometime lover (The Dead Ringer, 2018, etc.), accompanies her to the factory, he points out actual horses’ hooves that are being used as ashtrays. The fact that one of them has been scrubbed suspiciously clean suggests that Wizz-Wazz was framed. Agatha, devastated to learn of Charles’ engagement to a wealthy, unattractive young woman, continues her investigation into what now seems to be a fake factory and consoles herself with a romance with Chris Firkin, who rents a space from Charles to work on converting cars to electricity. Agatha starts a PR campaign to save Wizz-Wazz while working on the difficult and ultimately dangerous case.

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CROSSROAD

Cameron, W.H. Crooked Lane (336 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-64385-280-5 An undertaker-in-training trying to put an accident at the town’s crossroads behind her is drawn back into the trauma when the bodies go missing from her new family’s mortuary.

When Geoffrey Bouton, her new husband, abandons the former Melisende Dulac during their |

A woman with magical powers starts a long and arduous journey not knowing what is to come. city of pearl

Paris honeymoon, Melisende is more resigned than brokenhearted. Raised by a couple who seemed to be parents by chance rather than choice, Melisende hasn’t had much connection to family since her brother died rescuing her from a lake when the two were children. So it’s a real surprise when Geoffrey’s Aunt Elodie telephones Melisende from out of the blue to offer her a place to live and a job at the family funeral business in Barlow County, outside of Portland, Oregon. Without a qualm about saying goodbye to her East Coast home, Melisende meets her new Aunt Elodie and her husband, a warm man Melisende eventually feels comfortable calling Uncle Rémy. Melisende will always be an outsider in town, but she feels comfortable enough until the day she’s driving to work and is stopped by a grisly accident and fire. Though she’s used to a high body count at her job, Melisende is so spooked by the scene that she barely realizes there’s a baby, still alive, wrapped in a sweatshirt on the fringe of the mayhem. Cameron’s first novel under this name (he’s written others as Bill Cameron, including Property of the State, 2016, etc.) shows Melisende trying to stay out of trouble when the bodies go missing from the family’s mortuary, when it seems as if someone’s trying to pin something on her even though there’s no crime.

A richly drawn background contextualizes the mystery’s melancholy, with bursts of humor emerging like sun through clouds.

to a magnificent cave in a high mountain region, where she’s tutored by Luliwa in the magical arts. Back in England, a man is found dead outside Gurdyman’s house, a pearl clutched in his hand. Jack teams up with Lassair’s uncle Hrype to hunt down the wraithlike person who searched the house. Afraid for Lassair’s life, the pair engage Thorfinn and his ship to follow her.

Much will be revealed but even more left for the next chapter in Lassair’s life.

A host of minor mysteries enliven this magical tour of mystical lands.

SIDEWALK SAINT

DePoy, Phillip Severn House (224 pp.) $28.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7278-8957-7

CITY OF PEARL

Clare, Alys Severn House (208 pp.) $28.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7278-8898-3 A woman with magical powers starts a long and arduous journey not knowing what is to come.

The wizard Gurdyman, with whom Lassair has been living and studying in Cambridge in 1093, tells her that they must travel to Spain and sends her to her fenland home to pack her belongings, including the shining stone that reveals visions. Lassair wonders whether the trip is an effort to cheer her up after she’s lost the two loves of her life, Rollo to death and lawman Jack Chevestrier to stubbornness (The Rufus Spy, 2018). Before she and Gurdyman board the first of several ships that will take them to Spain, she visits her parents and her grandfather Thorfinn, from whom she’s inherited some of her powers and the shining stone. Gurdyman says that he wants to visit his own parents’ graves in Galicia, but Lassair suspects that he has other reasons for the trip. The owners of the inn that was once his parents’ greet the visitors with caution and even dislike, evoking memories of Gurdyman’s early brilliance and his determination to travel far to learn more. Using money Rollo left her, Lassair, noting Gurdyman’s failing health, buys a pony and cart for transport. After almost dying from poisoned water, both are rescued and taken to the City of Pearl, a haven for people of every religion. Gurdyman agrees to send Lassair |

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A car thief–turned-agent for Florida Child Protective Services defends an 11-year-old girl from a wide array of predators.

There’s nothing like a gun in your face to wake you up from a dream about your Aunt Shayna’s brisket, as Foggy Moscowitz discovers one morning in 1976. Nelson Roan, the man behind the gun, has broken out of prison to find his daughter, Etta, and he needs help from Foggy. Fry’s Bay is a long way from Brooklyn, where Foggy grew up, and his current job for the state under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act is a big change from his former career of boosting cars. But it’s Foggy’s way of making amends for his criminal past. The next morning, Roan is gone, but Foggy’s still determined to find Etta, who has an eidetic memory, apparently knows something that a good many other people would like to know, and has been adopted by a couple who may not have her best interests at heart. A few secret messages from Etta, including one on her dog’s collar, lead Foggy to the child, who’s a person of such interest to mobsters from both Manhattan and Montreal as well as a couple of dirty cops and the FBI that Foggy decides to stash her with his friend John Horse, the tribal boss of the local Seminoles. Added to a flourishing marijuana trade, a casino venture, Etta’s father’s recent murder of the doctor who treated Etta’s mother, a switch of identities in the local hospital, and the possibility that at least two of the people in the fray aren’t who they say they are is the ongoing mystery of what Etta knows that puts her life at such risk. For all his craftiness, it’s hard work for Foggy, even with Aunt Shayna’s intervention, to stay one step ahead in his brisk and wryly funny fourth caper (Icepick, 2018, etc.).

No one can con a con like an ex-con with a good heart and even better friends.

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VERSE AND VENGEANCE

Ronin suddenly found herself catapulted to the county sheriff ’s Robbery-Homicide Division, where the cases are high profile and her male peers are low tolerant. Minutes after she and Detective Duncan Pavone, her older, fatter, more dispassionate partner, shrug off a borderline killing that really belongs to the LAPD, they answer a distress call from a neighbor of aspiring actress/actual waitress Tanya Kenworth to find Tanya, her two children, and her dog missing from their Topanga house, which is awash in blood. As she’s searching the woods around the house for clues, Eve is jumped by a hairy monster she can’t even identify as human before she’s knocked out—an incident she improbably decides to keep secret from Duncan. There’s plenty of convincing evidence that the family was killed, dismembered, and taken away but no evidence that points to any particular suspect. Tanya’s ex-husband, Cleve, seems to have been hours away in Merced when his estranged family vanished, and her exboyfriend, Jared Rawlins, was entertaining his rebound hookup.

As if determined never to be off duty again, Eve works around the clock to find and pursue new leads, but instead of impressing her colleagues, she just convinces them that she’s a ruthless careerist. Nor do her efforts sit well with her endlessly critical mother, who can’t understand why she looks so disheveled during the TV interviews that make her the face, and eventually the leader, of the investigation. At length, Eve’s tireless work identifies a suspect she arrests, but although he fits the evidence to a T, his smug self-assurance makes her worry that she’s screwed up.

And she has, though not in the way she thinks.

An energetic, resourceful procedural starring a heroine who deserves a series of her own.

Flower, Amanda Crooked Lane (320 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-64385-151-8

A magical bookstore near Niagara Falls helps its guardian solve another crime.

Only professor Violet Waverly and her grandmother Daisy know the secret of the 200-year-old birch tree that lives in the center of Charming Books and must be refreshed with magical spring water every day by its current guardian, Violet, who has assumed a job passed down through her family’s female line. The shop’s magical ability to put books containing vital clues in her path has helped Violet solve several murders. Joel Redding, a sleazy private investigator Violet met during her last case (Murder and Metaphors, 2019), has been following her and trying to suss out her secret for his own benefit. Grandma Daisy has arranged a bike race to raise money for the Underground Railroad museum she plans to install at City Hall, but the plan is on hold because of problems with the building’s structural foundation. When Redding turns up at the race, he’s killed in what seems like an accident until cut brake lines are discovered.

For some reason, he’s carrying a copy of Leaves of Grass, which the bookstore had been placing in Violet’s path for unknown reasons. Although Violet has never revealed her secret to her boyfriend, Chief of Police David Rainwater, Redding’s death ratchets up the pressure to confide in him. Redding had rented a bike from a local shop where Jo Fitzgerald, one of Violet’s students, works. Now Jo, who’s been acting strangely, seems to be hiding from the police. Certain that she’s no killer, Violet, with some help from her cat, Emerson, and the bookstore’s resident talking crow, Faulkner, starts sleuthing and reading Leaves of Grass for clues. As she pieces together possible motives, she learns that Walt Whitman had actually visited Cascade Springs and may even provide the motive for the murder.

A scholarly heroine, endearing characters and settings, and enigmatic clues make for a satisfying mystery.

NOW YOU SEE THEM

Griffiths, Elly Mariner/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (368 pp.) $15.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-328-97159-3 In the 1960s, a famous magician returns to England for a funeral after a hiatus of 11 years.

In that time, Max Mephisto moved to the U.S., married movie star Lydia Lamont, and fathered two children. His British daughter, TV star of Ruby Magic, the product of an ancient affair, has a love/ hate relationship with Max, who was absent most of her life. At the funeral for an old theatrical buddy, Max sees many friends, including Superintendent Edgar Stephens, a mate since their World War II service together, with whom he solved the murder of a woman he adored (The Vanishing Box, 2018). After the funeral, Edgar’s boss, DI Bob Willis, gets a call about a missing girl that plunges them into a difficult case tailor-made for Emma Holmes Stephens, a top policewoman before her marriage to Edgar. Although she loves her family, Emma finds life boring without the mental stimulation of police work. The vanished girl, Rhonda Miles, who comes from a wealthy family, is a student at Roedean, Emma’s alma mater. She left a note saying

LOST HILLS

Goldberg, Lee Thomas & Mercer (240 pp.) $24.95 | $15.95 paper | Jan. 1, 2020 978-1-5420-9380-4 978-1-5420-9189-3 paper Veteran TV writer and fiction collaborator Goldberg (Killer Thriller, 2019, etc.) auditions a tough, ambitious rookie LA County detective determined to ride a triple murder hard—if it doesn’t destroy her career first.

After stepping up when she was off duty to take down an action-movie star who was smacking his girlfriend around, Eve 30

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Digging into the death of a friend threatens a police officer’s idyllic vision of her heroes. shatter the night

DREAD JOURNEY

she was going to London, perhaps in the hope of meeting American movie star Bobby Hambro, who’s in England working on a film deal which may soon involve Max. Rhonda’s father insists she’s been kidnapped, something that’s happened before. But the view of the case changes when a reporter friend of Emma’s informs her that Sara Henratty and Louise Dawkins, two other women, both disappeared after leaving similar notes. Ambitious WPC Meg Connolly, sent to London in disguise, learns from Bobby’s fans that Rhonda had been approached by a photographer who suggested that she do some modeling. The link between the disappearances is confirmed by the body of Sara Henratty wearing Rhonda’s cloak and the discovery that they had all been asked to model. When Max’s daughter Ruby also vanishes, Max and Emma resolve to find her while reflecting on their unsatisfactory lives.

A character-driven tale of troubled relationships in a rapidly changing 1960s England that’s wrapped in an excellent mystery.

Hughes, Dorothy B. Penzler Publishers (181 pp.) $25.95 | $15.95 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-61316-145-6 978-1-61316-146-3 paper

MURDER FOR GOOD

Heley, Veronica Severn House (224 pp.) $28.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7278-8902-7

Ellie Quicke (Murder by Suggestion, 2018, etc.) finds herself battered by the winds of good fortune.

Pessimists say that if they didn’t have bad luck they’d have no luck at all. And Ellie is accustomed to a certain amount of ill fortune. Her feckless daughter, Diana, has a nasty habit of turning up on her doorstep demanding money for one outrageous scheme after another. This time, Diana wants Ellie to sell her large, lovely home so that she can invest the proceeds in a shady real estate scheme that will cover the shortfall of Diana’s last unwise business venture. Meanwhile, Ellie has offered homeless Hetty a temporary spot in her house’s upper floor apartment only to be rewarded with constant noise and commotion as Hetty invades her kitchen, cooking Ellie and her husband, Thomas, unwanted, inedible meals and joining them uninvited as they try to entertain friends. Even Ellie’s good luck is bad: When her clergyman husband starts to receive a series of bequests from parishioners he can’t remember, he’s spooked at first, then alarmed once the police receive a tip suggesting that Thomas may have deceived or coerced the deceased benefactors into their donations. The crowning blow is the most generous. When Ellie receives a whopping bequest of her own, it takes all her strength, faith, and ingenuity to cope with her windfall.

Heley’s heroine needs the patience of Job to triumph.

Readers will need the same to read about it.

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A year after reprinting Hughes’ first novel, The So Blue Marble (1940), Otto Penzler follows it with her eighth, a 1945 tale of murder feared and then executed aboard a long-distance train.

Vivien Spender is a powerful enough producer/director to do whatever he wants, and what he’s wanted for years is to find the perfect actress to play the enigmatic Clavdia Chauchat in his film adaptation of The Magic Mountain. Viv’s fancies have alighted on one candidate after another even as his devotion to Thomas Mann’s novel has remained constant. Kitten Agnew, a bona fide movie star, has convinced herself that she’s vanquished the opposition and landed the part, but Viv’s spotted a new Clavdia: Newfoundland librarian Gratia Shawn, whom he discovered while she was visiting Hollywood: “She couldn’t act but he’d teach her that.” He’s offered Kitten $1 million to buy out her contract, but she refuses to sell because she thinks the damning evidence she’s collected that Viv murdered his first wife puts her in the driver’s seat. Now, as Kitten and Gratia share a compartment aboard the Super Chief speeding from Los Angeles to New York and carrying Viv and Mike Dana, the female assistant who’s long been sweet on him, Kitten is terrified that once Viv realizes how legally indefensible his position is, he’ll have no choice but to kill her as well. As the shadows lengthen and the sense of claustrophobia thickens, Hughes examines this combustible mixture from the viewpoints of violinist-turned-bandleader Les Augustin, failed screenwriter Sidney Pringle, alcoholic reporter Hank Cavanaugh, Pullman porter James Cobbett, and the principals, each of whom scrutinizes the others as both predators and potential prey. Murder will indeed strike, but it will do little to alter the pervasive sense of dread and doom.

The perfect in-flight read. The only thing that’s dated is the long-distance train.

SHATTER THE NIGHT

Littlejohn, Emily Minotaur (320 pp.) $27.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-250-17832-9

Digging into the death of a friend threatens a police officer’s idyllic vision of her heroes.

Moments after alerting longtime friend and Cedar Valley police officer Gemma Monroe (Lost Lake, 2018, etc.) that he’s received a series of threatening letters, retired judge Caleb Montgomery is killed in a car explosion. Gemma is |

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horrified. She can barely believe that Caleb is gone. She’s even more alarmed when it appears that Caleb’s murder is related to some ethical improprieties in his earlier career. Whatever morally questionable actions Caleb took seem somehow shared by Gemma’s mentor, police chief Angel Chavez, though he is, of course, vague on details. Gemma fears that she can’t adequately investigate Caleb’s murder without knowing more, though knowing more may unravel her doubt-infused worldview even more. Luckily, the responsibility for investigating falls heavily on Fire Investigator Olivia Ramirez, an outsider to town whose tough exterior mirrors some of the walls Gemma has put up herself. Working in a tenuous triad, Gemma, partner Finn, and Olivia are able to relate Caleb’s death to the life and trials of Josiah Black, a man ostracized by the Cedar Valley community some years ago through a potential miscarriage of justice. If they’re right about the connections among all these histories, Caleb’s murder may be the start of something bigger that could threaten all the town’s residents if Gemma can’t stop it first.

Littlejohn continues methodically building her heroine’s world, shifting from an almost supernatural-inflected focus to small-town secrets.

embroiled in another matter as well. Queenie-Queenie, his girlfriend, is pressing him to name a date for their marriage, and when he pleads his inability to pay the weighty dowry customary for a young woman of her standing, she introduces him to her brother, Hector, whose partnership with a moneylender puts him in need of someone who can frighten clients into paying their debts by sabotaging their cars.

Diffuse even by this bestselling series’ generous standards, though the final not-quite-revelations carry a sunset glow.

PUDDIN’ ON THE BLITZ

Myers, Tamar Severn House (208 pp.) $28.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7278-8915-7

More murder among the Amish and Mennonites, who live in what must be among the most homicide-prone communities in America.

Magdalena Yoder-Rosen, a Conservative Mennonite woman with a poor body image, a weird sense of humor, and a knack for solving murders (Tea With Jam and Dread, 2016, etc.), has been arrested for the murder of Sarah Conway, one of her guests at the PennDutch Inn, where she charges city slickers big bucks to muck out stalls, clean bathrooms, and eat yummy but heart-clogging Amish cuisine. Sarah was the assistant to Gordon Gaiters, editor of the wildly popular Woman’s Place magazine, and Mags, always hoping to garner favorable publicity for the inn, had agreed to bar all other guests during their visit—so there are very few other suspects when Sarah winds up dead. Mags’ husband, Gabe, aka the Babester, is a retired heart surgeon who struggles to keep the peace between his wife and his mother, a floridly stereotyped Jewish mama who’s launched a convent for depressed women. Mags, who uses her wealth to help many in the little southwest Pennsylvania town of Hernia, had already agreed to help Hortense Hemphopple—the neighbor whose mother, Wanda, is in prison for trying to kill Mags and her daughter Alison—reopen The Sausage Barn restaurant so that Hortense can pay her college tuition bill. Mags’ surprisingly successful fusion of Chinese and Amish cooking is complemented by the skills of Barbara Hostetler, whose desserts are to die for. And Sarah very possibly did die from eating one of the desserts brought from the restaurant to the inn. Luckily, Mags is a friend or relative to just about everyone in Hernia, and the judge, an old school pal, lets her out with a $1 bail, giving her plenty of time to track down the real killer with a little help from her friends and a goat.

As usual, the mystery plays second fiddle in an over-thetop tale laced with sarcasm and malapropisms.

TO THE LAND OF LONG LOST FRIENDS

McCall Smith, Alexander Pantheon (240 pp.) $25.95 | Oct. 22, 2019 978-1-5247-4782-4

A ghost who’s not a ghost presents Mma Precious Ramotswe, of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (The Colors of All the Cattle, 2018, etc.), with a case that’s hardly a case at all.

Mma Ramotswe is stunned to see the specter of Calviniah Ramoroka, whom the newspapers had reported killed in a car accident, at a local wedding. In fact, her old school friend assures her, the victim in that crash was another Calviniah Ramoroka. She’s alive, well, and flourishing, except for one heartache she confesses to Mma Ramotswe over lunch at the Sanitas Garden: Her daughter, Nametso, a diamond sorter in Gaborone, has recently announced her estrangement from her mother without giving a reason. Even though Calviniah hasn’t asked her to look into the matter, much less given her a retainer, Mma Ramotswe determines to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Her assistant, Grace Makutsi, has meanwhile insinuated herself into a case that’s still less of a case. Although Mma Ramotswe has written her recent client Mma Mogorosi to reassure her that her husband’s repeated visits to a math teacher are probably not covering an adulterous liaison, Mma Makutsi asks to make further investigations on her own—investigations that soon involve a mysterious silver Mercedes and require the services of Charlie, who works as a part-time helper at the agency when he’s not working as a part-time mechanic at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, the peerless establishment run by Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe’s husband. And Charlie is 32

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A renowned London ghostbuster probes a link between Jack the Ripper and composer Franz Liszt. music macabre

TREACHERY

An Elizabethan sleuth investigates a murder on one of Sir Francis Drake’s ships.

Plymouth, 1585. In a letter to Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s Master Secretary, Drake explains that the suicide of crewman Robert Dunne prevents the good ship Elizabeth Bonaventure from setting sail on its voyage to the New World but asks that the queen not be told yet. Enter the brilliant but notorious Giordano Bruno (Sacrilege, 2012, etc.), summoned secretly by Drake through Sir Philip Sidney, the Queen’s Master of the Ordnance. Sidney dangles the possibility of amnesty in London for the excommunicated monk and spy.

Privately, Drake confesses his conviction to Sidney and Bruno that Dunne was murdered by someone onboard and that the killer will strike again if he’s not apprehended. Bruno’s investigation begins at the House of Vesta, a brothel frequented by Dunne, where shady characters may have sought to use him to get at supposed hidden riches belonging to Drake. Other clues include Dunne’s gambling debts, theological scholars exploring the story of Judas Iscariot, and resistance from the not-so-grieving widow (what’s that about?). A prostitute named Eve seems to hold all the answers. She directs them to Dunne’s shabby lodgings on Rag Street, where more evidence awaits, including a convenient letter. Lady Drake is thrilled by the arrival of a royal Portuguese visitor who could facilitate Drake’s departure, in effect stopping Bruno’s investigation.

Parris’ fourth Giordano Bruno mystery is long, leisurely, and labyrinthine, written in an ornate formal voice that echoes its era.

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sister. Atlas’ companion the night of Wendy’s death was Lady Lilliana Sterling Warwick, whose connections and intellect make her a perfect partner for solving mysteries (Murder in Bloomsbury, 2018, etc.). Atlas loves Lilliana but is convinced that his modest wealth and lower social position make him unworthy of her. Before her death, Wendy bore Vessey two young daughters whom Atlas knew about, but he’s surprised to learn that she also bore him a son, Francis, who’s older than Phoebe’s son, Nicholas, Viscount Beaumont, who will inherit the title and estates. Wendy seems to have been loyal to Vessey, but her life was more complicated than it appeared.

Her excellent singing voice had garnered her offers from several theatrical managers that would have allowed her to leave Vessey, who refused to settle on her a sum of money that would have protected her and her children. She’s rumored to have had an affair with a Russian diplomat, and a clergyman obsessed with her insists that she was about to marry him.

Lilliana pursues a friendship with Atlas, who seeks to protect her from unseemly gossip but is forced to accept her help in keeping track of the many members of the aristocracy who might be involved—especially his nephew, Nicholas, who may have hated Wendy enough to kill her.

A multifaceted mystery/romance with plenty of believable motives for the likable sleuth to investigate.

Parris, S.J. Pegasus Crime (592 pp.) $26.95 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-64313-224-2

MUSIC MACABRE

Rayne, Sarah Severn House (256 pp.) $28.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7278-8896-9 A renowned London ghostbuster probes a link between Jack the Ripper and composer Franz Liszt.

While gathering background information for a biography, music researcher Phineas Fox discovers that the aging Liszt was a passionate admirer of the scandalous music hall dancer known as Scaramel. Her notoriety came both from dancing naked on tables and from her involvement in an unspecified murder. As usual (Song of the Damned, 2018, etc.), the narrative alternates between Phinn in the present and the focus of his study in the past. As the 1880s wear on, Daisy, a wide-eyed young pauper who’s very protective of her younger brother, Joe, is seduced by the lush life her new employer, “Madame,” offers her. After she and Joe witness a murder, she frets because she can identify the killer and fears seeing him again. Phinn’s investigations in the present, meanwhile, lead him to Linklighters, a new Soho club built on the site of Scaramel’s infamous dances by Loretta and Roland, a young couple who struggle in the first months of their dream venture. Daisy feels herself being increasingly watched by the killer, who the reader has likely already deduced is Jack the Ripper. With the help of girlfriend Arabella and puckish pal Toby Tallis, Phinn learns more about the past of Linklighters’ original founder and namesake, Links, who may have been a criminal.

MURDER AT THE OPERA

Quincy, D.M. Crooked Lane (336 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-64385-235-5

A chance to get back at an old enemy puts a principled sleuth in a difficult position.

Atlas Catesby has never been truly happy since the older sister he adored fell down a staircase and died. Phoebe was in a loveless marriage with Malcolm Lennox, Marquess of Vessey, and Atlas is convinced that her husband murdered her. Lennox never remarried but kept Wendela Pike as a mistress for many years, and her fatal shooting in a crowd outside the opera house in Covent Garden—where Atlas was coincidentally also emerging from the performance—gives Atlas the opportunity to investigate and perhaps get justice for his |

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When Phinn shares some of his unusual discoveries about Linklighters with Loretta and Roland, they are less than pleased.

Colorful characters and a mastery of slow-burning suspense make this case an engaging page-turner.

before leaping out of the moving vehicle. After having been hospitalized for injuries that required brain surgery, she’s looking for a place to stay where no one will find her, and she settles on the remote town of Benedict, Alaska. The only ways to get to Benedict are by air or water, and the only one who knows Beth’s true identity is Police Chief Gril Samuels, who sends park ranger Donner Montgomery to pick her up at the airfield because Gril’s busy with an unexplained death. Beth’s plan to stay at Benedict House is almost derailed when she discovers that the hotel is actually a halfway house for female criminals, currently three shoplifters who do odd jobs around town. Beth’s father vanished when she was young, and her mother has spent years looking for him. Beth, raised mostly by her police-chief grandfather, worked for the department as a secretary, though her math and analytical skills sometimes pressed her into service as a crime-scene tech. Now she carries burner phones to keep in touch with her doctor and the detective back home who’s working her case. Unable to remember everything that happened to her, she thinks her kidnapper’s name is Levi Brooks but can’t picture his face until she starts having flashbacks. Curious about the death of Benedict local Linda Rafferty, which could be murder or suicide, Beth takes up Gril’s offer to be his consultant and also run the local newspaper, giving her a chance to research Rafferty’s death as she searches for Levi Brooks. In the process, she discovers that she’s far from the only person in Benedict with something to hide.

A page-turner with an unusual location and a coda that provides more questions than answers.

LAETITIA RODD AND THE CASE OF THE WANDERING SCHOLAR

Saunders, Kate Bloomsbury (384 pp.) $17.00 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-63286-839-8

In carrying out the wishes of a dying man, a lady investigator gets herself entangled in a mystery that touches her own life.

Summoned to the bedside of wealthy Mr. Jacob Welland in 1851, discreet private detective Mrs. Laetitia Rodd doubts that she can comfort the dying man. Jacob is adamant that Mrs. Rodd find his brother Joshua’s whereabouts so that Jacob can make amends before succumbing to consumption. Jacob can offer few details about Joshua’s life since the two fell out over the obligatory woman and Joshua became a young eccentric at Oxford. Knowing there’s no time to spare, Mrs. Rodd sets out to search for Joshua, arranging to stay with longtime friends Arthur and Rachel Somers while she makes inquiries. Though Arthur and Rachel lead a quiet life, it seems a happy one, and Mrs. Rodd feels responsible for her part in getting the two together many years before, when Arthur was just a young curate. Now Arthur is mentoring his own young curate, the charismatic Mr. Henry Barton, who seems to have earned the affection and admiration of both Arthur and Rachel; Mrs. Rodd is more reserved in her judgment of him. In her quest to find Joshua Welland, Mrs. Rodd immerses herself in the Somers household and the Oxford community in hopes of finding someone willing to connect her to Joshua, however informally.

What follows is something even the astute Mrs. Rodd could not have predicted: Secrets! Scandal! Murder! Indeed, the Welland matter may be the least complicated part of it all.

Charmingly written, combining nods to manners of the time with a bit of modern sass.

THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT

Solomon, Burt Forge (304 pp.) $27.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7653-9267-1

A suspicious accident that almost gets the president killed prompts a Cabinet member to turn sleuth.

In early September 1902, a runaway trolley car collides with the carriage of Theodore Roosevelt, who’s campaigning in Massachusetts.

Secret Service bodyguard Bill Craig is crushed to death. Most everyone considers this a freak accident, but the president, who looked into the eyes of the trolley’s motorman, is convinced that the goal was his death. Solomon (The Murder of Willie Lincoln, 2017, etc.) assigns the telling of the tale to Roosevelt’s secretary of state, John Hay, who feels bound to investigate. The police chief, at first evasive, ultimately admits that his department has investigated the French Canadian motorman, Euclid Madden. Because he and the conductor have been indicted, Madden’s lawyer will not allow him to speak further until the inquest. Craig’s funeral further inspires a sense of duty in Hay, who intermittently dives into The Hound of the Baskervilles for investigative inspiration. After Madden surprises everyone by pleading guilty to manslaughter, Hay questions him, and

THIN ICE

Shelton, Paige Minotaur (288 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-250-29521-7 Prolific Shelton (The Loch Ness Papers, 2019, etc.) kicks off a new series featuring a traumatized heroine who flees to Alaska seeking safety.

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An Elizabethan spy with much to hide balances family loyalties with his fealty to the queen. the course of all treasons

AN OLD MAN’S GAME

something doesn’t seem right. Though plagued with self-doubt, Hay determines to probe further. As he proceeds, the president himself becomes his sounding board along with Clara, Hay’s outspoken wife. Emancipated journalist Nellie Bly, Roosevelt’s close friend and adviser George Cortelyou, and billionaire J.P. Morgan all figure prominently in his investigation, Bly even playing Watson to Hay’s Holmes. It takes a second murder to bring the entire affair into sharp focus.

Historian Solomon’s meticulous details and the reallife figures woven into the narrative make it both informative and entertaining.

Weinberger, Andy Prospect Park Books (224 pp.) $16.00 paper | Dec. 5, 2019 978-1-945551-64-2

CITY OF SCOUNDRELS

Thompson, Victoria Berkley Prime Crime (336 pp.) $26.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-9848-0565-2 A determined woman seeks justice.

Elizabeth Miles had a disreputable past as a grifter, but a chance friendship with Mrs. Bates, a suffragette, introduced her into New York society, and now she’s engaged to her friend’s son, Gideon Bates, a straight-arrow lawyer. While Gideon is waiting to be called up to serve in the Great War, Cpl. Thomas Preston asks him to draft a new will leaving Thomas’ money and his one-third share in Preston Shoe Manufacturing to his pregnant new wife, Rose O’Dell, instead of his older brother, Fred, who currently shares ownership of the company with Thomas and Delia, their young, widowed stepmother. Since Rose is not the sort the Preston family would approve of, Gideon writes the will in secret, naming himself executor, and Thomas leaves it with Rose. All too soon thereafter, an angry Fred Preston barges into Gideon’s office saying that his brother is dead and his brother’s widow claims to be the heir. Refusing to reveal his client’s business, Gideon visits Rose’s apartment, where he runs into the bruiser who attempted to strangle her and stole the only signed copy of the will. It’s clear that neither Fred nor his stepmother will help Rose, whom Elizabeth moves to her aunt’s house, where she and several other progressive women live, knowing that she’ll be safe. When neither threats of court cases nor attempts to shame Fred work, Elizabeth turns to her brother and father, the Old Man, and their talented group of con men (City of Secrets, 2018, etc.) to find a way to raise money for Rose and the coming child. Disapproving of war profiteers and men who hurt women, the group comes up with a clever plan that will make Rose rich and pay them something for their efforts. They stumble into the American Protective League, a nest of German spies, and a still more dangerous enemy in the Spanish flu, which will kill vast numbers all over the globe.

An amusingly complex con combines with little-known historical details to provide an enchanting read.

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Retired Los Angeles private eye Amos Parisman probes the death of a controversial rabbi.

Parisman debuts on the mystery scene, bravely flaunting his Yiddishkeit in his first-person narrative. Unfortunately, he loses his street cred by the end of Chapter 1, mangling both Hebrew and Yiddish translations and transliterations with equal abandon. Alav hashalom (not le sholem, Parisman’s weirdly French-sounding rendition) really does more or less mean “rest in peace,” but twisting alter kocker into alte katchke (which would rhyme with tchotchke) does not make it closer to meaning “old duck.” Parisman’s gumshoe chops come across as a little more authentic. He’s reasonably skeptical when Howie Rothbart hires him to investigate the death of Rabbi Ezra Diamant of Shir Emmet, a wealthy West Hollywood congregation. Why would the board suspect that the demise of their overweight, middleaged spiritual leader, who keeled over into his matzo ball soup lunch at Canter’s Deli on Fairfax, was anything but the natural consequences of his poor food and exercise choices? Rothbart’s repeated claim that Diamant rubbed people the wrong way does little to convince Parisman he’s looking at a murder. But the subsequent death by crowbar of Diamant’s doctor, Dora Ewing, does. By now Amos has grown cautious enough to hire ex-wrestler Omar Villasenor to provide some much-needed muscle, and the ill-assorted pair provide an entertaining tour of LA while they track down a killer with a surprising motive.

Probably worthy of an encore—if the author gets a dialogue coach.

THE COURSE OF ALL TREASONS

Wolfe, Suzanne M. Crooked Lane (288 pp.) $26.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-64385-178-5 An Elizabethan spy with much to hide balances family loyalties with his fealty to the queen.

Nicholas Holt, the younger brother of Robert, Earl of Blackwell, is a tavern owner, loyal friend, and spy who works for the ailing Sir Francis Walsingham. Therein lies Nick’s problem, for his relatives are recusant Catholics he must find ways to protect in these troubling times, when the queen’s cousin Mary Stuart, although imprisoned, remains a magnet for plots to restore the Catholic faith to England. Ordered to spot and identify a Spanish spy, Nick follows the man he recognizes as Francesco del Toro to an Oxford tavern, where he’s appalled to see his brother |

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Robert. Del Toro slips away, but Nick must stay. He also runs into Edmund Lovett, an acquaintance from his childhood and Oxford University who admits to working for the spy network of Robert Devereaux, second Earl of Essex and favorite of the queen, who flirts embarrassingly with the handsome, spoiled young man. Nick gets stuck with Edmund, who’s also returning to London. When they’re attacked on the road in what Nick suspects is an assassination attempt, Edmund comes to his aid. Much to Nick’s dismay, the queen orders him to help Essex find the killer he claims is trying to shut down his rival spy network even though it’s Walsingham’s agents who are really in danger. Among Essex’s agents are Lady Annie O’Neill, an Irish master of disguise, and Gavell and Stace, two stone-cold killers who suspect Nick of double-dealing. The few people Nick can trust are John Stockton, who runs Nick’s tavern; Kat, a wellconnected madam; and Eli and Rivkah, twin Jewish doctors who escaped the Spanish Inquisition. As Nick and Hector, the faithful Irish wolfhound who’s helped him solve murders at the court (A Murder by Any Name, 2018, etc.), scour London, they narrowly escape assassination attempts as they try to roll up the Spanish spy network.

Wolfe makes deft use of historical facts in an exciting mystery with a pleasing climactic surprise.

in selecting these works was whether they provided her with pleasure. That doesn’t mean these stories offer happy endings or simple answers. If there’s one theme that unites them, it’s the characters’ desire to escape: from that haunted house (Adam-Troy Castro’s “Pitcher Plant”), the forces of time itself (Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s “Through the Flash” and Adam R. Shannon’s “On the Day You Spend Forever With Your Dog”), the restrictions of expected fictional tropes (Ada Hoffman’s “Variations on a Theme From Turandot”), racism and classism (LaShawn M. Wanak’s “Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie Sing the Stumps Down Good” and P. Djèlí Clark’s “The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington”), misogyny and the associated bonds of social convention (Sofia Samatar’s “Hard Mary,” Kelly Robson’s “What Gentle Women Dare,” Theodore McCombs’ “Six Hangings in the Land of Unkillable Women,” and Lesley Nneka Arimah’s “Skinned”), and of course, foolish and dangerous preconceptions about the world that everyone holds in some measure (that’s just about every story).

A strong collection that will inspire, disturb, and, yes, give pleasure.

DEAD ASTRONAUTS

VanderMeer, Jeff MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux (352 pp.) $27.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-374-27680-5

science fiction and fantasy

VanderMeer (The Strange Bird, 2018, etc.) continues his saga of biotech gone awry and the fearsome world that ensues.

David Bowie had just one dead astronaut, poor Maj. Tom, in his quiver. VanderMeer puts three in the middle of a strange city somewhere on what appears to be a future Earth, a place where foxes read minds and ducks threaten their interlocutors: “I’ll kill you and feast on your entrails,” one duck says, and, on being challenged about his lab-engendered ducky identity, spits back, “You are not a whatever you are.” All very true. In the ruin of the world that the nefarious Company has left behind after its biotech experiments went south, such things are commonplace, and nothing is quite as it seems, although everything dies. Sometimes, indeed, everything dies even as it lives, which explains why those three astronauts, a nicely balanced blend of ethnicities and genders, are able to walk and talk even as their less fortunate iterations lie inert. Says one, Chen, of his semblable, “Keep him alive. He might have value,” an easy task given that one version of Chen has been blown “into salamanders,” as our duck can attest.

Other creatures that flow out of the Company’s still-clanking biotech factory have similar fates: They are fodder for the leviathan that awaits in the holding pond outside, for the behemoth that stalks the land. “Bewildered by their own killing,” muses Grayson, one of the three. “Bewildered by so many things. To be dead without ever having lived.” Much of the action in VanderMeer’s story is circumstantial, but it provides useful backstory

THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY 2019

Ed. by Machado, Carmen Maria Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (384 pp.) $15.99 paper | Oct. 1, 2019 978-1-328-60437-8 The chosen becomes the chooser: Machado, the award-winning author of Her Body and Other Parties (2017) and a contributor to last year’s anthology, serves as guest editor for the 2019 volume.

Every one of these 20 tales shines; there’s not a lackluster one in the bunch. They cover a variety of overlapping subgenres, from haunted-house horror to speculative social fiction to alien invasion to apocalyptic fantasy, and feature some of the most notable and rising writers in these overlapping areas, including Seanan McGuire, Daryl Gregory, P. Djèlí Clark, Sofia Samatar, and last year’s editor, N.K. Jemisin, among others. In her introduction, Machado declares her intention to ignore any artificial lines drawn between those stories considered “literary” and those labelled as “genre,” and she says that her chief criterion 36

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to his previous books Borne and The Strange Bird, delivering, for example, the origin story of the blue fox and emphasizing the madness of a humankind that destroys the natural world only to replace it with things very like what has been destroyed. Or at least that’s their intention, creating instead a hell paved with the results of mad, bad science.

VanderMeer is a master of literary science fiction, and this may be his best book yet.

Daniels, J. Forever Press (400 pp.) $14.99 paper | Oct. 8, 2019 978-1-5387-4348-5

r om a n c e FOREVER AND A DUKE

Burrowes, Grace Forever Press (464 pp.) $7.99 paper | Nov. 26, 2019 978-1-5387-0027-3

A woman asked to look into irregularities at a duke’s bank finds evidence of theft—and an unexpected love.

When Wrexham, Duke of Elsmore, asks the Duke of Walden for help in reviewing his personal finances and the ledgers of the bank he owns, Walden introduces him to Eleanora Hatfield, his auditor. Eleanora is a scrupulously honest woman who has escaped a family legacy of criminal activity by using her math skills and has acquired a fearsome reputation for accounting accuracy. While wary of the aristocracy, she agrees to help the genial duke find errors (or embezzlement) at his venerable institution. The discretion necessary for the task leads them to solitary tête-à-têtes, and as Wrexham’s fundamental kindness teaches the wary Eleanora to trust him, she trains him to acquire a sharper eye toward the practices of his employees and family members. As in When a Duchess Says I Do (2019), Burrowes relates the romances of acquaintances of the Walden family, whose head was the protagonist of her first Rogues to Riches novel, My One and Only Duke (2018). Though not quite rising to the charm of that story, this tale of love is appealing because of the unusual backdrop of banking fraud in 19th-century Britain. Scenes of the disparity between the upper class and the struggling classes serve as a reminder of the unfair economic and justice systems that undergird this society. These systems also act as the barrier Wrexham must overcome if he is to persuade Eleanora that they can marry. Both protagonists are finely etched, as are a few supporting characters who are likely to get their own romances in the future.

A moderately paced, satisfying tale of an accountant who saves an aristocrat from financial ruin while unwittingly winning his heart.

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A single mother helps a restaurateur move past his wife’s death and become a better father to his child.

Jenna Savage moved to Dogwood Beach, a coastal community in North Carolina, to be closer to her brother. Her 8-year-old twins have never known their father, and they love being near their favorite uncle. A paralegal with summers off, Jenna is looking forward to three months at home with Olivia and Oliver. But when she spies a toddler wandering around Whitecaps Restaurant unsupervised, her plans change. That toddler is Marley, daughter of Whitecaps owner Nathan Bell.

Nathan’s parents have been taking care of Marley ever since his wife died from suicide, but after two years, they realized they were enabling his avoidance rather than helping him grieve.

Now Nathan is desperately seeking a babysitter, and Jenna just happens to be enthusiastic about the prospect of adding a third, much younger, child to her already significant load. Nathan’s parents’ abrupt departure—they literally left him holding screaming Marley—and Jenna’s quick embrace of the idea of nannying for a stranger are so clunky that the story almost doesn’t get off the ground. But appealing leads, adorable children, and a sensitive portrayal of the aftermath of suicide put it back on course. Daniels’ (All We Want, 2018, etc.) portrayal of a woman who really thrives in a traditional helper role feels superficial at times, but the relationship is compelling. Despite being parents with romantic histories, neither Jenna nor Nathan has really given themselves up to love. As Nathan’s father puts it, “When you move past loving someone to needing them—they become a necessity to your own survival. You no longer get to decide whether you can be without this person. You can’t.”

Good choice for fans of small-town romances with heart.

THE DEVIL IN THE SADDLE

London, Julia Jove/Penguin (368 pp.) $7.99 paper | Oct. 29, 2019 978-0-451-49237-1

In Book 2 of the Princes of Texas series (The Charmer in Chaps, 2019), a rancher’s daughter escapes to Aspen after a breakup, but she can’t stop thinking about the boy next door.

Hallie Prince left her cheating fiance shortly before their wedding, and now she doesn’t know what to do with her life. She once had dreams of becoming a prima ballerina, but she quit dancing when her teachers told her she lacked the talent. She confides in her |

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RECKLESS IN RED

childhood friend Rafe Fontana, who worked for her family at Three Rivers Ranch before leaving to join the Army. They kiss, briefly sparking romance, but he’s already made plans to start a business in Chicago, and she’s busy destroying her wedding decor on Instagram to get revenge on her ex. Rafe is also skeptical of Hallie’s mother, who has always treated him and his family like the hired help—an awkward backstory for the couple to overcome. Aside from that, the ranch itself doesn’t get much use. Rafe ultimately joins Hallie on a trip to Aspen, forcing the two of them to consider whether their futures will include each other. Hallie and Rafe have a good rapport, with easy banter and strong chemistry, but their relationship is very slow to get off the ground. With more single siblings at home, the Prince family has a lot of drama to explore for the rest of the series, particularly through the matriarch, Cordelia, whose husband’s death forces her to recognize how much she depends on the Fontanas and to reconsider her relationship with her children.

There’s plenty of sweetness but not a lot of saddle in this friends-to-lovers Western.

Miles, Rachael Zebra (384 pp.) $7.99 paper | Oct. 29, 2019 978-1-4201-4656-1 An artist preparing a huge exhibition is disheartened when her business partner absconds with her money, but the event introduces her to an aristocrat who ultimately becomes her greatest ally against a shadowy enemy.

Artist Lena Frost is a survivor. She’s survived a weak father and a difficult stepmother. She survived in France during Napoleon’s war. She’s even rebounded from her lost career when she finally had to flee France after having been betrayed. Now she’s spent three years preparing a huge exhibition, which is the talk of London. So when her trusted business partner disappears with all her funds just two weeks before the gala opening, she’s nearly defeated. Especially when he leaves her an enigmatic message implying she’s in danger. But she can’t give up: “She would have to reinvent herself again. The very thought of it made her almost weak with despair.” Fearing she’s being followed, she winds up at The African’s Daughter, a bookshop owned by her Anglo African friend Constance Equiano, who introduces her to the Muses, a group of aristocratic ladies who meet monthly at the shop. Through them, she meets Lord Clive Somerville, brother of the Duke of Forster and the Regency equivalent of a forensic pathologist. When it becomes clear that someone is trying to kill Lena and more than one of her exhibition artists has disappeared mysteriously, Clive vows to keep her safe, help her open the exhibition, and discover who’s behind the threats. Author Miles continues her smart, intriguing Muses Salon series (Jilting the Duke, 2016, etc.) with another bright, accomplished heroine who fights for her happiness with an unexpected perfect match.

A unique storyline, a dose of suspense, and a circle of intelligent female friends enhance a successful romance.

THE CHRISTMAS KEEPER

McKinlay, Jenn Berkley (320 pp.) $7.99 paper | Oct. 29, 2019 978-0-451-49245-6

A North Carolina bookstore is the setting for this Christmas romance featuring a lovesick cowboy and the New York City publicist who resists his charms.

Publicist Savannah Wilson is visiting Fairdale, North Carolina, to help her best friend launch a bookstore specializing in romance novels.

Raised by a cold, uncaring family, Savy has no intention of marrying or having children. Her heart’s desire is to get her career back after a professional disaster ruined her reputation, so she ignores the longing looks thrown her way by hunky Joaquin Solis. Quino also has a tragic backstory: His parents were killed in a car accident, making him guardian of his younger sister, who barely survived a traumatic brain injury. He’s a good old boy who runs Shadow Pine Stables, loves Fairdale, and thinks, for pretty much no reason at all, that Savy would be the perfect mate. Quino has turned tragedy into a love for Christmas, but for Savy, the holidays are a reminder of what she lacks. Savy “got the feeling he was one of those people who found joy in every day, not just the holiday.” Their sexual attraction is instant, but as Quino’s cheesy sweaters and ever ready mistletoe wear her down, Savy begins to appreciate more than his biceps. Quino’s difficulty accepting his little sister’s independence is handled with subtlety, but a subplot involving a reclusive romance novelist is just silly.

A predictable small-town romance that adds nothing to an already overcrowded genre.

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THE RANCHER’S REDEMPTION

Pearce, Kate Zebra/Kensington (352 pp.) $7.99 paper | Nov. 26, 2019 978-1-4201-4824-4

A rancher who has been widowed for 10 years falls in love with an old friend.

Adam Miller cut off his best friend, Lizzie Taylor, after losing his high school sweetheart to cancer in his early 20s. He is close to his five siblings and his father but prefers his solitary work on the ranch to messy emotional entanglements. One day in town, he is in the right place at the right time and helps Lizzie when her young son, Roman, needs urgent medical care. Adam and Lizzie tentatively renew their friendship, but both are dealing with tumultuous |

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ARCHANGEL’S WAR

family struggles. Adam’s mother, who abandoned the family when he was 12, returns to Morgantown hoping to reconcile with her children. Meanwhile, Lizzie has her own worries: Roman’s paternal great-great-aunt is deploying aggressive legal maneuvers to force a relationship with her grandnephew even though the boy’s father was never interested in knowing him. Pearce (The Second Chance Rancher, 2019, etc.) creates a well-developed emotional journey for Adam. The return of his mother and his deepening feelings for Lizzie challenge everything he thought he knew about love and family. However, Lizzie’s character development is uneven at best; she often makes choices that seem designed to further the plot rather than being organic to her character. The primary emotional conflict is that Adam is afraid of falling in love, but it’s not enough to fuel a full-length novel. Their slow-burn romance sputters along and is overwhelmed by the various family dramas that surround them.

Slow-paced romance with a focus on the hero’s emotional journey.

Singh, Nalini Berkley (480 pp.) $7.99 paper | Sep. 24, 2019 978-0-451-49166-4

THE OUTLAW’S HEART

Sandas, Amy Sourcebooks Casablanca (384 pp.) $7.99 paper | Oct. 29, 2019 978-1-4926-5203-8 Sparks fly between a Boston socialite on the run and a quiet outlaw after a case of mistaken identity in this American historical romance.

Evelyn Perkins feels like she’s finally escaped from her abusive husband—until she’s kidnapped from a train in Wyoming territory. At first, she assumes her husband has found her, but it’s revealed that the outlaws had meant to grab a woman named Sarah Cummings. Now they must decide what to do with Evelyn. A ransom agreement would mean Evelyn’s whereabouts would be revealed to her husband, and she’s determined to avoid that at all costs. Gabriel Sloan is a man of few words. Stolen from his Cheyenne tribe as a child, he and Evelyn share the trauma of a sanctuary ruined, and he volunteers to be Evelyn’s escort to his fellow outlaws’ hideout.

As Evelyn and Gabriel ride together across the West, they discover they’re being tracked; a darkening cloud of danger hangs over the couple. Because both main characters are reserved and prefer addressing their feelings privately, their romance is rather slow, with things being thought rather than said. The setting and building of the cast receive far more attention, making this the slowest of slow burns, to the book’s detriment. Previous couples in Sandas’ (The Cowboy’s Honor, 2019, etc.) Runaway Brides series make important appearances as they usher Evelyn and Gabriel to their happy ending. Fans of the series will appreciate the callback, but newer readers may find them to be an unnecessary distraction. Evelyn and Gabriel are a lovely and well-matched couple; they deserve more page time.

A tender and compassionate romance that requires some patience.

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Still reeling from recent battles (Archangel’s Prophecy, 2018, etc.), Raphael and Elena must rally their grudging allies to protect New York from an ancient evil, because if their city falls, the rest of the world will follow.

Once again the Archangel Raphael and his consort, Elena, have warded off an attack against them, but this one felt different. A powerful force known as the Cascade tried to force Elena into acting as a vessel for Raphael’s power. While they were able to overcome the challenge, it feels like the experience was a precursor to the rise of something dark and powerful, which the Cascade was trying to prepare Raphael for. Even as Elena is learning to live without wings, she’s discovering another set of inexplicable powers and growing closer to ancient, mysterious allies while Raphael is clearly stronger than ever. But a vanquished archangel has risen, bitter and powerhungry. She’s out to control the world, and she’ll stop at nothing to make it happen, even creating an army of zombielike creatures to help her succeed. Raphael may be one of the most powerful creatures on Earth, but even he can’t confront Lijuan on his own. The question is, even if the Cadre—all the archangels on the planet—come together to fight her, will they be strong enough to stop her? Singh heightens the tension and the stakes of her Guild Hunter series even as she reintroduces a sprawling cast of friends and allies who are determined to keep each other safe and live their lives in peace. If only the world weren’t such a dangerous place. Singh’s worldbuilding and imagination never disappoint, and while the action is often brutal and harrowing, it is always tempered by Raphael and Elena’s profound love and their affection and devotion toward their friends.

Another riveting entry in the Guild Hunter series.

THE CHRISTMAS DARE

Wilde, Lori Avon/HarperCollins (384 pp.) $7.99 paper | Oct. 22, 2019 978-0-06-246831-4

A woman completely under the thumb of her mother is jilted by her groom, forcing her to face the fact that she needs to figure out who she is and what she wants.

When Kelsey James is abandoned on her wedding day, she finds herself apologizing to her overbearing mother and taking the blame.

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dares her to take the next couple of weeks to do a Christmas of Yes, fashioned after Shonda Rhimes’ book Year of Yes: “You have to say yes to five challenges that scare you from now until New Year’s.” Under the influence of a few shots, Kelsey shares the story of her teenage love, Noah MacGregor, whom she’s never forgotten. Noah has since joined the NBA, had a career-ending injury, and moved back to his hometown of Twilight, Texas, opening a bed-and-breakfast on a paddleboat. Of course Tasha shuttles Kelsey to Twilight, where she and Noah have a chance to rekindle their love affair. But they each have issues they need to work through, the No. 1 challenge being Kelsey’s mother, who actively kept them apart 10 years earlier and is determined to keep Kelsey in her clutches. On the surface, Wilde’s newest Twilight title is a fun, sweet holiday read, and we actively root for Kelsey to stand up for herself and find happiness with Noah. However, it’s disheartening that Kelsey only rejects her mother’s abusive influence after a heartfelt conversation with her father gives her mother a disorder with a label. Given how bright and accomplished Kelsey is, it’s disappointing she can’t draw those conclusions herself and give herself permission to disengage.

Overall, a joyful, romantic Christmas read with a mostly satisfying, redemptive second-chance arc.

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nonfiction FINDING CHIKA A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family

These titles earned the Kirkus Star: THE SELECTED LETTERS OF RALPH ELLISON by Ralph Ellison; ed. by John F. Callahan & Marc C. Conner.........................................50

Albom, Mitch Harper/HarperCollins (256 pp.) $24.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-06-295239-4

THE DOLPHIN LETTERS, 1970-1979 by Elizabeth Hardwick & Robert Lowell; ed. by Saskia Hamilton............................................... 55 ONCE MORE TO THE RODEO by Calvin Hennick............................58 AT THE EDGE OF TIME by Dan Hooper.............................................59 GENIUS AND ANXIETY by Norman Lebrecht...................................65 OUR WILD CALLING by Richard Louv............................................. 66 THE POLITICS OF PAIN by Fintan O’Toole........................................70 DANGEROUS MELODIES by Jonathan Rosenberg.............................72 THE SEINE by Elaine Sciolino............................................................. 73 THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND by David J. Silverman......................... 73 ALICE ADAMS by Carol Sklenicka......................................................74 THE RUSSIAN JOB by Douglas Smith................................................74 OUR WILD CALLING How Connecting With Animals Can Transform Our Lives―and Save Theirs

Louv, Richard Algonquin (320 pp.) $27.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-616-20560-7

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AGENT JACK by Robert Hutton......................................................... 60

A young Haitian girl opens the door to unconditional love for an American couple.

When Albom (The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, 2018, etc.) became director of the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, he knew the children would make an impact on his life, but one toddler in particular, Chika, stole his heart. She was born just three days before the earthquake that destroyed Haiti in 2010. “It was tragedy on an island where tragedy is no stranger,” writes the author. When Chika arrived at the orphanage, she was only 3, but she quickly became a leader among the children. When she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, a condition the neurologist in Haiti said could not be treated there, Albom and his wife brought Chika into their Michigan home and sought out the best treatment they could find. When those treatments failed, they traveled for two years to other countries for experimental procedures, anything that would prolong Chika’s life. In addition to his own viewpoint, the author narrates the story by imagining what Chika was thinking and feeling. As Albom makes clear from the start, Chika did not survive her condition (she died in 2017 at age 7); his writing about this journey is unadorned, heartwarming, and rarely maudlin. He shares his joy at becoming a father to this vivacious child, his fears as he reintroduced Chika to her biological father, and the pain and sorrow he felt when she died. He marvels at the relationship Chika had with his wife and shares his amazement that Chika so readily connected with other adults. The takeaway from this simple, moving memoir is that love has no boundaries and should not be hindered by ethnicity, religion, education, or money.

A highly expressive, tender story about how “families are like pieces of art, they can be made from many materials.”

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readings about music and musicians Photo courtesy Leah Overstreet

Even though music is one of the most important elements of my life, I don’t read many books about music, especially music biographies. I find most of them to be uninspired, by-the-numbers, and lacking legitimate insight into the motivations and processes of songwriting and performing.

However, there are a couple every year that stand out.

In 2019, I’ve particularly enjoyed Alan Paul’s Tex­ as Flood, Ted Fox’s Showtime at the Apollo, and David Ritz’s The God Groove. (Flea’s Acid for the Children has its moments, but it’s too scattered.) My pick for music book of the year is Hanif Abdurraqib’s Go Ahead in the Rain, a moving and revelatory exploration of A Tribe Called Quest. In a starred review, we write, “even those who know little about the music will learn much of significance here, perhaps learning how to love it in the process.”

October features two more noteworthy music books.

The first is Holly George-Warren’s Janis (Simon & Schuster, Oct. 22), which we call a “richly detailed, affectionate portrait” of iconic singer Janis Joplin. My fascination with 1960s rock is endless, so it was refreshing to find a book that truly captured Joplin’s genius as well as the atmosphere in which it incubated. As our reviewer writes in a starred review, “George-Warren gives her subject a sensitive yet honest treatment, showing all dimensions of Joplin’s life without minimizing her selfdestructive side. Filled with evocations of the San Francisco music scene at its height, the narrative will give readers new appreciation for Joplin….A top-notch biography of one of the greatest performers to emerge from a brilliant era.” It’s an absolute must for her many fans, but it will also interest admirers of the scene that fostered Joplin, the Grateful Dead (one of my personal favorites), Jefferson Airplane, and numerous other influential bands and musicians.

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In a completely different vein is Ted Gioia’s Music: A Subversive History (Basic Books, Oct. 15), a “revisionist history [that] highlights music’s connections to violence, disruption, and power,” according to Kirkus. The music historian goes deep into the culture of music and its creation, excavating thousands of years of history to show how “the music produced by ‘peasants and plebeians, slaves and bohemians, renegades and outcasts’ reflected and influenced social, cultural, and political life.” Gioia is not interested in mere entertainment, and he effectively shows how our earliest ancestors were not, either; rather, music was inextricably bound into nearly every aspect of their lives, “embodying myth and cultural lore.” The author is particularly good in his discussions of music and violence, examining anthems and the frightening drums and horns of approaching invaders.

As he has demonstrated in previous books on jazz, the author disrupts conventional conceptions of revered musicians. Our reviewer notes, “Beethoven, for example, was hardly ‘the ultimate classical music insider, the bedrock of the symphonic tradition,’ but rather a passionate personality whose ‘strange, peculiar, arbitrary, bizarre, mysterious, gloomy and laborious’ music caused him, early in his career, to be considered ‘a volatile outsider whose impulses needed to be held in check.’ ” It’s that disruptive impulse in music that leads to lasting achievement, the need to question the status quo and investigate important truths through the timeless medium of music. Gioia is one of our best guides through the thickets of musical inspiration and interpretation, and his latest is perhaps his most ambitious—and deeply satisfying—book, “a bold, fresh, and informative chronicle of music’s evolution and cultural meaning,” our reviewer says. Musicians may gain the most from it, but this is a book that will intrigue anyone obsessed with music and its history. —E.L. Eric Liebetrau is the nonfiction and managing editor.

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A welcome reconsideration of an underappreciated early-20th-century journalist and activist. crystal eastman

IT’S GARRY SHANDLING’S BOOK

Ed. by Apatow, Judd Random House (472 pp.) $40.00 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-0-525-51084-0

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Garry Shandling’s family, friends, and colleagues paint an affectionate portrait of a driven, introspective artist who had a hard time getting out of his own head.

Apatow (Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Com­ edy, 2015, etc.) never thought his comedy mentor and buddy was the kind of guy who liked to hold on to things. After all, the selfdeprecating comedian was a practicing Buddhist. Nevertheless, following Shandling’s 2016 death at age 66, Apatow discovered that his teacher and former boss had actually kept everything— including a revelatory trove of journal entries and personal notes stretching back decades. The discovery led to the HBO documentary The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling. Here, Apatow uses those earnest entries in conjunction with additional interviews to further explore the legendary comedian’s often besieged psyche. Despite stellar successes that included two seminal TV series (It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Larry Sanders Show), Shandling could never shake the death of his older brother, Barry, who died from cystic fibrosis when Garry was just 10. Under that dark shroud, Shandling additionally obsessed about award show monologues, TV scripts, and his unrelenting ego. “He had rage,” notes Sarah Silverman. “He could really hold on to stuff and be troubled by things that to other people might seem small, but he was always working on that, always trying to process it and understand it.” Throughout his professional life, that diligence both helped and hampered Shandling, whether he was writing TV scripts for Sanford & Son or breaking into the movies with the ill-fated What Planet Are You From? In the latter case, Shandling’s mix of insecurity and perfectionism proved too much for director Mike Nichols, and the film flopped. Professional highs and lows aside, Shandling is remembered as a man who spent his entire life seeking and generously giving of himself—even if that self was the cause of most of his woes.

Essential for Shandling fans and a good choice for readers interested in stand-up and comedy writing.

speech. “It is high time for us to enter into our heritage—that is my feminist faith.” The daughter of two ministers, Eastman was especially close to her mother, who served with Thomas Beecher, the half brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and the abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher, at a church in upstate New York. After earning a law degree from New York University, she pursued progressive causes, including workers’ rights, suffrage, socialism, reproductive rights, and civil liberties. In the first biography of Eastman, Aronson (Journalism and Media Studies/Fordham Univ.; Taking Liberties: Early American Women’s Magazines and Their Readers, 2002, etc.) casts her subject as a journalist and intersectional activist who advocated for social justice while embarking on love affairs, two unconventional marriages, and motherhood. Despite lifelong health problems, Eastman investigated hazardous labor conditions for the Russell Sage Foundation and wrote a landmark 1910 report on that effort, Work Accidents and the Law, which led to the country’s first workers’ compensation law. She later became a prominent suffragist and co-founder of forerunners of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Women’s International League for

CRYSTAL EASTMAN A Revolutionary Life

Aronson, Amy Oxford Univ. (376 pp.) $34.95 | Dec. 2, 2019 978-0-19-994873-4

An overdue biography of an influential suffragist, pacifist, and civil libertarian.

“God meant the whole rich world of work and play and adventure for women as well as men,” Crystal Eastman (1881-1928) said in a 1914 |

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Peace and Freedom, often working beside trailblazers such as Jane Addams and Charlotte Perkins Gilman or with her brother, Max, with whom she co-edited the leftist monthly the Libera­ tor. This dense and deeply researched biography features some distracting modern clichés (Eastman “noted that her biological clock had been actively ticking” and found herself “juggling work and family”), but Aronson leaves no doubt that Eastman was an inspiring figure who deserves the renewed attention that the book should bring.

A welcome reconsideration of an underappreciated early-20th-century journalist and activist.

FROM RUSSIA WITH BLOOD The Kremlin’s Ruthless Assassination Program and Vladimir Putin’s Secret War on the West Blake, Heidi Mulholland Books/Little, Brown (336 pp.) $30.00 | Nov. 19, 2019 978-0-316-41723-5

The global investigations editor at BuzzFeed News examines “Kremlin-sanctioned killing around the world.”

British journalist Blake (co-author: The Ugly Game: The Cor­ ruption of FIFA and the Qatari Plot To Buy the World Cup, 2015) builds on a June 2017 BuzzFeed News exposé to delineate how Vladimir Putin and his Russian assassins have murdered political opponents over the years. Some of the killings occurred within Russia, but the author focuses on the assassinations of dissidents who escaped from Russia to the U.K. To a lesser extent, Blake also discusses those who fled to the United States. To assist readers in understanding the context of each death, Blake provides detailed explanations of why world leaders—including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama—believed Putin might liberalize Russian society and become an ally of democratic nations. That severe misreading led the British and U.S. leaders to deemphasize the significance of the assassinations ordered by Putin. Along with her BuzzFeed colleagues, Blake accuses the British and U.S. governments of coverups, which have taken various forms—e.g., labeling murders as suicides, withholding gory details of the deaths, and conducting desultory law enforcement inquiries so that journalists would feel discouraged about publishing information that might agitate their readers. Blake explores the highly publicized murder of Russian reporter Anna Politkovskaya, but that case is an outlier in a narrative filled with foreshadowing about which dissident will be killed next. As the author shows, the 2006 death of Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko not only eliminated a high-profile Putin opponent; it also showed “Putin to be just as brutal as his critics claimed, and finally the world was listening.”

The most thoroughly documented case is the death of Boris Berezovsky, a wealthy Russian exile who delighted in taunting 44

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Putin from afar. Though well-researched, the narrative sometimes bogs down in the author’s discussions of Russian and British politics. When Blake focuses on the circumstances surrounding the murders, the narrative moves more smoothly.

An uneven but still useful documentation of the disturbing reach of a dangerous world leader. (16 pages of 4-color photos)

THE CARTIERS The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire Brickell, Francesca Cartier Ballantine (688 pp.) $35.00 | Nov. 26, 2019 978-0-525-62161-4

A scion of the Cartier family delivers a rich history of their jewelry dynasty.

World-renowned for its iconic gems and designs, which have included the Hope Diamond, the Tank watch, and the panther bracelet, the Cartier brand is synonymous with innovative taste. Brickell details the company’s creation by Louis-François Cartier in Paris in 1847; its growth under his son, Alfred; its 20th-century expansion to London and New York under the helm of Alfred’s sons, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques, whose gifts vaulted the company into an establishment that royals and America’s nouveau riche titans appreciated; and the sale of each branch when the heirs parted ways in the 1960s and ’70s. The author’s elegant writing and a talent for braiding the main narrative with quotes from the brothers’ letters enliven a bygone period in which craftsmanship and exclusivity went hand in hand. Brickell covers strategic moves that reveal the family’s savvy and strings colorful anecdotes throughout the wider story of one of the French luxury industry’s key players.

Sections on Louis, whose aptitude for talent scouting and taste stood out, capture the excitement of designing influential collections. From heiresses and exiled Russian nobility to maharajas and Hollywood stars, each client was treated with discretion.

The chapters set in the 1920s portray a memorable glamour, and comments from Brickell’s grandfather add a warm immediacy.

Jacques’ excursions to India highlight his skill in cultivating connections as well as the advantages the family had in boasting three dedicated brothers who could be in different places at the same time while representing the brand. Furthermore, the resilience during the world wars shows the family’s love of their homeland. In later chapters, the author depicts the company’s structural changes after the brothers’ deaths with cleareyed compassion and without assigning blame. Despite occasional disagreements, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques cooperated to create a saga of remarkable faith in each other and their motto: “Never copy, only create.”

A lavish, capably rendered family biography that will speak to anyone who appreciates passionate artists and dealmakers. (photos throughout; family tree; timeline)

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THE FALL OF RICHARD NIXON A Reporter Remembers Watergate Brokaw, Tom Random House (240 pp.) $27.00 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-4000-6970-5

The veteran newscaster turns in a swift-flowing narrative of the decline and collapse of the Nixon administration.

“As we experience another chaotic time in the American presidency, it is worth remembering what we went through before.” So writes Brokaw (A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope, 2015, etc.), recalling a time in which chaos reigned in the White House, where he served as NBC’s correspondent during Nixon’s final months in office. The facts of the matter are fairly well understood, thanks to books such as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s All the President’s Men and The Final Days, but Brokaw brings a more searching,

controlling question to the enterprise: “Who was Richard Nixon?” That’s a question to which answers are both tentative and still forthcoming. The author’s narrative spans several years of Nixon’s life, taking in such critical moments as his appointment of Henry Kissinger as his secretary of state. Brokaw focuses closely on the last six weeks of his presidency, a period marked by a Supreme Court decision ruling that Nixon did not have the legal right to shield tape recordings from a Congress that was in full-tilt investigatory mode, a decision that would “amount to a political death sentence to a sitting president.”

The author illuminates such turning points as Nixon’s explaining away the missing 18-odd minutes of tape that so excited Watergate investigators, concluding that he wished he hadn’t recorded in the first place, and the soon-to-follow declaration, infamous to this day, that “I’m not a crook.” The mood in the White House turned ever more erratic thereafter, with Nixon becoming oddly aggressive—understandably, because, as Brokaw observes, “the best defense for Nixon was always a strong offense.” The book is understated and even-tempered, without the fire of Woodward and Bernstein, Timothy Crouse, Hunter

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DON’T PAY FOR YOUR HOME. HACK IT AND LIVE FOR FREE! Discover why so many successful investors choose house hacking—and learn from a frugality expert who "hacked" his way to financial freedom. This real estate strategy can save thousands in monthly expenses and build tens of thousands in equity each year!

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Paperback ISBN: 978-1-947200-15-9 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-947200-30-2

Joe Fairless, Author, investor, and co-founder of Ashcroft Capital

BiggerPockets.com/househacking

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A useful addition to the literature about Nazi hunters, a body of work that continues to grow. citizen 865

CITIZEN 865 The Hunt for Hitler’s Hidden Soldiers in America

S. Thompson, and other chroniclers of the Nixon era; the calmness is welcome, though, for a narrative that seeks clarity in that time of torment.

Not the first book to turn to when reading about Watergate but still a useful overview of long-ago events. (photos throughout)

FROM CHERNOBYL WITH LOVE Reporting From the Ruins of the Soviet Union

Cengel, Katya Potomac Books (304 pp.) $29.95 | Nov. 1, 2019 978-1-64012-204-8

A then newly minted journalist recounts her sojourn in the one-time Soviet Union, a tumultuous empire desperately searching for its identity.

“The year is 1998, and newspapers are still being read,” writes California-based freelancer Cengel (Exiled: From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back, 2018, etc.). Looking for a job, the author answered an ad and found herself reporting from the ashes of the former Soviet Union. It was a confusing but compelling place, as her lively narrative reveals. Cengel begins in the once-occupied Baltic republic of Latvia. She made her way to the Ukraine just in time to witness a number of historical events and their aftermaths. Latvia was a particularly unknown spot on the map, or at least in the author’s geography, and moving there was a rare and risky move that came at a time when “communication with far-off countries was less common than it is now.” She quickly made herself at home at a Riga newspaper; soon after that, with her “lurid fascination” for fraught human-interest stories, she became features editor. Among the stories she recounts is that of a gulag survivor who was determined to see the international community recognize and condemn the evils of the totalitarian system that packed him off to Siberia in a railroad car. Another is of a Ukrainian woman who, a slave laborer in Germany during World War II, returned there as a tourist: “It had happened; apologies would now mean nothing.” Throughout, Cengel demonstrates a knack for finding compelling stories, including an on-the-ground report from Chernobyl at a time when engineers were still working to cap off the reactor with a cement sarcophagus, “an imperfect and semi-temporary solution” that all these years later remains in place. More than her stories, the author has a fine eye for the details of newsroom politics back when newspapers were read and newsrooms were packed with offbeat characters.

Sometimes gonzo, sometimes hard-charging—a welcome report from the front lines in a time of torment and hope.

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Cenziper, Debbie Hachette (320 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-0-316-44965-6

A Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist delves into the hunt for Nazi war criminals who entered the United States after World War II, unbeknownst to American immigration authorities.

Many of the mass murderers operating within the European nations occupied by Germany eventually settled in the U.S. using false identities, often starting families and business careers while blending in with unsuspecting neighbors. Although Washington Post investigative reporter Cenziper (Director, Investigative Journalism/Northwestern Univ.; co-author: Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality, 2016) provides sweeping background about the Nazi death camps, she focuses primarily on the Polish village of Trawniki, where the Nazis trained roughly 5,000 men to round up and slaughter the Jews of Poland. Citizen 865 was Jakob Reimer, one of the Trawniki murderers who settled in the U.S. and remained on the radars of Nazi hunters from 1952 through the 1980s. Cenziper unfolds the manhunt narrative by alternating among the killers, their victims, contemporary European record keepers who alternately helped expose the murderers or refused to cooperate with U.S. authorities, and—most prominently—lawyers and historians within the U.S. Justice Department who performed impressive sleuthing to identify the war criminals hiding in the country. The hunters’ goal was to deport the Nazi collaborators to Germany, Austria, or other nations where they might end their lives in prison. As the author recounts the slaughtering of Jews, Poles in the Resistance, Roma people, and Soviet prisoners of war, the descriptions are sometimes sickeningly graphic; some readers might choose to skip over such details. Some of the accounts come from Feliks Wójcik and Lucyna Stryjewska, two Jews who managed to escape death, marry, settle in the U.S., and start a family.

The investigative paths followed by Peter Black and Elizabeth “Barry” White, two Justice Department sleuths, are especially gripping.

A useful addition to the literature about Nazi hunters, a body of work that continues to grow.

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THE CRYING BOOK

Christle, Heather Catapult (208 pp.) $24.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-948226-44-8

An eclectic reflection on human waterworks.

Award-winning poet Christle (Creative Writing/Emory Univ. Heliopause, 2015, etc.) pushes the boundaries of her genre with this hybrid approach to tears. Fusing poetry with lyric essay and a significant amount of research, the author sheds new light on the basic, universal phenomenon of crying. Beyond fact—namely, that at one point or another, fluid has leaked from everyone’s eyes—some may wonder what more there is to know. This book provides the definitive answer: plenty. There are no chapters. Rather, in one long reflection, divided into small, partial-page sections, Christle examines such elements as pretend grief (she cites poet Chelsey

Minnis, who calls it “cry-hustling”); “white tears,” (a Caucasian person’s response to suddenly realizing the enormity of systemic racism); and the differences between the three types of tears: basal (lubricant), irritant (a response to a foreign substance), and psychogenic (emotional). She also considers the distinction between crying and weeping—“crying is louder; weeping is wetter”—and introduces readers to professional mourners and lachrymatories, small vessels in which tears are stored. Of particular interest is Christle’s inquiry into the connections among grief, gender, and anger. She wonders “whether men kill to create an occasion for the grief they already feel.” The author infuses these tear-related themes with prose about her personal experiences, including her own treatment for depression and her staggering grief over a dear friend’s suicide. The format of the book lends itself to either quick consumption or measured contemplation; sections range from one sentence to a little more than a page. Though this structure could make for a choppy text, the transitions between her various sources and streams of thought are mostly seamless, providing a pleasurable, even restful reading experience. The narrative is saturated

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A bracing work by a masterly historian whose great knowledge portrays the “dramatic symbolic significance” of this landmark event. the accursed tower

THE WARRIORS OF ANBAR The Marines Who Crushed Al Qaeda—The Greatest Untold Story of the Iraq War

with significant threads of sadness, but they don’t overwhelm.

Rather, the unconventional format, combined with the author’s vast survey of the topic, provides fascinating food for thought.

A surprisingly hopeful meditation on why we shed tears.

THE ACCURSED TOWER The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades Crowley, Roger Basic (272 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-5416-9734-8

A history of the 1291 siege of Acre that brings the convoluted give-and-take between Muslim and Christian entities to vivid life and relevance.

Beginning in the 12th century, Acre helped hold together the “Frankish” principalities along the Mediterranean shore of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, aka the Outremer, which was established during the First Crusade (1096-1099) in the wake of Muslim onslaught. An ancient strategic site, writes Crowley (Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire, 2015, etc.), Acre first “fell to Islam in 636.” In 1104, it was taken by Baldwin of Boulogne, the “first crusader King of Jerusalem,” and became the “chief landing place for pilgrims and the armies to protect them.” The Muslims regained the city in 1187. However, in a 683-day battering siege of the city’s ramparts (1189-1191), the Christians, led by Richard I “Lionheart” of England and others, defeated the Muslims, who were led by Saladin, prince of the Ayyubid dynasty. It was a “titanic” battle that came down to Acre’s so-called Accursed Tower, located in the most fortified area. Yet instead of extending mercy to the inhabitants, as Saladin had done to the Christians, Richard had approximately 3,000 Muslim defenders beheaded. This development set the “bitter legacy” for the final retaking of Acre from the Christians by the Muslims exactly 100 years later. Crowley adeptly builds the detail and suspense that led up to this extraordinary last pitched battle, which involved the might of the ascendant Mamluks, or the Turkish slaves who would become sultans, and their incomparable skills and resources, such as the awesome trebuchet. Led by the fearless Sultan Khalil, the Mamluks took the city by surprise in several weeks, with people attempting in vain to flee by ship. As the author writes in this exciting, sleek narrative, “the looting was feverish and spectacular.” At the end of the book, the author also provides a useful section on “the evidence for the fall of Acre.”

A bracing work by a masterly historian whose great knowledge portrays the “dramatic symbolic significance” of this landmark event.

Darack, Ed Da Capo (320 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-306-92265-7

One of the U.S. Marine Corps’ finest—yet largely untold—stories.

By the fall of 2006, al-Qaida in Iraq had been largely cornered in the western province known as Al Anbar. However, as veteran military writer Darack (War Moments: Images & Stories of Combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Beyond, 2019, etc.) writes, they were battle-hardened, well-equipped, vicious, and desperate, and they decided to dig in and throw everything they had at the “invading” Americans. They embedded themselves among the narrow, twisting streets of Haditha (population 25,000) and intimidated the locals into cooperating by murdering anyone they thought supported America. They would place their decapitated victims’ heads on stakes that they planted around the city for the public to see. As one lance corporal recalled, “it wasn’t hell…it was worse than hell. I know it sounds cliché, but nothing could be that bad. It was beyond my worst, most horrific nightmares.” Striking and withdrawing over and over, they also set mines on the roads on which Marine convoys traveled.

It was against this background that the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment arrived with orders to drive out the terrorists, a monumental, highly dangerous task. The author, who has embedded with American troops multiple times in both Afghanistan and Iraq, tells the story battle by battle, often in gripping, brutal, and sometimes-gruesome detail. However, this book is more than a typical war story. To defeat al-Qaida in Iraq, the Marines realized they would have to win the locals’ trust, which they did in imaginative ways. For example, on Halloween, soldiers went trick-or-treating through Haditha neighborhoods and gave candy to children. The only real weakness of the text is Darack’s excessive use of Marine acronyms (TTP, AO, COC, BATS, SVBIED, etc.), which will become tiresome for civilian readers without a military background.

A very human story of “bravery, sacrifice, incredible hardship, horror, and ultimate victory.”

WHY WE’RE WRONG ABOUT NEARLY EVERYTHING A Theory of Human Misunderstanding Duffy, Bobby Basic (304 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 26, 2019 978-1-5416-1808-4

A British social scientist analyzes how we see the world—and why we’re so often wrong about it.

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she was guided by “visions and images that predicted the future,” dreams that would alert her to danger and guide her actions “literally for the rest of her life.” Dunbar thus makes the same leap of faith that Tubman did (and encourages readers to do so, as well): to give her mission a sense of divine guidance and purpose.

During her life, her God worked in mysterious ways, responding to her prayers to end the life of the 47-year-old slave owner who was planning to put her and some of her brothers on the auction block. She prayed for his death, her prayers were answered, and “Harriet’s immediate reaction to the news was pure joy.” Her single-minded conviction and fortitude not only served her well as a runaway slave who helped so many others escape; they guided her through a life of service, tending to the medical care of Civil War soldiers, fighting for suffrage, and working to establish a home for the aged and indigent. With illustrations and catchy asides enhancing the conversational style, this smoothly readable narrative tells a story kept alive through oral tradition for decades.

Perfect for Tubman novices but also enjoyable historical reading for those who already know most of the stories.

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In this striking debut, Duffy (Director, Policy Institute/ King’s Coll. London) draws on global studies conducted by Ipsos MORI, a London social research firm where he was a managing director for 20 years, to describe the way people misperceive social realities, from teen pregnancy to crime, obesity, and immigration. The studies involved more than 100,000 interviews on many issues in 40 nations. They demonstrate, through solid data, that we only hear what we want to hear. In England, asked what percentage of British teens gave birth every year, people guessed 19% (correct answer: 1.4%). In France, people thought Muslims were 31% of the population (reality: 8%). In the U.S., people guessed immigrants make up 33% of the population (reality: 14%). And so on. “Our misperceptions are wide, deep, and long-standing,” writes the author. Complex forces shape beliefs, most notably our emotional responses, which are key to our perception of reality. Driven by “preexisting beliefs and wishful thinking,” our delusions are formed by “hardwired” biases and a tendency to seek information that reinforces our views. The latter includes news media whose penchant for negative stories leads many to think “everything is getting worse.” “We not only have a built-in bias towards focusing on the vivid and threatening, we also tend to think things were better in the past, and therefore are worse now,” writes Duffy, echoing Steven Pinker’s argument in Enlightenment Now (2018).

As a result, we are often “very wrong” about global trends. The author depressingly notes that it is “difficult to change people’s delusions simply by giving them more information.” There is no magic formula for encouraging more accurate perceptions, he writes; increased skepticism and awareness of our emotional thinking can help.

An informative and readable guide to rational thinking in the present era.

SHE CAME TO SLAY The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman Dunbar, Erica Armstrong Simon & Schuster (176 pp.) $23.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-982139-59-9

A concise primer for adults who know the name Harriet Tubman (c. 1822-1913) but want to know more.

Dunbar (History/Rutgers Univ.)—whose second book, Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge (2017), was a co-winner of the 2018 Frederick Douglass Book Award—is more concerned with letting history come alive than burying it beneath the trappings of academic scholarship— though the notes and bibliography show that she has done her homework. “Here then, presented in a way that I hope is accessible, informative, contemporary, and full of black girl magic, is the multidimensional story of Harriet Tubman Davis, a true boss lady, a superhero, and a warrior,” writes Dunbar in the opening author’s note. From a girlhood bout of epilepsy and a head injury that gave her seizures to her strong religious convictions, Tubman felt that |

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An impressively edited volume commemorates a canonical literary figure. the selected letters of ralph ellison

THE SHADOW OF VESUVIUS A Life of Pliny

JAY-Z Made in America

Dunn, Daisy Liveright/Norton (336 pp.) $29.95 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-63149-639-4

The Roman Empire comes to life through the biographies of two influential men.

Classicist Dunn (Catullus’ Bedspread: The Life of Rome’s Most Erotic Poet, 2016, etc.) creates a vivid tapestry of the Roman world focused on naturalist Pliny the Elder (23/24-79 C.E.), who perished when Vesuvius erupted, and his nephew—and adopted son—Pliny the Younger (c. 62-133 C.E.), a lawyer, senator, landowner, and poet who lived “at the very center of things in the first and early second centuries.” Drawing largely on the Elder’s encyclopedic, 37-volume Natural History and the Younger’s prolific letters and speeches, Dunn depicts them as “Renaissance men in their own time,” revered among their peers and by later generations. Darwin, for example, a member of the Plinian Society as a medical student, owned a “well skimmed translation” of Natural History, which influenced his thinking about heredity. Although both Plinys shared “an enquiring mind, an eye for minutiae, obsessive diligence,” and a “love of stories, not only of the natural world, but of extremes of human behavior,” the younger man could be pompous, self-centered, “attuned to detail and hard fact, obedient to protocol. Where his uncle was creative,” Dunn notes, “Pliny was pedantic.” He worked happily in solitude, preferring his rural villas—served by some 500 slaves—to the bustle of the city. Like his uncle—and also Cicero, Virgil, and Emperor Marcus Aurelius, among many other prominent Romans—Pliny adhered to Stoicism, “a philosophy for achieving equilibrium in a frantic world, through which you learned to become master of yourself and your emotions.” Besides exploring his philosophical beliefs, Dunn examines Pliny’s attitudes about medicine, agriculture, and marital relations along with his role in the political intrigues and rivalries that marked the reigns of the cruel Emperor Domitian, who exiled philosophers from Italy, and Emperor Trajan, a popular ruler for whom Pliny served as deputy. Their correspondence reveals the tensions that arose from the burgeoning of Christianity, portending “a change that was to come at the heart of Rome’s empire.”

A sensitive, spirited investigation of the ancient world.

(8 illustrations)

Dyson, Michael Eric Illus. by Dyson, Everett St. Martin’s (240 pp.) $25.99 | Nov. 26, 2019 978-1-250-23096-6

The celebrated public intellectual offers a slim volume on an American musical icon.

For readers who only know Jay-Z as Beyoncé’s husband, the latest by Dyson (What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America, 2018, etc.) is a serviceable primer. However, for readers familiar with Jay-Z’s music or role in popular culture, this brief book has little to offer. The publication coincides with the rapper’s 50th birthday, and it reads as if it was rushed to make the date. The chapters are disorganized and consist largely of riffs that have often tangential connections to his life or work. Dyson’s interests are wide-ranging, and some of his digressions are worthwhile in their own right. Ultimately, though, there’s too much filler in a book that needed more material. It’s no surprise that many of the tangents rehash older writings for which the author is already well known, and he also engages in excessive name-dropping, cringeworthy poetic affectations, and an attitude that sometimes feels condescending to readers and to hip-hop culture. In a long section on the late Nipsey Hussle, Dyson describes a time he sat by the rapper on a flight. As the two men “had an epic conversation,” Nipsey “brought up the psychologist Abraham Maslow.” This is a typical non sequitur meant to suggest to readers that Nipsey is worthy of our consideration because he is intelligent. The author frequently uses the same approach with Jay-Z, noting, for example, that the rapper uses many of the poetic devices employed by Robert Frost, Rita Dove, and other poets; of course, countless rappers use the same tactics. Dyson is usually far more insightful that this, and readers should turn to Julius Bailey’s Jay-Z: Essays on Hip Hop’s Philosopher King or Jay-Z’s own book, Decoded, a masterpiece of music memoir. Pharrell contributes the foreword.

Jay-Z deserves an in-depth study. This is not it.

THE SELECTED LETTERS OF RALPH ELLISON

Ellison, Ralph Ed. by Callahan, John F. & Conner, Marc C. Random House (1,004 pp.) $50.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-8129-9852-8 A rich collection reveals a writer’s aspirations and frustrations.

Drawing primarily on an extensive trove of correspondence at the Library of Congress, Callahan (Emeritus, Humanities/Lewis and Clark

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of engagement and meaning,” and he uses each word as a starting point for his arguments, opinions, and critiques. “We need to grab the words that have possibility in them,” he writes, “and begin using them anew.” “Agitate” is a key word used throughout the book. Freeman writes that we are being manipulated and fooled and “need to agitate against apathy.” He discusses a litany of abuses: corruption; profiteering and power grabbing; attacks on voting rights and the environment; an information war; abusive racism; the hollowing out of our justice departments or erosion via a “corrosive acid wash of money.” Freeman bemoans “our lack of support of public education and our dereliction of teachers.” He balances what’s wrong with what’s right, like the rage of women’s rights and the altruism of giving. Like a ship sinking in dark waters, the author “wants to navigate around the rhetorical acts of sabotage, to grab the pump levers of language and turn the lights back on.” Though sometimes repetitious, Freeman encourages and uplifts. “We are going to change this,” he writes, “one day and moment at a time, on our own and with each other.”

Exuberant and inspiring clarion calls for activism.

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Coll. In the African American Grain: Call and Response in 20th Century Black Fiction, 2008, etc.), Ellison’s literary executor, and Conner (English/Washington and Lee Univ.; editor: The Poetry of James Joyce Reconsidered, 2012, etc.) have created a model of scholarship in their volume of letters by acclaimed African American writer Ralph Ellison (1913-1994), author of the 1953 National Book Award winner, Invisible Man. Organized by decade beginning in the 1930s, the letters are contextualized by a comprehensive general introduction, a focused introduction to each chapter, and informative footnotes where needed; a detailed chronology appends the volume. Ellison’s long, candid letters trace his transformation from a “savvy and street-smart” kid born and raised in Oklahoma to a sophisticated world traveler, award-winning author, college professor, and literary celebrity. As he worked on essays, stories, and his first novel, Ellison revealed his ambition to change public consciousness.

To Gotham Book Mart owner Frances Steloff, he cited Bernard Shaw’s plays, which he read as a teenager, as a decisive influence, especially the prefaces, which illuminated “the relationship between ideas, art, and politics.” “Frankly, we are angry,” he wrote to a friend in 1939, but the prominence of figures such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes was proof that African American authors “have overcome the cultural and intellectual isolation” that, until recently, they experienced. Ellison’s cultural landscape expanded vastly when he was in residence at the American Academy in Rome in 1955: “Ruins, architecture, art, palaces, churches and graveyards, my head is whirling with it all.” Surely, he said, “human aspiration found its most magnificent expression here.” Among Ellison’s many literary correspondents was Saul Bellow, with whom he felt aesthetic camaraderie. Together, he wrote in 1959, “we’re moving toward an emancipation of our fiction from the clichés of recent styles and limitations of conception.”

An impressively edited volume commemorates a canonical literary figure.

DICTIONARY OF THE UNDOING

Freeman, John MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux (192 pp.) $15.00 paper | Nov. 12, 2019 978-0-374-53885-9 A dictionary of political activism.

Freeman (Writer-in-Residence/New York Univ.; Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation, 2017, etc.), editor of Freeman’s literary journal and executive editor of the Literary Hub, is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore.

As he writes, our government is like a house on fire, with a “willfully ignorant and gloatingly cruel president.” Freeman argues that “we need to take the one tool being vandalized before our very eyes—language—and reclaim it, and redefine what it means to be an ethical citizen in the present moment.” He organizes his appeal for action around 26 words, creating a “lexicon |

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For creative types, Friedman takes the pressure off, redefining success in more ways than reaching the limelight. and then we grew up

AND THEN WE GREW UP On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood

AMERICAN MANIFESTO Saving Democracy From Villains, Vandals, and Ourselves

Friedman, Rachel Penguin (256 pp.) $17.00 paper | Dec. 31, 2019 978-0-14-313212-7

A writer and former violist examines the delicate divide between giving up on a dream and moving forward.

When she was 11, Friedman (The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost: A Memoir of Three Continents, Two Friends, and One Unex­ pected Adventure, 2011) attended summer camp at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts, which “stoked…an ambition to achieve musical greatness.” Years later, she abandoned the musical path she’d thought would propel her to glory and turned to writing. Dismayed by her “failed potential,” she interviewed her Interlochen classmates to learn where their ambitions led.

Conversational anecdotes, memories, popular science, research on creativity, and a medley of quotes from Joan Didion, J.K. Rowling, and others form an intriguing, sometimes-indulgent exploration of talent and expectation. Why some people combine ability, luck, grit, and opportunity to break away from the pack while others quit remains unanswerable, but Friedman explores the topic with an appealing mix of trepidation and curiosity. Once a fan of the myth that true “art monsters” are single-minded individuals who sacrifice everything for the sake of mastery, the author encountered adults whose quieter pursuits challenged her conception of contentment. From a high school music teacher who balances creativity with family life to a scriptwriter who doesn’t equate the time he spends working with what he gets in return to a dancer-turned–Pilates instructor, her classmates paint a mature alternative to the winner-take-all view of a fruitful life. Though they often dwell on self-criticism, Friedman’s reflections on her own zigzagging journey are striking and raw. The author chronicles familiar doubts and daydreams on alternative futures with a bemused tone that changes over time. Sections on social media’s tendency to fuel comparisons add tension to already heavy ideals.

When the author finds that an ordinary life after a precocious start is fine, it’s anticlimactic but palpably relieving.

For creative types, Friedman takes the pressure off, redefining success in more ways than reaching the limelight.

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Garfield, Bob Counterpoint (208 pp.) $26.00 | Jan. 14, 2020 978-1-64009-280-8

The Peabody Award–winning co-host of public radio’s On the Media offers his take on how to make America great again despite Donald Trump and his enablers.

Garfield’s (Bedfellows, 2012, etc.) manifesto stands out from those already published partly because of the specific proposals but mostly because of the breezy, often glib tone.

Some readers will appreciate the irreverence as they digest the proposed solutions while others will find the tone jarring in the context of the serious subject matter. Before reaching the solutions portion of the manifesto, the author takes a stab at how the mess occurred. His primary culprit is the “wellintentioned multiculturalism” espoused by progressive, liberal citizens. Garfield suggests that the emphasis on personal identity has damaged our sense of common cause, atomized society, and, most significantly, led to a vicious backlash among millions of citizens who voted Donald Trump into office and gave Republican Party faux patriots control of Congress. The antagonism between belief systems became so toxic, Garfield argues, that in some respects, the nation has become a fascist state. The author also places blame on mainstream media moguls and their newsroom functionaries. Without vigorous journalism that can be trusted to disseminate accurate, fair reports, the current national crisis shows few signs of abating.

As Garfield rightly points out, the respectable, trustworthy journalists who remain are too few and scattered to serve as an effective watchdog on government and corporate waste, fraud, and abuse. So-called digital journalists, writes Garfield, often spread lies and find receptive audiences among consumers who don’t do their homework. The author also offers some proposed solutions, including vastly improved, significantly more responsible journalism. “We can hold our heads in despair,” writes Garfield, “or we can repair what has been put asunder. Wishful thinking, you say? Pollyanna, you say? Totally fucking delusional, you say? No. It can be done.”

An interesting manifesto that will incite debate, including whether it is overly simplistic and/or impractical.

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THE CRIMINAL CHILD And Other Essays

Genet, Jean Trans. by Mandell, Charlotte & Zuckerman, Jeffrey New York Review Books (144 pp.) $15.95 paper | Dec. 17, 2019 978-1-68137-361-4

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Literary odds and ends from the controversial French writer.

This brief collection of eight essays

by Genet (1910-1986) were written from 1949 to 1958. All are deeply infused with his sexuality, philosophy, and bizarre, metaphysical writing style. In a footnote to one of them, he writes, “with my cold chisel, words, detached from language, neat blocks, are also tombs.” The titular essay, from 1948, was originally written for radio broadcast but was never recorded.

Genet was then facing a prison term, and the station wanted to avoid a scandal that his “deliberately provocative rhetoric” would have caused. Drawing on his experiences as a criminal child incarcerated in Mettray, a correctional facility, Genet proclaims his “love for these ruthless little kids” and his disdain for the society that punishes them: “I want to insult yet again the insulters.” “Adame Miroir” is a short, surrealist ballet/screenplay “for the Grand-Guignol.” In “Letter to Lenor Fini,” Genet writes to a female painter with whom he worked.

In a style exuberant in image and metaphor, he describes works “voluptuous and sprinkled with arsenic.” They “seem to me comparable to the complex architecture of swamp odors.”

And that is a compliment! An admiring piece on Jean Cocteau praises the “goodness” of his heart. His work “lets anguish be discovered in the fissures.” A lengthy, dazzling piece on Alberto Giacometti, which is part interview and part critique, reads like a magazine profile. In his work, Genet sees “sculptures standing up in their bones” with a “strange power to penetrate that realm of death.” The final piece, sensitive and erotic, is “The Tightrope Walker,” about Abdallah Bentaga, whom Genet was emotionally attached to. The author waxes lovingly euphoric about the performer’s artistry on the wire and the “bulge accentuated in your bodysuit, where your balls are enclosed.” An introduction with biographical and historical contexts would have been helpful.

For fans.

As journalist Gibian acknowledges, there is no shortage of information about Ruth Bader Ginsburg (b. 1933), whose rise to the Supreme Court and accomplishments within it have been well-documented. So, why this chatty little volume?

“This book,” writes the author, “explores the idea that there are lessons we can all take away from RBG’s life and apply to our own lives to maybe become a little more successful in our relationships and careers and efforts to create change.” Unfortunately for readers, the “secrets of success” invoked by the subtitle don’t offer much in the way of revelation. “Ginsburg is proof that working hard and turning in your best work actually does pay off,” writes Gibian in the first of nine chapters, which are divided into three sections “because in full cheesiness, there are three branches of government and the Supreme Court is made up of nine justices.” We learn that Ginsburg overcame childhood hardships and considerable gender discrimination to become “a rock star litigator” and a feminist “badass.” When life presented challenges, she persevered. The author also emphasizes the importance of having a supportive partner or a network of support, because “we all need to have

THE RBG WAY Secrets of Success of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Gibian, Rebecca Skyhorse Publishing (216 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-5107-4958-0 A self-help book distills the experiences and inspiration of the Supreme Court justice into a series of life lessons. |

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people there to remind us to sleep, shower, and eat” and that “while anger sometimes has a place in this world, it is worth trying to persuade someone to join your line of thought through cold hard facts and a strong argument.” Ginsburg’s career has certainly demonstrated that persuasive reasoning works better than lashing out angrily. In summary, Gibian concludes, “if you want to be like the Notorious RBG, you must follow the path that she laid out: roll up your sleeves, do the work (and do it well) to create change through incremental steps.”

Good advice from a life well lived but nothing you didn’t already know.

SANDWORM A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers Greenberg, Andy Doubleday (368 pp.) $28.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-385-54440-5

Cyberwar Armageddon hasn’t happened yet, but it’s coming, according to this disturbing but convincing journalis-

tic chronicle.

Wired senior writer Greenberg (This Machine Kills Secrets: How WikiLeakers, Cypherpunks, and Hacktivists Aim To Free the World’s Information, 2012) begins in 2014, when an analyst at a small, private intelligence firm learned of a security flaw in Microsoft Office, “one of the world’s most ubiquitous pieces of software,” and Russian malware designed to take advantage of it. Reverse engineering soon revealed that this malicious software, Sandworm, was not the usual effort to spread disinformation or steal data but was instead meant to cause physical damage. The analyst, Greenberg writes, considered this a whole new ball game: “Like many others in the cybersecurity industry, and particularly those with a military background, he’d been expecting cyberwar’s arrival: a new era that would finally apply hackers’ digital abilities to the older, more familiar worlds of war and terrorism.” In 42 short chapters, the author chronicles his travels around the world, with an emphasis on Ukraine, to describe the consequences of Sandworm and the efforts of software experts to analyze, ward off, and (ultimately) repair the damage. Ukraine, a test bed for cyberwarfare, remains in the crosshairs of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Crimea in 2014, supports a nasty insurgency in border areas, and opposes closer Ukrainian ties with Western Europe and NATO. Since the invasion, Russian hackers have been honing their skills on Ukraine’s infrastructure, shutting down electric grids, internet, railroads, hospitals, and even ATMs. Confident that America’s systems are less vulnerable and hobbled by Donald Trump’s clear admiration of Putin, U.S. leaders have downplayed the risk, although Russia and a host of other hackers are already flexing their muscles and wreaking havoc across the world. Throughout, Greenberg writes in the fast-paced style that characterized his first book, and while the 54

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narrative is occasionally scattershot, he effectively captures the disturbing nature of this new global threat.

A credible, breathless account of the discovery and defeat (perhaps) of major Russian computer cyberattacks.

FIRST, THEY ERASED OUR NAME A Rohingya Speaks

Habiburahman with Ansel, Sophie Trans. by Reece, Andrea Scribe (256 pp.) $19.00 paper | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-947534-85-8

A survivor of an Asian military dictatorship recalls his brutal childhood and, later, human rights activism.

Habiburahman was a boy when Myanmar outlawed his ethnic group, the Rohingya, stripping its members of citizenship and turning them into a stateless people. His book is a rare account of growing up during the subsequent catastrophe for the Rohingya, more than 700,000 of whom have since fled across the border to Bangladesh. Writing in a spare and unrelenting present tense—as if to emphasize that the disaster is ongoing—the author describes how he and other Rohingya were reviled as “black infidels,” sent into forced labor, and trapped in villages they couldn’t leave without a permit. As a young adult, writes Habiburahman, he had to use fake identity papers to study at a technical institute, where he worked with pro-democracy companions until someone betrayed the group and he was arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. After a jailbreak, he fled to Thailand and Malaysia and then, via a smuggler’s boat, to Australia, where he spent more than 30 months in detention.

Eventually, he lost faith that the needed help for the Rohingya would come from Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto head of state, and he became an activist. Written with French journalist Ansel, the book doesn’t explain how Habiburahman reconstructed his memories of events that occurred when he couldn’t have been taking notes; at times, the facts are open to question or appear to conflict with remarks he has made in interviews.

Most notably, he writes in an afterword that he has cut ties to his mother, believing his family needed “to become self-sufficient,” a statement that’s hard to fathom after he’s shown repeatedly how hard it is even for a young Rohingya man to achieve selfsufficiency. Despite such inconsistencies, accounts by journalists and other observers support the broad outlines and some particulars of the moral outrages he describes, so his story is a useful addition to the literature of human rights abuses.

A refugee courageously recalls his persecution in a book with some iffy details.

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A devastating examination of the limits of the written word. the dolphin letters, 1970-1979

THE DOLPHIN LETTERS, 1970-1979 Elizabeth Hardwick, Robert Lowell, and Their Circle

MEDIEVAL BODIES Life and Death in the Middle Ages

Hartnell, Jack Norton (352 pp.) $29.95 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-324-00216-1

Hardwick, Elizabeth & Lowell, Robert Ed. by Hamilton, Saskia Farrar, Straus and Giroux (560 pp.) $50.00 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-0-374-14126-4

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A peculiarly fascinating volume containing hundreds of letters between poet Robert Lowell (1917-1977) and his estranged wife, novelist and critic Elizabeth Hardwick (1915-2007).

Beginning in 1970, Lowell was living in England, where he met and later married his third wife, Caroline Blackwood. Hardwick was living in New York with their teenage daughter, Harriet, during the school year and on the coast of Maine during the summer. This is a long, lush, and impeccably footnoted volume, and yet some of the most intriguing action happens between the lines. Poet Hamilton (English/Barnard Coll.; Corridor, 2014, etc.), who also edited The Letters of Robert Lowell (2005), sets up the book with a well-informed section of biographical context and a chronology covering both the two writers and the broader political arena. As a result, before the exchange of letters begins, readers knows what Hardwick doesn’t: that Lowell, playfully depicting his time in England and dithering about when he will return to the States, is already deep in a relationship with Blackwood. This quality gives the letters the sometimes-voyeuristic thrill of watching a slow motion train wreck. As Hardwick gains awareness, the dynamic between the two becomes apparent: Hardwick, forced to be the practical one, dealt with Harriet’s daily life and begged Lowell to pay his taxes while Lowell, frequently hospitalized for bipolar disorder, wrote whimsical letters to Harriet and focused on his own internal feelings. All the while, they exchanged their thoughts about their work and their reading. In addition to the marital betrayal, the volume covers another, more insidious one: Lowell, writing the confessional volume of poetry called The Dolphin, appropriated and changed lines from Hardwick’s letters to create a series of poems about his estrangement from her and love for Blackwood. The book includes not just Hardwick’s shocked responses to the poems, but also the more outraged reactions of poets Adrienne Rich, who broke off her friendship with Lowell, and Elizabeth Bishop, who famously told Lowell that “art just isn’t worth that much.”

A devastating examination of the limits of the written word. (8 pages of b/w illustrations; 19 b/w illustrations in text)

An in-depth look at the medieval conception of the human body.

Some readers may be put off initially by this head-to-toe dissection of the body, but they should press on to encounter a delightful mixture of thought, experiment, discovery, and religion. In his debut book, Hartnell (Art History/Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich) uses his knowledge of art history and the drawings and paintings that showed then-current thinking on organs, bones, blood, and the body in general. The key to understanding this era is the interaction among diverse cultures. “A shared classical heritage undeniably binds together the medieval history of the regions on all sides of the Mediterranean,” writes the author, “separating them somewhat from the busy parallel stories of the Far East, India, China, sub-Saharan Africa or the pre-Columbian Americas.

Three principal inheritors of the legacy of Rome [Byzantium, Western and Central Europe, and the Islamic world] come to the fore, each representing a different texture of the medieval bodies that I want to try to trace.” With the exception of the Crusades, the Muslim kingdoms thrived through tolerance for other religions and cultures, enabling trade and, most importantly, the sharing of ideas. For Hartnell, two of the most interesting illustrations are the “Hebrew Bloodletting Figure” and the “German Wound Man.” The bloodletting figure provided a map of the most efficacious spots to bleed a patient while the Wound Man offered cures for punctures and other wounds as well as instructions on the placement of a styptic. Among other intriguing topics, the author discusses a 10th-century Arabic author who provided dental advice and instructions on suturing wounds. As Hartnell shows, medieval conceptions of medicine and the body fluctuated between tangible and fantastic and often conflated thoughts, philosophy, and religion with artistic imagination. When we consider that observational dissections didn’t regularly take place until the 1500s, the scope of the work of these cultures is quite impressive.

A wise, eye-opening interdisciplinary view of an era that “featured numerous exciting conceptions of the human form.” (95 color illustrations)

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ON THE COVER

Edward Snowden

THE EXILED NSA WHISTLEBLOWER TELLS HIS SIDE OF THE STORY IN A NEW BOOK, PERMANENT RECORD

By Gregory McNamee Photo courtesy Frederick Florin-AFP-Getty Images

Snowden speaks to a conference in France via video link earlier this year.

Edward Snowden didn’t set out to become a household name. A retiring person, more at home with computers than people, he joined the CIA as a young man and later went to work for the National Security Agency, mixing time on the Beltway with assignments abroad as an IT guy. He discovered that his bosses, as he writes in his new memoir, Permanent Record (Metropolitan/Henry Holt, Sept. 17), didn’t understand a key fact: The higher a “computer guy” rises in the organization, “and the more systems-level privileges he has, the more access he has to virtually every byte of his employer’s digital existence.”

It was true of Snowden, and when he came across mountains of evidence that the intelligence community was gathering data on ordinary citizens, he revealed it to journalists Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald. That act immediately propelled him into the headlines in the spring of 2013. Soon afterward, hunted by his former colleagues, he left the country but was stranded in Moscow on the way to Latin America after the U.S. government 56

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revoked his passport. Six years later, he remains there, with three pending charges awaiting him back home, two under the rubric of the 1917 Espionage Act, which would mean the possibility of immediate long-term imprisonment without the benefit of a public trial.

Speaking to Kirkus Reviews through a back channel befitting his former profession, the 36-year-old Snowden notes that he revealed that evidence to journalists for a reason: They would act as filters and help determine which of the thousands upon thousands of pages of data was relevant and worthy of publicizing.

“I could have posted a bunch of NSA documents to the internet, and I probably could have done that without even leaving my job or getting caught,” he says. “Why I didn’t—why I decided to go to journalists and avail myself of the freedom of the press—is a major topic in the book.”

That book is a carefully written blend of memoir and exposé. Snowden argues that the Bill of Rights and other foundational documents were meant to serve as restraints on a government that is forever inclined to amass more and more power. Those documents, he argues, are “an anti-efficiency manifesto” to brake such inclinations, written by people who saw where too-powerful government could lead.

The intelligence community for which he worked does its job in a different spirit: It knows that knowledge is power, and it seeks to know as much as it can about enemies foreign and domestic; real, potential, and imagined. Snowden notes that other institutions still act as checks on our spies: “Several times in the last few years, the Supreme Court has recognized that the Fourth |

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treason. He begs to differ. He notes that the Espionage Act makes no distinction between someone’s selling secrets to an enemy power or leaking documents to the press as an act of public service—and he certainly considers his revelations to be just the kind of act that benefits a public that has no idea of how much information has been collected on its members, gleaned from emails, phone calls, and other private communications.

“As for a lesson for these readers to take away,” he says, “I hope they will understand that there are no heroic people, only heroic acts, and that every one of them—every one of us—will face moments in life where the choice to act heroically is available. Every one of us will have to decide at some juncture whether to take an easy path that may not align with our deepest values or to choose a more difficult path that is truer to who we are or who we want to become.”

Gregory McNamee is a contributing editor. Permanent Record is reviewed on page 75.

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Amendment still applies in the digital age by holding that police need a warrant to track the locations of our phones or place GPS devices on our cars or search our phones after an arrest.” In Permanent Record, he writes repeatedly of his respect for the Constitution, the document that enshrines such protections and that makes the work of law enforcement, by design, harder and less apt to be capricious. The fact that he kept a copy close at hand and read it on lunch breaks at his NSA desk, he writes, “freaked out my co-workers.”

The Fourth Amendment, Snowden holds, is on his side. Even so, he harbors few illusions that in an era of mass surveillance—part of the intelligence community’s sweeping response to 9/11—organizations like the CIA or the NSA will ever be held to account or honor the Constitution that they are pledged to preserve and protect. The temptation to violate it is too great; as an intelligence agent, he says, “you develop a disregard bordering on contempt for the opinions of people outside the inner circle. Security-cleared technologists can be even worse, because they have both knowledge and skills that they believe to be exceptional.”

Snowden keeps himself well under wraps at his Moscow home, varying his routes while out and about and disguising his technology to avoid being spied on—and surely such efforts are being made, not just at Langley and Fort Meade, but also in his country of exile, since he hasn’t been shy in criticizing Russia for its “repressive surveillance possibilities” and suppression of democratic protests and movements. Allowing that “there’s no such thing as safe, there’s only safer,” he notes that ordinary citizens can make their own activities online a little harder to trace. “Everyone should be using encrypted messaging apps like Signal or Wire; everyone should be browsing the internet using Tor; and everyone should be using a password manager (no more ILOVEMOM1234).” After all, he writes in Permanent Record, the little communications devices that we carry with us are nothing but spy machines, keeping tabs on our comings and goings and those with whom we come and go, “census-takers that remember everything and forgive nothing.”

No, Edward Snowden didn’t set out to be a household name, but neither does he seem to have regrets for an act that many politicians have called

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A tender and engrossing travelogue that fully embodies “what it means to be a man and a father.” once more to the rodeo

A CRISIS OF PEACE George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution

Head, David Pegasus (400 pp.) $28.95 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-64313-081-1

A tale from the very beginnings of the republic—and of its disaffected military.

As Head (History/Univ. of Central Florida; Privateers of the Americas: Spanish American Privateering From the United States in the Early Republic, 2015, etc.) observes early on, the British didn’t march away after Yorktown, never to return. Instead, they retained control over New York as well as Savannah and Charleston and held them for another year and a half until the Treaty of Versailles was ratified. George Washington took his tired army to the banks of the Hudson River to keep an eye on the British, and there, at Newburgh, a “crisis of peace” emerged, one that pitted some of Washington’s officers against Congress.

For its part, the Continental Army was still irregularly equipped and poorly paid while Congress and its civilian employees counted on regular paychecks and led comfortable lives in Philadelphia. Head recounts the origins of the revolt that came close to erupting within the ranks of the revolutionary forces, pitting the military against the government. Along the way, he examines Congress’ monetary policy and notes that financing the Revolution had led to near ruin not just because of the huge cost of the war, but also its inability to collect taxes across state lines, leading to “a canyon of debt” that made the dollar effectively worthless. Robert Morris, appointed superintendent of finance, floated credit from his own fortune until Alexander Hamilton could come along to straighten up the house, even as Washington quelled an uprising in the making that might have allowed Britain “to steal a victory in the end.” The author’s narrative has its moments, but his approach is of the rocksfor-jocks and gods-for-clods variety, as when he adverts to The Godfather (“But just when Morris thought he was out, Congress and the army pulled him back in”) and affects breeziness (“the British Army was really good”), slips that do the book no favors.

A footnote to the larger history of the Revolution, of some interest to buffs. (16 pages of color illustrations)

ONCE MORE TO THE RODEO A Memoir

Hennick, Calvin Pushcart (220 pp.) $16.95 paper | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-888889-97-0 A father-son soul-searching expedition forms the heart of Boston-based writer Hennick’s moving memoir.

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Nile was just 5 when his father decided to take him on a road trip to create lasting, significant memories. The firstborn son of the author, who is white, and his Haitian wife, Belzie, a middle school teacher, Nile had progressed from a tantrumfilled toddlerhood into a “sensitive, big-hearted kid, quick to fall in love with new people and places.” Together, they set out from Massachusetts on a 10-day road trip with “impossibly high” expectations, and they hoped to end up at the annual twonight rodeo in Hennick’s hometown of Maxwell, Iowa, a place he hadn’t visited since his teenage years. The trip was a fascinating exercise in parental patience for the author, who was chronically challenged with weight issues and excessive drinking. The narrative progresses day to day as Hennick effectively incorporates his adventures with Nile with personal anecdotes about the author’s relationship with Belzie, his experiences as a father, and his own family history (“divorce is the organizing principle”). Along the way, father and son grew closer through stirring and educational conversations about the racial politics of skin color and baseball history in Cooperstown, New York, as well as challenging swimming lessons. After reuniting with Belzie and his daughter, “Peanut,” in Chicago, they made it to Iowa; at this point, Hennick painfully lingers over the impact of his lackluster relationship with his errant, indifferent father. Still, he was able to maintain a cleareyed resolve. “I want to be for my children the father I never had: present, sober, responsible, hard-working, competent, loving, organized, attentive.” Parents will find a great amount of relatable material in Hennick’s affecting, often poignant memoir. “One day,” he writes, “all that will be left of me is what my children remember.”

A tender and engrossing travelogue that fully embodies “what it means to be a man and a father.”

AN UNCONVENTIONAL WIFE The Life of Julia Sorell Arnold Hoban, Mary Scribe (320 pp.) $30.00 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-947534-82-7

An illuminating portrait of a Victorian wife and mother who was rescued from silence.

Recipient of the inaugural Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, an award honoring the esteemed Australian biographer, historian Hoban makes her debut as a biographer with an absorbing, deeply perceptive life of Julia Sorell Arnold (1826-1888). Grandmother to novelist Aldous Huxley and his brother, biologist Julian Huxley; sister-in-law of poet and critic Matthew Arnold; and mother of bestselling novelist Mary (Mrs. Humphry) Ward, Julia, after her marriage to Tom Arnold, became ensconced in one of the most famous families in 19th-century England. As the “ruling belle” of Hobart, Australia, she caught Tom’s eye in February 1850, and the romance quickly progressed; in less a month, they were engaged.

Two months later, they married. Although Julia often found Tom’s jealousy irritating and knew that he believed husbands should |

LIFE AFTER DEAF My Misadventures in Hearing Loss and Recovery

Holston, Noel Skyhorse Publishing (240 pp.) $24.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-5107-4687-9

After losing most of his hearing in 2010, a journalist’s frustration mounted as insurance and the medical community entangled him in red tape.

As a music lover who had spent much of his career in coverage and criticism of popular culture, Holston faced a shocking transition when he awoke one morning to discover that he could barely hear anything. Though there had been warning signs— hearing aids and measurable loss—this was sudden, unexpected, and close to absolute. Thus began an extended period of difficult adjustment: communicating at work with colleagues by email and pen on paper, navigating marital turbulence, dealing with strangers who didn’t understand his condition or who thought he lacked mental capacity. But the biggest issue was trying to figure out what had happened and how to fix it. Doctors weren’t absolutely sure on the former, and their attempts to address the latter caused even more frustration when an expensive cochlear implant failed to help. This left the author wondering “whether something was still wrong with me systemically, something as yet undetected that was rendering the implant less effective, or whether the implant itself might be a problem.” Consultations with other doctors meant he had to go out of his insurance network, and haggling over the phone became nearly impossible due to his condition. This book is partly about how hearing loss affects every aspect of one’s life, partly about how dealing with |

insurance can make life a living hell, and partly about the effects on a marriage from such unexpected strains. “Years of writing and columnizing on a daily basis had made writing reflexive to me,” writes Holston. “I try not to let any experience go to waste.

To paraphrase an old saying, that which doesn’t kill you makes for a good story.” An appendix includes useful information about the benefits and risks of cochlear implants.

A worthwhile memoir about hearing impairment and struggling with the complex medical community. (photos)

AT THE EDGE OF TIME Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe’s First Seconds

Hooper, Dan Princeton Univ. (248 pp.) $24.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-691-18356-5

A fine history of the universe from the Big Bang to the present.

Hooper (Astronomy and Astrophysics/ Univ. of Chicago Nature’s Blueprint: Supersymmetry and the Search for a Unified Theory of Matter and Force, 2009, etc.), a senior scientist in the Theoretical Astrophysics Group at Fermilab, explains that the Big Bang is simply the consequence of rewinding time in today’s universe, which is expanding and cooling. As time moves backward, the cosmos shrinks and becomes hotter until, 13.8 billion years ago, according to calculations, it becomes infinitely small and infinitely hot. During that early period, “matter likely interacted in ways that it no longer does, and space and time themselves may have behaved differently than they do in the world that we know.” Nothing existed except a uniform soup.

Since Einstein—whose theory of relativity provides the science behind the Big Bang—proved that matter and energy are equivalent, the particles that make up matter did not yet exist.

After a few millionths of a second, the universe cooled enough for familiar subatomic particles (protons, neutrons, electrons) to form, but it remained too hot for these to combine. The universe was dark because charged particles (i.e., protons and electrons) soak up light. At 380,000 years ago, the temperature had dropped enough for these to combine into atoms. The universe became electrically neutral, and light spread everywhere; it is still present in the cosmic microwave background.

Stars, galaxies, and planets followed. Progress in cosmology has increased our ignorance as well as our knowledge. A good sport, Hooper seems positively excited as he describes the discoveries of dark matter and dark energy, which reveal that everything we observe represents less than 5% of the universe. Beginning with Carl Sagan’s Cosmos in 1980, Big Bang books have become a genre that curious readers should check out every few years to keep up with breakthroughs (gravity waves being the latest).

They can’t go wrong with Hooper’s.

A lucid account that is neither dumbed down nor overly difficult. (11 b/w illustrations)

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master their wives, she was enamored by his “earnest, sensitive nature, his deeply spiritual temperament, and his self-deprecating humour.” For his part, he absolutely adored her. Drawing on archival sources, histories, and memoirs, Hoban creates a revelatory, sympathetic portrait of a woman whose married life was undermined by financial pressures and a rift between husband and wife that proved unbridgeable. In Tasmania and later in Ireland and England, the couple was saddled with debt; and through the years, with eight children to support, debts increased. Money was an enduring problem, but religion even greater. Tom’s early skepticism took a sudden turn when he decided to convert to Roman Catholicism, a resolve that Julia met “with a torrent of hate and despair.” The abyss between Anglicans and Catholics was profound. “Religion,” writes the author, “was never simply about belief. It was about position, about economic stability, about possible trajectories, not just for Tom and Julia, but also for their children.” Risking the family’s well-being seemed to Julia unconscionable, but she struggled with her decision to be, as Tom put it, “a revolutionary wife or a Christian one.” She chose, at last, hard-won independence.

A sparkling biography and cultural history. (8-page b/w photo insert)

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Even though there is little derring-do, this is a delightful account of World War II espionage. agent jack

ALL MY CATS

Hrabal, Bohumil Trans. by Wilson, Paul New Directions (120 pp.) $18.95 | Nov. 26, 2019 978-0-8112-2895-4 T.S. Eliot wrote, “The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter.” So is the killing of them.

Hrabal (Mr. Kafka: And Other Tales From the Time of the Cult, 2015, etc.) states at the outset of this memoir—set in 1983, 14 years before his death at 82—that he loved cats. At his cottage in Kersko, an hour’s drive from Prague, he and his wife would open the door each morning, and “five grown cats would come charging into the kitchen and lap up two full bowls of milk.” Then, “meshugge Stunde, this crazy hour” would begin: cats racing around the cottage, fighting over slippers, and so on. Hrabal loved “our children” so much that he’d dry their paws when they came in from the rain. But his wife often asked, “what are we going to do with all those cats?” The author had an upsetting answer: When two of them had five kittens apiece, he concluded that he had to “be the executioner” and control the population. So he lured six kittens into a mailbag, took it to the woods, and beat them to death. He feels this act was justified, yet those kittens “would haunt me like a bad conscience whenever I’d lie awake toward morning, unable to sleep.” The feelings these killings engendered led him to write this thoughtful, if sometimes-repetitive, essay on the nature of guilt. Was he not like soldiers who killed innocents during wartime? Isn’t killing just the nature of life, he argues, as when his two tabbies caught and tortured a bunny until it died of terror? This alternately sweet and gruesome memoir challenges readers to think about their own actions and their own vulnerability. Cats serve as a metaphor for the many forms of guilt each person carries and the challenges of rationalizing problematic behavior. Indeed, what is one to do with all those cats?

A disturbing work that is deep but not inscrutable.

AGENT JACK The True Story of MI5’s Secret Nazi Hunter Hutton, Robert St. Martin’s (336 pp.) $29.99 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-250-22176-6

Though British Nazi sympathizers never posed a major threat, MI5 took them seriously. This account of its energetic battle makes entertaining reading.

Capably bringing to light a forgotten World War II story, British political correspondent Hutton (Would They Lie to You?: How To Spin Friends and Manipulate People, 2015) begins in the 1920s with his major character, Eric Roberts, a bored bank clerk 60

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who had joined a tiny fascist group (Mussolini had many admirers during his early years). While there, he was recruited as a spy by an oddball anti-Bolshevik organization run by a wealthy businessman. Roberts turned out to have a talent for undercover work, and MI5, Britain’s minuscule internal security agency, was happy for assistance from this private intelligence service.

Roberts continued to clerk, devoting free time to unpaid spying, at first on communists but then against British Nazi sympathizers. In 1940, finally flush with money, MI5 hired him full-time.

A different MI5 department handled German spies; Roberts’ superiors concentrated on their British supporters, which, to their surprise, were not scarce. Even during the war’s darkest days and with prewar fascists behind bars, a scattering of Britons hoped for a Nazi victory. Their efforts revealed a mostly comic-opera incompetence, but MI5 took no chances, setting up a fake fifth-column organization with Roberts (“Agent Jack”) posing as its Nazi agent/leader. A trickle of volunteers signed up and recruited friends. Most varied from useless to wacky, but a number “were capable of inflicting serious harm on the British war effort. Had Roberts not posed as their Gestapo spymaster, they might have approached Germany directly themselves.”

Few were arrested, because a trial would have blown Roberts’ cover. After an undistinguished postwar decade, Roberts retired into obscurity. Many MI5 records from WWII were destroyed, and others remain classified. While there are no firsthand participants alive to give evidence, Hutton has done an impressive job assembling transcripts, letters, interviews, and declassified documents into a delicious spy story.

Even though there is little derring-do, this is a delightful account of World War II espionage. (31 b/w photos)

WHITE NEGROES When Cornrows Were in Vogue...and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation

Jackson, Lauren Michele Beacon (184 pp.) $25.95 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-0-8070-1180-5

A literary scholar examines the many ways in which African American influences are incorporated, without acknowledgment or thanks, into the white cultural mainstream.

Cultural appropriation, writes Jackson (English and African American Studies/Northwestern Univ.), “gets a bad rap.” Rap, for instance, borrows from the styles of earlier generations— soul, disco, funk, even gospel—but includes the likes of Billy Joel and Paul Simon in its DNA. Appropriation, she writes, “is everywhere, and it is inevitable,” though it is also a matter of power as much as artistic license: The culturally dominant group gets away with borrowing fashions, musical styles, and language, developing “black aesthetics without black people.”

In a lucid explication of the work of appropriation in music, she examines borrowings not just by white artists such as Britney Spears, but also members of minority populations such as |

Jennifer Lopez, who, by Jackson’s account, lifted liberally from a less-known artist named Ashanti. It’s Lopez’s good luck that the borrowing, including the passing insertion of the N-word, took place in a time when “the internet wasn’t then what the internet is now, and time forgives all slurs.” Pop star Pink took a different course, gradually shedding any blackness in her sound, even as Miley Cyrus dropped her white-pop teen persona to embrace the hip-hop world and Khloé Kardashian did her hair up in cornrows and called herself a “Bantu babe.” The author ranges across a broad field of reference, writing of the appropriation of the Southern-ism “chile” (child, that is) by means of the TV show Real Housewives of Atlanta and the culinary borrowings of Paula Deen, “white Mammy, plumping America one fried delicacy at a time,” who got in trouble not for her lifting recipes but instead for using the N-word. Jackson is evenhanded throughout, though there’s a welcome fire to her discussion, as when she writes, “America is addicted to hurting black people.

America is addicted to watching itself hurt black people.”

A revelatory, well-argued work of cultural criticism.

Jones, Booker T. Little, Brown (336 pp.) $30.00 | Nov. 1, 2019 978-0-316-48560-9

The legendary Stax artist and composer looks back on a long, fruitful life in music.

“The truth is I was never in it for the money. I loved the people and the music.”

So writes Jones, the keyboard wizard who helmed Booker T. & The MG’s, so named for a car one of their producers owned, a group that touched off a revolution in Southern soul music that cleared a path for Otis Redding, Irma Thomas, and dozens of other players. Remarkably, given the time and place, Jones’ band was interracial, with guitarist Steve Cropper and, later, bassist Duck Dunn adding to the mix. The author writes about growing up in a segregated South where it was entirely unexpected that he should know the likes of Dvorak and “Clair de Lune,” music that, along with church gospel, worked its way into compositions such as “Green Onions”—which, as it happens, was born as “Funky Onions” but was renamed for fear that the word would scare off listeners in that benighted time. Jones reflects deeply on matters of race and the many injustices he had to endure. He’s at the top of his form, clearly enjoying the task, when he writes about music, however. One of the book’s many highlights is his mystified childhood realization that while “C was the natural key for the earth, humans, and the universe at large,” other chords had their say, too: B flat for the clarinet, a discovery that “wreaked havoc in my young, developing mind— to find out the C was not really a C, but a B flat in clarinet world.”

Fortunately, he overcame his shock to write tunes that shaped the zeitgeist of 1960s pop, such as “Hip Hug-Her” (“the sound… makes it seem like Duck is going to break the string on every |

LISTENING FOR AMERICA Inside the Great American Songbook From Gershwin to Sondheim

Kapilow, Rob Liveright/Norton (448 pp.) $39.95 | Nov. 4, 2019 978-1-63149-029-3

A user-friendly guide to appreciating show tunes.

Composer/conductor Kapilow’s (What Makes It Great: Short Masterpieces, Great Composers, 2011, etc.) popular NPR program, What Makes It Great? inspired this lively and highly informative look at what makes musical show tunes great. Using 16 of his favorite songs by eight of Broadway’s greatest songwriters, he focuses on the “intersection between history and music,” employing a “close-focus musical reading” of each song to demonstrate how they are “deeply meaningful reflections of an evolving America finding its voice.” Kapilow includes basic musical notations to show how the songs’ notes, melodies, harmonies, and rhythms fit together to fashion masterpieces. Each chapter is a gem of explication and informed opinion. Jerome Kern’s “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” from Show Boat, “turns on the relationship between black music and white music.”

The “landmark” show, Kapilow writes, “radically widened the dramatic range of the Broadway musical.” The final cadence in Kern’s “All the Things You Are,” from Very Warm for May, a “complete flop,” is “one of the most remarkable in the American Songbook.” George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” from Girl Crazy, with its gay, Jewish, and Native American sensibilities, is the “voice of a southern black community in a work that would ultimately become the quintessential American opera.” Harold Arlen “became famous overnight thanks to the success of a single song,” “Stormy Weather,” from The Cotton Club Parade of 1933. Before The Wizard of Oz film was released in 1939, studio head Louis B. Mayer wanted to cut out Arlen’s iconic “Over the Rainbow.” Kapilow considers Stephen Sondheim “one of the greatest innovators in the history of the musical theater.” The author also discusses Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rogers, and Leonard Bernstein, and the prologue contains useful information about minstrel shows, vaudeville, revues, operetta, ragtime, the blues, and jazz.

A seamless blend of music, history, and biography. (100 music examples)

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TIME IS TIGHT My Life, Note by Note

note, he pulls it so hard”), and of course “Green Onions,” which countless kids use to learn keyboards.

A thoughtful autobiography that takes in not just the tunes, but the times that produced them—a delight for fans.

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Jeannie Vanasco

AS A TEENAGER, THE AUTHOR WAS RAPED BY A BEST FRIEND. FOURTEEN YEARS LATER SHE INITIATED A CONVERSATION WITH HIM ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED

By Marion Winik Photo courtesy Dennis Drenner

Among the swelling ranks of #MeToo narratives, Jeannie Vanasco’s Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl (Tin House, Oct. 1) stands out. In this work that combines the techniques of memoir with those of journalism, Vanasco contacts a man who used to be a close friend, even after he raped her one night in his basement.

They fell out of touch years ago…until the day Vanasco tracked him down and asked him if he would participate in a book project.

Is the book what it seems—the real-time journal of an investigation?

Yes, very much so, starting in January 2018 and going through August. I didn’t know if Mark would agree to talk 62

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to me or how things would unfold. As I transcribed our conversations, there were things I might have wanted to censor out, but I left them in.

After each conversation, you get together to discuss what was said with female friends.

My friends helped me process what had happened— some of them have also been raped, and because of those experiences, they encouraged me to ask harder questions. Their prominence in the book shows how important a support network is, not just for rape survivors, but for everybody.

One friend points out that your book participates in the #MeToo genre but says something a little bit different.

What is the “little bit different”?

I think it’s having the conversation, listening to him, letting him have a voice. Honestly, when I was working on this, I was sick to my stomach every day. Thinking about what I was doing, it felt so wrong. I was so nervous about releasing this book.

It’s pretty controversial to let the rapist have a voice.

Yet he seems to accept full blame for his actions.

Yes—but what disturbs me about our conversation is the fact that he said all the right things. He said all the right things back when we were friends, too. That doesn’t mean he was lying but that our words and our actions don’t always align the way we think they will. Mark didn’t think he was capable of rape—and I didn’t think I would handle our conversations the way I did. I didn’t think I would be so accommodating and concerned about how he felt.

Yes, he did agree to the project, and yes, he did try to |

give honest answers, but one sticking point for me is that he’s withheld the story from his parents all this time. I may be 35 years old—but I still want to tell his parents! I was so close with them, and I could never explain what happened. He said he was protecting them, but I feel he was protecting himself. And men in general, because the longer we go on thinking certain men are incapable of rape, the harder it will be for survivors to come forward.

THE BROKEN ROAD George Wallace and a Daughter’s Journey to Reconciliation

Have you continued to be in contact with him?

We haven’t been, and he didn’t insist on reading the book before publication, but I just heard from him today and am sending him a copy. And now he says if his family reads it, so be it. That means a lot.

Kennedy, Peggy Wallace Bloomsbury (304 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-63557-365-7

Marion Winik, author of The Big Book of the Dead, teaches memoir at the University of Baltimore. Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl received a starred review in the Sept.

1, 2019, issue.

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A segregationist’s daughter recalls growing up on the wrong side of history in her debut memoir.

Kennedy, who lives in Montgomery, Alabama, makes it clear that she has no plans to whitewash the legacy of her father, four-term Alabama governor George Wallace (1919-1998), who proclaimed: “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.” The author writes that when Wallace denied any role in the brutal assaults on civil rights marchers in Selma, on the day known as Bloody Sunday, he resembled “Pontius Pilate washing his hands” of guilt. However, she tries gently to correct a few misperceptions of her father. When Wallace renounced his views on segregation after an assassination attempt left him a paraplegic, many observers saw it as another crass political move, but the author notes that in private conversations late in life, he was sincerely “ashamed and regretful.” She also shows poignantly the toll his actions took on his family and draws parallels between his tactics and those of Donald Trump. Before Wallace persuaded the Alabama legislature to change the law to allow him to serve more than one term as governor, he had his wife, Lurleen, run as his stand-in despite a recent diagnosis of uterine cancer; she died after 15 months in office. The author has suffered from chronic depression and received electroconvulsive therapy for “reactive psychosis caused by stress” even as she’s tried to ease others’ pain through civil rights activism. She doesn’t say whether the ECT helped or how she evolved from loyal daughter to social justice advocate—did she have a Damascene moment?—two of many subjects on which she seems to repress as much as express. Kennedy tells her story well, but she leaves the impression that—whether because of her Southern good manners or because some subjects are still too painful to talk about—her history involves more than she can yet say.

A fair-minded memoir and portrayal of an exceptionally divisive civil rights–era politician.

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A book that belongs on every designer’s shelf—and that consumers of design will enjoy, too. user friendly

THAT WILD COUNTRY An Epic Journey Through the Past, Present, and Future of America’s Public Lands Kenyon, Mark Little A (300 pp.) $24.95 | Dec. 1, 2019 978-1-5420-4304-5

A nature writer and hunting and fishing podcaster offers an account of his travels in and the history of American

public lands.

American citizens, writes Kenyon, “are collective co-owners of…approximately 640 million acres” of land designated for outdoor recreational activities like camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing. In his first book, the author explores a variety of federally protected natural areas, including Yellowstone National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Arches National Park, while delving into the embattled history of America’s wild places. Born into a family of Michigan hunters and anglers, Kenyon’s passion for the outdoors developed after college. His research into American public lands transformed him into a political advocate who, over the course of 18 months, traveled across the United States to ground himself in the “national forests, monuments, wildlife refuges and wilderness…that hung in the balance.” Camping trips, like one he took through the “shimmering plains and badland buttes” of North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park, made the author aware that such areas received federal protection only because champions like Roosevelt stood up to industrialists and developers who sought to use the land for profit. Laws, such as Roosevelt’s Antiquities Act of 1906, granted presidents sole executive power to “designate lands as having ‘historical landmarks, historic preservation structures and other objects of scientific interest.’ ” However, legislation has never guaranteed that natural areas would receive protected status or that lands with that status would remain safe from predation. Kenyon cites the case of the 1980s Sagebrush Rebellion, which sought to place control of federally protected Western lands into the hands of privatization-friendly state governments. The author also references Donald Trump’s legal encroachments on the Antiquities Act and reductions of such wilderness areas as the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

Thoughtfully observed throughout, Kenyon’s book offers fond recollections of his experiences in the American outdoors while reminding readers of their obligation to protect their right to lands too often taken for granted.

An intimate and informative journey. (photos)

THE THANK-YOU PROJECT Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time

Kho, Nancy Davis Running Press (208 pp.) $22.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-7624-6845-4

How writing letters helped the author better appreciate her life.

When freelance writer Kho (The Family Mix: Essays on Family Life From MidlifeMixtape.com, 2013) turned 50, she decided to mark the year by writing 50 letters to her family, friends, and anyone else who had motivated or guided her in her life. One of the first letters she wrote was to her father, an act that gained further significance when he was diagnosed with cancer. Through the act of writing, the author discovered forgotten moments that have shaped her life, making her even more grateful for having lived them, including those that caused pain. When she was done writing, she printed out copies of all the letters so she could read them and relive her thoughts, which reinforced the feelings of love and bounty that she obtained from these people and events. Kho’s personal story is intertwined with guidelines on how to start your own letter-writing project. She lists the obvious choices for such letters—among others, parents, siblings, spouses, children, extended family—but also provides other interesting choices, including a doctor or dentist, favorite artist or musician, or even an ex-partner. She notes that while many of these letters may never be sent to the recipient for one reason or another, it does not negate the positive effect of writing it. Kho also moves beyond people and includes places, hometowns, hobbies, ideas, etc. The last letter, she writes, should be to yourself as you think about all the previous letters you’ve written.

Although emails, texts, and tweets have taken over much of life, this old-fashioned method of communication has the potential to increase one’s happiness as well as that of the recipient. Kho’s idea is simple and quaint and will appeal to those seeking to understand “the importance of expressing appreciation.”

A genial volume about a fun approach to showing others how much they mean to you.

USER FRIENDLY How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play

Kuang, Cliff with Fabricant, Robert MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux (416 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-0-374-27975-2

A readable, instructive study of the role of design in making our lives easier

to live.

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GENIUS AND ANXIETY How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947

Lebrecht, Norman Scribner (432 pp.) $30.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-9821-3422-8

How adversity shaped a century of Jewish creativity and invention.

“A Jew is like a man with a short arm,” said the composer Gustav Mahler. “He has to swim harder to reach the shore.” In this beautifully crafted work, music historian and novelist Lebrecht (Why Mahler?: How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed the World, 2010, etc.) argues convincingly that “existential angst”—a dread of losing their rights to citizenship and free speech amid widespread persecution—freed many Jews to pursue unusual accomplishments with abandon. Not expecting acceptance, “free to think the unthinkable,” Freud, Proust, Einstein, and others worked brilliantly in such fields as science, art, and music, not because of any genetic advantage but out of opportunity made possible by “marginality.” With anxiety as a “primary motivating factor, the engine of fresh thinking,” they began in the mid-19th century, and especially in the decade after the Dreyfus Affair, to engage in acts of genius. Such individuals as |

Marx and Disraeli set the tone for “a century of Jewish invention,” unafraid of criticism from those in power. They paved the way for diverse successors, as well, including Trotsky, Sarah Bernhardt, Jonas Salk, and through to Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg. Taking us into many spheres of endeavor, Lebrecht offers revealing portraits of and stories about these Jews, practicing and not, as they crossed artistic boundaries, advanced science, and reshaped myriad aspects of Western society in the period through the 1947 founding of Israel. He provides nuanced explorations of individuals from Einstein, “a religious man of no religion, a perfect Jewish paradox,” to Kafka, who knows “something terrible is about to happen and there is nothing anyone can do about it.” Written with passion and authority, this book shows how these great minds always took a different point of view—and changed how we see the world.

Lebrecht also includes a helpful glossary of Jewish terms.

An absorbing, well-told story of Jewish achievement that is a pleasure to read.

SUCCESSFUL AGING A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives

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Henry Dreyfuss—a hero among many in design editor Kuang and designer/writer Fabricant’s lively book—came up with one.

“The paddle had concentric rings like a pistol target,” write the authors, “which made swatting flies into a game.” It was a tossedoff design, but it had a singular virtue: It was self-explanatory “so that the user could readily understand all its functions.” Not that a fly swatter has all that many functions, but Dreyfuss’ Toperator washing machine did; with easy-to-read controls, it was a revolutionary and fast-selling device. A lesson there is that simplifying things so they become second nature is never a bad idea.

Neither is reading the wind and the zeitgeist to figure out where needs lie that may not have been imagined before. That was the case with a different kind of 911 alert that recognized the fact that most attacks on our persons come not from strangers but from people we know—and voilà, a device was born that summoned a concierge to provide “a plausible excuse to dip out of whatever situation you were in, if needed.” For the last century, the authors write, the designer’s great challenge has been to “reignite the consumer impulse” in a time of general plenty and of constant technological evolution, inventing markets along the way: the iPhone, for instance, or Facebook. (Who knew that coming up with the “like” button required so much work to concoct “the simplest, friendliest way to express positivity”?)

Of a piece with the work of Henry Petroski or Donald Norman, Kuang and Fabricant’s book serves up plenty of useful examples and offers a few rules for would-be designers, the very first of which is “start with the user.”

A book that belongs on every designer’s shelf—and that consumers of design will enjoy, too.

Levitin, Daniel J. Dutton (544 pp.) $30.00 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-5247-4418-2

An enthusiastic review of old and new research into the means of extending life.

Neuroscientist Levitin (Emeritus, Psychology and Neuroscience/McGill Univ.; A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age, 2016) emphasizes “that it is the interactions of genes, culture, and opportunity that are the biggest determinants of the trajectory our lives take; how our brains will change; and whether or not we’ll be healthy, engaged, and happy throughout the lifespan.” He adds that since our years are divided into what he calls “healthspan” and “diseasespan,” we should aim to prolong the former. As background, he devotes more than half the text to a fine overview of brain function, human physiology, and psychology that supports his point. Good genes are necessary but not sufficient; upbringing and environment play an essential role, and both work best if one takes advantage of opportunities. Real science books have minuscule audiences compared with books that promise the secrets of perfect health; Levitin, a genuine scientist, aims to enjoy the best of both worlds. Some of his breathless prescriptions are old favorites—happy people live longer; eat mostly plants; have lots of friends; don’t retire—but he relies heavily on legitimate science, so readers will encounter life-extenders supported by studies (although not in humans) such as calorie restriction, metformin, and rapamycin, as well as long-in-the-tooth favorites like antioxidants and fish oil, which he advocates for while admitting that recent studies are not impressive. Warning against popular nonsense, the kirkus.com

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A thoughtfully researched, poetically inspiring call to action that will resonate with a broad range of readers. our wild calling

author nevertheless includes a generous selection of nutrients, lifestyles, and pharmaceuticals supported by little more than reasonable theories or obsessively health-conscious colleagues.

Levitin seems to underestimate his skill as an educator, and he has written a lucid explanation of brain and body function. His longevity advice has plenty of competition, especially David Sinclair’s Lifespan, but this book’s breadth is impressive.

Excellent popular science in the service of fending off aging.

LABYRINTH OF ICE The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition Levy, Buddy St. Martin’s (400 pp.) $29.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-250-18219-7

A blow-by-blow account of the Greely Expedition to the northernmost polar regions from 1881 to 1884.

In the lore of Arctic exploration, the Greely Expedition, aka the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, holds a special place. Named after its commanding officer, Lt. Adolphus Greely, the expedition, comprised of 24 scientists and explorers, achieved the distinction of making a documented foray to the farthest north, but it also carried accusations of cannibalism during its last days afield before rescue. In this highly detailed account, Levy (River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana’s Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon, 2011, etc.) makes full use of all the writings—journals, books, and articles—that the expedition spawned. The adventurers wanted to establish a chain of research stations to collect data on the region, and they also set out to search for survivors of the USS Jeannette expedition, which had disappeared two years prior.

Furthermore, they sought to “attain Farthest North, an explorer’s holy grail of the highest northern latitude, which had been held by the British” for three centuries. Levy does a remarkable job of keeping things lively despite the crush of detail (“it carried a load of five thousand pounds of coal (in thirty-nine bags), gear, and men, drawing five feet of water”). When Greely finally decides to make a dash for it, having waited in vain for two years for supply ships to rendezvous with his team, the author comes into his own, grippingly chronicling their harrowing journey. Through the bitter cold and long nights, the men slogged in retreat south, suffering frostbite so bad that one explorer pleaded, “Oh, will you kill me? Please.” They ate the soles of their boots and, later, “nothing but a few swigs of water since eating the last of Greely’s sleeping bag cover.” Levy presents the evidence for cannibalism in a balanced manner, and he does a solid job situating the expedition’s scientific achievements in the history of polar exploration.

A graphic tale of horrific deprivation that is sure to be the benchmark account. (maps and photos)

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OUR WILD CALLING How Connecting With Animals Can Transform Our Lives―and Save Theirs

Louv, Richard Algonquin (320 pp.) $27.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-616-20560-7

The renowned nature writer explores how we can find better ways to coexist with animals in the future.

In his latest, Louv (Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a NatureRich Life, 2016, etc.) expands on key themes he has addressed in his previous books: specifically, how we must engage more directly and harmoniously with nature. He offers an impassioned and compelling case for establishing a sustainable bond with animals by proactively seeking to protect them. With extensive urbanization and the devastating effects of climate change driving more wild animals outside of their traditional habitats and into the cities, the urgency is greater than ever.

“Wild animals, for their solitude or independence, stay a respectable distance from us,” writes Louv. “How do we do the same for them? How do we protect the spaces in which other animals live and still watch them, connect with them, be with them? The point is not just to fulfill our human need for connectedness but to mindfully replace our destructive interactions—as individuals, as a society.” Weaving his personal experiences into accounts of his interviews with wildlife experts, psychologists, teachers, and others, the author recounts spiritual and sometimes mindaltering or life-changing encounters with various types of wild animals. These range from dogs to cattle to birds to snakes to sea creatures (a particularly interesting section involves a diver’s enigmatic meeting with a giant octopus). Louv offers glimpses of how animals can effectively communicate with their own species and remarkable examples of cross-species interactions.

He further considers how interactions with animals can be therapeutic, both physically and mentally, including our increasing dependency on support animals and evidence of how animalassisted therapy can benefit autistic children. By understanding how to effectively connect with the animal world, argues the author, we will not only reduce human and animal loneliness; ideally, we could find the key to our survival on this planet.

A thoughtfully researched, poetically inspiring call to action that will resonate with a broad range of readers.

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THE WORLD’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE The Inside Story of the Nobel Peace Prize

CHECKPOINT CHARLIE The Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth

Lundestad, Geir Oxford Univ. (256 pp.) $24.95 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-0-19-884187-6

MacGregor, Iain Scribner (352 pp.) $30.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-982100-03-2

A big-picture history of a Berlin divided by postwar ideologies—and barbed wire.

London-based publisher MacGregor brings a useful perspective to his study of divided Berlin by reminding American readers that the Cold War was fought not just by the U.S. and the Soviet Union, but by many allies on both sides—especially, among the occupying powers, the U.K. and France. Checkpoint Charlie, long a metaphor for a carved-up Germany, stood near the boundary of the American and Soviet sectors and became a potent symbol of the struggle between East and West: It was there that American and Soviet tanks held a standoff in 1961 and there where the Berlin Wall rose. At the beginning, the author observes that the division of Germany into communist and noncommunist parts helped create a buffer zone that, foremost, protected the Soviet Union from overland attack. It also created two very different nations, one wealthy and one desperately poor; when reunited in 1990, the weak economy of East Germany fell apart. As noted by a German journalist the author interviewed, “too many East Germans lost their jobs and their confidence in this new order. That is one of the reasons, in my opinion, for the rise of the Neo-Nazi movements in East Germany today.” There is little of the gripping thriller in MacGregor’s sober account, with its specific details of such things as the exact configuration of the no-man’s land between East and West, with its “3.6-meter-high Grenzwall” and “BT-11 guard tower, manned 24/7 by teams of 2-5 with clear fields of fire” and the rotational schedule of the U.S. Berlin Brigade. Yet there are plenty of human-interest stories as well, such as MacGregor’s portrait of the Greek-born cantor who helped rebuild the city’s tiny surviving Jewish community and who “seemed to float between the two halves of the city pre-1961.”

Cold War Berlin is already well documented, but MacGregor writes with depth and precision of events that still reverberate.

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The history, importance, and impact of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Lundestad (The Rise and Decline of the American “Empire”: Power and its Limits in Comparative Perspective, 2012, etc.) brings 25 years of experience as director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute and secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prize. For the historical sections, the author draws on his two earlier books published in Norwegian in 2015 and 2017. Lundestad begins with the life of Alfred Nobel, who “held over 350 patents in widely varying areas, his will, and the influences on him. Then the author considers the evolution of the Nobel Prize through three eras—the years prior to World War I, the League of Nations years from 1919 to 1939, and the United Nations years from 1948 to the present—and shows how the focus of the prize shifted from international structures promoting peace to opposition to specific regimes to promotion of human rights and democracy and then to protecting the environment. In Chapter 6, Lundestad shifts gears, providing a range of personal profiles of laureates, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Kofi Annan, and Barack Obama. The history section of the narrative is instructive but decidedly academic while the easy-reading portraits are revealing about the recipient, the decision to award the prize, the controversies surrounding the awarding of the prize, and its impact. However, the author does not disclose what individual committee members had to say about the nominees being considered. Lundestad admits that some mistakes have been made, but his arguments for the importance of the Nobel and its continuing influence are convincing. At the end, the author includes a valuable reference tool: a chronological list of Nobel Peace laureates, which gives not just the laureate’s name and country, but also a brief statement of the committee’s rationale for the award.

An odd juxtaposition of objective institutional history with a more interesting insider’s look at the laureates.

MUDLARK In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames Maiklem, Lara Liveright/Norton (320 pp.) $27.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-63149-496-3

British editor Maiklem shares her obsession with the treasures she has found in the mud of the River Thames. |

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A valuable companion for aspiring writers. before and after the book deal

The author takes us on a tour from the end of the tidal Thames at Teddington down to the estuary at Lower Hope Point. As she notes, the tides dictate the course of her investigations. A mudlark, someone who “scavenges for usable debris in the mud of a river or harbor,” must know all of the permutations of the tides throughout the year. The author’s discoveries range from Roman coins to the ubiquitous clay pipes and pieces of tile and pottery to unexploded ordnance from World War II. Mudlarks are easy to spot, with their dirty boots, knee pads, latex gloves, and waterproof suits smeared with mud.

Maiklem explains how they rely on luck but also have the patience and time to devote to their craft. Their best guides, she writes, are old maps, especially the Agas map of 1561, which presents a wealth of clues to population activity. Barge beds, wharves, and revetments deteriorate, dislodging the domestic refuse and rubble that filled them, an ever changing source of both banal and intriguing items. Some mudlarks use metal detectors while others dig. After the tides expose her finds, the author has to properly identify and preserve them; if they dry too fast, they could crumble. The author also discusses the role of government in her endeavor, as a permit is necessary and discoveries must be reported to the Museum of London. In 1957, the Natural History Museum declared the river biologically dead, and the cleanup has been ongoing ever since. In the 1970s, fish returned to the river, but there are still dangerous microbes lurking, and London’s storm drains dump raw sewage into the river after heavy rains.

Throughout the narrative, Maiklem’s imagination and infectious enthusiasm make for a lovely fantasy world where “the tiniest of objects…tell the greatest stories.”

Entertaining reading for British history buffs and budding archaeologists. (15 b/w illustrations)

IN ANOTHER PLACE With and Without my Father

Mailer, Susan Northampton House (304 pp.) $27.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-937997-99-1

Norman Mailer’s daughter writes about her relationship with him.

“I had been born [in 1949] to a man who became a celebrity at the age of twenty-five,” writes the author, a psychoanalyst based in Santiago, Chile. In this subdued, reflective memoir about her famous author father, Norman (1923-2007), she psychoanalyzes herself as she offers up a conflicted portrait of their relationship. Her father married six times and had numerous affairs and nine children. It was all part of the “Mailer routine. One in, the other out.” He was always busy writing or enjoying his boisterous public image and didn’t have much time for his children. Her story, told in dry, lackluster prose, is about trying to find herself while under the large and imposing shadow of her father. When she was 8, he told her he “hadn’t really loved me when I was born.” Susan was hurt and developed a “toughkid persona.” Her early years were spent in New York, with her 68

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father, and in Mexico, with her mother, Bea, whom Norman divorced in 1952. The author loved her life with her mother and new father, and she enjoyed school and learning Spanish. Eventually, she would marry happily and have children. She writes about her father’s drinking and pot smoking in the 1960s, his mood swings, and the “The Trouble”—when he stabbed his second wife, Adele, twice with a penknife. The author also discusses her father’s work. An American Dream both “repelled” and “fascinated” her. The Armies of the Night was “a brilliant piece of journalism and an innovative experiment.” The Executioner’s Song, her favorite, “blew me away.” While watching him edit his film Maidstone, she felt like an “unwilling witness” to his “sexual fantasies.” The author fondly recalls her annual visits to the Big House in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where the large Mailer family gathered and where her dying father sought forgiveness.

An affable memoir of superficial interest to those grappling with the Mailer mystique.

BEFORE AND AFTER THE BOOK DEAL A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book Maum, Courtney Catapult (384 pp.) $16.95 paper | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-948226-40-0

A seasoned writer offers advice on “the professionalization of creativity.”

Novelist and founder of the learning collaborative The Cabins, Maum (Costalegre, 2019, etc.) mines her own experiences as an author, as well as advice and anecdotes from editors, publicists, literary agents, and other writers, to offer a sensible and brightly encouraging guide to publishing. Maum covers just about everything a first-time author needs to know: how to make time to write, learn to revise, deal with rejection, find an agent, choose a publisher, and juggle the many tasks involved in promotion. With warmth and candor, she addresses the emotional stresses and “existential ups and downs” that buffet many writers and responds to myriad questions that novice writers ask, from whether to go to book parties to whether to enroll in an MFA program. What about multiple submissions? Or self-publishing? Or deciding if an advance is fair? How crucial is it to have an agent? “It is very, very hard to get a book published,” admits the author, but getting a contract is not the end of the process: There are editorial revisions to consider, a publishing team (designer, publicist, copy editor, sales and marketing departments) to work with, blurbs to request, social media connections to make, and a publicity campaign to get rolling.

Maum offers useful information about the different kinds of publishing houses, including micropresses, nonprofit independent presses, for-profit independent houses, midhouse publishers, and the Big Five. “Many writers—myself included,” Maum writes, “toggle between commercial and independent houses based on the nature of the book that’s up to bat.” Once a book is |

published, pressures don’t abate. For example, anticipating and reading reviews can generate “elation, doubt, despair, pervasive unease, and bolts of white-hot pride.” Maum cautions writers to tamp down their expectations of having a “break out” book that sells tens of thousands of copies. Most debuts, she reveals, perform conservatively (under 5,000 copies). She also advises authors to read only professional reviews, not “the reviews of overcaffeinated strangers who just want to vent online.”

A valuable companion for aspiring writers.

CAMGIRL

Mazzei, Isa Rare Bird Books (288 pp.) $27.00 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-64428-035-5

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Miles, Jack Norton (160 pp.) $14.95 paper | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-324-00278-9

Why religion is seen as an activity all its own.

Pulitzer Prize winner Miles (Emeritus, English and Religious Studies/Univ. of California, Irvine; God in the Qur’an, 2018, etc.) presents a slim volume drawn from his work as general editor of The Norton Anthology of World Religions. Miles sets out to explain the process by which the West, and then the world, came to see “religion” as a distinct activity which could be observed, categorized, and studied apart from language, culture, and other aspects of society. After an unnecessarily long introduction—at roughly one-fifth the length of the book, the preface wears out its welcome—the author examines the idea of religion, an ill-defined yet universal concept, which he and the Norton Anthology approach through the aspect of practice rather than “belief.” He moves on to note that until the advent of Christianity, there was no sense of religion as we understand it today. “Religious” practices could not be divorced from one’s culture and/or ethnicity. However, as Christianity took aspects of Judaism and transferred them into a proselytizing, transcultural movement, the Christian faith became something unique.

Eventually, Islam would do much the same thing. As Christendom came to dominate Western thought, Europeans increasingly saw other faith traditions from a Christian viewpoint and thus imposed the idea of “religion” on cultures where such forms of practice had hitherto been inseparable from other aspects of life. With time, this view spread and became a worldwide phenomenon. Within this global story, Miles succinctly encapsulates what is essentially the history of religious studies, including particular scholars and authors who made surprisingly vast contributions to the world’s understanding of religion. The author’s use of his own personal story in this already-small volume is not particular helpful. However, his presentation of a fascinating and rarely understood background to modernity’s way of thinking is worth the read.

A brief but beneficial guide to where “religion as we know it” comes from.

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A former internet live-action “camgirl” divulges the secrets and the snags of the provocative lifestyle.

In Mazzei’s debut memoir, she describes growing up in Santa Monica, California, as the daughter of a hip, bipolar cinematographer and an alcoholic makeup artist. After an earthquake and subsequent fire damage forced the family to relocate to Colorado, they thrived until her mother’s addiction became unmanageable. From a young age, Mazzei’s biggest desire was to be the center of attention, and, almost as a diversion from her home life, she attracted attention by being the “strangest girl in middle school,” embracing a seductive alter ego, “Isa, Queen of Boys,” and seducing her male classmates. Later, the author also began exploring different aspects of her sexuality, including an attraction to women, sex work for wealthy men, and a stealth introduction to “camming.”

Mazzei writes about her online adventures with a self-assured, casual flow and never skimps on the details of her racy, erotic two-year tenure as a camgirl. She explains how she developed a unique, arousing identity named “Una” and began amassing donated “tokens” from fans for her increasingly sexual group and private room virtual interactions. Readers interested in the fascinating world of online chat-room hosts will get a fully guided tour courtesy of Mazzei’s intimate, interactive broadcasts. Her early on-camera fumbles with tangled garter belts and random insecurities (“was I really going to masturbate in front of three hundred strangers?”) gave way to a dominant yet playful online persona whose content’s intensity increased as she networked with other girls and promoted her cam profile page on Twitter. Mazzei ended up creating a mini empire for herself and banked thousands of dollars. Only in the concluding chapters does the author openly reveal her lifelong issues with self-control, anxiety, and depression, which resurfaced during a mental breakdown at the height of her cam business and contributed to its closure.

A vivacious chronicle of how Mazzei channeled her sexuality into a lucrative business, which became an epiphanic experience as well.

RELIGION AS WE KNOW IT An Origin Story

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MANHUNTERS How We Took Down Pablo Escobar

Murphy, Steve & Peña, Javier F. St. Martin’s (352 pp.) $28.99 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-250-20288-8 Two former Drug Enforcement Administration operatives serve up a thrilleresque account of chasing down a notorious narco kingpin.

“It was our colleagues from the Colombian National Police who actually pulled the trigger, but after spending every waking moment going after that scumbag for six years, it was our victory as well.” So writes Peña at the end of a narrative in which he and Murphy—the agents who were portrayed in the Netflix series Narcos—take turns recounting the hunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. The exultation at Escobar’s demise in a monsoon of bullets is a little unseemly, but one quickly comes to understand why the world should be happy that Escobar is gone—even if, as the authors allow, not a whole lot has changed, with actors on the bad side simply shifting roles and positions of authority. Among the players that Murphy and Peña describe is a “sicario,” or hit man, who boasted of killing more than 300 people on Escobar’s behalf. Most such foot soldiers were teenagers who lived for only a year or two before being killed by paramilitaries, vigilantes, rival gangsters, or the police, but while they lived, they were able to provide for their families in ways unavailable to otherwise unemployed youth. The narrative is a pretty by-the-numbers affair: There are the obligatory scenes of their early years and how they came to be federal agents, the academy hijinks, and the internal politics and interagency rivalries. The best part of the book is the authors’ portrait of two very different countries, Colombia and the U.S., and the different cultures of the police in each country. For example, one leading Colombian law enforcement official who figures prominently in their account was glad to yield to Escobar in negotiations, a concession that “prolonged the war against him and led to the deaths of thousands of innocent victims.” Mark Bowden’s Killing Pablo is by far the better book, but this one reveals enough interesting details to keep the pages turning.

For Narcos fans and drug-war buffs. (first printing of 100,000)

THE POLITICS OF PAIN Postwar England and the Rise of Nationalism

O’Toole, Fintan Liveright/Norton (256 pp.) $27.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-63149-645-5

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While Britain shared in the war victory and avoided becoming Germany’s colony, it lost an empire. Meanwhile, former Axis powers and the countries that had been invaded were thriving.

All those countries moved on after WWII, but England never did, writes O’Toole (Judging Shaw: The Radicalism of GBS, 2017, etc.), a winner of the Orwell Prize and the European Press Prize.

The desperate fear of Europeanization and loss of Englishness called for “Empire 2.0,” built on an Anglosphere incorporating Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the Caribbean. As the concept of political correctness took over, a new scapegoat presented itself in the form of the EU. The threats posed to national health and public housing were invented, causing unreasoned yet omnipresent fear and encouraging vociferous nationalism, which eventually led to the Brexit decision. The grievances it was supposed to address never existed. “The great upheaval of 2016 was never really about Europe,” writes the author. “Those who have caused it turned out to have very little interest in… the EU itself….They had no plan for how the UK would relate to the EU after Brexit, largely because that relationship was not the real focus of their obsessions. They were concerned… with Britain’s relationship to itself and its own self-image.

Their desire was to exit a condition of ordinariness which, they had succeeded in convincing themselves, is an unnatural and oppressive imposition on an extraordinary country.” As the author shows, Brexit trivializes the serious and takes the trivial seriously. Brexiteers Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson spout lies and invent enemies and insults, which leads to chaos and longlasting consequences. “Whatever happens with Brexit,” writes O’Toole in this deft assessment, “this toxic sludge will be in England’s political groundwater for a long time.”

A solid combination of candor, clever turns of phrase, and clear insight into the English psyche.

DANGEROUS CHARISMA The Political Psychology of Donald Trump and His Followers Post, Jerrold M. Pegasus (352 pp.) $27.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-64313-218-1

When the CIA’s former lead shrink starts examining your head, a person might suspect that there’s trouble afoot.

There’s a long-standing principle in psychiatry that a doctor should not venture an analysis—a public profile, more formally—of someone without that person’s consent and without having made an in-person assessment. “The ethical principle seemed extreme and overdrawn,” writes Post (Narcissism and Politics, 2014, etc.) in light of the fact that other academicians, including psychologists and political scientists, regularly deliver opinions about the mind of Donald Trump. Forgive him the professional transgression, for what the author has to say is of pressing interest and helps elucidate much of Trump’s eccentric behavior. At the heart of the narrative is a portrait |

BEYOND THE KNOWN How Exploration Created the Modern World and Will Take Us to the Stars

Rader, Andrew Scribner (352 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-982123-53-6

An aerospace engineer makes a reasonable argument that progress owes less to war, politics, or religion than love

of exploration.

A mission manager at SpaceX, Rader is no scholar, but he has read the scholars as well as the popular books, so he has done his homework. As a result, his history of the human species, which makes up most of his book, has an air of authority as well as a lively pace. While no historical expert claims that East Africa circa several million years ago was overpopulated, almost everyone agrees that our ancestors wandered. Even before Homo sapi­ ens appeared about 200,000 years ago, hominids spread across Asia and Europe. Our species followed in several waves, arriving at America and Australia and, within the past 1,000 years, the Pacific islands. Rader emphasizes that these were not accidents.

It’s likely that reaching America and certain that reaching Australia required a sea voyage, and finding isolated Pacific islands required almost superhuman navigation skills. Furthermore, these travelers brought along families, domestic animals, and plants as well as their culture and technology. The author marches quickly through the history of civilization, leaving no doubt in the reader’s mind that nations driven to explore—a word which he takes to include trading, conquering, or simply traveling— prospered. No good resulted if they gave it up (see 16th-century Japan or medieval Europe). With polar regions explored in the |

early 20th century, Rader drops geography to devote the final 100 pages to the history of flight and space travel and the possibilities of reaching the planets and stars. Inevitably, he ends with a great deal of speculation, but it is good scientific speculation that will leave readers yearning to see how it turns out. “If the history of exploration has taught us anything,” he writes, “it’s that amazing things happen when humans force themselves to try something no one has done before.”

An astute—and highly flattering—view of human aspirations.

THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE LUCKIER YOU GET An Entrepreneur’s Memoir Ricketts, Joe Simon & Schuster (320 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-5011-6478-1

The founder of Ameritrade delivers a blend of memoir and entrepreneurial manifesto.

While he never quite slips into Ayn Rand territory, Ricketts, who founded Ameritrade as a vehicle for simplifying stock trading for a mass audience, strikes the pose of businessperson as hero and artist: “Business was an act of creativity and courage. Other people didn’t seem to see it this way, but to me, business was where life came alive.” For all that, it was a slog for him at first. The author recounts starting out as a credit reporter in the 1960s, taking his father’s advice that exposure to a variety of businesses would be useful to him in his career, whether a hamburger franchise or a wholesale furniture warehouse. Connecting the lessons he had learned in economics classes with the real world, he became a broker in an era when the Dow was about to break 1,000 and, “for the first time since the stock market crash of 1929, large numbers of individual investors had jumped into the market,” fueling the rise of the newfangled mutual fund. His breakthrough came a decade later, when he figured out how to trim costs by inducing customers to come to him, eliminating the need for commissioned reps, and otherwise “disintermediating” to offer trades at $25 a pop. Bingo: The phone started ringing from customers “who didn’t want advice, just a better deal.”

However, as Ricketts recounts, technical challenges were constant companions, from computers that would backfire with static electricity to the need for equipment that could keep up with the speed of real-time trading in the days before the quants and algorithms took over. Securities and Exchange Commission challenges, fraud, troubles with risk-averse partners, and other bugs posed problems as well. Ricketts fights them off page after page, all while extolling the need for nonconformity in the quest for getting “some happiness and satisfaction out of doing something new.”

Good reading for budding businesspeople.

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of the mental makeup of the narcissist, coupled with the mass psychology of a crowd of supporters who are locked into near worship of a charismatic leader. That charisma may not always be a bad thing; Post, for instance, attributes to it the success of Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. But the narcissism component is seldom positive, and it explains many things about Trump. “The only loyalty a person with his malignant or pathological narcissism has is to himself and his own survival,” Post writes, and never mind the fate of those around that person, since loyalty flows only in the direction of Trump and not the other way. Paranoia, insecurity, bluster, constant aggression, and utter lack of empathy are other components of the template. Worse news comes at the end of this complex but unflagging account when he ponders the possibility that this will all end not with a whimper but a bang, either through the nuclear war that Trump has long feared or the refusal to relinquish office if defeated in 2020, since “the loss of the limelight which has been such a rewarding accompaniment of the presidential role will be very difficult for him to tolerate.”

A damning study of Trump’s mind that goes a long way toward explaining some damnably odd behavior.

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A richly detailed and freshly illuminating musical/political history. dangerous melodies

RACHEL MADDOW A Biography

DANGEROUS MELODIES Classical Music in America From the Great War Through the Cold War

Rogak, Lisa Dunne/St. Martin’s (288 pp.) $28.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-250-29824-9

Journalist Rogak (Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart, 2014, etc.), who has profiled Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, rounds out her take on controversial TV personalities with a breezy biography of MSNBC anchor and political pundit Rachel Maddow.

Rachel, as the author chummily refers to her, has spoken candidly about herself in many print interviews, speeches, and talk show appearances, material that Rogak liberally mines.

The result is a book so filled with quotations that it reads like a very long interview. Readers will discover that Maddow first came out as an undergraduate at Stanford, where she became “the most visible out lesbian on campus” and involved herself in gay and lesbian organizations. She also devoted herself to AIDS activism, choosing courses that would give her a rigorous background in public policy and health policy. A stellar student, she won a prestigious Rhodes scholarship that funded a doctorate program at Oxford, where she wrote a thesis on “HIV/AIDS and Health Care Reform in British and American Prisons.”

Returning to the U.S., Maddow continued activism and floated among menial jobs before she landed a gig at a local radio station, where “she was surprised to discover that the thing she enjoyed most was to provide her own spin on the topics of the day.” Rogak reiterates Maddow’s goal to “help people” by “disseminating information backed by knowledge and fact and tempered with concern and more than a little bit of humor.” In 2004, she graduated from the local station to the newly formed Air America, where she started as a “rip-and-read newsgirl” and ended with her own two-hour show. In 2008, MSNBC offered her an exclusive contract. Among Rogak’s revelations is Maddow’s love of making artfully crafted cocktails; her meticulous pre-show preparation, spurred by her fear of failure; and her reluctance to marry her beloved partner because of “qualms” about assimilating into the mainstream and losing her identity with gay culture.

Maddow’s own voice dominates a brisk, largely by-thenumbers biography. (8-page color photo insert)

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Rosenberg, Jonathan Norton (448 pp.) $39.95 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-0-393-60842-7

For half a century, classical music reflected America’s identity on the

world stage.

In a thoroughly researched and engrossing history, Rosenberg (Twentieth Century U.S. History/Hunter Coll. and CUNY Graduate Center; How Far the Promised Land?: World Affairs and the Civil Rights Movement From the First World War to Vietnam, 2005, etc.) reveals the surprising connection between classical music and world politics from the early 1900s until the end of the Cold War. During these years, classical music became imbued “with political and ideological meaning” that helped Americans “decide what was worth fighting for and why. It helped to illuminate the meaning of democracy, freedom, and patriotism” as well as “tyranny and oppression.” Because music seemed so potent a force, debate raged over which music and which performers should be heard in concert halls: Musical nationalists believed that certain composers, performers, or conductors could contaminate the nation and should be banned; musical universalists held that music transcended politics and “could speak to the hopes and dreams of all humanity.” The two positions became violently opposed during World War I, when “uncontrolled xenophobia and hypernationalism” focused on Germans. Concerts and contracts were canceled, two acclaimed maestros were imprisoned, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” became a requisite part of an orchestra’s repertoire. Americans, Rosenberg writes, “came to see Germans as demonic, whether they were fighting on a European battlefield or directing symphony orchestras.” By the next war, however, universalists prevailed, and the idea of “enemy music” disappeared, replaced by “the notion that classical music, German compositions included, could help vanquish malevolent regimes.” As Boston Symphony conductor Serge Koussevitsky put it, “of all the arts, music is the most powerful medium against evil.” That sentiment continued during the Cold War, when the American government sent symphony orchestras and performers throughout the world “to display the fruits of liberal democracy to friend and foe.” Among the stars of that effort was New York Philharmonic conductor Leonard Bernstein, who believed that classical music “might play a part in building a more compassionate and cooperative world.”

A richly detailed and freshly illuminating musical/ political history.

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THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving

Sciolino, Elaine Norton (304 pp.) $26.95 | Nov. 1, 2019 978-0-393-60935-6 The veteran New York Times contributing writer and former Paris bureau chief shares her love affair with Paris and the Seine with enchanting anecdotes and

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An impassioned, deeply knowledgeable history of the “first contacts” between the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and the English and Europeans, this time told from the Native side.

A scholar of Native American, Colonial, and racial history in America, Silverman (History/George Washington Univ.; Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America, 2016, etc.) first orients readers toward what the landing Pilgrim scouts at Cape Cod in November 1620 would have actually seen in the environs: evidence of an undeniable Native civilization. As the author shows, the Wampanoag Indians had already adopted horticulture (maize, beans, squash); created a system of governance via individual sachems (chiefs), inherited through the male line; and established proprietorship of the land stretching back generations. Moreover, there had already been a history of violence between the Natives and the shipboard European explorers for at least 100 years, as the explorers often lured the Natives into unfair trade, which often led to violence, and spread fatal diseases that decimated their population.

“The ease of some of the Wampanoags with the English,” writes the author, “suggests that there had been other more recent contacts than surviving documents report. At Martha’s Vineyard, thirteen armed men approached the Concord without any fear, as if they had experience with such situations.” Throughout this well-documented, unique history, Silverman offers a detailed look at the long, tortured relations between the two and captures the palpable sense of overall mourning after the aftermath of King Philip’s War and the attempt to annihilate (and assimilate) the Wampanoags—and their incredible ability to transcend the dehumanization and prevail. Ultimately, the author provides an important, heart-rending story of the treachery of alliances and the individuals caught in the crosshairs, a powerful history that clearly “exposes the Thanksgiving myth as a myth rather than history.” Silverman also includes a helpful “Glossary of Key Indian People and Places.”

An eye-opening, vital reexamination of America’s founding myth.

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insights.

Sciolino (The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs, 2016, etc.), who has lived in Paris since 2002, presents more of a voyage than a history, from Burgundy to the sea, traveling the 483 miles on the river’s looping path from the Plateau de Langres to Honfleur and the English Channel. Along the way, the Seine is anchored by Paris and then Rouen, where it widens enough for oceangoing ships to reach the port of Le Havre. The source of the river is the underground springs where the Gauls worshiped the healing goddess Sequana, who, according to the author, is the true symbol of the river. Through the years, the river has been altered many times. Napoleon eliminated many of the islands to ease navigation, and he established the river as the center point for Paris’ street-numbering system. Baron Haussmann transformed the riverfront with bridges, locks, and dams as well as tree-shaded promenades. As we travel downriver with our genial guide, we note that the right side of the river symbolizes money, politics, scandal, and the power of the media while the left signifies freedom, liberty, free speech, and free sex.

Throughout, Sciolino provides wonderful, detailed interviews of former barge people, houseboat dwellers, booksellers, and members of the River Brigade, which polices the river. The author also takes us into the world of the impressionists, and in Rouen, once the most important port, we find ancient windmills, Joan of Arc, and the place where Monet obsessed over the light on the cathedral. Then it’s on to Le Havre, the port created by François I in 1517, and finally, Honfleur, which “travel guides often refer to…as one of the prettiest towns in France.”

Francophiles will adore this book, and others may become Francophiles as they read.

Silverman, David J. Bloomsbury (528 pp.) $30.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-63286-924-1

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Pervasive, deep research informs this inspiring story of a writer who demonstrably earned such a sturdy, illuminating biography. alice adams

THE GREAT DEMOCRACY How To Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, And Unite America Sitaraman, Ganesh Basic (272 pp.) $28.00 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-5416-1811-4

A multipronged plan to transform the United States into a compassionate democracy grounded in economic equal-

ity among individuals.

Sitaraman (Director, Law and Government/Vanderbilt Univ.; The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic, 2017, etc.) believes that U.S. history is cyclical and that the time is ripe for a major transformation, in the manner of abolition or the New Deal. The most significant policies within the author’s grand plan would rescue the deteriorating climate before it destroys the planet, balance discriminatory immigration quotas, inject true justice into law enforcement, require national service as a path to unify antagonistic population sectors, and promote responsible journalism both locally and nationally. Some of Sitaraman’s less detailed proposals include effective universal health insurance for U.S. residents and the reduced influence of private-sector corporate behemoths. The author believes that citizen participation in what he terms “the great democracy” would increase vastly through legislation and regulations removing barriers based on geography, race, and access to cultural opportunities. Sitaraman also addresses the possibility that his great democracy might not evolve. Undesirable alternatives include a slightly altered version of what he terms “neoliberalism,” which would solidify economic inequality among individuals based on market-driven capitalism; “nationalist populism,” a way of thinking that led to the rise of Donald Trump; or outright authoritarianism, akin to dictatorship and in ascendancy in numerous nations around the world. Despite cataloging outcomes that he finds alarming, Sitaraman projects hope that the next historical cycle will affirm his agenda. How a reader will react to this monograph will depend heavily on that reader’s inclination to see drinking glasses as half full or half empty. “Optimists hope that generational and demographic change will restore inexorable progress,” writes the author. “Pessimists interpret the current moment as the decline and fall of democracy.”

A knowledgeable appraisal of our current moment featuring sensible options for moving forward—but will policymakers take notice?

ALICE ADAMS Portrait of a Writer

Sklenicka, Carol Scribner (624 pp.) $35.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-4516-2131-0

A thorough and often surprising life of the celebrated author of short stories and novels.

Sklenicka, whose earlier biography (Raymond Carver: A Writer’s Life, 2009) earned high praise, returns with an intimate, detailed life of Adams (1926-1999), who did not begin publishing regularly until the mid-1960s. But when she did, she received recognition quickly. By the time she died of heart failure, she had established herself as a gifted, perceptive, and popular writer, publishing stories often in the New Yorker and books with Knopf. As Sklenicka relates, she enjoyed some hefty paydays. The author focuses mostly on a couple areas of Adams’ life: her writing and her active love life. Frequently, Sklenicka points out how deeply Adams drew from her own life to inspire her fiction; she wrote about settings and people that she knew. As Sklenicka reports, frequently, Adams was an attractive woman who displayed a great sense of sexual freedom. One brief marriage was followed by a lengthy cohabitation with another man (it didn’t end well), and once she became financially secure, she enjoyed travel, fine food, and a nice house in San Francisco. Sklenicka also charts Adams’ acceptance of the women’s liberation movement and writes perceptively about her relationship with her gay son. The author doesn’t provide much information about Adams’ work routines, but there is a deep undercurrent of admiration that sometimes bubbles to the surface. “Alice Adams lived for love and for stories,” writes Sklenicka. “Her courage and vulnerability, tenderness and tenacity allowed her to break the strictures of her upbringing and transform her intense emotional sensibility into enduring short stories and novels that illuminate women’s lives in the twentieth century.” Near the end, Sklenicka herself appears in a startling tale about Adams’ ashes.

Pervasive, deep research informs this inspiring story of a writer who demonstrably earned such a sturdy, illuminating biography.

THE RUSSIAN JOB The Forgotten Story of How America Saved the Soviet Union From Ruin

Smith, Douglas Farrar, Straus and Giroux (320 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-374-25296-0

Soviet Union.

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The hair-raising account of a great humanitarian act in which the United States provided vital assistance to the

DISNEY’S LAND Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World

Snow, Richard Scribner (432 pp.) $30.00 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-5011-9080-3

How nostalgia, fantasy, and cuttingedge engineering merged into the “tireless commercial dynamo” of Disneyland.

For Snow (Iron Dawn: The Monitor, the Merrimack, and the Civil War Sea Battle That Changed History, 2016, etc.), former editor-in-chief of American Heritage magazine, a fascination with amusement parks began at Playland in Rye, New York, and intensified when he raptly watched Disneyland, a show airing weekly on ABC that whetted viewers’ appetite for Walt Disney’s |

ambitious project. When Snow finally visited, in 1959, at the age of 12, he arrived with high expectations that, he recalls happily, “were met and surpassed.” The author’s admiration for Disneyland infuses his brisk, thorough history of the huge theme park, from an idea conceived by “the powerful personality of one man” to its realization as a monument to “an America where all is prosperous and convivial”—a place, as writer Ray Bradbury commented, that “liberates men to their better selves.” Snow portrays Disney as a tireless and demanding boss who was “often dissatisfied with things as he found them; his preferences changed from day to day, sometimes from hour to hour.” He was a perfectionist determined to build his park no matter who (his brother, for example, who balked at the expense) or what (problems building a scale model of the Matterhorn, for one, and installing a jungle in arid California) got in the way of his dream: “something of a fair, an exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of living facts and a showplace of beauty and magic.” Snow chronicles in detail the process of finding a site (Anaheim, in southern California); hiring engineers, designers, architects, landscapers, artists, and an ever increasing number of genial, polite staff; building the park’s structures and rides; planning for visitors’ movements through the park, expenditures, and needs such as water, toilets, and food; dealing with unions’ demands; promoting the new destination as “a place for people to find happiness and knowledge”; and overcoming an opening described as nothing less than mayhem.

An animated history of an iconic destination.

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Historian and translator Smith (Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs, 2016) reminds readers that World War I and civil war devastated Russian agriculture because the fighting armies lived off the land. By 1920, the Bolsheviks had largely won, but the government continued to forcibly extract grain from the peasants. Then the rains stopped. At first, Lenin “welcomed the famine, since he believed it would destroy the people’s faith in God and the tsar. Revolution, not charity, would save the peasants, he said.” By the summer, faced with mass starvation and violence, he changed his mind. Many philanthropists and international charities responded to pleas for help, but only one organization had the immense resources required: the American Relief Administration, led by Herbert Hoover, who had already impressed the world with his relief of mass starvation in Belgium and northern France during WWI and then again in Europe after the armistice. A successful businessman, Hoover employed the same talents to organize a vast enterprise led by loyal underlings who oversaw the distribution chain, from docks to warehouses to transportation to the soup kitchens. A few Soviet leaders were congenial, but most believed that the ARA was a nefarious capitalist plot. Secret police harassed the Americans and arrested Russian employees but sometimes, unpredictably, helped by cutting through red tape. Local officials were usually grateful. Infrastructure, housing, sanitation, and disease were terrible, far worse than in Europe. In an often agonizing but necessary book, the author includes letters and anecdotes by participants as well as often horrific photographs, all of which tell a grim story. Starving people do not overthrow governments, so it’s unlikely American aid saved the Soviet Union, but it was a magnificent achievement— and Smith adeptly navigates all elements of the story. Except for Hoover biographers, American scholars pay little attention to this episode; it quickly vanished from Russian history.

Although the catastrophic Russian famine and American relief efforts are not completely forgotten, this expert account deserves a large readership. (54 b/w illustrations; map)

PERMANENT RECORD

Snowden, Edward Metropolitan/Henry Holt (352 pp.) $30.00 | Sept. 3, 2019 978-1-250-23723-1 The infamous National Security Agency contractor–turned–leaker and Russian exile presents his side of the story.

Snowden opens with an argument he carries throughout the narrative: that revealing secrets of the U.S. intelligence community was an act of civic service. “I used to work for the government,” he writes, “but now I work for the public.” He adds that making that distinction “got me into a bit of trouble at the office.” That’s an understatement. A second theme, equally ubiquitous, is that the U.S. government is a willing agent of “surveillance capitalism, and the end of the Internet as I knew it.”

The creative web fell, replaced by behemoths like Facebook and Google, which keep track of users’ comings and goings, eventually knowing more than we do about ourselves and using that data as a commodity to buy and sell. Corporations lust for the commercial possibilities of targeted advertising and influencepeddling. As for governments, that data is something that onthe-ground spies could never hope to amass. Snowden insists that he did not release NSA and CIA secrets willy-nilly when he leaked his trove of pilfered information (“the number of documents that I disclosed directly to the public is zero”); instead, it kirkus.com

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A smooth delivery of the nit and grit behind the success of the Hubble. handprints on hubble

went to journalists who he trusted would act as filters, revealing the newsworthy to the public. Most of those secrets remain unpublicized even as Snowden also insists that he held much material back. He is good at describing the culture of the intelligence community and especially its IT staff, who hold the keys to the kingdom, with access to data that is otherwise available only to a tiny echelon of top brass. The secrets are generally safe, he writes, only because “tech people rarely, if ever, have a sense of the broader applications and policy implications of the projects to which they’re assigned.” He was an exception, and therein hangs most of his tale.

Snowden’s book likely won’t change the minds of his detractors, but he makes a strong case for his efforts.

BECOMING EVE My Journey From UltraOrthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman Stein, Abby Chava Seal Press (272 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-58005-916-9

A transgender woman recounts her evolution from a male-born child in the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community to a thriving independent activist.

In this coming-of-age memoir, Jewish educator and trans activist Stein describes her birth in 1991 as a firstborn son following five older sisters from parents who descended from rabbinic dynasties. She recalls a childhood steeped in staunch Hasidic theology in New York; she was forbidden from indulging in any cultural, historical, artistic, or other “spurned” activities. Throughout her youth, the author internally identified as female—she recalls how, at age 4, she became angry that she had a penis—and this frustration caused behavioral issues and depression in grade school and beyond. Stein gracefully describes an attraction “tingle” for a fellow male classmate when she was a teenager, which led to a nascent forbidden love and a much-awaited departure from her overly protracted childhood.

Despite this clandestine interaction, the author still feared the consequences of going against the grain, so she proceeded, as tradition and gender roles dictated, to marry a woman at age 18 and bear a son at 20. Soon after, Stein became overwhelmingly frustrated by the state of her true identity. “It started punching me in the face,” she admits. Consequently, she began the transitional process toward abandoning her Orthodox faith and becoming female, two decisions she knew were considered “deplorable” in the eyes of the Hasidic community. In the final chapter, the author chronicles coming out to her father (and his abrupt rejection) and her plans to become Abby. Unfortunately, these pages skimp on details about her post-transition lifestyle once she left the Hasidic community. Jewish readers focused on Stein’s rabbinic upbringing, Talmudic cultural experiences, and the significance of studying the Torah will find a wealth of emotionally limned anecdotes. However, the author’s life as a 76

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woman without familial support or reliance on the Jewish community receives too little attention.

A sometimes-illuminating yet unbalanced journey into true identity and out of the Hasidic faith.

HANDPRINTS ON HUBBLE An Astronaut’s Story of Invention Sullivan, Kathryn D. MIT (248 pp.) $26.95 | Nov. 19, 2019 978-0-262-04318-2

A retired astronaut’s memoir of that most celebrated eye in the sky, the Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble has only improved with age, being inherently maintainable in design and open to innovation since its deployment in 1990. Though it was ridiculed when its initial photographs were unrefined, it has since been fixed and upgraded multiple times, with amazing results. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, was on the shuttle involved in deploying the Hubble, and she spent years on the design and capabilities of the telescope. Her motives for writing this book were to bring to light the practical reality of tending to a telescope in orbit and to show what it took in terms of experimentation—tools, support equipment, operating procedures, etc. She also wanted to sing the praises of the engineers and astronauts who invented, produced, and tested all the maintenance features of the telescope. As a participant in and observer of the events, Sullivan had a prime seat to the thinking that goes into what makes something maintainable: “able to be sustained or restored to proper operating condition.” She clearly describes the taxing innovation and training involved, which included such rigors as reliability analysis, predictive maintenance modeling, and basic principles of human factors engineering in assessing every dimension of every component on the telescope. In the process, she delves into the history of the space shuttle, chronicling its many highs and the lowest of its lows, the Challenger tragedy of 1986. As a participant, it was Sullivan’s job to embark on a space walk to the telescope should anything go awry during its deployment, and she spent years in preparation for such an event. Throughout the narrative, her easy hand with details and infectious enthusiasm make for a winning combination.

A smooth delivery of the nit and grit behind the success of the Hubble.

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HOW MONEY BECAME DANGEROUS The Inside Story of Our Turbulent Relationship With Modern Finance

STARRING RED WING! The Incredible Career of Lilian M. St. Cyr, the First Native American Film Star

Waggoner, Linda M. Bison/Univ. of Nebraska (504 pp.) $32.95 | Nov. 1, 2019 978-1-4962-1559-8

Varelas, Christopher & Stone, Dan Ecco/HarperCollins (400 pp.) $28.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-06-268475-2

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An independent scholar of HoChunk (Winnebago) history explores the life and work of the first Native American actress, Red Wing (1884-1974).

Born Lilian St. Cyr on the Ho-Chunk Reservation, Red Wing came of age at a time when the U.S. government refused to recognize Native Americans as full citizens. Orphaned at age 4, she was sent to “the Homes,” a boarding school in Philadelphia dedicated to preparing Native American children for lives as servants of the “Great [White] Father.” It was here that she first began to perform for white audiences fascinated by the culture of the “noble savage.” She graduated from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1902 and worked for a time as a domestic in Washington, D.C., and then married James Johnson. The couple went to upstate New York in 1906, where the author hypothesizes that St. Cyr sold her beadwork to tourists caught up in the “Indian craze” sweeping the country. That fall, they went to New York City, where they began crafting theatrical personas for themselves. St. Cyr became Princess Red Wing, and Johnson became Young Deer, in part to hide his African American background. Red Wing landed her first role in the musical Pioneer Days. After that, the couple performed in Wild West vaudeville shows until 1909, when then began working for East Coast–based film companies. They moved to California soon after, and Red Wing worked with screen legends Tom Mix and Max Sennett, and her husband made films. Over the next half-decade, the actress honed the Indian princess role—which Waggoner astutely points out also supported racist stereotypes of the faithful, self-sacrificing Native woman—to perfection.

At the height of her fame, she starred in two silent-era classics: Cecil B. DeMille’s The Squaw Man (1914) and Donald Crisp’s Ramona (1916). Illustrated with black-and-white photographs, this lively biography pays long-overdue tribute to a forgotten star of the silent era while celebrating Native American contributions to the motion picture industry.

A well-researched, sharp biography. (two inserts of b/w illustrations)

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An insider’s view of how an increasingly abstract financial system fails to align with human needs.

Investment banker and fund manager—and, as is often mentioned, former Disneyland employee—Varelas begins with a poignant lesson. As an elementary school student, he was impressed by a classroom visit from a banker who revealed that saving a dime each week would yield the fortune of $3 by the end of the remaining school year. He worked through high school, amassing even more money in a savings account, only to discover that it had zeroed out when the bank introduced a service fee without telling him. Therein was the end of his “naïve trust that the system cared, somehow, about my well-being.” It doesn’t. What it cares about is how the numbers look at the end of the year so that the person manipulating them qualifies for promotions, bonuses, and all the “perverse incentives” of consumer society. Gone are the days, writes the author, when a person like his first major client, a diamond vendor, could borrow money on a handshake—and gone are the days when character mattered as much as collateral and capacity (i.e., “a borrower’s ability to handle debt and expenses”). Varelas charts the evolution—or, more, accurately, devolution—of the modern financial sector, noting that when banking firms went public there was no longer a personal stake in the game but instead only “employees looking to maximize annual compensation” without sufficient concern for risk, one of what Walt Disney called “the hard facts that have created America.” Other negatives in the system, writes the author, are time-sensitive algorithms whose speed divorces prices from “reality” and a corporate culture that turns the financial-sector worker into “merely a cog in a global delivery mechanism.” The author’s exercise in forensic accounting as he examines a case of government bankruptcy is particularly fascinating.

Alarming at moments and a welcome user’s manual for anyone with investments, large or small, in the current market.

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Satirical, raw, and unapologetically real, West delivers the bittersweet truths on contemporary living. the witches are coming

THE WITCHES ARE COMING

THE MAN WHO SOLVED THE MARKET How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

West, Lindy Hachette (272 pp.) $27.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-316-44988-5

A cornucopia of shrewd cultural observations from New York Times columnist West (Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman, 2016).

In 18 pointed essays, the author addresses a variety of topics, including frivolous internet sensation Grumpy Cat, South Park, Guy Fieri, and the global significance of abortion rights and gender equality. In West’s opening tirade, she denounces Donald Trump’s repetitive usage of the term “witch hunt” while scrutinizing his uncanny “ability to conjure reality out of hot air and spittle.”

This essay serves as the launching pad for further pieces exposing the sorry state of contemporary American politics and popular culture. Tough, irritated, and eager to speak her truth, the author expounds on the unifying aspects of visibility and activism to cultivate change, especially when countering the denigration of women. Her sharp wit and no-nonsense sense of humor also shine through her dissection of the work of Adam Sandler, Gwyneth Paltrow’s diet plan (her avocado smoothie “could give diarrhea an existential crisis”), and how movies like Clue shaped her perspectives and appreciation for one-liners and physical comedy. West rarely minces words, especially regarding documentaries on the Ted Bundy murders and the Fyre Festival or when expressing her sheer appreciation for the legacy of Joan Rivers, and her writing is fluid and multifaceted.

Though she often rages at social injustice, she also becomes solemnly poetic when discussing her fondness for the drizzly Pacific Northwest, where she was raised and still resides, a place where she can still feel her deceased father’s presence “in the ridges and grooves of my city—we are close, superimposed, separated only by time, and what’s that? This is the only religion I can relate to.” Only occasionally are the smoothly written essays hijacked by intrusive asides—e.g., her experience inside a proselytizing Uber driver’s car, a scene wedged into her reflections on climate change. Though uneven at times, the author drives home the critical issues of our time while taking time to tickle our funny bones.

Satirical, raw, and unapologetically real, West delivers the bittersweet truths on contemporary living.

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Zuckerman, Gregory Portfolio (384 pp.) $30.00 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-7352-1798-0

Accessible if sometimes-turbulent portrait of “arguably the most successful trader in the history of modern finance.”

James Simons, a math professor, founded Renaissance Technologies in 1982 and has since leveraged a battery of other mathematicians and machines to earn more than $7 billion per year in market gains—a sum that, Wall Street Journal writer Zuckerman (The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters, 2013, etc.) notes, is greater than the annual revenue of Levi Strauss and Hyatt Hotels. The firm does this with a staff that’s markedly smaller than the usual investment house, all of them “quants” devoted to a scientific approach to playing the market. Whereas investors such as Warren Buffett followed a “value” strategy that, as the textbooks have it, “recommended buying when prices cheapened and taking money off the table when prices richened,” Simons—who had earned his wings developing algorithms to break Soviet codes in the Cold War— followed trends closely, amassing historical price information and hiring people devoted to “foraging and cleaning data the rest of the world cared little about.” Data can be cooked, of course; Zuckerman writes that Simons was impressed by the figures a rising investment manager named Bernard Madoff was posting, though he pulled his funds when he came to suspect them well before Madoff ’s vast Ponzi scheme was exposed. Simons’ devotion to numbers and algorithms did not rule out gut instincts, as with the near-ruinous market crash of 1987, though, as Zuckerman notes, the quants did better than their nonquant counterparts—one reason why the quants now rule the market. Of more than passing interest are the liberal Simons’ dealings with partner Robert Mercer, who applied quant methods to politics and came up with the likes of Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, a decision that brought enough heat on the house to force Mercer’s resignation.

Worthwhile reading for budding plutocrats and numerate investors alike.

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children’s CHERRY BLOSSOM AND PAPER PLANES

These titles earned the Kirkus Star:

Aerts, Jef Illus. by te Loo, Sanne Trans. by Lawson, Polly Floris (48 pp.) $17.95 | Jan. 21, 2020 978-178250-561-7

CHERRY BLOSSOM AND PAPER PLANES by Jef Aerts; illus. by Sanne te Loo; trans. by Polly Lawson.....................................79 JIMENA PÉREZ PUEDE VOLAR / JIMENA PÉREZ CAN FLY

by Jorge Argueta; illus. by Fabricio Vanden Broeck; trans. by Elizabeth Bell.........................................................................81

ROLY POLY by Mem Fox; illus. by Jane Dyer..................................... 90 BEDTIME FOR SWEET CREATURES by Nikki Grimes; illus. by Elizabeth Zunon..................................................................... 90 THIS BOOK IS ANTI-RACIST by Tiffany Jewell; illus. by Aurélia Durand...................................................................... 96 DOG DRIVEN by Terry Lynn Johnson................................................ 96 FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON by Janae Marks............ 99 NOT A BEAN by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez; illus. by Laura González...................................................................... 99 THE OLD TRUCK by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey......... 104 THE PRESIDENT OF THE JUNGLE by André Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo & Pedro Markun; illus. by Lyn Miller-Lachmann......................................................... 104 SUNNYSIDE PLAZA by Scott Simon.................................................106 MARTIN MCLEAN, MIDDLE SCHOOL QUEEN

by Alyssa Zaczek ................................................................................110

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A deep connection between friends blossoms after winter.

Adin and Dina live on a fruit farm, blonde, white Dina “at the top of the hill” and black-haired, brown-skinned Adin, whose mother works picking fruit, “at the bottom.” So close that each “knew what the other one was thinking,” they share a love of cherries, climbing into the trees to eat the fruit and saving the pits to plant around the village. Te Loo’s gouacheand-pen illustrations are gentle, filled with greens and yellows that are echoed in the village and, later, more subtly, in the city Adin and his mother move to. Each double-page spread shows a world that is wide yet comfortably familiar. When Adin and his mother leave, the sense of loss is conveyed simply. Dina presents Adin with a farewell bag of cherry pits, “self-picked and self-spat out.” When she visits him in the city Dina is momentarily without words seeing Adin, hair combed, in “smart new clothes.” But Adin has been tossing cherry pits from his apartment balcony and shows Dina how he’s found a way to send the seeds even farther via paper plane. When spring arrives the cherry trees seem to light a path between the two friends.

Aerts’ story, translated from the Dutch, resonates honestly and clearly with reassurance that friendship can weather changes and bridge distances.

Memorable and visually rich. (Picture book. 3- 7)

MOST OF THE BETTER NATURAL THINGS IN THE WORLD

by Dave Eggers; illus. by Angel Chang................................................ 86

THE RIDE HOME

Anderson-Dargatz, Gail Orca (128 pp.) $13.99 paper | Jan. 28, 2020 978-1-4598-2142-2

THE OLD TRUCK

Pumphrey, Jerome & Pumphrey, Jarrett Illus. by the authors Norton Young Readers (48 pp.) $17.95 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-324-00519-3

A move lands Mark on a rowdy school bus fraught with both social and meteorological peril.

Canadian middle schooler Mark can no longer ride public transit since he’s left the big city. Instead, after changing schools in mid-November, he’s forced to take the hourslong school bus route. His grandmother encourages him to make friends, but Mark sees little in these |

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children deserve to know How do we tell the children?

That’s a question that bedevils any adult who’s tasked with interpreting a complex world for a child.

Most adults know that there are few if any icons or institutions who were or are without flaw. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and he was a slave owner whose legal property included his own children. Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic and admired the Nazis. Martin Luther King led the civil rights movement and routinely slept around.

Far too often, our heroes’ darker sides are concealed from children in favor of a simpler, more palatable binary that celebrates the good while concealing the not-so-good. It’s easy to understand why: There’s only so much space, particularly in a picture-book format, and contextualizing such concepts as Nazism and philandering can be a challenge.

But I feel it’s absolutely necessary.

Take Full of Beans, by Peggy Thomas and illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. It’s a lively picture book, with a timely environmental theme, about Henry Ford’s Depression-era initiative to provide a market to struggling farmers by developing soybean-based alternatives to some of the traditional materials used in the manufacture of his automobiles.

Who knew? But our reviewer expressed her uneasiness about Henry Ford to me privately. He was an important innovator whose work was world-changing. And he was, as my reviewer wrote, “a virulent, extreme anti-Semite [who] lectured about Jewish conspiracy and blamed the Jews for both world wars,” going so far as to purchase a newspaper to promulgate his views.

Do we damn the book for celebrating him? No, but we make sure our readers know that nowhere in the book are his anti-Semitic activities mentioned.

Why, one might ask? Ford’s anti-Semitism has nothing to do with his objectively cool soybean work.

Photo courtesy Leah Overstreet

We do it because there are college-educated adults in America who are totally ignorant of Ford’s views.

This is why I tend to lean toward exposing our icons’ dark sides to children—so they aren’t blindsided later on—or, worse, never learn.

We need, as a nation, to be more comfortable with these dualities. Being a human is complicated. Every child learns early on, through hard experience, that their parents, whom most love unconditionally, are imperfect. To hide the dark sides of our national heroes is to pretend that there are perfect people.

Sometimes it’s not a person whose treatment cries out for nuance and context but an institution. In Paper Son, by Julie Leung and illustrated by Chris Sasaki, readers meet artist Tyrus Wong, a Chinese immigrant who entered the country at the age of 9, slipping past the Chinese Exclusion Act by posing as a merchant’s son. He found work at Disney Studios, creating the lush woodland scenes of Bambi.

The book adequately celebrated his artistry, we felt, but it downplayed the racism he experienced both personally and professionally. Isn’t it important that readers understand that Disney Studios was not above the racism that’s defined so much of American life? Moreover, in soft-pedaling that racism, the book undercuts Wong’s true achievement in succeeding despite it.

Acknowledging the darkness can be tough. Ashley Benham Yazdani does it in her celebration of Central Park, A Green Place To Be. Instead of plunging right into Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted’s genius, she opens with a somber double-page spread that depicts the residents of Seneca Village—mostly African American—as they are evicted to make way for the project. It makes for a strange tonal shift, but it’s a brave move and one I hope to see more and more often. —V.S.

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A poignant, sincere, empathetic glimpse at family border separation. jimena pérez puede volar / jimena pérez can fly

small-town folk who, frankly, act like wild animals. He faces an irate driver, gross public displays of affection, pyromaniacs, and snack-food projectiles. Plus, there are all these unspoken rules foreign to him. Mark just wants to survive the ride. However, harsh weather conditions make the roads snowy and icy, which lands the bus stuck on some train tracks due to an accident. This title offers a low decoding level of mastery, so it’s accessible to a wide range of readers. Yet the simplicity does not compromise the storytelling or the realistic depth of the characters. In fact, Mark comes to realize that the other passengers are more than they appear. Even he is eventually forced to admit the reason for his move—a bipolar single mother who recently attempted suicide. Bullying and complicated family lives make for empathetic plot beats for this evidently all-white cast of characters.

This is an accessible narrative with a layered reading experience. (Fiction. 10-13)

Argueta, Jorge Illus. by Vanden Broeck, Fabricio Trans. by Bell, Elizabeth Piñata Books/Arté Público (96 pp.) $10.95 paper | Nov. 30, 2019 978-1-55885-889-3 Argueta tells the story of 10-year-old Jimena Pérez, who unexpectedly journeys from her home in El Salvador to the U.S. Told in a sequence of short poems first in Spanish and consequently in English, this poignant story introduces Jimena’s home through her senses: “Me gusta / el color de las zanahorias…. / Pero más me gusta / el olor de los marañones”; “I like the color / of the carrots…. / But what I like most / is the smell of the cashew fruit.” When young boys from a neighborhood gang threaten Jimena’s schoolmate, Jimena’s parents, fearing for their own daughter, decide that Jimena and her mother will join family living in Texas. After exiting El Salvador and later Guatemala, Jimena and her mother climb atop a train—La Bestia, known for its ruthlessness and peril—and later trek by foot.

Authorities find Jimena and her mama and pull them from each other. “I feel alone. / Other kids are crying. / We’re little birds / alone and sad / in a metal cage.” The harrowing tale ends in a detention cell for children, yet in this realistic hell, Jimena manages to find some small hope. It leaves Jimena scared and uncertain, and it won’t be a stretch for readers to understand that the questions they have about Jimena apply to far too many real-life children like her.

A poignant, sincere, empathetic glimpse at family border separation. (Verse fiction. 8-14)

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Bernard, Romily Disney-Hyperion (304 pp.) $16.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-368-02855-4

A skeptic finds herself caught up in paranormal shenanigans.

Bernard situates readers in Southern, swampy, alligator-populated Bohring, amid the debris of 11-year-old Karis “Kick” Winter’s explosion. Kick plans a career in STEM, like her “super scientist” mother, Dr. Georgia Winter, who leaves Kick with her admittedly fake-psychic and quite stylish mother, Grandma Missouri, at her home, the Hollows.

Kick’s visit coincides with the 100-year occurrence of the town’s curse, in which “the children turned into monsters and took over the town.” Kick’s scientific mind dismisses the lore, which comes with a nursery rhyme, even as she lies about being a psychic to fit into her new school. This strategy backfires when one of the mean-girl bullies demands that she use that ability to remove the curse. Then Kick smells the “porta potty” odor and sees a “smear of glowing green” and “horrible figures,” and she wonders if science can so easily dismiss these supernatural phenomena…and, halfway through the book, readers will wonder if the plot will pick up or stay plodding along. When done well, Southern ease, as heard in its legendary drawl and tasted in its cuisine, slows the pace to an elegant, earthy perfection. Alas, here Bernard’s use of the Southern idiom just bogs her plot down. There are some secondary characters of color, but most of the cast presents white. Several of Kick’s experiments are appended.

This ambling tale takes too long to get going. (Paranor­ mal adventure. 8-12)

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JIMENA PÉREZ PUEDE VOLAR / JIMENA PÉREZ CAN FLY

THE MONSTER HYPOTHESIS

ODD DOG OUT

Biddulph, Rob Illus. by the author Harper/HarperCollins (32 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-06-236726-6 In a copy-cat world where all dogs look the same, one dachshund finds her own identity and learns to love being different.

A bouncy, rhyming text presents a city with rows and rows of identical dachshunds driving on busy roads or engaging in activities such as swimming, sailing, and camping. Each group of dogs is dressed identically, with the members of each set lined up in robotic, expressionless fashion. One female dog, however, dances to a different drummer. She wears a colorful cap and a rainbow-hued scarf, and she listens to her own music playing on headphones. She feels she doesn’t fit in anywhere, so she leaves home to find a new life. She lands in Doggywood, where she does fit in, as many other dogs there look just like her. kirkus.com

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Fauvel’s ability to show complex feelings with the smallest possible strokes of ink is remarkable. catherine’s war

I AM PERFECTLY DESIGNED

She meets another outlier, dressed in a black cap and Nordic sweater, who’s “whistling a different tune.” That dog causes her to be proud of her outsider status, and the unnamed heroine returns to her original town, where she has been missed. Her return sparks an outbreak of individuality, with all the dachshunds making a group decision to dress in wildly different attire.

While the sudden transformation from boring conformity to intriguing originality is a bit abrupt, the story successfully introduces the idea that just one individual may effect a change in a larger group. Graphically striking, patterned illustrations use vibrant colors and a wide variety of perspectives and page formats to keep visual interest high.

A cheery, creative look at celebrating being different from the crowd. (Picture book. 3- 7)

Brown, Karamo & Brown, Jason “Rachel” Illus. by Syed, Anoosha Henry Holt (40 pp.) $18.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-250-23221-2 A black father and son share a loving, nostalgic dialogue in this empowering picture book.

Whether it’s a pancake breakfast, playing in the falling leaves of an autumn walk, wearing coordinating Halloween costumes (a bottle of organic maple syrup and a waffle), or enjoying a healthy salad picnic in the park, it is clear that this pair is made for each other. The all-dialogue text is written by real-life father-and-son pair Karamo Brown (of Queer Eye) and Jason Brown; reminiscing through baby pictures, reaching for the stars on a rooftop deck, or pretending to be statues, these characters pull readers in with every turn of the page. “I had such a big baby head!” remarks the boy; “Indeed,” replies his father. “But your big baby head was perfectly designed for you.”

Syed’s bright, cartoon illustrations showcase the warmth of city life with an abundance of endearing, diverse families. The artwork includes details among background characters that enrich the tale with a meaningful message of kindness and inclusion, as in T-shirts with such slogans as “Be Kind” and “Feminist,” multiple same-sex couples, and characters with various types of religious garb. With tenderness and wit, this story captures the magic of building strong childhood memories.

The Browns and Syed celebrate the special bond between parent and child with joy and flair. (Picture book. 4-8)

CATHERINE’S WAR

Billet, Julia Illus. by Fauvel, Claire Trans. by Hahnenberger, Ivanka Harper/HarperCollins (176 pp.) $21.99 | $12.99 paper | Jan. 21, 2020 978-0-06-291560-3 978-0-06-291559-7 paper This story will make readers want to join the Resistance.

In 1942 France, Rachel calls the people who run the Children’s Home where she lives by animal names—Seagull, Penguin, Shrew—to keep their real names hidden from the Nazis. As the Nazis add more and more restrictions against Jews, Rachel must change her identity also, to Catherine. Catherine, unlike Rachel, is allowed to eat pork. The expression on her face as she tries it for the first time is nearly glowing. In a lovely three-panel sequence, Fauvel captures each tiny shift in emotion. Her ability to show complex feelings with the smallest possible strokes of ink is remarkable, and Billet has given her memorable scenes to draw, such as a sequence in which students are drilled on their new names, over and over, in a classroom exercise. Her skill at staging a scene helps the book survive its main flaw: There are too many characters, and they arrive and depart too quickly. In another book, this might have been a virtue, creating a nightmarish sense of chaos, but here it simply makes the plot feel rushed. In this claustrophobic wartime setting, the characters are all white and frequently Jewish.

Characters are drawn so vividly that, long afterward, readers will remember their names. (Graphic historical fiction.

8-12)

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DON’T WORRY, BEE HAPPY

Burach, Ross Illus. by the author Scholastic (48 pp.) $4.99 paper | Dec. 26, 2019 978-1-338-50492-7 Series: Bumble and Bee, 1

Two bees show a frog that friendship is as sweet as honey.

In the first of three short chapters, Bumble (a bumblebee) and Bee (a honeybee) are absolutely thrilled it’s “Best Friends Picture Day.” But Froggy wishes they were somewhere else. Not even counting to three and saying “BEES!” elicits a smile as big as Bumble’s or Bee’s. Froggy just frowns. The insects devise a brilliant plan to turn Froggy’s frown upside down—literally. In the next chapter, Bumble and Bee show their compassionate sides and scare Froggy out of a bad case of the hiccups. The final chapter sees the bees showing off their “Waggle Dance” (an actual communication method among honeybees) while trying to get Froggy to follow along. With their quick pace and comic-book layout, the chapters function like miniature cartoon episodes. Burach’s well-structured, thick-outlined panels create a rhythm to each punchline—and the punny jokes just |

keep coming. The bees’ theatrics and infectious enthusiasm pitted against Froggy’s deadpan dryness place the trio on par with greats like Bob Shea’s Ballet Cat and Sparkles or Mo Willems’ Piggie and Gerald. The stories are told almost entirely in dialogue; color-coded speech bubbles (yellow for Bee, green for Froggy, and orange for Bumble) max out at three per panel.

The bright colors, expressive characters, and attention to detail will attract multiple reads. Readers will eagerly await the future planned books in the series.

Buzz-worthy. (Graphic early reader. 4-6)

A FLICKER OF COURAGE

Caletti, Deb Putnam (256 pp.) $13.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-9848-1305-3 Series: True Tales of Triumph and Disaster, 1 Four kids fight back against an evil tyrant in this fantasy geared for middle graders from a veteran YA author.

Anxious, lonely Henry lives with his parents next to the raucous, loving Dante family, and he’s long yearned to befriend the family’s oldest son, Apollo. However, it’s only after Apollo’s little brother Rocco is changed into a lizard by Vlad Luxor, their Horrible Ruler with Magic, that Henry gathers his nerve to band together with Apollo and Jo and Pirate Girl, two other kids, to try to find a way to break the spell. Playful names and vocabulary set a fantastical mood, and stylized, vintage-looking drawings and diagrams are

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RORY BRANAGAN : DETECTIVE

peppered throughout. From the start, it’s clear that a familiar epic battle is to be fought between the decent young people and the sinister megalomaniac leader. Luxor is described as a science-denying, thick-fingered, image-obsessed oaf with an inability to spell—a setup that feels heavy-handed even with the abundance of quick-paced action that propels the novel along, which seems destined for a sequel. Most of the characters, including Henry, the Dantes, and Pirate Girl, are white, or at least are assumed to be by default. Jo and her family are South American.

Too-clever details and cloying messages get in the way of this story. (Fiction. 8-12)

Clover, Andrew Illus. by Lazar, Ralph Penguin Workshop (352 pp.) $9.99 paper | Jan. 28, 2020 978-1-5247-9364-7 Series: Rory Branagan: Detective, 1 You might not guess, but Rory Branagan is a detective.

Rory’s dad disappeared seven years ago, and no one will tell Rory why—in fact no one tells him anything. Rory lives with his annoying brother, Seamus, and their mom and Auntie Jo (who is actually just a lodger, not their real aunt); his best friend is Wilkins Welkin, the neighbor’s sausage dog. When Cassidy Corrigan (or is it Callaghan?) moves in next door, she suggests Rory become a detective and find out the things no one tells him—and she volunteers to be his sidekick.

When “Guinea Pig” Gilligan (father to odd neighbor Connor Gilligan) keels over in the street after eating takeout, Rory and Cassidy are on the case. The detective duo checks out the aptly named Deadly Pirate restaurant, where Auntie Jo works. At first, Rory is laughed at, but the mystery deepens…bad guys, poison octopuses, deception, betrayal…and Mom? Can they sort the case and get Seamus to admit Rory really is a detective? British actor, comic, and writer Clover’s foolishly fun detective series ably jumps the pond (there are five of a projected seven out in the U.K.), and fans of 13-Story Treehouse and the like will probably jump for joy. Lazar’s scribbly line drawings decorate most pages and often amusingly depict Rory’s imaginings. Characters present white.

Such fun! And, happily, more to come! (Mystery. 6-11)

I SEE

Cepeda, Joe Illus. by the author Holiday House (32 pp.) $15.99 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-0-8234-4504-2 Series: I Like to Read Two kids, probably siblings, explore their surrounding world through

magnification.

While the older one remains inside with a microscope, the younger prefers the outside, examining all with a large hand-held magnifying glass. “I see,” the kid declares, focusing on several insects and animals while peering through the glass. A large, blue-black ant grins up through the glass as the child states, “I see an ant.” A butterfly, a snail, and robins’ eggs similarly appear through the glass, all narrated in the short, patterned text. Arriving home with discoveries crawling and flapping behind, the explorer now declares, “We see,” to the older child. The minimalist text is perfect for emerging readers, allowing children the ability to successfully read a whole book. Each repetitive sentence with its additional new word is coupled with recognizable picture cues to help in decoding. Cepeda’s characteristically energetic artwork offers sharp-edged, jagged lines that give it a scratch-art look.

The siblings are dressed nearly identically, in blue shorts and red polo shirts, and they have tousled brown hair, beige skin, and big smiles.

The book’s simplicity guarantees achievement for beginning readers. (Picture book/early reader. 4-6)

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WINTER SCIENCE

Coppens, Katie Illus. by Hatam, Holly Tilbury House (88 pp.) $13.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-88448-607-7 Series: Acadia Files

Acadia and two friends learn more science while enjoying a Maine winter.

This is the third in a thoughtful series that began with Summer Science (2018). Like its predecessors, this combines a slight storyline with science facts, definitions, and descriptions of experiments using the scientific method. A melting snowman, a floating balloon, a paper-airplane contest, a wait outside in the cold, and a sledding challenge prompt 11-year-old Acadia’s questions, which are presented in a presenttense narrative with unlikely dialogue but realistic daily details.

Her parents are always happy to help her find answers, offering clear explanations, demonstrations, and encouragement for further experimentation. This outing introduces the topics of climate change, food waste, recycling and repurposing, atoms |

A carefully diverse roster of “dominant dames” demonstrably capable of breaking gender molds. the book of queens

and elements, buoyancy, aerodynamics, animal adaptations for winter, and the physics of sledding. In each chapter, the protagonists accomplish some activity, one that could be easily replicated by readers at home or in school: listing ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint or looking for animal tracks in the snow, for example. The author appends a list of helpful websites for further exploration of each topic. Acadia is pictured as pale and blonde; Joshua is darker, with straight hair, and brown-skinned Isabel wears her hair in two Afro puffs. Experiments, charts, and definitions are hand-lettered and profusely decorated with sketches, and each chapter ends with further questions.

Accessible and approachable, a useful tool for science learning. (Informational fiction. 8-12)

HENRY HECKELBECK GETS A DRAGON

Drimmer, Stephanie Warren National Geographic Kids (176 pp.) $14.99 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-4263-3535-8

A united nations of leading ladies of the past and present, commingled with luminaries in the arts, sciences, and annals of piracy.

Leading off with full-page portraits of Aretha Franklin and Joan of Arc to herald her glittering gallery’s expansive purview, Drimmer dishes up short introductions to over 100 strong women who either headed states or shone in academic or public spheres. Gathered thematically, each comes with a picture— some true to period but many done in newer styles, including lots of stock images looking like models in costume—and a biographical note. Along with well-documented royals from

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Coven, Wanda Illus. by Burris, Priscilla Little Simon/Simon & Schuster (128 pp.) $16.99 | $5.99 paper | Dec. 1, 2019 978-1-5344-6104-8 978-1-5344-6103-1 paper Series: Henry Heckelbeck, 1

THE BOOK OF QUEENS Legendary Leaders, Fierce Females, and Wonder Women Who Ruled the World

This first installment in a Heidi Heckelbeck series spinoff stars Heidi’s younger brother.

Henry Heckelbeck’s perfectly fine with being an ordinary person, unlike his female witch relatives. A kid focused on saving time, Henry’s excited about being prepared for another year at school. For their first assignment, Henry and his classmates must make All About Me bags containing three items that reveal things about them. While trying to get his remote-controlled toy dragon off the shelf to complete his bag, Henry stumbles upon a mysterious old book containing both a medal and a personal dragon spell. When putting on the medal and chanting the spell unexpectedly brings his toy dragon to life, Henry must catch his dragon and keep the magical mischief under wraps. A secondary character named Mackenzie “Max” Maplethorpe (in case readers miss it, Henry makes the connection between Max and Heidi’s classmate Melanie Maplethorpe) is a particularly observant threat to Henry’s new, magical secret. Although the broad strokes of setup and plotline are beyond familiar, Henry’s character—high energy and believably quirky—makes up for a lot. Aside from the story, the familiar format’s large print with easy words and frequent picture breaks results in an unintimidating book for emergent independent readers. The illustrations—black line art on white page—generally lack racial cues, though on the cover Henry is depicted with light skin.

This gentle, lightly magical story leans on the comfort of familiarity over novelty. (Fantasy. 5-9)

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Readers’ interest will be sustained by looming questions and deft shifts of visual perspective. most of the better natural things in the world

THE TRUTH ABOUT HAWKS

Hatshepsut to the Elizabeths I and II, Catherine the Great to Anne Boleyn (“her reign was cut short”), readers will get ganders at such non-Western achievers as Himiko, Japan’s earliest known ruler, and Ashanti rebel Yaa Asantewaa. Venturing into realms beyond the geopolitical, Trimmer profiles Simone Biles and other “Sovereigns of Sports,” “Monarchs of Music,” “Legendary Leaders” like Wonder Woman (the film version), and assorted aeronauts, astronauts, and “Nobel Nobles.” A number of male monarchs, mostly from the co-published Book of Kings, sneak into side boxes, and occasional featurettes focus on queenly armor, bling, and emblems. Considering the pervasive evidence of bloody-mindedness, readers in search of “lean in” role models may justly scoff at the closing tally of positive queenly character traits.

A carefully diverse roster of “dominant dames” demonstrably capable of breaking gender molds…along with records and/or heads. (index) (Collective biography. 9-12)

Eaton III, Maxwell Illus. by the author Roaring Brook (32 pp.) $16.99 | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-250-19845-7 Series: The Truth About Your Favorite Animals Hawks star in this sixth episode of Eaton’s The Truth About Your Favorite Animals series.

The author uses familiar North American species to illustrate hawks’ hunting behavior, family life, migration, and threats. Text on the page gives the facts while the various hawks, a brown-skinned bird-watcher, a threatened vole, and a sky-gliding Dall sheep provide commentary. As in previous books, there are also signpostlike text boxes with further facts along the way.

The author has a knack for picking facts his young readers will enjoy: “Baby hawks often go to the bathroom over the edge of the nest instead of in it.” But they will also come away knowing the more general characteristics of the hawk family—the excellent vision, hooked beak, strong, sharp-taloned toes, large wings, and special tail feathers that make them such deadly hunters—and much more. Although the illustrations are cartoons, and sometimes wildly out of proportion (a fox taller than the human child), the hawk species are both actually recognizable and usually labeled on the page. It should be easy for readers to distinguish fact from exaggeration, and the humor may make the science stick. The backmatter includes illustrations of wingspans, air movements that help them fly, migratory routes, and suggestions, both easy and challenging, for further reading.

Cartoon humor and solid information make an appealing introduction to an impressive bird family. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

BON VOYAGE, MISTER RODRIGUEZ

Duchesne, Christiane Illus. by Thisdale, François Pajama Press (32 pp.) $18.95 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-77278-089-5

Observed by village children, an elderly man prepares for death in this

misty allegory.

Mr. Rodriguez appears outdoors at 4 p.m. daily, communing with a different animal each day: a dove on Monday, a pet fish on Tuesday, an old sheepdog on Wednesday, a lame cat on Thursday. On Friday, a piano appears on the street, and Mr. Rodriguez sits atop it as “a fine melody flowed out to sea.” Mr. Rodriguez levitates slightly above the cobbled streets along with the animals (and piano) he shepherds. On Saturday, Mr. Rodriguez fails to appear. The children rise early on Sunday to discover whether he’s changed his routine. Their curiosity is rewarded: The elder appears on his piano, floating in the air, the animals arrayed around him. “He winked and pointed to the clouds in the distance.” Duchesne adopts a first-person-plural narrative voice in which matter-of-fact declaratives bob against mild speculation and culminate in an unflappable conclusion: “He had gone away, probably forever. But we know he was happy.” Thisdale’s paintings depict a white-presenting Mr. Rodriguez and the coastal village’s mutable sky, cerulean sea, whitewashed buildings, and omnipresent lighthouse. He sometimes duplicates and flips his images of the village’s diverse children. With their precisely lit, unchanging or mirrored facial expressions, these recurring images convey, perhaps unintentionally, a robotic eeriness.

This surreal allegory of death’s release will intrigue some readers while puzzling others. (Picture book. 4- 7)

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MOST OF THE BETTER NATURAL THINGS IN THE WORLD

Eggers, Dave Illus. by Chang, Angel Chronicle (52 pp.) $17.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-4521-6282-9

An artistic envisioning of a list poem, of sorts, about place.

With the exception of two double-page spreads reading “CLOUD FOREST” and “ALPINE LAKE,” Eggers’ text consists of single words on successive spreads, each one naming a geographic feature. Chang’s lush illustrations place a white, bipedal tiger in each setting, a yellow chair lashed to its back as it travels left to right with the page turns. There’s a dreamlike quality to the scenes as the intrepid tiger traverses, among other places, a gorge, a fjord, an atoll, an estuary, and a lagoon. At the center of the book, a dramatic double-gatefold spread presents (what else?) a “VISTA.” But where is the tiger going? And what |

FINDING LUCY

is the chair’s purpose? Readers’ interest will be sustained by these looming questions and by deft shifts of visual perspective offered in the illustrations. The reward is an instance of clever wordplay in a concluding spread that shows the tiger arriving at a “TAIGA” (which, along with the other geographic terms, is defined in a backmatter glossary). Amid this “swampy forest... found in the northern parts of the globe,” a tiger family sits around a table set for a meal, with an empty place awaiting the tiger who’s traveled so far.

Repeated perusals will have readers proclaiming it’s grrrrr-eat. (Picture book. 4-8)

Fernandes, Eugenie Illus. by the author Pajama Press (32 pp.) $18.95 | Oct. 29, 2019 978-1-77278-088-8 Everybody’s a critic.

Lucy, an elementary-age white girl who appears to live alone with her cat, is an artist, painting happily in her garden until a reporter from the local paper comes by. “I am painting the color of laughter,” she explains. The reporter scoffs: “It looks like JELLYBEAN SOUP!” Nevertheless, the press brings curious art lovers to see for themselves. One thinks the laughter should be louder; another is disappointed that it’s not actually jellybean soup. With each complaint, Lucy changes her painting.

More visitors come, each demanding that Lucy create something that in some way represents their own self-interest. Only her cat supports her vision. When a “big-city critic” declares her work insufficiently “FEROCIOUS,” Lucy tries hard to

CASPER TOCK AND THE EVERDARK WINGS

Elphinstone, Abi Aladdin (384 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-5344-4307-5 Series: Unmapped Chronicles, 1

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An unlikely pair in need of adventure is now responsible for saving worlds known and unknown and maybe finding a friend.

Casper Tock is just your average, orderly middle schooler trying to stay safe from bullies, turn in homework, and survive the haphazard hurricanes slamming England. That is, until a bully sneaks into his turret to torment him; forced to hide in a broken grandfather clock, he finds himself in Rumblestar, being detained by Utterly Thankless, a girl known for taking risks and causing mayhem, and her dragon, Arlo. Bewildered by this kingdom in the clouds—it’s responsible for creating “marvels” (the purest forms of snow, rain, and sun) that the other three unmapped kingdoms use to create weather—Casper learns that the unexplainable weather occurring through all of the Faraway is actually the doing of Morg, a nefarious harpy who wants to steal all of the unmappers’ magic, and her minions. Casper, Utterly, and Arlo set out for the Beyond on the advice of Slumbergrot, a cloud giant who can’t stay awake long enough to help.

On their journey, Casper, who’s black, finds that he’s capable of bravery; Utterly, who’s white, considers that it might OK to open up; and both find that friendship isn’t completely terrible.

The jam-packed plot, conveyed in a third-person-omniscient voice, is steadily paced, with plenty of action and just enough detail. This whimsical, humorous, richly built world sets the stage for more courageous adventures.

A delightful series opener. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Maulik Pancholy

IN HIS FIRST CHILDREN’S BOOK, THE ACTOR AND ACTIVIST PORTRAYS A GAY INDIAN AMERICAN EIGHTH GRADER FIGURING OUT HIS PLACE AT SCHOOL—AND IN THE WORLD

By James Feder Photo courtesy Luke Fontana

portive grandfather, and a best friend with endless reserves of strength and loyalty. But for Rahul, it’s not enough. Looking around his small-town Indiana school, he sees plenty of examples of the types of boy he’d like to be; they just don’t look like him.

To grow up in the United States is to grow up with a very specific understanding of beauty, of manhood, of what it means to be American. The heartthrobs on television, the action heroes in films, and the models in magazines are all overwhelmingly white and muscular. For people who are different in any way, the understanding is that they don’t quite belong.

“When you’re young,” Pancholy says, “you don’t even realize what’s happening. You don’t understand that you’re being sent silent messages that you and your story don’t matter or don’t exist, that if you’re going to move through the world you’re going to need to be something like the characters you see in books or television or film.”

For young people, fitting in is so often what matters most. So kids look at the world they know and must decide between two choices: accepting an unwanted place outside the norm or trying to mold themselves to better fit in. For Rahul, that means steering clear of mathletics and trying out for the football team even though he can solve complex equations in minutes and has never so much as touched a football. But the effects run deeper, leaving him so confused that he finds it hard to even understand his own feelings.

In a particularly poignant and heart-wrenching moment, Rahul admits to his friend that he isn’t sure what it is that draws his eyes again and again to Justin, a white, athletic boy in their class; does he want to be Justin, or does he want to be with Justin?

“When I was a kid and we traveled to India for the first time,” Pancholy says, “I remember turning on the television and seeing people who looked like

For his debut middle-grade novel, actor Maulik Pancholy, of 30 Rock and Phineas and Ferb fame, took liberally from his own experiences growing up Indian American, gay, and nerdy in the Midwest. But if readers come away surprised by the underlying sense of hope and optimism, given what we have come to expect from stories of such kids in such environments, that’s because Pancholy wanted it that way. In writing The Best At It (Balzer + Bray, Oct. 8), he channeled what he terms “truthful possibility.” Just because something is unexpected, or even unlikely, doesn’t mean that it can’t happen.

Eighth grader Rahul is luckier than most. He has loving and understanding parents, a playful and sup88

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me. There was this sense of belonging and validation that came with that. I think it’s something about being human,” he reflects, “this need that we have to know that we belong.”

When literature and film take representation seriously, kids don’t need to fly halfway around the world to see themselves reflected in human terms. And real progress is being made. Pancholy, who served on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, notes that “things have gotten so much better in television and film and books, in particular for young people. But I still feel like there’s a long way to go.”

That’s especially true in the current political climate. “We’re hearing these ideas that brown people are terrorists or that immigrants should go back where they came from,” Pancholy says. “I think we’re at a precarious moment historically. But,” he adds, “I’m kind of excited that this book is coming out now, when it can have a real impact, when it can serve as a conversation starter. Rahul’s parents are immigrants, and we see that it’s an imperfect world, but we also see a large number of friends corralling behind them. People don’t always react in the best ways, and I wanted to be honest about that, but I also wanted to show something positive, to show how it could be.”

please, “splatter[ing] the beautiful painting with ink and garbage and mud,” but the critic is not impressed. The cat comforts a glum Lucy, quietly encouraging her to return to her own style—and when she does, she’s happy again. Fernandes’ illustrations borrow both palette and a sense of vegetative lushness from Gauguin; Lucy’s creations are almost wholly abstract. She is also the only human in the story—all the carping critics are anthropomorphic animals, lending a sense of fun and softening the unkindness of their remarks. The text shares the illustrations’ whimsy, delighting in words as much as Lucy delights in her art.

A valuable lesson in pursuing your own artistic star.

(Picture book. 5-8)

MY SURVIVAL A Girl on Schindler’s List

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Finder, Rena with Greene, Joshua M. Scholastic (144 pp.) $16.99 | Dec. 26, 2019 978-1-338-59379-2

A straightforward and accessible Holocaust survivor’s memoir shows Oskar Schindler through the eyes of a young person he saved.

Before the Nazi invasion, Rena’s Jewish family members are patriotic Poles; her uncle had been a decorated war hero. After the occupation, the everyday antiSemitism 10-year-old Rena has faced all her life is replaced with something terrifyingly worse. The anti-Jewish laws start small: curfews, forbidding bank accounts, requiring hard-to-obtain work permits, deportations. The local non-Jewish Poles ignore the horrible treatment of their neighbors, looking away during mass arrests. The Nazis’ crimes escalate until the Jews are locked in the Krakow ghetto, then eventually deported to concentration or death camps. Rena is nearly murdered as well—in fact, she is briefly taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau—but she manages to get herself and her mother on Oskar Schindler’s list.

Rena credits the quiet heroism of Emilie and Oskar Schindler with saving herself and nearly 1,200 Jews from Nazi atrocities.

She recounts that Oskar’s original goal in obtaining imprisoned Jewish workers for his munitions factory was saving money, but he and Emilie risked their lives and spent their fortune protecting their workers. Rena, now 90, is a Holocaust educator, and her matter-of-fact narration reflects this. She urges readers, “when you see a bully, do something. Go get help.”

A vital look at one complicated man’s unwillingness to be complicit. (photos) (Memoir. 11-14)

James Feder is a New York–born, Scottish-educated writer based in Tel Aviv. The Best At It received a starred review in the July 1, 2019, issue.

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ROLY POLY

temperature in the room, the breath in the body. Nothing in the content of the stories stands out as especially noteworthy; however, in this case, this is an asset and not a deficit. The objective is not to tantalize the imagination but to help children move their brains from a state of arousal to one of rest.

Extensive information on how to use the book is provided for adults. The illustrations are gentle and delicate, with each story allotted its own single-color palette.

Used regularly, this predictable and practical resource could easily become a bedtime staple. (Short stories. 4-10)

Fox, Mem Illus. by Dyer, Jane Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (40 pp.) $17.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-4814-4556-6 A young polar bear learns to accept his role of big brother to a new arrival in his family.

Roly Poly is happy being the only child, cherished by his loving parents. He enjoys skating, fishing, and snuggling up in his own cozy bed. On the nightstand next to Roly Poly’s bed is a tiny copy of Time for Bed, the beloved 1993 classic by Fox and Dyer, reunited again as a creative team with this heartwarming story. Roly Poly’s world is shaken when a little brother named Monty shows up unexpectedly one morning, sleeping right next to Roly Poly. The older brother is annoyed by Monty’s attempts to play and is horrified when Monty grabs a freshly caught fish and steals Roly Poly’s special walrus tooth. But when Monty’s life is in danger as he floats away on an ice floe, Roly Poly realizes he does care for his brother, and he dives into the icy water to save Monty. The dramatic rescue isn’t shown in the illustrations, so readers must imagine the specifics of saving Monty for themselves. In a departure from her signature watercolors, Dyer has created charming, needle-felted polar bears as the characters, photographed with tiny accessories in miniature rooms or snowy, outdoor settings. Fox’s spare text demonstrates her deep understanding of a youngster’s intense emotions, subtly showing Roly Poly’s growth from a self-centered toddler to a big brother who can take responsibility for a younger brother he has grown to love.

A new classic for new big brothers and sisters. (Picture book. 3- 7)

BEDTIME FOR SWEET CREATURES

Grimes, Nikki Illus. by Zunon, Elizabeth Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 14, 2020 978-1-4926-3832-2 A patient mother with a healthy sense of whimsy helps prepare her headstrong toddler for bed.

The story opens with a toddler, fists raised into the air, proclaiming, “No! No! No!” Thank goodness this not-at-themoment-sweet creature’s mother is patient and creative as she corrals her child into a bedtime routine that may feel familiar to many readers. The words and behaviors of the child evading bed are translated into animal sounds and behaviors: wideeyed and asking “Who? Who?” like an owl; shaking hair and roaring like a lion; hanging on for a hug like a koala. And, of course, the requisite leaving bed for a last trip to the bathroom and drink, like a human child. Zunon’s art takes this book to the next level: Her portrayals of the animals mentioned in the text are colorful and full of intriguing patterns and shapes.

Additionally, the expressions on the faces of the mother, child, and animals speak volumes, portraying the emotions of each.

Arguably, the sweetest part of the story comes at the end, when the child asks to sleep with Mommy and Dad. Though the mother sighs, the child climbs in, along with “owl, bear, snake, kitty, fawn, squirrel, koala, tiger, wolf.” (Readers attuned to details will notice the father’s look of delight at the parade of animals.) All characters are black.

An adventurous treat of a bedtime story. (Picture book.

2-5)

THE SLEEPY PEBBLE AND OTHER BEDTIME STORIES

Gregory, Alice & Kirkpatrick, Christy Illus. by Hardiman, Eleanor Flying Eye Books (96 pp.) $17.95 | Oct. 15, 2019 978-1-911171-8-12 A consistent bedtime routine is a helpful tool in creating the conditions for rest-

ful sleep.

This premise is the central theme in this book of five short stories designed for parents to read aloud to their children at bedtime. Within the text of each story, three components are embedded: imagery, muscle relaxation, and mindfulness. The imagery section asks children to imagine in as much detail as possible something from the story, such as a pebble getting cozy in a bed of seaweed or the colors on the shell of a sleepy snail. The muscle-relaxation section invites a tensing and relaxing of first the hands, then the feet, and then the entire body. Finally, the mindfulness section encourages children to notice what is: the feeling of a pillow under the head, the 90

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Gaugin’s richly detailed pen-and-ink drawings, touched with pops of color, heighten Hagerup’s zaniness. little parsley

IF THE SHOE FITS

Guarino, Deborah Illus. by Hippen, Seth Schiffer (32 pp.) $16.99 | Nov. 28, 2019 978-0-7643-5843-2

LITTLE PARSLEY

Hagerup, Inger Illus. by Gauguin, Paul René Trans. by Crook, Becky L. Enchanted Lion Books (40 pp.) $17.95 | Oct. 15, 2019 978-1-59270-286-2 Floridly illustrated nonsense verse, Norwegian style.

First published as Lille persillein 1961 and newly translated by Crook, this book brings the arresting combination of light verse from one of Norway’s most famous 20th-century poets and the ornate illustrations of the grandson of French post-impressionist Paul Gaugin to a U.S. audience. Hagerup published her first collection of poetry in 1939, and though she gained fame as a powerful voice in the Resistance when the Nazis occupied Norway, she was also beloved as a writer of children’s verse. Here Crook unleashes the sonic force of Hagerup’s rhymed lyric somersaults as she imagines the inner life of a host of common creatures: a crab, a “pondering” pig, a hedgehog, a wasp—even plants like gooseberries, chervil, sweet peas, and the eponymous parsley. |

NUMENIA AND THE HURRICANE Inspired by a True Migration Story

Halliday, Fiona Illus. by the author Page Street (40 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 21, 2020 978-1-62414-999-3

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Everyone knows the story of Cinderella—but what about Cinderella’s shoemaker?

After a fairy godmother’s magic runs out before her godchild has shoes for the ball, a shoemaker steps up with perfect glass slippers. But the shoemaker’s clerk, Mona, convinced she’s the one who will marry the prince, persuades the shoemaker to guarantee her royal marriage by making a glass slipper just her size—which is nine, in contrast to the unnamed godchild’s five.

The shoemaker, whose love for Mona is unspoken, sadly agrees.

When the prince appears, Mona performs a shoe switcheroo, puts “her best foot forward,” and declares herself the prince’s intended. The honorable prince pales, but their wedding is on until a furious (but romantic) fairy godmother intercedes and true love reigns. Comical cartoons in full-page scenes and smaller cameo illustrations pair well with a rhyming, tongue-incheek text, though the scenes’ busyness will make them hard to share with groups. Both the fairly wordy text and the premise skew this tale toward older preschoolers at the youngest, as listeners will need both some patience and an understanding of the story this one subverts. The cast is an all-white one, with primary characters running toward caricature: the short, portly shoemaker; homely, frizzy-haired Mona; the Roman-nosed prince; and a decidedly zaftig fairy godmother.

A comedic happily-ever-after one-on-one read-aloud.

(Picture book. 5-8)

She also introduces such memorable figures as “My Cousin,” who “wrangles reptiles / for the city fire station. / It is a marvelous vocation, / wrangling writhing reptiles,” and “my little niece Patrice, / who is permitted to run wild— / she is a beastly child.”

Gaugin’s richly detailed pen-and-ink drawings, touched with pops of color, heighten Hagerup’s zaniness throughout the collection, here capturing cheeky Patrice onstage, ready to curtsy, with her tongue sticking out.

Inventive and fun: a sassy, vividly illustrated child’s introduction to the gifted Norwegian versifier. (Picture book/ poetry. 3-8)

Migrating south with her sisters, a whimbrel is caught in a hurricane but eventually battles her way to warm winter safety.

This imagined journey is loosely based on the real experience of a whimbrel fitted with a solar-powered transmitter who traveled from the Arctic coast in Canada’s Northwest Territories to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2011, at one point flying nonstop 27 hours through a tropical storm. (This story is related in an author’s note.) Wildlife photographer Halliday has used a combination of traditional and digital media to create striking, allusive images, many of them dark double-page spreads in which spots and streaks emphasize the power of the storm and the viewpoint twists and turns. Like many bird migrations, most of this tale happens at night. At dawn the whimbrel starts off again. Color and light return, and by sunset she reaches the tropics, where she faces new dangers before reuniting with her sisters. The author/illustrator has added details, including the bird’s nestmates and a pause on a city windowsill where sympathetic hands offer her a restorative plate of small fish, but on the whole the saga rings true. Naming her protagonist Numenia, from the bird’s Latin name, Numenius phaeo­ pus, the writer crafts her story as a ballad, with carefully chosen words and plenty of alliteration. It would make a suspenseful storytime read-aloud. Pair with Nancy Carol Willis’ more informational Red Knot (2006).

A dramatic depiction of a remarkable avian accomplishment. (bibliography) (Picture book. 4- 7)

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Amy Sarig King [sponsored]

THE AUTHOR OF THE YEAR WE FELL FROM SPACE HOPES THAT HER BOOKS—AND HER SCHOOL VISITS—CAN HELP YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN TO TALK ABOUT AND PROCESS THEIR FEELINGS

By Alex Heimbach Photo courtesy Krista Schumow Photography

15), illustrated by Nina Goffi, is similarly star obsessed. Liberty Johansen is determined to change the way people see the night sky, but lately she’s been busy with seismic changes to her own life: Her dad left her mom, her sister stopped going outside, and her former friend excommunicated her from the sixth grade.

King takes an unusual approach to divorce: As disruptive as it is, there’s no doubt the split is for the best. “You know, people shouldn’t stay married just because. That doesn’t make sense. If things are falling apart, they fall apart and you can rebuild,” she says. “It’s a great kind of model of hope, in a way, to watch the family move forward in different spaces.”

The novel takes on a lot of challenging topics, from bullying to parental depression, as her parents’ divorce reshapes the lives of Liberty and the members of her family. “I always find books are a good place to start conversations,” King explains. “That’s for me what books have always been about.”

King focuses on the way Liberty learns to process and express her emotions in a healthier way— talking to a therapist, for example, instead of throwing a toaster. “The mental health of young people is my life’s work,” King says. “It’s very important to me on a personal level, on a public health level, on a societal level.” She points out that the incidences of depression and anxiety in children and teens are only increasing, and suicide remains a leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 24.

From the time she was small, Amy Sarig King was obsessed with the sky. She’d lie on her back, trying to pick out shapes in the clouds. As she got older and stayed up later, that fascination grew to encompass the night sky. “I used to sit there and try and find shapes in the stars, the same as I would in the clouds,” she says.

The narrator of King’s new middle-grade novel, The Year We Fell From Space (Levine/Scholastic, Oct. 92

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King is especially concerned with how adults often minimize or ignore young people’s negative feelings. “What’s one of the first things we do to children?” she says. “We shush them.” Moreover, many parents have fallen into the trap of believing that the most difficult thing for a kid is necessarily the best thing for them. By insisting children face their fears in the way we deem necessary, we end up denying them the opportunity to manage their own anxiety. “Why does everybody think you should be happy all the time?” King often asks the kids she meets.

“I will tell you, that question blows young people’s minds every time I ask it.”

Because she’s so passionate about these topics, King especially loves the opportunities her work provides to visit schools and speak with young people directly. “I really don’t know which one comes first now,” she says. “I don’t know if I write books so I can still go and hang out with young people and talk with young people, or if it’s the other way around, and if I still write books to write books.”

Both approaches seem to work beautifully for her.

SWIM SWIM SINK

Harney, Jenn Illus. by the author Disney-Hyperion (40 pp.) $12.99 | Jan. 21, 2020 978-1-368-05276-4

Alex Heimbach is a writer and editor in California. The Year We Fell From Space was reviewed in the Aug. 15, 2019, issue.

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Three ducklings hatch and try to follow their mother, with a watchful worm observing.

“Three tiny ducks jump right in. / SPLISH! SPLISH! SPLASH!! / Swim. Swim… // Sink.” At that point the author/ illustrator calls a do-over, understanding that the rhythm and logical story arc are off. The ducks try again, the third duck is again unsuccessful, and the worm comments with a quizzical look on its face: “Huh...I didn’t know ducks could sink. This is a problem. Ducks need to swim.” The narrator laments: “AND all of this sinking is ruining the rhyme.” Following this, the sinking duck uses an array of humorous strategies to achieve its goal, winsomely depicted in the bold, firmly outlined illustrations, with their lovely aqueous blue water and white, yellow, and orange ducks. Some of the solutions are ingenious: “Stilts to stay high and dry?” “State-of-the-art scuba gear?” “A Jet Ski” motors the duck along in one of the more exciting pictures, full of froth shaking up fish in the wake left behind by the machine.

But none of these ploys works until the worm and the duck create a pirate sailing ship out of the duckling’s cracked eggshell.

Maybe this will work for the youngest pirate fans—but as the narrator feared, it makes for a pretty flat arc.

A duck turns into a pirate, but not much adventure happens. (Picture book. 3-5)

THE TREACHEROUS SEAS

Healy, Christopher Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins (384 pp.) $16.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-06-234200-3 Series: Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem, 2 Following A Dastardly Plot (2018), the plucky heroes seek vindication and victory through a daring quest to discover

the South Pole.

Although the government has sworn Molly Pepper, her inventor mother, Cassandra, and her friend Emmett Lee to secrecy regarding the truth of the World Fair—meaning they can’t claim ownership of their heroics—things should be looking up for the Peppers. But when Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell fail to secure the votes to allow women into the Inventors’ Guild, which would secure Cassandra both recognition and financial rewards, the inventor goes into a funk and her daughter schemes to let the truth out. Also scheming is intrepid young investigative reporter Nellie Bly (whose constant disguises and alter egos are a running gag). Thwarted by the government, they launch a desperate gambit with the |

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help of the Mothers of Invention to beat Bell to the South Pole, where he’s pursuing the villainous Rector. The first act’s pacing is a little off, but the characters’ frustrations with their circumstances and oppressions are tangible. As the plot (a string of treacherous betrayals) picks up, so does the humor. While racial descriptors are mainly absent (leaving most characters assumed white), people of color are present in a stop in Barbados, and African American inventor Sarah Goode returns. Furthermore, the oppression experienced by Chinese-born Emmett Lee is openly dealt with. The ending is a minor cliffhanger. A glossarystyle afterword separates fact from fiction. Readers new to the series should start with Vol. 1.

Slapstick leavens this back-stabbing adventure. (Histori­ cal science-fantasy. 8-12)

CUDDLE MONKEY

Hellman, Blake Liliane Illus. by Otis, Chad Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-5344-3117-1 Lewis, an anthropomorphic monkey, can’t get a cuddle.

Little Lewis longs for a cuddle from his parents, but they’re busy with baby brother Owen. He improvises by trying to cuddle books, toys, and then others at school. “He even tried to cuddle a puddle (just because it rhymed).” Back at home, his mother urges him to teach Owen to cuddle, but the results are “wiggly and squiggly” rather than cozy. Otis’ art shows great energy and a strong design sensibility, but the characters themselves, all anthropomorphic monkeys, may give readers pause in the wake of librarian Edi Campbell’s public scholarship on the racist history of illustrated apes or Henry Louis Gates’ coverage of the same content in Stony the Road (2019). Author Hellman’s bio claims “cuddle monkey” as a self-identifier, and illustrator Otis dedicates the book to his “two cuddle monkeys,” demonstrating both innocent intentions and, perhaps, the lack of awareness that undergirds them. By the time Lewis finally gets a bedtime cuddle from his parents, storytelling rather than ideology may trip up readers: Why was a quick hug so hard to come by earlier in the day? Poor Lewis!

Not a sure pick to cuddle up with. (Picture book. 3- 7)

FROM FARMWORKER TO ASTRONAUT / DE CAMPESINO A ASTRONAUTA My Path to the Stars / Mi Viaje A Las Estrellas

Hernández, José M. Trans. by Figueroa, Darío Zárate Piñata Books/Arté Público (384 pp.) $10.95 paper | Oct. 31, 2019 978-1-55885-868-8

Hernández’s amazing journey from toiling in a field of cucumbers to floating among a field of stars is a powerful tale of perseverance.

After 10-year-old José announces his intention to explore space one day, his Mexican-born father sits him down and gives him the formula he will need to achieve his goal. As Hernández plows through obstacle after obstacle, from learning to speak English to attending university classes on only three hours of sleep after working eight-hour shifts in a cannery, his father’s lessons keep him going. When NASA accepts his 12th application, the former farmworker finally realizes his life’s dream of becoming an astronaut. In marked contrast to his stellar picture-book account, The Boy Who Touched the Stars / El Niño Que Alcanzó las Estrellas (2019), Hernández’s middle-grade autobiography is a mixed bag of dense technological jargon and inspiring personal triumphs. Readers must persist through the entire first chapter, which reads like a science blog, before getting a glimpse of the child who would become an American hero. Instead of ending his incredible story with the words of encouragement that “You’re never too old to dream, let alone make those dreams a reality,” he meanders along for another three pages, the final paragraph falling flat with philosophical musings.

Despite weaknesses, this account of triumph over adversity may successfully ignite the same drive in other kids. (glossary, diagrams, photos) (Memoir. 10-16)

TOMORROW I’LL BE KIND

Hische, Jessica Illus. by the author Penguin Workshop (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 14, 2020 978-1-5247-8704-2

How will you behave tomorrow?

Utilizing the same format and concept of her popular Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave (2018), Hische presents young listeners with short, studied rhymes that describe various positive attributes (being helpful, patient, gentle, honest, generous, graceful, and kind). Also included are kid-friendly ways to incorporate these behaviors into daily life, with the underlying goal of making the world a better place. The illustrations, which feature friends in the forms of a mouse, cat, and rabbit, are colorful and appealing, and they extend the text by showing some additional ways of realizing the characteristics mentioned. Overall, the intentions 94

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A grand tapestry of scientific thought and invention in action over many centuries. earth sciences

are aboveboard, but this is a volume intended to teach about positive values and behavior, and as such, it comes across as somewhat treacly and proselytizing. The key words, incorporated into the illustrations in a graphic manner, are sometimes a bit difficult to read, and occasionally, select vocabulary and phrases (“to myself I will be true”; “my heart, my guiding light”) seem better suited for an older readership. Still, as an introduction to personality characteristics, beneficial behaviors, and social-emotional skills, this is a solid choice, and fans of the previous volume are likely to embrace this one as well. “I’ll dream of all the good that comes / when we all just do our best,” the text explains—a sentiment that’s hard to rebut.

Gently encourages empathy, compassion, and consideration. (Picture book. 3-5)

LEADING THE WAY Women in Power

Inspirational profiles of 50 women who threw their hats into the U.S. politi-

cal arena.

Flanked by various combinations of “power symbols” representing positive values or character traits, the alphabetically arranged entries include both current presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren and the iconic likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, “Battling Bella” Abzug, Barbara Jordan, Abigail Adams, and deep state chief executive Edith Wilson, “the first woman to act as president of the United States” while her husband was incapacitated. Focusing more on each woman’s achievements and major areas of interest than party affiliation or political lean, the authors offer a good mix of players on state and local as well as national stages, with a conscious eye to diversity: Nonwhite women make up just under half the roster.

The profiles all come in at a little more than a page in length, and, along with the selected symbols, each features two quotes and a career resume (to date). Each also comes decorated with a smiling painted portrait so staid that even Shirley Chisholm and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (who in real life had, and have, world-class game faces) look constipated. Nonetheless, younger activists and public servants in search of courageous, toughminded role models will be spoiled for choice even before they get to the concluding list of 30 “more leaders to discover.”

Makes a strong case that where “she persisted,” others really can follow. (index, endnotes) (Collective biography. 10-13)

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Hughes, Hollie Illus. by Massini, Sarah Bloomsbury (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 14, 2020 978-1-5476-0322-0

What would you do with a dinosaur?

Young Marianne would share wondrous nighttime adventures. First, she’d dig up a dinosaur on a beach, assemble its bones, and wish it alive. She does so in this rhyming picture book while “fisherfolk” worry about her. For some adults, this “Marianne” who discovers a seaside dinosaur might conjure Mary Anning, the 19th-century English paleontologist. Like that scientist, the protagonist diligently arranges bones until her fossils take shape. Unlike Anning, Marianne names her discovery Bony, fervently wishing it to spring to life. The book then soars into the dream world; readers probably won’t notice or mind the disconnect. Bony, a smiling, green-scaled apatosaurus look-alike, swims and flies with Marianne into magical lands where they meet fanciful beings and discover a “magical moonlit island” filled with diverse children and their fantasy dinos. (Marianne presents white.) Since all this happens before these children go to sleep, what will they possibly dream about after? The ending finds the story back at the beach, the residents now unconcerned, and the kids digging for dinosaurs—and holding fast to their nighttime secrets. The verses in this cheerful dreamscape mostly read and scan rhythmically, but some are clunky. The scribbly illustrations, dominated by pale greens, teals, and sandy yellow and punctuated by Marianne’s red mop, are lively and atmospheric. Kids will appreciate the silver-foil patches on the book cover’s round moon.

Dreamy dinosaur doings. (Picture book. 3-6)

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Howell, Janet & Howell, Theresa Illus. by Akia, Kylie & Bye, Alexandra Candlewick (144 pp.) $24.99 | Oct. 8, 2019 978-1-5362-0846-7

THE GIRL AND THE DINOSAUR

EARTH SCIENCES An Illustrated History of Planetary Science Jackson, Tom Shelter Harbor Press (168 pp.) $24.95 | Oct. 29, 2019 978-1-62795-142-5 Series: Ponderables

Highlights of our historical study of what’s happening in, on, and above Earth’s surface.

Jackson hangs this sumptuously produced overview on an expansive if arbitrary 100 topics or discoveries—beginning with ancient celebrations marking the solstices and equinoxes and ending with a look at the next Mars rover. In between he builds a roughly chronological picture of how scientific fields ranging from chemistry to seismology and paleontology developed over time and have helped us to understand geological processes, explore our planet and reconstruct its long history, measure and at least try to predict weather and natural disasters, and provide some clues to conditions on other worlds. Plentiful side boxes, kirkus.com

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This powerful book has something for all young people no matter what stage they are at in terms of awareness or activism. this book is anti-racist

THIS BOOK IS ANTI-RACIST 20 Lessons on How To Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work

period or later images, and finely detailed diagrams enhance the half- to two-page entries. A big folded timeline poster tucked into a back pocket summarizes the contents and also expands on them by tracking select contemporaneous world cultural milestones. After pondering a few “Imponderables,” such as whether climate is actually controllable and why the notion that Earth is flat just won’t die, the author finally shovels in all sorts of useful backmatter. Though he displays an overall parochialism reflected in a closing gallery of earth-science greats in which but three of the 23 are women, and only two not white, he crafts a grand tapestry of scientific thought and invention in action over many centuries.

A rich, if patchwork, view of large-scale events and our evolving understanding of them. (index, resources) (Nonfic­ tion. 11-14)

Jewell, Tiffany Illus. by Durand, Aurélia Frances Lincoln (160 pp.) $14.99 paper | Jan. 7, 2020 978-0-7112-4521-1

A guidebook for taking action against racism.

The clear title and bold, colorful illustrations will immediately draw attention to this book, designed to guide each reader on a personal journey to work to dismantle racism. In the author’s note, Jewell begins with explanations about word choice, including the use of the terms “folx,” because it is gender neutral, and “global majority,” noting that marginalized communities of color are actually the majority in the world. She also chooses to capitalize Black, Brown, and Indigenous as a way of centering these communities’ voices; “white” is not capitalized.

Organized in four sections—identity, history, taking action, and working in solidarity—each chapter builds on the lessons of the previous section. Underlined words are defined in the glossary, but Jewell unpacks concepts around race in an accessible way, bringing attention to common misunderstandings. Activities are included at the end of each chapter; they are effective, prompting both self-reflection and action steps from readers.

The activities are designed to not be written inside the actual book; instead Jewell invites readers to find a special notebook and favorite pen and use that throughout. Combining the disruption of common fallacies, spotlights on change makers, the author’s personal reflections, and a call to action, this powerful book has something for all young people no matter what stage they are at in terms of awareness or activism.

Essential. (author’s note, further reading, glossary, select bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-18)

THE BIG RACE LACE CASE

Jacobs, Paul Dubois & Swender, Jennifer Illus. by West, Karl Aladdin (80 pp.) $16.99 | $5.99 paper | Jan. 21, 2020 978-1-5344-4113-2 978-1-5344-4112-5 paper Series: Mack Rhino, Private Eye, 1 It’s up to a rhino private eye to solve a mystery and prevent a cheater from winning the Big Race.

Private eye Mack Rhino and his trusty bird assistant, Redd, are off to buy new furniture (as the rhino has splintered yet another desk chair) when a mysterious phone call offers Mack his 100th case: a mystery concerning shoes. But the harried caller, who dropped clues off at the wrong address, doesn’t give Mack much to go on. Even worse, a jailbreak at the ant farm upstate means some of the usual suspects are back in action— and likely with an ally. Meanwhile, the two favorites for the Big Race are Jackie Rabbit, who wants to donate the prize money to build a playground, and Skunks McGee, under scrutiny for his track record of cheating. Other runners experience pre-race troubles in the form of vanishing shoelaces. Mack must think fast to distract Skunks during the race so that the sabotaged Jackie can win, and then to explain how Skunks did it—the suspected team-up with the Ant Hill Gang. The clues are clear enough for the target audience of emerging readers to solve the mystery themselves (the cast size and subplots made manageable with a cast of characters and glossary), and the puns bring laughs. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations tend to highlight slapstick.

A soft-boiled animal detective story sure to please beginning readers. (Mystery. 5-8)

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DOG DRIVEN

Johnson, Terry Lynn HMH Books (240 pp.) $16.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-328-55159-7 A teen enters a challenging, multiday dog sled race to raise awareness of the incurable disease that’s blinded her sister and now claims her own sight.

To retain her independence, McKenna, 14, has hidden her deteriorating vision from her family, dropped extracurricular activities, and withdrawn from friends. Only 8-year-old Emma knows that McKenna, too, inherited Stargardt disease, a juvenile form of macular degeneration.

(Both retain some peripheral vision.) Observing how parental conflicts, exacerbated by their mother’s overprotectiveness, |

have undermined Emma’s progress toward self-reliance, McKenna’s avoided disclosing her disability. She’s certain the knowledge would devastate her parents, but hiding vision loss is a risky strategy—especially on demanding, unfamiliar terrain, the route Canadian couriers once used to deliver mail by dog sled.

An experienced musher—her (presumed white) Michigan family raises and trains sled dogs—McKenna hopes her skills can compensate. As the weather deteriorates, sighted competitors (the daughter of a famous musher and the descendent of a dog sled courier) also make dangerous mistakes. McKenna’s dread of losing her autonomy while her teen peers move toward independent adulthood resonates. Giving and accepting help, she confronts her own beliefs and fears about disability. Johnson’s mushing expertise pays off in a suspenseful plot laden with convincing details. The lively, crowded, chaotic world of dogs and mushers is memorably complemented by the silent, icy wilderness they race through.

A densely plotted, fast-moving, thematically rich tale set at the intersection of ability and disability. (author’s note) (Adventure. 10-14)

Two boys forge a brief and dangerous alliance in 1938 Germany.

Friedrich Weber is a 12-year-old member of the Jungvolk in Hannover.

Membership is mandatory if quietly reluctant on his part. Emil Rosen is a 12-year-old Jewish boy in Hannover. Restrictions on Jewish life are coming into force, but Emil is still required to practice the piano and study for his bar mitzvah. The two cross paths at a remote spot on the Leine River, Emil finding peace there and Friedrich remembering that it was his papa who had shared this “special place, their secret.” But in the weeks leading up to Kristallnacht, each is caught up in the all-consuming anti-Semitism of their country as Jews are declared “non-German.” Friedrich becomes one of those throwing rocks at Jewish businesses as his parents embrace Hitler in the hope it will “keep [them] safe.” Emil’s family is torn between immigration to Paraguay and bewilderment; his vati fought for Germany in the Great War. The author has based her story on family history. She writes in alternating chapters that focus on each boy’s struggle to make sense of ominous events during increasingly oppressive times. Family loyalty, government opposition, bullying, and facing total upheaval in one’s life are dealt with memorably in this multilayered tale. The titular flowers, red poppies, have special meaning to each family.

A German boy makes an extraordinary and life-affirming choice in this compelling Holocaust tale. (author’s note, selected resources) (Historical fiction. 12-14)

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Karst, Patrice Illus. by Lew-Vriethoff, Joanne Little, Brown (32 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-0-316-52485-8

This book aims to help young children cope with the loss of a pet.

Zack’s dog, Jojo, aged, fell sick, and died; this weekend will be Zack’s first without him. Despite his parents’ best efforts to make Zack feel better—they buy him a cupcake and promise to adopt a new dog soon—he is sad and angry. The stages of grief are clearly written and illustrated throughout the book, with ghost Jojo appearing on most pages to watch over Zack, who is clearly in pain. When his friend Emily, whose cat died recently, sees him crying, she tells him that the pets aren’t actually gone forever because there is an “Invisible Leash” that connects their hearts after the pets go to the place “beyond.” Zack is understandably skeptical, but Emily insists that just because he can’t see the Leash doesn’t mean it isn’t there, and if he tries, he will be able to feel it. Emily does her best to convince Zack, and here the writing gets repetitive, until he finally believes and is able to sleep knowing Jojo is always with him. Zack is biracial— his dad is black and his mom is white—and Emily appears white.

This is the author and illustrator’s The Invisible String (2018) for pets, so readers will not find anything new here. Still, some pet parents might find this helpful for grieving children.

Repetitive—but a potential resource. (Picture book. 3-6)

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CRUSHING THE RED FLOWERS

Kaplan, Jennifer Voigt Ig Publishing (248 pp.) $18.95 | Nov. 19, 2019 978-1-63246-094-3

THE INVISIBLE LEASH A Story Celebrating Love After the Loss of a Pet

THE MYSTWICK SCHOOL OF MUSICRAFT

Khoury, Jessica Illus. by Frenna, Federica HMH Books (368 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 21, 2020 978-1-328-62563-2

A toe-tapping fantasy novel mixes music and mystery.

Aficionados of middle-grade fantasy may find the premise recognizable: A parentless 12-year-old with unusual magical gifts is summoned to attend an elite boarding school in order to hone their craft.

What makes this, YA author Khoury’s middle-grade debut, stand out is the focus on a special type of magic involving spells cast by playing musical instruments. After narrowly being accepted into Mystwick to study Musicraft with the most talented musicians in the world, Amelia Jones must prove that she has what it takes to perform musical spells and secure her spot at the school—or risk expulsion. Amelia struggles with difficult classes, mountains of homework, plus a roommate who hates her, and she quickly learns that someone—or something— seems to have it out for her. Staying at Mystwick will be more kirkus.com

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LILY THE THIEF

difficult than she ever imagined. Amelia’s only hope is the music she knows she is capable of creating, but she must find the courage and confidence to play it. Frenna’s lightly cartoony grayscale illustrations bring some of the pivotal scenes to life. Sparse physical descriptions paired with student names from a variety of cultures seem like a missed opportunity to describe ethnic and racial diversity explicitly; Amelia is white. Victoria, a guitarist who uses a wheelchair, is a featured secondary character.

A few missed notes don’t prevent this novel from delivering a satisfying story even if the tune is familiar. (Fantasy.

9-13)

Kukkonen, Janne Illus. by Kukkonen, Janne with Bazot, Kévin Trans. by Rogers, Lola First Second (288 pp.) $21.99 | $14.99 paper | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-250-19355-1 978-1-250-19697-2 paper It might be a man’s world, but one young thief wants to change that.

In this graphic offering from Finnish author/illustrator Kukkonen, Lily, a small, parentless girl with choppy dark hair is an extremely talented thief who bounds about her seemingly medieval village, picking pockets with panache. She works with elderly, gray-bearded Seamus, who treats her kindly, serving as her parental figure. Lily is determined to prove herself and secure a spot in the male-only thieves’ guild. When the Guildmaster laughs off any chance of entry because of her age and gender, she steals one of the scrolls that act as the guild’s job assignments out of spite. Lily soon finds herself facing corrupt nobility, the shadowy Brotherhood, and a mysterious legend as she dashes through dungeons and rushes among relics. Lily must now decide exactly how far she will go to get what she wants. A headstrong character, often blinded by her own impetuousness, Lily is a joy to follow as she wends her way through a male-dominated world (Lily is, in fact, nearly the only female character). Her sass, swords, and soaring arrows keep the pages flying and eyes racing over tidy panels colored by Bazot with a palette of cool blues countered by warm brown tones. Lily’s adventures feel familiar and a bit well trodden, but they are as cozy and comfortable as a warm blanket on a cold day. All characters present white.

A fun page-turner sure to steal readers’ attention.

(Graphic fantasy. 7-12)

NOTORIOUS

Korman, Gordon Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (320 pp.) $16.99 | Dec. 12, 2019 978-0-06-279886-2 Barney was legendary for appalling acts of canine depravity until his recent death; two kids—Zarabeth, his (one) mourner, and Keenan, her at-first-skeptical new friend—investigate his possible murder.

Keenan misses his cosmopolitan life in Shanghai, where his mom and stepdad teach at an international school. Recovering from tuberculosis at his dad’s house on tiny Centerlight Island, divided between the U.S. and Canada, is beyond boring until he meets Zarabeth, with Barney’s well-behaved (but sadly disdained) replacement and colorful tales of famous Prohibitionera gangsters attracted to the quiet island’s largely unguarded international border; Tommy-Gun Ferguson, who built her family’s house, might have hidden his gold bullion on the island.

When Keenan, now well, proves popular at his new island school, Zarabeth feels isolated. Centrelight’s few Canadian kids must attend mainland schools via ferry. Not incidentally, the island’s more-numerous American kids resent contrarian Zarabeth’s stubborn advocacy for anything-but-lamented Barney.

Now snubbed by Zarabeth, Keenan looks into Barney’s death to appease her—and finds her suspicions well founded. Like the island’s two spellings, Zarabeth’s cross-border observations wryly assert Canadian cultural identity. She and Keenan, both presumed white, alternate narration and are good company.

Vivid secondary characters commit spontaneous acts of hilarious mayhem—the unscheduled school-lockdown drill is one standout—though Barney’s extreme depredations (like destroying a Porsche and a house porch in one go) occasionally strain credulity. Readers need to buy such pivotal plot points.

Chalk up another treat for Korman fans. (Fiction. 8-12)

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UNDER THE MILKY WAY Traditions and Celebrations Beneath the Stars Lessac, Frané Illus. by the author Candlewick (32 pp.) $16.99 | Dec. 24, 2019 978-1-5362-00959

Communities across the United States and Canada dance, play, and tell stories under the same stars.

In this colorful smorgasbord of evening-centered tidbits, prolific illustrator Lessac describes some of the celebrations that take place after sundown in North America. Amid bustling scenes featuring multiracial faces, Lessac highlights events such as bat-watching on Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge (home to “over 1.5 million bats…which migrate each spring from Mexico”), Toronto’s food-laden night markets, Washington, D.C.’s “spectacular” Fourth of July fireworks on the National Mall, and “gliding across the ice” in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Information |

González’s bright, friendly illustrations depict a vibrant desert teeming with life. not a bean

about the science, geography, or history of each setting or celebration is peppered in the pictures’ negative spaces, drawing the eye around the full-bleed paintings. A somewhat dense collection of Milky Way galaxy facts as well as a quick guide to locating the North Star make up the backmatter. Included in Lessac’s survey are brightly positive treatments of two controversial observances: the telescopes erected on Mauna Kea (a site of yearslong protests by Native Hawaiians against the desecration of their sacred mountain) and the rodeo of Prescott, Arizona, (events that are often cited for animal cruelty). Readers may recognize Lessac’s formula from the simultaneously released title, Under the Southern Cross, which highlights the evening celebrations of Australia and makes only a passing mention of its Aboriginal peoples’ traditions.

A sparkling concept executed with a few glaring flaws.

(Informational picture book. 5-10)

Magyar, Caleb & Drimmer, Stephanie Warren National Geographic Kids (176 pp.) $14.99 | Nov. 12, 2019 9781-4263-3533-4 A wide-angled survey of men who ruled—and not just empires or countries.

Crowning a series that began with Drimmer’s The Book of Heroines (2016) and Crispin Boyer’s The Book of Heroes (2016) and publishes simultaneously with Drimmer’s The Book of Queens, this gathering of glitterati covers not just historical heads of state from Akbar to Shaka Zulu, but also fictional ones such as T’Challa of Wakanda. Readers will also meet Martin Luther King Jr. and other “Kings of Change,” “Aristocrats of Action” (Babe Ruth, Dwayne Johnson), preeminent performers (Elvis, Lin-Manuel Miranda), and sci-tech sovereigns such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Compiled with an eye to examples both good and bad, the roster includes an admixture of tyrants, losers, and deposed rulers, and it closes with a blanket summary of positive characteristics supposedly common to great leaders. Despite occasional flubs, such as an all-white selection of “Emperors of Exploration,” said roster also shows commendable racial and geographic diversity—and even includes queens and other notable women in frequent sidebars (in case, apparently, readers don’t want to check out or buy two books). The profiles range from two pages in length to a quick paragraph, and they focus more on quick summaries of accomplishments (or failures) than biographical details. Though the layout has a dense look, the bright colors and graphics, as well as a plethora of photos, period images, and fanciful but realistically modeled modern portraits, provide plenty of life and visual energy.

A salutary gallery of monarchs—or at least monarchial types. (index) (Collective biography. 9-12) |

Marks, Janae Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins (304 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 14, 2020 978-0-06-287585-3 After receiving a letter from her incarcerated father, whom she’s never met, 12-year-old Zoe sets out to prove his innocence.

It’s the summer before seventh grade, and aspiring pastry chef Zoe sets her sights on perfecting her baking skills to audition as a contestant on Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge. One day, she receives a letter from her father, Marcus, who was sent to prison for murder right before Zoe was born. She’s never met Marcus, and her mother wants her to have nothing to do with him. So Zoe keeps the letter a secret and begins corresponding with Marcus on a regular basis. He shares his favorite songs and encourages Zoe’s baking-competition dreams. When Marcus proclaims his innocence, Zoe is shocked: How could someone innocent end up in prison? With the help of her grandmother and her friend Trevor, Zoe begins to learn about systemic racism and how black people like her and Marcus are more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than white people. Zoe’s relationship with Marcus is at the center of the novel, but her relationships with her mother, stepfather, grandmother, and Trevor are also richly conveyed. This powerful debut packs both depth and sweetness, tackling a tough topic in a sensitive, compelling way.

An extraordinary, timely, must-read debut about love, family, friendship, and justice. (Fiction. 8-12)

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THE BOOK OF KINGS Magnificent Monarchs, Notorious Nobles, and Distinguished Dudes Who Ruled the World

FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON

NOT A BEAN

Martínez, Claudia Guadalupe Illus. by González, Laura Charlesbridge (32 pp.) $16.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-58089-815-7 Martínez reveals the hidden secrets of the legendary Mexican jumping beans in her picture-book debut.

As the title asserts, the jumping bean is “not a bean” but the seed pod of a desert plant known as the yerba de la flecha, which hides a secret stowaway. A female moth has laid her eggs near the seed pods of the yerba plant, and when they hatch, the caterpillars crawl inside, using the seed pod for protection and sustenance before pupating and emerging as adult moths. As a seed-encased caterpillar jumps around the desert floor seeking shelter and safety, readers count along in Spanish while learning vocabulary related to the desert ecosystem: cascabeles (rattlesnakes) and arroyos (streams), for example. González’s bright, friendly illustrations depict a vibrant desert teeming with life— far from the desolation often associated with its dry climate.

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Aimee Lucido

A GIRL FINDS HER PLACE—AND COMBATS STEREOTYPES—AS A COMPUTER CODER IN THE AUTHOR’S DEBUT MIDDLE-GRADE BOOK

By Alex Heimbach Photo courtesy Nina Pomeroy

If you’re unfamiliar with coding it can seem like a form of magic. But Aimee Lucido wants to push back against that assumption. “When people think of code,” she says, “they think of ones and zeros and wires, and it isn’t at all. Coding is English.”

As both a coder and a writer, Lucido is uniquely attuned to the relationship between language and code. “I was reading Andrea Davis Pinkney’s book The Red Pencil, which was written in verse. And something about the way that she uses tabs and new lines and colons and just spacing in general reminded me of the coding language Python.” It occurred to Luci100

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do that you could use poetry to teach code. That idea inspired her debut middle-grade book, Emmy in the Key of Code (VERSIFY/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Sept. 24).

A novel in verse, Emmy in the Key of Code is the story of a girl struggling to figure out where she fits in the world. Emmy’s a Midwesterner in California, a terrible singer in a family of musicians, and the new girl at her school. She feels out of place everywhere except her computer science class, where a kind teacher and a new friend help her explore the possibilities of her new life in San Francisco.

The book tackles some surprisingly technical concepts, but Lucido started with the basic building blocks of Java: public static void main(String args[]).

This line of code goes at the top of every Java program, but it takes both Emmy and the reader some time to understand what exactly it means. “I don’t necessarily want the book to teach kids how to code,” Lucido says. “There are plenty of resources to teach kids how to code. But it was important to me that they realize that code isn’t scary, because I think so often we don’t know what code is until we see it.”

Lucido also wanted to explore the common ground between making art (whether visual, literary, or musical) and coding. “For me, [coding] was always about making things,” she says. “It was about creation.” That attitude sometimes left her feeling like an outsider in the tech world, especially as a woman.

“Sexism is just ridiculous in general, but in tech it always felt even more ridiculous because women |

Emmy in the Key of Code received a starred review in the June 1, 2019, issue.

shades of tan and peach, appearing to represent some of the diversity in skin tone among Mesoamerican peoples. Much like the seed pods’ concealed cargo, this informational picture book packs plenty of facts and learning moments into a thoroughly entertaining package.

Engaging and fun, as all learning should be. (glossary, author’s note) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

EMBER

Mason, Jane B. & Stephens, Sarah Hines Scholastic (304 pp.) $6.99 paper | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-338-36202-2 Series: Rescue Dogs, 1 A shelter dog is given a chance to become a search-and-rescue dog.

Ember, a yellow Lab mix, is a tiny puppy when she is rescued from a house fire by dark-skinned firefighter Marcus and brought to a shelter. But after the third adoptive family returns her, Jo, the shelter director, on a hunch, calls a ranch that trains SAR dogs, and they agree to give Ember a try.

Authors Mason and Stephens go into copious but interesting detail about the procedure of training SAR dogs, but the many human characters the plot introduces are dizzying: The ranch is peopled by interracial parents Georgia (a trilingual Eritrean German immigrant) and Martin (a white American), their four biracial children, Latinx handler/trainer Pedro, and white dog-trainer Roxanne. The children, especially, have their own tangential subplots, which has the effect of diffusing, rather than focusing, the plot. This wandering focus is not helped by the narrative point of view, which switches from character to character, often within scenes. The story finds its footing again when Marcus (who by coincidence is at the ranch training to be a SAR handler) and Ember reconnect to become a team. Kudos to the story’s easy character diversity and equity in gender roles, but the pace can be meandering, and eagerly anticipated action doesn’t appear until the last 50 pages.

Competent, if somewhat rambling. (Fiction. 9-14)

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started out as the people programming computers,” she says. “It wasn’t considered elegant work. It was considered women’s work.” That history is an important part of the book, as Emmy learns how difficult it can be as a woman in tech and how to rise above the narrow-minded unkindness of others.

Lucido herself refuses to accept conventional wisdom about what’s good or important or even possible, in part because she knows firsthand how that kind of thinking can crush the joy out of something you love. “At the beginning of high school, I kind of stopped reading. And I think that was because, for most of my life, reading was a challenge. It was something that I had to be really good at,” she says.

“And so I had to read impressive books, and they had to be really thick, and they had to be really long, and they had to have fancy Russian authors...it couldn’t just be reading for fun. It had to be work.”

Lucido has no patience with the binary thinking that so often dictates who can do what, from “girls can’t code” to “writers hate math.” Computers may run on binaries, but as Emmy discovers, life rarely does. “You don’t have to be either computer science or music,” Lucido says. “You can be both.”

JINXED

McCulloch, Amy Sourcebooks (336 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 1, 2020 978-1-4926-8374-2

Even robot cats have a mind of their own.

All 12-year-old Canadian Lacey Chu’s ever wanted was to become a companioneer like her idol, Monica Chan, cofounder of the largest tech firm in North America, Moncha Corp., and mastermind behind the baku.

Bakus, “robotic pets with all the features of a smartphone,” |

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revolutionized society and how people interact with technology. As a companioneer, Lacey could work on bakus: designing, innovating, and building. When she receives a grant rejection from Profectus Academy of Science and Technology, a school that guarantees employment at Moncha Corp., she’s devastated.

A happenstance salvaging of a mangled cat baku might just change the game. Suddenly, Lacey’s got an in with Profectus and is one step closer to her dream. Jinx, however, is not quite like the other bakus—he’s a wild cat that does things without commands. Together with Jinx, Lacey will have to navigate competitive classmates and unsettling corporate secrets. McCulloch effectively strikes a balance between worldbuilding and action.

High-stakes baku battles demonstrate the emotional bond between (robotic) pet and owner. Readers will also connect to the relationships the Asian girl forges with her diverse classmates, including a rivalry with Carter (a white boy who’s the son of Moncha’s other co-founder, Eric Smith), a burgeoning crush on student Tobias, who’s black, and evolving friendships new and old. While some mysteries are solved, a cliffhanger ending raises even more for the next installment.

A solid series starter for tinkerers and adventurers alike. (Science fiction. 8-13)

REAL PIGEONS FIGHT CRIME

McDonald, Andrew Illus. by Wood, Ben Random House (208 pp.) $13.99 | $16.99 PLB | Jan. 7, 2020 978-0-593-11942-6 978-0-593-11943-3 PLB Series: Real Pigeons, 1

When crime rears its ugly head, who better than pigeons to have on your side?

Rock Pigeon loves nature and dressing up—as other birds, animals, even vegetation. He’s a master of disguise, and that’s why Grandpouter Pigeon flies from the city to the farm where Rock lives to recruit him to join a crime-fighting pigeon team.

Rock Pigeon joins Tumbler, Homing, and Frillback, pigeons who each have their own special talent to apply to their first case: Where have all the breadcrumbs in the park gone?! The crime fighters stage a stakeout. Rock disguises himself as a bag of chips. Frillback uses super strength to create a pile of acorns to hide in. Tumbler’s ultraflexibility makes hiding in a crack easy, and Homing…well, Homing takes a nap. Eventually they realize there are no animals or, more importantly from the breadcrumb standpoint, humans in the park. Though the humans are still buying bread at a nearby bakery, both humans and animals think the park may be haunted. What haunts the park? It’s terrifying (and foolish). This series opener from an Australian author-andillustrator team (three others are already out Down Under) is a goofball farce, Wood’s line drawings visually amping up the slapstick. Following the breadcrumbs mystery, this episodic volume offers two other cases for the crime-busting birdies, and young readers will make quick work of them all.

Totally coo! (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 8-12) 102

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STAND UP! Be an Upstander and Make a Difference

Moss, Wendy L. Magination/American Psychological Association (112 pp.) $14.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-4338-2963-5

A guide on how to take on the role of an “Upstander,” someone who “supports fairness and respect while also trying to decrease bullying and injustice.”

Young people today live in a world where almost daily they have to navigate injustice, whether personally or as a witness to the suffering of their peers, and this book aims to give them help with that. Short quizzes opening each thematic chapter help readers understand where they may stand when confronted with challenging situations; these are followed by illustrative scenarios. In the chapter “Kindness and Anger Can Be Contagious,” a student learns that he wasn’t invited to a friend’s birthday gathering, then takes out his anger on his sibling. Following the story, the author provides bullet points of advice, suggesting how a young person can regulate negative emotions. This example is one of many where, in seeking accessible universality, the book unfortunately falls short as a 21st-century motivation guide. Moss fails to specifically address current issues that young people face daily. She briefly name-checks Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. but doesn’t address everyday racism.

There is no mention of LGBTQ issues nor the intolerance that many immigrant students must confront daily. A two-and-a-half page section on stereotypes wanly makes an attempt but falls far short.

Lacking tough, real-world examples, this sanitized guide fails in its mission. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

SOMETHING FOR YOU

Mylie, Charlie Illus. by the author Farrar, Straus and Giroux (32 pp.) $17.99 | Nov. 26, 2019 978-0-374-31235-0 When a fancy present for a sick friend goes awry, a kindhearted mouse realizes friendship is the greatest gift of all.

Upon finding a friend ill, a fawn-colored mouse provides tender care. With sweet devotion the visitor brews tea, plays music, and tucks in the blankets. While the ailing friend sleeps, the visiting mouse journeys out, gathering pocketfuls of flowers to bring back; but when a storm blows the bouquet away, the bereft mouse dejectedly returns empty-handed. Kind words and a hug await as the gray mouse offers reassurances that being together is enough. The text is kept to a bare minimum, consisting mostly of variations on the titular phrase. The illustrations, done in watercolor, pen, and pencil, carry the narrative and offer shades of meaning that keep the repetition from feeling stale. |

This idea-packed book is satisfying in its energy, style, and use of metaphor. the peacock detectives

Frequently laid out in overlapping panels, they feature simply cartooned, expressively appealing characters. While the pastel palette may be reminiscent of Kevin Henkes, these mice—with their rounder faces and physiques—are all sincerity, without the individuality or hilarity of Henkes’ mice stories. Sophisticated layouts and clever use of panels create a visual narrative that takes readers on a journey with the character.

A comforting reminder of friendship’s restorative properties. (Picture book. 3-6)

A GOOD DAY

Nesquens, Daniel Illus. by Lora, Miren Asiain Eerdmans (32 pp.) $16.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-8028-5530-5

GRAMA’S HUG

Nielander, Amy Illus. by the author Page Street (40 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-62414-926-9 With the support of her grandmother, a young girl strives for her astro-

THE PEACOCK DETECTIVES

Nugent, Carly Harper/HarperCollins (288 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 14, 2020 978-0-06-289670-4

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A tale of longing, friendship, and the power of freedom.

Originally published in Spain as Un buen día, this story features two unusual friends, a well-dressed cat and a tiger inhabitant of a retro-style zoo. The tiger lives in a rounded cage, where he is stared at by crowds of visitors, next to an elephant, monkeys, birds, and more—also in cages. The tiger longs for the wild, where he could roam as he pleased. The cat wants his friend to be happy and eventually finds a way to help him fulfill his dream.

In so doing, the cat discovers a new friend at the zoo. Muted illustrations depict the zoo in a panorama that scrolls from spread to spread, giving readers a view of the exhibits. However, the design, which lays the zoo’s cages out in a line at the bottom of nearly all spreads that don’t depict the tiger’s natural habitat, while reflective of the monotony of zoo life, is repetitive and lacks interest and variety. One illustration—in which the tiger seems to act out his wish to leave the zoo—offers viewers an intriguing set of images laid out in vertical panels. Straightforward, dry dialogue belies the depth of the friendship between the tiger and cat. As a result, this story may need a grown-up to help young readers grasp the subtle humor.

An understated and perhaps too-quiet friendship story.

(Picture book. 5-8)

Together they craft bird wings and pretend they are flying, which sparks May’s interest in going to space. Each year May prepares for the Space Fair contest, and Grama is always eager to help. Each year May’s hard work pays off, eventually landing her the opportunity to be an astronaut. May seems ready to leave without looking back, but Grama hopes for one more hug. Nielander creates a lovely story focused on a girl in STEM and the family who supports her. The story holds meaning for both children and adults, reminding adults to cherish the little moments that are so special and also encouraging children to work toward their dreams. The illustrations add so much detail, such as the plans and testing of her different Space Fair projects.

The interactions between May and Grama are sweet, and the emotions illustrated bring their relationship to life. May and Grama have beige skin, and May has black hair. There is diversity among the other people in the book.

Heartwarming and encouraging for both children and adults. (Picture book. 4-8)

An 11-turning-12-year-old girl looks for lost peacocks as a distraction from The Truth about the things that are changing in her life.

Cassie, short for Cassandra, is not unlike her namesake from the Greek myth: She is cursed to know the truth, but no one quite believes her. Australian debut writer Nugent employs this disarming narrator to take readers through a painful period of her life in which she gradually discovers (like a detective) that her grandfather is dying, her father is struggling with mental health issues, her mother needs to move out of the house in order to cope, and her only sister, at 15, is becoming her own person. What saves her are her connection to her family; her friendship with Jonas, a science-minded, fact-oriented soul; and honest interactions with her unpredictable schoolmate Rhea. Cassie is also an aspiring and conflicted writer with a propensity for capital letters who shares with readers the many components of a good story even as she is engaged in telling one. This idea-packed book strains credulity at times but is satisfying in its energy, style, and use of metaphor—most of all the peacock, symbol of vision and awakening. Characters present white.

Approaches tender topics with unflinching courage and aplomb. (Fiction. 8-12)

naut dreams.

May and Grama, whom May lives with, are a team. On her first day of school, May is nervous and asks for more hugs, which get her through the transition. Through the seasons, they watch the birds together, and May wants to “soar just like them.” |

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The declarative simplicity of the text is perfect for an emerging reader without betraying the strength of the story. the old truck

MIDNIGHT ON STRANGE STREET

Ormsbee, K.E. Disney-Hyperion (400 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 21, 2020 978-1-368-04768-5 Four kids with inexplicable powers have a close encounter in a near-future Texas.

The Sardines just want to ride their glowboards, hang out in their clubhouse, and be left alone by the class bully. It’s been years since Component G—glow—was discovered in Callaway, and on the coasts the Global War is raging, but Callaway is just a regular American suburb. Regular, that is, except for the Sardines: Dani, Avery, and the twins, Bastian and Lola. The four best friends and passionate glowboarders discover something else they have in common: They can all hear one another’s thoughts and move things with their minds. The telekinesis and telepathy (or, as Dani says, “tele-whatevers”) are scary, but maybe it can help them win the big glowboarding championship! But the Sardines start to receive terrifying messages from outer space. Are aliens coming to destroy the Earth? Faux typescript interludes from the point of view of an unnamed stranger working with the government introduce a different menace, one the kids only slowly become aware of. The Sardines, from a variety of white ethnic backgrounds, need to win the race, escape the government, and prevent the destruction of the Earth. Easy peasy. The setup is so compelling that kids will keep going even though the pace doesn’t always live up to the page count.

Telepathic kids on futuristic skateboards fleeing G-men; a little too long but totally fun. (Science fiction. 12-13)

THE OLD TRUCK

Pumphrey, Jerome & Pumphrey, Jarrett Illus. by the authors Norton Young Readers (48 pp.) $17.95 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-324-00519-3 The eponymous old truck serves as the vehicle for a quiet story about farm

life and hard work.

Brothers Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey created over 250 stamps to create the striking illustrations that give the book a distinct look and echo the message of hard work and persistence pouring from it. The declarative simplicity of the text is perfect for an emerging reader without betraying the strength of the story. As the book describes how hardworking the truck is, readers see the smiling, brown-skinned parents and daughter, wordlessly at work. The family can be seen loading produce onto the truck, carrying baskets back into the barn, feeding chickens, and fixing the truck. The placement of the sun on the horizon line demonstrates how long the family works each day.

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At night, the daughter dreams: “The old truck sailed the seas, / braved the skies, / and chased the stars.” As the truck ages, so does the family; most notably, readers see the girl grow into a woman. Now “the new farmer,” she tows the truck out of tall grass. She works long into the night to repair it. But dreams and persistence pay off: “VROOOOOOOM!!” This heartfelt celebration of resilience in the face of change, with a determined black woman at its center, packs a powerful punch.

As the old truck stays with its family, this charming book will stay with readers. (Picture book. 4-8)

THE PRESIDENT OF THE JUNGLE

Rodrigues, André; Ribeiro, Larissa; Desgualdo, Paula & Markun, Pedro Illus. by the authors Trans. by Miller-Lachmann, Lyn Nancy Paulsen Books (40 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-9848-1474-6 From Brazil, a refreshing look at the way democratic elections work.

Lion, the King of the Jungle, wants a swimming pool, but when he diverts all the river water to fill in his front yard, the other animals begin to wonder if he “should not be King of the Jungle.” Deciding they want a new leader, the animals plan to hold an election, and Monkey, Sloth, Snake, and Lion decide they want to be candidates. They campaign and hold debates.

Important vocabulary such as “candidate,” “campaign,” and “vote” are set in bold in the friendly typeface, and their definitions are presented in a glossary on the final page. Narrative text combines with dialogue bubbles to keep the pace lively and the concept engagingly simple. The equally friendly-looking illustrations were made using paper cutouts with pencil and charcoal “doodles,” the animals fancifully colored against a largely gray-and-white jungle background. The visual result is casual, integrative, and altogether fun. Together, the words and pictures bring to life a democratic election that is stripped of acrimony, divisiveness, and ignorance and is instead full of engagement, discussion, and earnestness—but not sappiness. Young readers are introduced to the idea of an engaged electorate, a concept whose empowerment will hopefully stay with them as they age.

A fun, lively, accessible primer on the democratic process (good for weary adults, too). (Picture book. 4-8)

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THE GANG OF THE FELINE SUN

Salati, Giorgio Illus. by Cornia, Christian Trans. by Doni, Olivia Rose Papercutz (88 pp.) $14.99 | $9.99 paper | Jan. 14, 2020 978-1-5458-0425-4 978-1-5458-0426-1 paper Series: Brina the Cat, 1

NESSIE QUEST

Savage, Melissa Crown (352 pp.) $16.99 | $19.99 PLB | Jan. 14, 2020 978-0-525-64567-2 978-0-525-64568-9 PLB A summer on Loch Ness might be a dream vacation to some, but to homebody Ada Ru, it’s a nightmare come true.

Ada Ru would much prefer to go to Walt Disney World—or, barring that, to stay at home in Denver with her full life. She tries to ignore her mother’s challenge to “make the best of things” in Scotland but is gradually drawn into the notorious Nessie Race, putting her writer’s instinct to the ultimate test. She befriends Hamish “Hammy” Bean Tibby III, a blind cryptid enthusiast who runs the Nessie Juggernaut newsletter, and Dax Cady, an affably brooding American guitarist. The three kids are determined to be the first to find conclusive evidence of the existence of the elusive Nessie, proving that even a close-knit town like Fort Augustus can hide secrets in its watery depths. |

ALMOST TIME

Schmidt, Gary D. & Stickney, Elizabeth Illus. by Karas, G. Brian Clarion (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 14, 2020 978-0-544-78581-6 Time crawls for Ethan as he anxiously awaits the beginning of sugaring season.

Sunday should mean maple syrup on any breakfast his dad cooks. But the maple syrup is used up, and sugaring time won’t happen until the days lengthen. Is the sunny day just a little warmer? Is that a sliver of daylight at bedtime? Or is it only wishful thinking? Dad also says his new loose tooth will fall out when the sap runs. The days creep by, and it’s still cold and dark, and his tooth is still there. Then, finally, the tooth is out, and his father is waiting after school to begin the sugaring process. They work together as a team during the whole process of lifting, carrying, boiling, and pouring to make the longed-for syrup. That first slightly lighter Sunday morning and a breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup are blissful. Young readers will relate to Ethan’s impatience with the slow march from winter to spring, as they hope and wait along with him, even if they are used to the faster pace of city or suburbia. Karas’ illustrations beautifully depict both the wintry farm in day and night and the loving, trusting father-and-son team as they share everyday moments and work together contentedly. Ethan and Dad present white.

A gentle tale that is as sweet and delicious as maple syrup. (Picture book. 4- 7)

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City kitty Brina has a mountain vacation adventure.

Out in the country for the first time since she was a kitten, calico cat Brina is entranced by the wide-open spaces. She wanders off from her human family and meets Vespucci, a one-eyed, rough-and-tumble stray, and his Gang of the Feline Sun. Vespucci hates humans due to early abandonment, and he taunts Brina until she joins his band—much to the distress of her humans, Sam and Margaret, both white. The feline gang members tussle with one another and snitch food around town.

Meanwhile, an increasingly upset Sam and Margaret search for their lost cat, usually one step behind the gang. At first, Brina enjoys the freedom of stray life and meeting other cats. But after a particularly vicious training with Vespucci ends with one of the gang returning to their human family, Brina realizes who really loves her and returns to her own humans. The trio head back to the city, a happy family. Cornia’s bright, expressive, animation-inspired art in this Italian-import graphic novel is the main attraction of this series opener. The translated text is often awkward, and the occasional present-tense narration serves, oddly, to slow the action down.

Finicky readers should just prowl away. (Graphic fantasy.

6-11)

Humorously melodramatic, irrepressibly modern Ada Ru perfectly showcases the Old World charm of the Highlands as she comes to love the place and its people. Scots dialect is liberally interspersed throughout, but natural translations render it easily comprehensible. Savage places relationships at the forefront: Family ties, found friendships, and community support give this novel its heart. Darker issues, such as the impact of drug addiction on child-rearing, near-death experiences, and the marginalization of the blind, are tenderly explored alongside the exhilarating fun of the Nessie Race. The cast is white.

Nessie may elude us still, but this friendship-driven quest should not do the same. (Fiction. 8-12)

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EMERGENCY KITTENS!

Shaffer, Jody Jensen Illus. by Mottram, Dave Doubleday (32 pp.) $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-9848-3008-1 978-1-9848-3009-8 PLB The power of cute is the only superpower these kitties need.

Are you in trouble? Just having a tough day? “Maybe you need a superhero! Someone muscly and fierce, possibly wearing tights. Or maybe you need… / EMERGENCY KITTENS!” Mimi, Twee-Twee, and Adorbs are three giant-eyed kittens in capes ready to help humans in a bind. They can catch a falling scoop of ice cream, hide a bad haircut, or rescue little children from trees, but not everyone knows about their services. Young Sheldon is beset by bullies who take his ball. Several superheroes come to his aid; they lift bulldozers and leap over buildings, but none of that helps until the EMERGENCY KITTENS (always set in all-caps) arrive. They roll and knead and chase and pounce and finally purr—no one can resist that. With the bullies distracted by their sheer adorableness, Sheldon easily gets his ball back! Through text and speech bubbles (and with tongue firmly planted in cheek), Shaffer mashes up felines and superheroes to giggle-inducing effect. Mottram’s colorful cartoon illustrations feature humans of many skin tones—Sheldon presents black—and his three furry warriors pack action and endearing antics on every page.

These kitties will win hearts with a glossy-eyed glance.

(Picture book. 2- 7)

SUNNYSIDE PLAZA

Simon, Scott Little, Brown (208 pp.) $16.99 | Jan. 21, 2020 978-0-316-53120-7

Sally Miyake is a 19-year-old woman who tells readers, “I can’t read, but I see, I hear, and I notice things.”

She lives in Sunnyside Plaza, a group home for developmentally disabled adults of all ages and abilities. The staff members are dedicated to providing physical and emotional care as well as a bit of independence and responsibility. The residents have difficulties understanding concepts such as death or the passage of time. But they accept one another’s strengths and weaknesses, valuing kindness above all. Sally proudly works in the kitchen under the direction of Conrad, doing small but necessary chores. When one of her family of friends dies from a stroke, detectives Bridges and Rivas are called to investigate.

They soon come to admire Sally’s directness and warm heart, and they become part of her life outside the investigation. Sally uses her observational skills to try to understand what has happened, actually cracking the case when she learns that someone who has been trusted is not trustworthy. Supporting characters 106

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are presented with love and appreciation for their best qualities. Sally’s challenges are part and parcel of her shining humanity, and readers will come to love her. Naming conventions and descriptions indicate wide diversity, but Sally’s implied Japanese heritage plays no part in the story.

A tender insight into being different and wonderful. (author’s note) (Mystery. 9-14)

SISTERLAND

Simukka, Salla Trans. by Witesman, Owen Frederick Crown (208 pp.) $16.99 | $19.99 PLB | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-5247-1878-7 978-1-5247-1879-4 PLB Two lonely preteens meet in Sisterland, a beguiling world of wonders, and begin to forget their snowbound world and the families they left behind.

Alice is following wolf tracks that have appeared from nowhere when she falls through the snow, losing consciousness and then awakening to a night sky sparkling with stars and five moons. The tracks belong to a shape-shifter who gives her a key to open the gate to the Garden of Secrets. Inside, she finds Marissa, a strange girl who’s arrived the same way. It’s always summer in this lush and forested garden, home to the inquisitive question flowers, wind fairies, dream weavers, singing roses—and it’s constantly changing. Exploring its dreamlike wonders together, the girls grow close. As they lose track of time, they’re occasionally troubled—Alice especially—by memories and dreams of the world and families they barely remember. Their idyll’s interrupted when they’re told the powerful queen ruling Sisterland is sending the snow that’s overwhelmed their world and only the girls can save it. When their difficult quest leads to a tragic separation, the way forward is less clear. Well served by Witesman’s supple translation from Finnish, Simukka incorporates elements from classic children’s literature inventively. The enticing setting, quirky creatures, and humans (who default to white) are entertaining, but the passionate friendship is the story’s heart, providing emotional heft.

A girl-centered hero’s journey, at once princess-free and enchanting. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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Rich in history, Stone’s middle-grade debut entertains and informs. clean getaway

DON’T TELL THE NAZIS

Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk Scholastic (240 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-338-31053-5

KAT WOLFE TAKES THE CASE

St John, Lauren Farrar, Straus and Giroux (304 pp.) $16.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-0-374-30961-9 Series: Wolfe and Lamb Mysteries, 2

Kid detectives find themselves mixed up in 10 interconnected mysteries.

Native Briton Kat Wolfe and her American friend, Harper Lamb, daughters of a veterinarian and a paleontologist, respectively, feel fully equipped to take on a mystery or two—after all, they’ve done it before (Kat Wolfe Investigates, 2018). But this new one proves to be a little more complicated—they count at least 10, many pertaining to endangered and extinct (and maybe fantastical) creatures, from bluefin tunas to dinosaurs. Is the new fossil unearthed in their Dorset, England, town a dinosaur or a dragon? Why are two Hollywood stars interested in it, and why won’t they pay Kat for all the petsitting she’s doing for their Pomeranian? What might |

CLEAN GETAWAY

Stone, Nic Illus. by Anyabwile, Dawud Crown (240 pp.) $16.99 | $19.99 PLB | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-9848-9297-3 978-1-9848-9298-0 PLB

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Liberated from the Soviets by the Nazis: Frying pan, meet fire.

When the German army marches into Krystia’s Ukrainian town, everyone greets the soldiers as liberators. Kind Mrs. Segal, ethnically Ukrainian Krystia’s Jewish neighbor, takes a lovely photograph of Krystia flinging a flower into the air as they celebrate their rescuers. The local Poles, Jews, and Ukrainians (considered ethnic groups at the time, not nationalities or religions, as Krystia makes quite clear) are perhaps excessively naïve about the goodwill of the invading Germans, as seen through Krystia’s optimistic eyes.

But that hope is soon shattered, as the Nazis, like the Soviets before them, take any property they desire and hold human life cheap. Ukrainians and Poles are wretched subhumans to the Nazis, unfit for schooling or any life but labor—but that’s nothing on how they treat the local Jews. On a trumped-up charge, the Nazi commandant arrests 101 Jewish men and has them shot. Krystia sees her neighbors buried in a mass grave and their meager clothing given to ethnic German interlopers. Shockingly, the situation only deteriorates from there, as the Nazis execute their solution to the “Jewish Question.” The first-person account, based on the real-life Krystia’s memories as told to Skrypuch, reads like a memoir; despite the historically accurate body count, it retains a sense of hope.

An accessible entry in a crowded, vital field, honoring those who risked everything to save others. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 9-11)

Kat’s grandfather, Britain’s minister of defense, have to do with it all? Amazingly, all 10 mysteries do intertwine, though it takes some extraordinary strokes of luck along with Kat’s commendable sleuthing skills. St John makes some missteps with the American characters, using a lot more British language patterns and words than seems plausible for people who didn’t grow up there. Adult characters are silly enough that the kids get to be the heroes of the story, but they’re not so buffoonish that they’ll insult the intelligence of the characters or readers. Kat presents white while brown-skinned Harper is of Cuban descent, and their community reflects a vigorously diverse England.

Animal lovers transitioning from middle grade to YA will find a lot to enjoy here. (Mystery. 10-14)

Using the Negro Travelers’ Green Book and her hidden past as a road map, a grandma takes her grandson on a cross country journey.

When G’ma pulls up to William “Scoob” Lamar’s house in a brand-new Winnebago and invites him on an adventure, Scoob leaves a note for his dad and jumps in. Despite not knowing where they are going, or why G’ma has traded in her Mini Cooper and house for the RV, Scoob is a willing wingman because he wants to save spring break and escape his strict single dad for a few days. Readers will appreciate the bond between Scoob and G’ma; Stone balances fun with emotion for a compelling read. After they cross from Georgia to Alabama and G’ma keeps avoiding Dad’s calls, Scoob begins to get suspicious. When G’ma lets him see the contents of her once off-limits treasure box, which includes a 1963 edition of the Travelers’ Green Book, Scoob understands this trip means much more than even he imagined. The complex role race plays in their family and on this trip—Scoob is mixed-race and presents black, and G’ma is white—is explored in a meaningful way that provides details about a period in time as well as present-day realities. Rich in history, Stone’s middle-grade debut entertains and informs young readers. The subdued ending may frustrate, but the journey, punctuated by Anyabwile’s grayscale cartoons, is well worth it.

A road trip to remember. (Fiction. 8-12)

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Strong lines and bold shapes create the groundwork for compelling illustrations. vivaldi

SPIES, LIES, AND DISGUISE The Daring Tricks and Deeds That Won World War II Swanson, Jennifer Illus. by O’Malley, Kevin Bloomsbury (144 pp.) $21.99 | Nov. 26, 2019 978-1-68119-779-1

During World War II, the Allies developed myriad tricks, promulgated deceiving information, employed spies and double agents, and in general, did whatever they could to confuse the enemy.

Unlike the limited focus of Paul Janeczko’s Secret Soldiers (2019), Swanson’s effort describes a wide range of varied subversive operations, including plans for biological warfare, the use of camouflage, the work of spies, and the efforts to blow up important dams in Germany’s industrial Ruhr Valley, each chapter beginning with an imagined, humorous “wanted” poster. Much of the information is presented in a somewhat flippant way that sharply contrasts with the subject matter. Material on the war work of gay, closeted mathematician Alan Turing, who died tragically some years after the war, blithely concludes, “Cheers to Alan!” A chapter that describes plans to use anthrax to kill German cows begins with a “wanted” poster seeking volunteers to assist: “It will be a great way to cull the herd,” it suggests.

Factual errors appear often enough to undermine the presentation: Sheep and not cows perished in one of the anthrax experiments described; brave spy Noor Inayat Khan, a British Muslim woman, didn’t assist before and after D-Day operations since the Germans arrested her eight months before; and the statement that the atomic bomb Little Boy “rocked the homes” of the residents of Hiroshima is a severe understatement. In contrast to the narrative, this effort includes outstanding period photographs.

Disappointing. (Nonfiction. 10-14)

NAUGHTY NINJA TAKES A BATH

Tarpley, Todd Illus. by Vogel, Vin Two Lions (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 1, 2020 978-1-5420-9433-7

After swinging out from the jungle after a long day of ninja-ing, Will makes his way home just in time for a bath. But as all ninjas know, danger lurks around every corner.

Even naughty ninjas get hungry, but Dad says, “Pee-yew,” and insists his little ninja get clean before going near a morsel. Ever the Naughty Ninja, Will follows his dad into the bathroom and immediately spies danger: Poisonous flies that have followed him from the jungle! As any parent would, his dad begs him not to say, “Ninja to the rescue,” because we all know what comes after a catchphrase…chaos! Through each increasingly rough 108

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rescue, Dad finds himself more and more defeated in his quest to complete bathtime, but ultimately he starts to find the infectious joy that only the ridiculousness of children can bring out in an adult. The art is bright and finds some nifty ninja perspectives that use the space well. It also places an interracial family at its center: Dad has brown skin and dark, puffy hair, and Mom is a white redhead; when out of his ninja cowl, Will looks like a slightly lighter-skinned version of his father. Kids will laugh at everything the dad is put through, and parents will knowingly nod, because we have all had nights with little ninjas soaking the bathroom floor. The book starts out a little text heavy but finds its groove quickly, reading smoothly going forward. Lots of action means it’s best not to save this one for bedtime.

Good fun for all little ninjas and their parents. (Picture book. 4-8)

VIVALDI

Torvund, Helge Illus. by Johnsen, Mari Kanstad Trans. by Shaterian, Jeanie & Reinhard, Thilo New York Review Books (96 pp.) $15.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-68137-374-4 A cat and a composer create an escape for a young bullied girl.

Tyra dreads school—not because she’s a poor student but because she is ostracized by the other kids. She never speaks at school, only inside her house. But when she’s alone with Vivaldi, her adopted kitten, or with Grandma listening to the music of the composer Vivaldi, or even playing the piano, then Tyra comes alive. The complex, contradictory emotions and nature-evoking sounds in Vivaldi’s music allow her to fly away, into the music. Tyra’s internal life is conveyed in a linear set of loose third-person vignettes, as if each page or two is a textual and visual poem, a bite-sized insight. The text, translated from the original Norwegian, is lyrical, at times gently humorous and at others poignant, yet ultimately life-affirming. Strong lines and bold shapes in a striking array of muted colors create the groundwork for compelling illustrations filled with symbolism, such as the giant eyes that float around a shrinking Tyra sitting at her classroom desk. Eventually, Tyra’s classmate alerts adults to her situation, and the ending leaves Tyra connecting with the school psychologist through her love of her cat. Created by an award-winning author-and-illustrator duo, this long-format picture book with a compact trim is a shorter, more visual readalike for R.J. Palacio’s Wonder (2012) and other books about kindness and compassion. Tyra is depicted with beige skin and black hair.

This quiet, contemplative story explores the beautiful, complex internal lives of children. (Fiction. 7-12)

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INTO THE BLIZZARD Heroism at Sea During the Great Blizzard of 1978

Tougias, Michael J. Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt (288 pp.) $19.99 | Dec. 10, 2019 978-1-62779-283-7 Series: True Rescue

ONE SNOWY MORNING

Tseng, Kevin Illus. by Wulfekotte, Dana Dial (32 pp.) $16.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-7352-3041-5

One snowy morning, two forest friends stumble across an unexpected surprise…a snowman.

Readers who ever wondered what forest creatures think when they come across elements of humanity in their natural world need wonder no more, and they will delight in the naiveté of this woodland’s denizens. They see not a snowman but a “giant pile of snow” with “long wooden legs” (its arms) “lumpy kickballs” (the nuggets of coal used for its eyes) and even a “dragon tooth” (its carrot nose). But what to do with all of this newfound treasure? The squirrel and chipmunk who kick the action off have an idea that will surely surprise the rest of their friends and bring them all together. Children and adults alike will have fun watching these little critters as they creatively play with top hat, mittens, and scarf before |

ON THE ROCKS

Walters, Eric Orca (128 pp.) $14.99 paper | Jan. 28, 2020 978-1-4598-2364-8 A teen connects with his grandfather on a remote island.

Fourteen-year-old Dylan has been sent to live with his maternal grandfather, Angus. Angus resides on a remote island, content to live quietly holed up in his tiny cabin and cut off from everyone else in the world. Dylan is disgruntled by the lack of 21stcentury amenities on the small island, but he slowly comes around to the solitary lifestyle. When a young orca is beached upon the island’s rocky shoreline, Angus and Dylan must cement their bond by getting it back in the water. The novel gets right to the point, traversing its slim page count quickly and sketching a grandfather-grandson relationship with efficiency and ease. Angus and Dylan are both hurting, but they don’t jump right at each other’s throats in some form of manufactured drama. There’s a soft masculinity here, an old-school “gotta keep those feelings deep down inside” way of thinking that gives the book a steady and quiet pace. Those looking for screaming matches and flipped tables will be left disappointed, but there’s an effective maturity to the relationship built here that is the book’s big draw. Dylan and Angus both present white; one of the book’s few secondary characters is Sikh.

A short and simple but nevertheless effective tale of intergenerational understanding. (Fiction. 10-14)

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During a severe blizzard in 1978, Gloucester, Massachusetts, mariner Frank Quirk II took his 49-foot pilot boat out into the teeth of the storm in an attempt to aid Coast Guard vessels in peril.

Just as had been the case with the three Coast Guard boats, Quirk lost his radar almost as soon as the Can Do passed the shelter of the breakwater. On the open ocean, facing waves that topped 30 feet, wind gusts slamming his boat at nearly 100 miles per hour, and driving thick, swirling snow, Quirk had few clues to his location, and jagged ledges, invisible in the maelstrom, loomed perilously close. With failing radios, he had occasional contact with those on shore, providing an intermittent narrative of impending disaster. Before the night ended, the Can Do and her crew of five were lost at sea. This young readers’ adaptation of Ten Hours Until Dawn (2005) reads like a thriller, suspenseful and ultimately tragic, effectively capturing the desperate situations of the three Coast Guard boats that were dispatched to aid a supposedly sinking tanker (it wasn’t) and that of the spirited crew of the Can Do. The tale concludes with an epilogue that briefly chronicles the lives since 1978 of some of those involved, even delivering one final gut punch. Characters depicted in the archival black-andwhite photos are all white.

Riveting. (Nonfiction. 11-16)

discovering each of the snowman’s components’ actual purpose: ingredients for dragon-tooth soup, fuel to cook it with, and a table and accessories. Whimsical, playful illustrations depict these critters’ cozily appointed home, full of rodentsized human appurtenances. It’s all so dear that readers may not wonder how it is that the snowman’s accessories are such a mystery to animals who have a well-appointed kitchen that includes cans of tomatoes, a pepper grinder, and a great many very nice-looking pots and pans.

This sweet read will encourage young ones to look at everyday items in brand-new ways. (Picture book. 3-5)

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MARTIN MCLEAN, MIDDLE SCHOOL QUEEN

Zaczek, Alyssa Sterling (272 pp.) $16.95 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-4549-3570-4

Martin McLean, you’d better work it.

Mixed-race (Afro-Cuban and white) Martin McLean’s seventh grade year starts out with a bang. On his first day, Martin has a panic attack in math class when a comment made by a bullying Mathletes teammate makes Martin wonder if he’s gay. Sensing this conversation might be on the horizon, Martin’s Afro-Cuban single mother calls in her brother, Tío Billy, a gay theater producer and sometime drag queen who has been a strong male figure in Martin’s life. Billy, sensing the need to help Martin discover a broader community than his school peers provide, takes Billy to an LGBTQ–friendly cafe that’s hosting an all-ages drag competition. Bit by the showbiz bug, Martin wants to enter only to realize that it’s on the same night as the Mathletes’ regional championship. What’s a queen-in-training to do? Overall, Zaczek tells an amusing story that’s bursting with diversity at every turn. Martin doesn’t have the snap of Tim Federle’s Nate, but his often naïve approach to life will attract fans of Richard Peck’s The Best Man (2016). Die-hard fans of drag and RuPaul’s Drag Race may spot thin plot points now and then: Why isn’t Martin YouTubing makeup tutorials?

Does he really not know about RuPaul? Readers new to drag culture will most likely overlook these points and enjoy Zaczek’s sweetly crafted world.

A tasty treat. (Fiction. 9-12)

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young adult PRACTICALLY EVER AFTER

This title earned the Kirkus Star:

Bandeira, Isabel Spencer Hill Press (400 pp.) $9.95 paper | Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-63392-109-2 Series: Ever After, 3

AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS by Mikki Kendall; illus. by A. D’Amico............................................................................ 115

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A stressed-out high school senior struggles to balance logic and love.

Grace Correa has made all the “right” decisions, including choosing a highsalaried career concentration and forgoing her love of dance for cheerleading in order to enhance her transcript and social status. Weeks before graduation, she has a tight group of friends at her suburban Pennsylvania high school and a loving girlfriend, Leia, who attends the local private school. But when Grace overcommits to a grueling final engineering project and a substitute teacher gig at her aunt’s dance studio, her personal life falls apart—and she questions whether to stay with Leia when, statistically, most high school relationships don’t survive the freshman year of college. The third entry in the Ever After series is full of charming, nuanced characters, most of all Grace, whose passions range from designing a rehabilitation glove that’s functional yet fashionable to teaching modern dance to adults. Most characters seem to be white, although naming conventions imply that Grace and her family might be Latinx and that some secondary characters are ethnically diverse. Grace’s relationship with Leia is embraced by everyone around them.

A satisfying romance whose queer narrator possesses a desire to have it all. (Romance. 13-18)

INTO THE PIT

Cawthon, Scott & Cooper, Elley Scholastic (208 pp.) $9.99 paper | Dec. 26, 2019 978-1-338-57601-6 Series: Five Nights at Freddy’s: Fazbear Frights, 1 AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights

Three spooky novellas pit teens against mechanical creatures.

Oswald, Sarah, and Millie are dissatisfied with their lives. Oswald’s father is unemployed and money is tight—and to make things worse, his best friend has moved away. Sarah has a poor self-image, disordered eating, and wants to be model-pretty and popular. Goth Millie is miserable living with her grandfather in his overstuffed

Kendall, Mikki Illus. by D’Amico, A. Ten Speed Press (208 pp.) $19.99 paper | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-399-58179-3

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the value of a sensitivity reader Photo courtesy Leah Overstreet

The use of sensitivity readers— consultants with lived experience of one or more marginalized identities who comment on manuscripts—is hotly debated. Some feel the practice constitutes censorship and stifles creativity while others believe that it is too easily abused, allowing authors to abdicate responsibility for developing their own awareness while hiding behind the sensitivity reader if the resulting work is criticized.

Tu Books’ Stacy Whitman wrote thoughtfully about this—and like her, I prefer “cultural expert” (or “expert reader”), as “sensitivity” has been weaponized against people seeking equity. This is not about tiptoeing around sensitivities but about basic respect. The conversation also often veers into “rights”: Does the right of the author to say whatever they want trump the impact on those who face bias in real life as well as in the fiction they read for pleasure? (Never mind the right of readers to respond to materials published for public consumption.)

Power imbalances matter too—not just (often) white authors versus readers from marginalized groups but also adult versus young person. Books still cross my desk containing blatant, ugly stereotypes that would make many readers feel disrespected by those they trusted to entertain them. So why is there still resistance to the concept of asking for input from an expert reader?

Some people who would do meticulous research before writing fiction that features submarines or the life cycle of slugs nevertheless believe that doing due diligence to learn about entire groups of marginalized people is absurd. People dream up fantasy and science-fiction worlds, forgetting that while these worlds may be imaginary, they stem from the brain of a real human which has been shaped by years of acculturation (see Jewel Davis’ presentation on Speculative Worlds of Color).

The underrepresentation of youth of color (see Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen’s and David Huyck’s infographic) and the high proportion of non-#ownvoices titles (as per the Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s data) indicate a pressing need for authors to be mindful. I believe some resistance is based on the “colorblind” mindset, which posits that differences are external and that “we are all the same underneath”—an approach that renders people deeply uncomfortable about acknowledging that race (and other marginalized differences) in fact has a powerful impact on daily experiences.

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The result is characters who are, at best, superficially diverse. Physical descriptions of white characters are often rendered in exquisite, individualized detail while characters of color are reduced to brown skin or almond eyes— or, sometimes, race alone. White characters get to grapple with many aspects of being human, while non-#ownvoices diverse characters frequently lack texture and complexity, as if race were the sum total of their being.

Yet, two Chinese American kids attending the same mostly white school will share the commonality of enduring the same stereotypes of Chinese people and at the same time have vastly different experiences based on individual circumstances. One might be an artsy theater girl with dyslexia from an upper-middle-class family while the other might be a working-class boy whose life centers on church and baseball.

People also need to let go of the idea that there should be a final authority on whether a particular book “is authentic” or not. One story is just that, one story—but each story is nevertheless grounded in reality (yes, even the wildest fantasy). There is a meaningful difference between tropes and stereotypes versus cultural norms, just as there is between statistical averages versus individual lives. Cultural experts can help authors understand the world their character is moving through, the baggage the world will heap on that character, and the filters through which they will be viewed by others. They can also help authors understand typical cultural practices, beliefs, references, in-jokes, and more.

They can help them avoid both laughable errors as well as larger missteps that may reduce a young reader to tears (I’ve been the librarian facing that child) and feed internalized racism.

That still leaves ample room for creativity and artistic expression. Julie Berry’s Lovely War (March 5) is set against the backdrop of World War I and infused with Greek mythology. The white author received a Kirkus star (and widespread acclaim) for her imaginative epic—and she consulted multiple cultural experts, as she told Jewish sensitivity reader Marjorie Ingall. Change is always painful, and we are in a period of turmoil and transition. I look forward to seeing how this conversation evolves. —L.S. Laura Simeon is the young adult editor.

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Heartbreakingly honest, refreshingly victorious. furious thing

Victorian. Yet all three find that wishing for things to change can have consequences far worse than their previous troubles— ones that may claim their lives. Several characters from the Five Nights at Freddy’s video game franchise feature in this short collection, and the animatronics in these original stories evoke the game’s clunky, fear-inducing characters. While the novellas are certainly engaging in terms of plot and include some terrifying—albeit gory—imagery, the characters and their stories border on cliché. Debut author Cooper’s contributions are at times inventive, with nonlinear plots and inconclusive endings, but all the stories include similar, predictable plot points and occasional passages that could have been edited for clarity.

There is a notable amount of repetitive and (too) straightforward dialogue throughout, but the simplicity overall makes for a smooth read that’s devoid of ambiguity, focusing instead on the forward movement of action, which may draw in reluctant readers. Main characters are white; there is some minor diversity in secondary characters.

Head into the pit for a quick horror read; those looking for immersion should keep out. (Horror. 12-16)

Cawthon, Scott & Breed-Wrisley, Kira Illus. by Schröder, Claudia Scholastic (192 pp.) $12.99 paper | Dec. 26, 2019 978-1-338-29848-2 Series: Five Nights at Freddy’s, 1 Old friends find that nostalgia isn’t the only thing lurking in their childhood stomping ground.

Charlie and her friends gather in their small hometown of Hurricane to honor their deceased friend, Michael, in this graphic-novel adaption of the 2016 novel by the same name inspired by the video game franchise.

Previously owned and operated by Charlie’s father, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza has been subsumed by the construction of a mall. It was a primary source of entertainment for her and her friends— as well as the site of Michael’s mysterious disappearance. Yet when the friends break into the pizza parlor to reminisce and explore, they find that in addition to abandoned animatronic characters, arcade games, and rides, their childhood playground holds dark forces looking for prey—and disturbing memories from the past begin to intrude. The full-color art is simple, with ample white space, and the illustrations are effectively creepy, with variations in the layout of the panels. However, readers may have trouble tracking the large cast of characters and their relationships, especially with several flashbacks that reveal past traumas. The action-packed and occasionally gory plot will engage, but abrupt transitions and a too-quick resolution take readers out of the world of the story. All main characters are white, with the exception of one who is black.

Will find a ready readership among fans. (Graphic horror.

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Dao, Julie C. Philomel (288 pp.) $18.99 | Nov. 5, 2019 978-1-5247-3835-8

The return to the kingdoms of Feng Lu relies heavily on the richly detailed East Asian worldbuilding.

Eight prosperous years after Empress Jade and Lord Koichi completed their quest to defeat the evil Empress Xifeng, a terrifying bloodpox outbreak and the illegal trade of forbidden black spice has left the kingdom on the brink of war. Bao is a gentle-spirited orphan and a physician’s apprentice whose heartbreak over Lan, the royal minister’s marriageable daughter, drives him to seek out a river witch. The witch turns out to be his vengeful aunt, who curses Bao with blood magic—casting a spell that traps him in his beloved flute. Lan deeply regrets her harsh words to Bao and vows to help him break the curse. A sincere declaration of love before the next full moon will break the spell, so the two embark on an epic journey to find answers. Lan and Bao’s story is a stand-alone tale, but fans of the Rise of the Empress duology will appreciate the entourage meeting up once again with Commander Wei, Wren, Jade, and Koichi. In this latest quest, characters are literally and figuratively transparent, and mentions of the long-dead Xifeng’s rise to villainy only makes readers long for more intriguing characters. Unfortunately, this companion title is weak in character development and engaging dialogue.

An ambitious premise that does not live up to previous entries in complexity and depth. (Fantasy adventure. 12-16)

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THE SILVER EYES

SONG OF THE CRIMSON FLOWER

FURIOUS THING

Downham, Jenny David Fickling/Scholastic (384 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-338-54065-9 Alexandra has always been told that her anger is her biggest problem when really, it might be her greatest gift.

Fifteen-year-old Alexandra is furious all the time. Everyone notices when she’s mad at her mother’s fiance, John, who makes everyone in her family miserable. But most of all, she’s mad at herself and her inability to be the daughter she thinks her mother needs. As the wedding approaches and Alexandra’s relationship with John rapidly deteriorates, she finds herself facing some hard truths about her past, including her role in her beloved grandfather’s death. As Alexandra begins to see through the haze of John’s abuse, she starts to realize that despite what he says, she is not the problem: John is. This unflinchingly honest tale of emotional abuse is masterfully paced and deeply felt.

Alexandra’s evolution from self-hatred to self-realization, as

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A critical work. stolen justice

well as her mother’s struggle to protect herself and her children, is as authentic as it is heartbreaking. Other than the spattering of third-person fairy tales, which unfortunately jolt readers out of the story, the tone strikes just the right balance of urgency, desperation, and hope. Readers will root for Alexandra and her anger—and, in the process, examine the potentially transformative role of fury in their own lives. Main characters seem to be white, and there is some indication of diversity through names.

A heartbreakingly honest, refreshingly victorious, feminist take on surviving emotional abuse. (Fiction. 16-adult)

HEARTS, STRINGS, AND OTHER BREAKABLE THINGS

Firkins, Jacqueline HMH Books (384 pp.) $17.99 | Dec. 17, 2019 978-1-328-63519-8

A bookish musician moves in with wealthy relatives and finds romance and renewed hope in this modern-day take on Mansfield Park.

Edie Price spent three years in foster care following her mother’s death, until finally her snobbish, WASPy aunt and uncle deigned to take her in. Life in Mansfield, Massachusetts, is both alien and familiar to Edie, since she used to spend summers there before a long-ago family rift—and since the socio-economic divide between herself and her family is now so extreme. Her aunt’s performative charity doesn’t extend to real kindness, and her cousins, Maria and Julia, at first seem shallow and catty to Edie. Still, she remembers boy-nextdoor Sebastian Summers with a fondness that quickly reignites into a crush when the two start swapping literary references and longing glances. However, complications arise in the form of Sebastian’s glamorous girlfriend, Claire, and Claire’s brother, a gorgeous, notorious player named Henry. Edie immediately idealizes Sebastian and dismisses Henry, but as she gets to know more about Mansfield’s high society, and about herself, she learns to question almost all her first impressions. Edie’s ex– best friend and two background characters are implied people of color; all others are white. The prose is heavier on alliteration than Austen-esque wit, but the author of Mansfield Park would no doubt approve of this retelling’s dreamy romance and sly social commentary.

A sweet, gentle modernization of Jane Austen that packs a little subversive punch. (Romance. 14-18)

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SCARED LITTLE RABBITS

Geiger, A.V. Sourcebooks Fire (368 pp.) $10.99 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-4926-4828-4

A summer coding competition ends in tragedy.

Shy, 16-year-old coding whiz Nora Weinberg is a ball of nerves when she arrives at New England’s venerable Winthrop Academy for the Summer Maker Program, which showcases the brightest young talents in coding and culminates in a cash prize. Nora feels constantly overlooked and is dying for someone to notice her. Luckily, she has InstaLove, an augmented reality social app. When InstaLove pings on the handsome Maddox Drake, Nora is instantly smitten—and she’s thrilled when he asks her to help him tweak InstaLove’s programming using an InSight Visor, a type of AR glasses. Unfortunately, Maddox has a long history with the beautiful and very rich Eleanor Winthrop, who makes it clear she doesn’t want Maddox anywhere near Nora. But Maddox is falling for Nora, and Eleanor is hiding a secret hinted at through entries in her online journal. Cue the virtual and IRL shenanigans. Nora’s constant self-deprecation grates, her romance with Maddox is underdeveloped, and side characters mostly exist to service the plot. The disappearance of a student leads to a muddled denouement that fails to shock. Minor diversity can be found in the supporting cast, but most main characters appear to be white, and Nora briefly mentions her Jewish heritage.

Heavy on angst, light on suspense. (Mystery. 13-18)

STOLEN JUSTICE The Struggle for African American Voting Rights Goldstone, Lawrence Scholastic (288 pp.) $18.99 | Jan. 7, 2020 978-1-338-32348-1 Series: Scholastic Focus

What happens when the right to vote is systematically withheld from a portion of the electorate?

Goldstone (Unpunished Murder, 2018, etc.) details the complex history of voting for African Americans, including the lasting impact of major decisions made at pivotal points in American history: the Constitutional Convention, the Civil War, the 13th and 14th amendments during Reconstruction, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its dismantling by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts in 2013. By interweaving stories about African Americans who fought for the right to vote and those who worked against them, Goldstone deftly highlights the adversities African Americans have faced to gain and retain access to the ballot. He unpacks many of the structural, systematic, state-sanctioned, and legal blockades to

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voting, including state constitutional amendments in North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina that insidiously virtually eliminated African American participation. Running parallel to the stories are portrayals of lesser-known heroes like Alex Manly, Judge Alexander Rivers, Cornelius Jones, and Jackson W. Giles who worked to dismantle systemic racism at the ballot box. Goldstone resurrects decades-old court cases, bringing new life to the past by clearly connecting yesterday to today and invoking current questions about which Americans have participatory access to democracy. Short chapters, ample photographs and illustrations, judicious use of illustrative quotations, and straightforward prose make this an engaging read.

A critical work. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, illustration credits, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

WATCH OVER ME

After a horrific domestic violence incident, Zoey Ward and her family finally find their footing in Las Vegas only to have their lives overturned by a house fire.

Learning that her father has been recently released from prison, Zoey suspects he had something to do with the blaze. After their lives go up in flames, literally, Zoey along with her mom and her younger siblings, Kate and Cole, flee Las Vegas with the help of her older brother, Will, and his best friend, Tristan. They take refuge in California, where Tristan and his sister welcome them into a world where things seem hopeful and more stable than anything they have ever known. Yet the fear of being hunted down by her father consumes Zoey. The story is narrated from Zoey’s and Tristan’s first-person perspectives, and Gray (Run Away With Me, 2017, etc.) has masterfully captured the uncertainty and terror that come from domestic violence. Tristan and Zoey share a budding romance in which Zoey slowly but surely learns to love and be loved in a nondestructive, healthy way despite her fears and reservations. With everything she has been through, Zoey is the underdog readers will find themselves rooting for. Gray spares no detail in this intense tale. All characters are assumed to be white; Tristan is dyslexic, and there are several queer characters.

An unflinching portrayal of the devastating effects of domestic violence. (Fiction. 16-adult)

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Kendall, Mikki Illus. by D’Amico, A. Ten Speed Press (208 pp.) $19.99 paper | Nov. 5, 2019 978-0-399-58179-3

This graphic narrative traces the history of women’s rights around the globe.

When their purple-skinned, white-haired AI instructor introduces the subject of women’s rights, the class of six young women breaks out in argument. The instructor responds by transporting them across time and space to show them the history of women’s rights. Starting with ancient Sumer, the instructor exposes her class, and consequently, readers, to influential women from diverse backgrounds by highlighting the struggles and achievements of nearly 200 individuals who were leaders in a variety of areas of pursuit, including well-known figures such as Pharaoh Hatshepsut and Harriet Tubman as well as others who deserve to be better known. The content is both historical and up to the minute, with relevance to current issues, covering, among other topics, colonization, suffrage, civil rights, redress movements, the wage gap, sexual harassment, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ rights. Kendall’s (contributor: Here We Are, 2017, etc.) informative text and D’Amico’s realistic full-color illustrations also include brief biographies of contemporary women, including Naelyn Pike, an environmental and Indigenous rights activist, and Alice Wong, who advocates for disability rights. The unnamed students represent a diverse range of identities and manners of gender expression: Five of the six are people of color, one has a prosthetic limb, and another is hijabi. Source notes and suggestions for further reading would have been valuable additions.

A fabulous introduction—informative, forthright, and highly appealing. (index) (Graphic nonfiction. 12-16)

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Gray, Mila Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster (352 pp.) $18.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-5344-4281-8

AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights

JUST DON’T MENTION IT Maskame, Estelle Sourcebooks Fire (496 pp.) $10.99 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-4926-8295-0

Seventeen-year-old Tyler Bruce is spending the summer before his senior year of high school in turmoil.

Through flashbacks, readers learn of Tyler’s physical abuse by his father before he went to jail. Now, his mother is married to Dave Munro, and Dave’s daughter, Eden, is coming to Santa Monica to stay with them for the summer. Eden’s first impression of Tyler is that he is a major jerk, but over time Tyler

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Kim Liggett

THE AUTHOR’S NEW YA NOVEL, THE GRACE YEAR, IS A DYSTOPIAN TALE OF TEENAGE GIRLS, DRAWING COMPARISONS TO THE HANDMAID’S TALE

By Kristen Evans Photo courtesy Luke Fontana

Kim Liggett, the Bram Stoker Award–winning author of The Last Harvest, Blood and Salt, and other novels for young adults, was standing at the departures board in New York’s Penn Station when a teenage girl waiting with her family caught her eye.

“She was right on the verge of womanhood, and a businessman passed, instinctively looking her way, like stem to stern,” Liggett recalls. “I knew that look, like she was fair game now, she was prey.”

A woman passed by soon after, “drawn to that same energy, but what I imagined for entirely different reasons,” she adds. “This girl was now competition.” Liggett pauses. “I just thought, it’s a horrible

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system. You set up these girls on these pedestals just to knock them down.”

Liggett boarded her own train and immediately started writing The Grace Year (Wednesday Books, Oct. 8), a YA novel that has already drawn comparisons to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies.

Set in an alternate past, the novel follows 16-yearold Tierney, who is exiled to an isolated compound in the woods with other girls her age to release her “magic” before returning to a constrained life as the wife of a councilman.

There’s a catch, though. Prowling outside the compound are poachers who will kill the young women in exchange for bounty. Soon enough, the young women engage in power struggles with one another instead of helping each other survive.

“As girls and women, we’re conditioned to compete with one another,” Liggett observes. “The way I was raised, it was really the only way that girls were allowed to show their anger.”

This idea became even more urgent for Liggett after the 2016 election. “I think of myself as being a very good feminist,” she says, “but when I started writing this book, I really had to take a hard look at how I see women and the judgments that I put on them.”

Reflection about internalized sexism became a large part of her writing process for The Grace Year.

“This book changed me,” she says.

Given its preoccupation with oppressive patriarchy, the novel doesn’t shy away from violence—or the steaminess of its (mostly implied) sex scenes.

Liggett says that’s because she wrote the book first and foremost for herself. “The minute you start try-

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ing to censor yourself, or appeal to parents, that’s a quick death,” says Liggett. “I don’t want to write that way.

“Teens are so cool. They’re amazing and smart and wonderful and savvy,” she adds. “Girls in particular know violence. It’s all around them.”

The Grace Year was recently optioned by Elizabeth Banks for Universal Pictures, and Liggett says the film will be helmed entirely by women—from the executives to the screenwriter. “I didn’t expect to be involved,” says Liggett, who was offered an executive producer credit. “They have been unbelievably inclusive. They call me on every single thing.”

Liggett is still overwhelmed by how many other women—from her new connections in Hollywood to early readers—have connected with what she thought of as a largely personal story. “Women need to be heard,” says Liggett. “Young women especially need to be heard and seen, not as prey or competition but as our greatest hope.”

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THE LAST WITNESS

McFall, Claire Sourcebooks Fire (272 pp.) $10.99 paper | Jan. 1, 2020 978-1-7282-0024-8

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Kristen Evans reviews for Kirkus and writes for BuzzFeed, the Los Angeles Times, the New Republic, NYLON, and elsewhere. The Grace Year received a starred review in the July 15, 2019, issue.

finds he cannot stay away from Eden, and she, in turn, is drawn to him. Will they be more than friends—and can Tyler finally begin to heal? This companion novel to Maskame’s Did I Mention I Love You? trilogy is narrated from Tyler’s first-person perspective. Maskame (Dare To Fall, 2017, etc.) skillfully moves the plot forward with chapters alternating between the present and 5 years ago. Readers will feel invested in the story, wondering what will happen with Tyler’s questionable relationship with substances and where Eden fits into his life. However, Eden and Tyler’s developing romance often feels unrealistic because he is so cruel to her and others that his appeal can be difficult to understand. The book situates whiteness as the norm, and it is unfortunate that the one significant adult male character of color, Tyler’s half Mexican/half white father, is violent and abusive.

A quick guilty pleasure. (Fiction. 14-18)

Five friends travel to Black Cairn Point, but only two come back.

Heather, Martin, and Dougie set off to celebrate Dougie’s birthday with a camping trip to an isolated coastal spot in Scotland together with Heather’s best friend, Emma, and her annoying new boyfriend, Darren (the one with the car). If Heather’s crush on her friend Dougie didn’t already make things awkward enough, the dynamics are further disturbed by Darren’s confrontational demeanor, which spurs tension and divides the group. Then things take a turn for the worse when one of them goes missing after they find an ancient burial site. One year later, while the only other survivor continues to suffer from the aftereffects of the trip, Heather is still struggling to tell the truth about what happened in an attempt to prove both her innocence as well as her sanity. With a narrative that alternates between then and now, this atmospheric novel straddle the line of the supernatural while keeping up with its teenage protagonists’ lives. Readers know from the start that something has gone terribly wrong during that trip, but the author deftly keeps the tension going, efficiently playing with horror tropes and unreliable narratives as the two timelines ultimately converge. All characters seem to be white.

A suspenseful thriller that will leave readers guessing until the end. (Thriller. 14-adult)

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

R. J. Pa l a c i o

THE AUTHOR EXPANDS HER WONDER UNIVERSE WITH WHITE BIRD, A GRAPHIC NOVEL SET IN FRANCE DURING THE HOLOCAUST

By Anjali Enjeti Photo courtesy Heike Bogenberger

R.J. Palacio, the middle-grade author of Wonder and Auggie and Me, was in the midst of writing her next novel in November 2016 when Donald Trump won the presidential election. “I was alarmed by a lot of things I was seeing—the Muslim ban, anti-immigration sentiment, and the dehumanization of people of color,” she says. “I’m a daughter of Colombian immigrants. I spoke Spanish before English. I saw the terrible similarities between the vilification of immigrants at the border and Nazi Germany.”

For Palacio, the Holocaust is also personal. The Third Reich murdered several of her husband’s Jewish ancestors who were living in Poland. In January 2017, she decided to abandon the novel she was working on to begin a new project, her first graphic novel, White Bird: A Wonder Story (Knopf, Oct. 1), which she wrote and illustrated with Kevin Czap.

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(whom readers meet in Auggie and Me), take center stage.

Grandmère tells Julian the story of his namesake—a brave classmate named Julien whom she used to ignore at school because of his disability. When Nazis begin rounding up Jews in Aubervilliers-aux-Bois, Julien saves her life by hiding her in his family’s barn. Despite the horrors encircling them, their friendship soon blossoms.

There are too few books for children about the Holocaust and other genocides, but with this exquisite story, Palacio succeeds in expanding what she sees as a limited literary canon. “We need an age-appropriate curriculum in school that highlights how people are singled out and scapegoated and must do more to introduce students to historical events—the good and the bad,” she says.

Which points to the main lesson Palacio hopes children will take away from White Bird. “Kindness to our fellow human beings,” she says, “means having the courage to do something.”

Anjali Enjeti is an Atlanta-based writer and a vice president of the National Book Critics Circle. White Bird received a starred review in the July 15, 2019, issue.

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THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH

Pullman, Philip Knopf (656 pp.) $22.99 | Oct. 3, 2019 978-0-553-51066-9 Series: The Book of Dust, 2

DIAMOND & DAWN

Selene, Lyra Scholastic (368 pp.) $18.99 | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-338-54759-7 Series: Amber & Dusk, 2

Mirage, now dauphine, is back in this sequel to Amber & Dusk (2018).

Mirage has succeeded in dethroning her half sister, Severine, but ruling isn’t easy, and the tension of the transition is worsened by the rise of a religious zealot and his followers who incite citizens against Mirage and wreak havoc in the Amber City. Though Mirage is a sympathetic character, readers may wonder if she’s actually fit to rule: She’s learned to read but doesn’t understand much about the kingdom she’s ruling and makes impetuous choices, sometimes ignoring feedback from advisers and other times following said advisers’ plans seemingly without thinking things through. When her charming, handsome, distant cousin Gavin—the only other person with |

THE WEIGHT OF A SOUL

Tammi, Elizabeth Flux (320 pp.) $11.99 paper | Dec. 3, 2019 978-1-63583-044-6

After her sister is murdered, a grieving girl is pulled into a life-or-death game between Norse gods.

Lena Freding thought her biggest problems were keeping her village from revolting against her family while her father, Chief Fredrik, neglected his duties and helping her younger sister, Fressa, gain approval for her engagement to Amal. Upon his return from a long journey, Fredrik presents Fressa with an unassuming blade that, in her hands, becomes something otherworldly, setting off a chain of events that just might break Lena. After it is revealed that their parents actually intend Lena and Amal to marry, Fressa runs off into the woods only for Lena to find her dead soon after. Grieving Lena’s search for answers leads her to the goddess of death, Hela, and a bargain: a soul for a soul. But Lena questions how far she will go to bring back her sister. While preventing Ragnarok—the beginning of the end of the world—she must also delay her marriage to Amal. Lena’s melancholy brooding over her inaction weighs the story down, and the flat characterization of most secondary characters and inconsistent pacing also detract from the reader’s experience. The Viking-era setting clashes with the characters’ modern speech patterns. All characters seem to be white, and there are veiled hints about Lena’s bisexuality.

A middling fantasy. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)

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A desert rose with mysterious properties sets off a rush.

The events of The Book of Dust (2017) and the His Dark Materials series behind her, Lyra Silvertongue has grown into a rude post-teen so enthralled by the existential hyperrationalism of two popular writers that even her daemon Pantalaimon can’t stand to talk to her. Believing that Lyra’s imagination has been stolen, Pan braves mutual anguish to slip off to fetch it back. Meanwhile, hints of a rare Central Asian rose whose attar confers the power to see Dust arrive in Brytain, the theocratic Magisterium is poised to expand its reach under the sway of a sinister mastermind, and Malcolm Polstead, Oxford professor and secret agent, finds himself involved in ominous local events—all adding up to multiple characters embarking on parallel journeys across Europe and onward. Pullman places his cast of white main characters in a Eurocentric world marked by rising authoritarianism, general anxiety, desperate refugees, and anonymous terrorists violently destroying rose crops in the name of a vaguely religious Holy Purpose. He skillfully weaves in deeper themes of change and of love’s complexities, ruminations on the nature of evil, evidence of magical truths beneath reality’s veneer, swipes at organized religion, and the powerful—if often twisted—ties of family. This entry, while well stocked with familiar characters in a story founded on ideas, is also not lacking in grand events and narrow squeaks.

Exhilarating. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

a legitimate claim to the throne—arrives, Mirage must battle both Gavin’s machinations and her peoples’ perception that he’s the true Sun Heir. A mysterious, ancient, magical test to determine succession surfaces, and it’s clear that Mirage has grown: She no longer believes she’s owed the throne by virtue of her birth but instead chooses to fight for it. Secondary characters are better fleshed out than in the first book, though the penchant for excessive metaphors and similes remains and is distracting. Most significant characters are described as white.

There’s enough here to please fans of the first novel.

(Fantasy. 14-18)

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Sh e lf Space A Q&A With Richard De Wyngaert of Head House Books, Philadelphia

By Karen Schechner

Shortly after Philadelphia’s Head House Books opened in 2005, the bookselling world had several tectonic shifts. Head House owner Richard De Wyngaert sets the scene: “Amazon went full throttle, Borders declared bankruptcy, Barnes & Noble remained Barnes & Noble, e-readers spread like a virus, the relevance of actual books was questioned, and then…the financial world caved.” Born into turbulent times, Head House Books, whose motto is “Stay Curious,” has nonetheless thrived, voted Best Bookstore by Philadelphia magazine. Here we talk with De Wyngaert about the indie’s “wild, turbulent, robust journey.”

inaugural event with Jennifer Weiner, now a friend and neighbor, was huge. When we opened 15 years ago, we were struggling to establish our identity. Jennifer launched one of her bestselling titles at Head House Books. The store was filled with adoring fans—immediate street cred. Earlier this summer, Jennifer launched the bestselling Mrs. Everything.

The store was again packed, oozing love for Jennifer’s writing and piercing wit. This book was somewhat different for her. I love and admire the changes and growth she has undergone, as a person and as a writer. And similarly, we have undergone changes and, I like to think, grown, evolving as a bookstore. Both Jennifer and Head House Books are still standing, both advancing, and both contributing in different ways to the same community.

How would you describe Head House Books to the uninitiated?

As we all know, the bookselling landscape has undergone dramatic, almost tectonic changes. Books were commoditized and readily available from multiple sources. What is not available and not replicable is our capacity to curate, our particular aesthetic, our broad smiles, and our unwavering commitment to serve with pleasure. We have a playful children’s section, serving the growing number of young families in our community. Beautifully illustrated books, funny books, games, puzzles, cards, and complimentary wrapping paper from which those heading straight to a birthday party can choose. We feature many events for local authors, host a chess club, open mic night, French club, story hour, and multiple book clubs and music morning are all part of the community calendar.

We strive to be welcoming. To quote New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, “Walking into Head House Books is like walking into the well-appointed living room of your most well-read friend.” We want customers to feel appreciated and right at home. The selections are exquisitely curated, and our values and aesthetic frame everything. We enjoy seeing customers molt their “the-books-I-read” skin and feel inspired to read something new and different. But mostly, we want our customers to delight in their experience—and refer a friend, of course.

If Head House Books were a religion, what would be its icons and tenets?

Fun question. Were Head House Books a religion, we’d eschew dogma and eliminate barriers to entry. Eternal damnation would not exist—so Cerberus, the three-headed dog, would be out of a job! Our faith is rooted in renewal and authentic connections—to ourselves, to one another, to our communities, and to our planet. A suitable icon would be the mature salmon swimming upstream—the difference being the salmon makes only one journey before dying while we survive and struggle and swim upstream again and again—perhaps a salmon with nine lives.

Which was your favorite event and/or most memorable disaster?

We have had so many wonderful events, both at the store and off-site. But two are particularly significant. First, our 120

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How does the bookstore reflect the interests of your community?

What trends are you noticing among young readers?

Our young readers are insatiable—so very much encouraged by their zeal and commitment to reading amid the pull of our culture’s attention magnets. Clearly, series are big—keeps them reading, engaged, and forward looking. Our young families love the hardcovers for their toddlers—home libraries carefully crafted with care. Beautifully illustrated books are always snapped up. The vigorous demand for and growing supply of books with strong, independent girl protagonists— at last—are gratifying and promising for our world.

Karen Schechner is the vice president of Kirkus Indie.

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indie A SAVAGE TRICK

These titles earned the Kirkus Star:

Andre, Sarah Beach Reads (384 pp.) $12.99 paper | $3.99 e-book Apr. 13, 2019 978-1-946310-03-3

ONE LESS RIVER by Terry Blackhawk............................................. 123 WILD HARE by Laura Koerber.......................................................... 131 WE GOT THIS ed. by Marika Lindholm, Cheryl Dumesnil, Katherine Shonk & Domenica Ruta.................................................. 132 THE INVISIBLE BOAT by Eric G. Müller......................................... 133 RANDALL AND RANDALL by Nadine Poper; illus. by Polina Gortman..................................................................... 135

RANDALL AND RANDALL

Poper, Nadine Illus. by Gortman, Polina Blue Whale Press (32 pp.) $16.99 | $10.99 paper 978-0-9814938-7-9 978-0-9814938-8-6 pap

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A bitter custody fight leads to an unexpected connection in the third installment of Andre’s (Capturing the Queen, 2017, etc.) romance series.

Lt. Patrick “Trick” Quinn is a respected firefighter in Chicago who’s never lost anyone that he was sent to rescue. He’s seemingly happily married to his wife of nearly 17 years, Eve, with whom he has two young daughters, Amy and Tina. A surprise $4 million lottery win seems to continue his unbroken streak of good fortune. But shortly before their anniversary, Trick is blindsided when Eve gets a restraining order against him, alleging that he abused her and their daughters. Desperate to clear his name, Trick agrees to monitored visits with his daughters, supervised by social worker Zamira Bey. A dedicated professional and a devout Muslim, Zamira is torn between her family’s wish that she marry the assistant to the imam at their mosque and her own interest in pursuing an independent life, like her sister, Shadi. Initially, Zamira is skeptical of Trick’s insistence that he never hurt his family, but eventually, she begins to believe him.

Meanwhile, the city is rocked by a series of terrorist bombings linked to Islamic extremism. As Zamira tries to help Trick prove his innocence, they discover that they share a deep, profound emotional bond. However, a mysterious fire and an ominous new danger threaten to permanently separate them. Andre’s latest book offers fast-paced romantic suspense with welldeveloped characters and a multilayered, nuanced plot with a poignant love story at its center. The personal journeys of Trick and Zamira anchor Andre’s sprawling narrative, and their relationship develops slowly and methodically in scenes marked by introspective conversations, such as one about the importance of religion in their lives. The novel opens with the charges that alter Trick’s life, and Andre skillfully uses flashbacks to trace the history of Trick’s relationship with Eve and the sequence of events that led to the accusations. Along the way, the narrative deftly and satisfyingly moves between Trick’s fight to clear his name and the investigation into the terrorist bombings.

A thoughtful and sensitive romance that makes for a dynamic series installment.

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fish tales Often, when an author writes about sea life, it’s either a threat—as in Peter Benchley’s Jaws or Steve Alten’s Meg— or a source of food for human characters. However, fish can make for dynamic characters themselves—and not only in kids’ entertainment. Here are few examples that bubbled up in the Kirkus Indie section: In Larry and Bob, written by Karen Schaufeld and illustrated by Kurt Schwarz, Larry, a bald eagle, catches a smallmouth bass named Bob who convinces him to spare his life for a year so that he can raise his 19,000-plus offspring that are about to hatch.

Later, Bob saves Larry’s chick’s life. Thus begins a longtime friendship. Kirkus’ reviewer, in a starred review, calls the children’s book “touching” and notes that “the placement of the two male characters as caregivers and primary parents puts a nice spin on gender expectations.”

Fritz, the titular character in author Erin Ball and illustrator Pervin Özcan’s Have You Seen This Fish? is a somewhat less active participant in his story, but he’s unquestionably its driving force. When the spiny fish goes missing, his young, redheaded human owner goes on a quest to find him, plastering his picture all over town and following clues until his jovial companion turns up in an unusual place. Kirkus’ review deems the book a “clever introduction to sleuthing for young readers.”

Fish characters aren’t only found in children’s books, though.

J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison’s comedy-fantasy parody Fish Wielder, for example, features an air-breathing, talking koi named Brad, who accompanies swordsman Thoral Mighty Fist through the magical land of Grome, offering commentary along the way: “ ‘A castle,’ Thoral mused. ‘And it appears to be abandoned.’ ‘They always appear that way, don’t they?’ Brad asked rhetorically.” Kirkus’ starred review praises “Hardison’s comedic inventiveness and stamina.” —D.R. David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.

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TRANSGRESSION

Ange, Brandy Marturia Publications (416 pp.) $16.99 paper | $9.99 e-book Nov. 11, 2017 978-1-947992-00-9 A teenage girl learns that she’s part angel in this debut YA fantasy.

Sixteen-year-old Achaia Cohen thinks that she and her father, Shael, move around so much because he’s a writer who’s always on assignment. It’s actually because he’s one of the Nephilim—the guardian angels of God. Years ago, his charge had been U.S. Sen. Anna Connolly, as per God’s plan, but they fell in love and had a child. After a demon killed Anna, Shael traded his angelic soul to Lucifer for the chance to raise Achaia, the only human/Nephilim hybrid in existence. Now, in New York, Shael continues the difficult task of protecting his daughter, who’s unaware of her lineage, from evil forces. As demons stalk the pair, Shael enlists his angelic colleague, Naphtali, for added defense.

More aid comes in the form of several Nephilim disguised as high school kids: Noland, Olivier, Yellaina, Emile, and Amelia. They help Achaia settle into school and city life while keeping their angelic superpowers (and wings) hidden. Still, Achaia feels like a hostage, as her father is always afraid for her safety. Then Shael vanishes, and Achaia must confront the truth about her background. For this series opener, Ange sculpts a heroic teen saga in the mold of X-Men comics, substituting a speedster (Olivier), a firestarter (Noland), and a language expert (Yellaina) for the latter’s mutant heroes. At one point, she appealingly nods to the supreme deity’s cultural malleability: “Today, God appeared as a tall man wearing white robes, his skin changing colors in ever-shifting hues of black, white, olive, and maple.” The imagery is often graceful, as well: “Shael sat silently, letting [Lucifer’s] words meet him like the tide on the beach.” The concept of free will weaves its way into the action-oriented plot, which also includes romance elements; Achaia’s half-human nature allows her to make decisions that her full-Nephilim cohort can’t, and following one’s heart is shown to be more important than strict adherence to heavenly mandate. Ange leaves all the pieces in place for a grander sequel.

A dark and inviting supernatural thriller.

BURIED ON THE BATTLEFIELD: NOT MY BOY The Return of the Dead From World War Two

found a way to bring them home in a manner that was respectful to all the men with whom they were interred.

A moving tribute to fallen soldiers and their survivors.

Beigel, William L. Midnight to 1 AM Publishing (248 pp.) $28.95 | May 16, 2019 978-1-73361-250-0

Beigel tells the story of the American government’s efforts to bring home the country’s World War II dead in this non-

Blackhawk (The Whisk and Whir of Wings, 2016, etc.) offers a series of contemplative poems about solitude in nature and crowded city streets.

The poet delicately embroiders themes of separation and retreat into this elegantly conceived collection. The first line of the opening poem, “The Door,” asks, “Why is it lately closed to me?” Although this immediately establishes a sense of being shut out, there’s no heavy sense of angst here: “I will not complain. These grasses share the light. / They bend and catch the wind gracefully.” There’s an easiness with this state of separation, in part because it allows the speaker to receive gifts from nature that society can’t provide. The poem ends: “A sauna’s slats, so fragrant, wrap me now. / I’ve crawled into a barrel on the hill.” The speaker enters the sensually evocative interior of the sauna as a hermit crab enters its shell—an image to which Blackhawk returns later in the collection. The poet is a great observer of nature; in “The Woodcock,” for example, she writes, “I loved the feathers’ / deckled edges and the light weight it made / as I scooped it up and put it, limpsy and weak, / into an old canvas book bag.” This dazzlingly clever image magnifies the bird’s wing by comparing it to the rough-cut page of a book before the bird itself is slid into a “book bag.” Blackhawk is equally at home playing the flâneuse, observing a city, as in “Noon in a Corner Café: The Sign,” in which the miscellany of urban life parades before her: “cups, traffic, taxis, / mopeds, their signature sounds.” But soon, the hard-edged, concrete metropolis melts into smooth natural imagery that looks beyond city living: “These stones / outlast us, pages / picked up by / the breeze can say almost / anything.”

The poet makes her literary influences explicit, referencing Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and others—but although she draws from the American romantic movement, she shows no need to imitate it.

Refined, learned, and liberating poetry.

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fiction debut.

Of all the nations that participated in World War II, only the United States repatriated its war dead. This is now commonplace, but at the time, it was an unprecedented logistical feat, intended to bring closure to the families of those who lost their lives in overseas conflicts: “In many cases, the recovery and return of the remains happened five years or more after their deaths,” writes Beigel in a preface, adding that “The time, effort, and national treasure spent to repatriate the war dead of the United States…is utterly unique in the annals of global history.” Beigel is a professional researcher who’s investigated the deaths and burials of over 2,000 American service members on behalf of their relatives, and in this book, he tells the largely unknown story of how the “Return of the World War II Dead Program” came about. He includes excerpts from the letters of grief-stricken mothers and contemporary newspaper reports that show the growing public demand for bringing the soldiers’ bodies home. In the book’s second half, Beigel goes into the stories of individual soldiers, describing how they were killed, the feelings of their families, and the struggles of military officials to deliver on their promises.

Beigel’s prose is clean and concise throughout. His tone is often quite sentimental, but he still manages to tell soldiers’ stories with poise: “He was buried on the twelfth of July in a very small cemetery located on the road from St. Croce, Camerina, northwest one-half mile. Sergeant Drullinger was laid to rest between two of his fellow soldiers from F Company, both, by chance, small-town Oklahomans.” The words of the parents themselves are even more affecting; for example, here’s the father of Sgt. David Wilson, who feared that the Army hadn’t kept track of his son: “We realize that he was just a common G.I. and rated very low with the army. But he was very dear to us and our only son, so you can see how we would appreciate some detailed information.” Overall, the book provides a clear window into an operation that most Americans will likely know little about. Readers will also be left with a great feeling of respect for the importance of ritual when dealing with the deceased. One particularly difficult situation involved Maj. Frederick Koebig and 1st Lt. Anthony Kuhn, two bomber crewmen who survived the crash of their plane only to be captured by the Japanese in the South Pacific.

They were killed when their prison camp was unintentionally bombed during an Allied raid, then cremated by the Japanese and placed in a box along with the ashes of 27 other American and Australian prisoners. Nevertheless, the U.S. military

ONE LESS RIVER

Blackhawk, Terry Mayapple Press (64 pp.) $16.95 paper | $9.99 e-book | Jul. 9, 2019 978-1-936419-89-0

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MARRIED A HIKER, GOT A COWBOY

PROPHET OF THE TERMITE GOD

Brown, Nancy W. iUniverse (186 pp.) $13.99 paper | $3.99 e-book Mar. 31, 2019 978-1-5320-6874-4

Carlton, Clark Thomas Harper Voyager Impulse (640 pp.) $8.99 paper | $2.99 e-book May 14, 2019 978-0-06-242977-3

An avid outdoorswoman recalls her many adventures in this tender memoir.

Debut author Brown was born in California’s San Francisco Bay Area in 1943, and her recollections of the growth and change of the American West form the core of a family history that stretches from the mid-20th century to the present day. Brown grew up in an exciting time in California, and her teenage years coincided with the growth of folk music by the likes of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan. Her parents instilled a love of the outdoors in her from a young age, and she spent many hours hiking under canopies of coastal redwoods and exploring California’s beaches. She was attending Marin Community College, studying art and photography, when the Cuban missile crisis and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy occurred.

After getting married to her first husband on New Year’s Eve 1964, they began crisscrossing the country in a Volkswagen van, exploring America’s protected wilderness areas when the camping and hiking industries were just beginning to form—long before they became as successful as they are today. Her adventures would eventually span Europe and North America, and she crossed paths with theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and rebellious author Edward Abbey, who wrote the 1975 novel The Monkey Wrench Gang. In its best moments, Brown’s memoir paints a loving portrait of a life spent exploring the American West, from joyous ordinary events, such as cooking simple meals in Death Valley, to adrenaline highs while rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Along the way, Brown describes many remarkable experiences, including getting shot at in a California desert where members of the Manson family roamed and scaling some of the West’s grandest mountains.

Toward the end of the memoir, Brown’s writing sometimes devolves into lists of events rather than telling the solid stories that make other sections shine. These latter parts sometimes seem more like a letter to a distant relative than a fully realized memoir, but they still clearly come from a place of deep love.

A sweet, detailed recounting of a life well-lived in America’s wild places.

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An epic tale of tiny humans and warring insect empires continues in this sequel.

Carlton’s (Prophets of the Ghost Ants, 2011) saga picks up where the earlier novel left off: in a world called Dranveria, where humans exist alongside various species of insects (they’re all roughly the same size). Here, a former lower-caste, midden-slave human named Anand finds himself in the unlikely position of national savior. He led an insect army to defend his home of the Slope against the invading forces of Hulkrish and their Prophet-Commander, his own cousin Pleckoo. Against all odds, Anand was victorious, but Pleckoo isn’t dead—the threat posed by the followers of the god Hulkro remains. This latest volume employs a split narrative in order to trace the separate adventures of Anand—who must deal with the many problems facing his fledgling kingdom, from new rumblings of war to a building refugee crisis and potentially deadly palace intrigue— and Pleckoo, now a fugitive. Pleckoo seemingly has the whole of Dranveria against him—except for Hulkro, in whose service he is still a vision-driven fanatic despite dream-world visitations from other insect deities. “Hulkro does not rule the Netherworld. I do,” one god tells him. “Where is Little Termite now?”

“High above, in the night sky, where He rules over all,” the faithful Pleckoo responds. “You have said He is the only god,” the rival deity answers, “yet here I am, deciding your fate for eternity.” The proceedings are suffused with the complicated dynamics of clashing religions, and this volume in the Antasy series places slightly more emphasis on Pleckoo’s story, making it an intriguing counterpoint to the previous installment.

As in that earlier novel, Carlton displays in his insect high fantasy tale a completely assured—and totally infectious—imagination while employing precisely controlled narrative pacing. There’s a minor strand of purple prose running through the book that can easily be read as a winking homage to the hyperventilation of classic pulp fantasy authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs (“Knowing he was alone, Pleckoo fell to his hands and knees and wailed. He choked on his own sobbing, hoping to cough out the hundred thousand demons that warred inside him”; and Anand’s reflection on his predicament later in the story: “My wife is the pregnant prisoner of the diseased man inflicting his madness on the world”). This kind of rhetorical playfulness perfectly serves the boilerplate of the plot, and it’s expertly balanced with Carlton’s insightful realization of the internal facets of his realm. Anand, for instance, is still scornfully referred to as “Roach Boy” by some of the very people he tried to help. When he asks what he’s done to warrant such hostility, he’s told: “What haven’t you done?

You’ve turned our lives downside up. We was fine in the old way, as good as anybody else in the midden.” The characters

The stories—strong and graceful—raise issues that children and parents could profitably discuss together. zizzle literary: issue 3

of Pleckoo and Anand dominate the volume’s two scenarios, but the tale unfolds in a way that very naturally expands to embrace not only a host of secondary characters, but also an abundance of intricate worldbuilding. Readers should keep in mind that the titles of these novels are apt: No detail of Dranveria’s vast theological mosaic is left unexplored.

A dense, complex, and engrossing second installment of a genuinely promising high fantasy series.

ZIZZLE LITERARY Issue 3

Ed. by Dahl, Lesley Illus. by Moriyama, Schinako Promiseshore (126 pp.) $13.65 978-9-8879360-2-2

THE FOREVER TIME The Wolf & the Warlander Davis, Chip & Valenti, Mark Illus. by Taylor, James Mannheim Steamroller (107 pp.)

978-0-9656909-2-8

A young horse and a wolf pup transcend their natural instincts to form an unlikely bond of friendship in the first of a three-part series for middle-

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Third in a series, this illustrated collection of flash fiction edited by Dahl (Zizzle Literary: Issue 2, 2019, etc.) for middle schoolers and up focuses on fantasy and magic.

Zizzle Literary publishes concise, imaginative pieces that both parents and kids can enjoy and discuss. Each of the 10 stories is tagged with its reading level, from “Easy” to “Not Easy.” Magic is the theme of this third issue, whether “outright fantasy” or a more subtle variety, according to the Foreword.

The opener, “A Reluctant Fairy Tale,” by Karen Heuler, riffs on elements from childhood classics like “Little Red Riding Hood.” Instead of being helpful and complaisant, the heroine refuses to help an old lady—with at first “delicious” and then more disturbing consequences. In other stories, magic can be delicate and poignant, as in “The Shelter of Abandoned Dreams” by Kimberly Huebner. An old woman works at a shelter that reunites people with their lost dreams. By the story’s end, she’s able to nurture her own adrift dream. Other stories tap into the anarchic energy of childhood, such as “Dead Mudge” by Melissa Ostrom; a teacher’s death in the classroom liberates the children’s vitality and creativity. Magic can shade into the sinister, as in “Uncle Frank” by Wendy Nikel. The title character insinuates himself into a family, but the child narrator knows she’s never had an Uncle Frank. In “Serbian Dracula Mysteries” by Kate Felix, magic takes a turn for the funny and sweet. The story’s puckish narrator, Arsen, is sent to school counseling for his pranks. Amateur detection is meant to be a good outlet for him, but investigating the daytime doings of his attic-dwelling uncle reveals nothing ominous. Instead, his uncle smiles at him “with more admiration than I have ever enjoyed from anyone else in my growly, vampiric family.” The book also includes photos, usually of the authors when they were children, and in a final section, contributors talk about their favorite books from childhood.

The stories—strong and graceful—raise issues that children and parents could profitably discuss together. “A Reluctant Fairy Tale,” for example, might prompt questions about why it feels good to be bad, what the consequences are of defying such cultural norms as helping old ladies, or why the narrative seems to both admire Eugenia’s defiance and punish her for it. Genre

expectations could be another topic. “Serbian Dracula Mysteries,” for example, takes its horror influences in an unexpected direction, with Arsen reinvigorated, not drained, by his encounter with the unknown. Depending on reader taste, some stories could also invite more critical analysis. For example, is Eugenia perhaps too obviously a stand-in for an adult sensibility with dialogue like, “your false tests, your arbitrary trials”? Adding to the issue’s charm are debut illustrator Moriyama’s lovely, otherworldly rabbit-themed paintings resembling Japanese woodblock prints.

Well-wrought, unusual, and memorable fiction beautifully illustrated—a keepsake.

grade readers.

When Ghost, a wild Warlander horse, and his father, Pegasus, stumble upon a dead female wolf and her litter of newborns, the young horse feels an inexplicable tie to the sole surviving pup. He persuades his father to bring him to their pasture to look after. As the little wolf, Seti, grows, he becomes Ghost’s playmate and companion, although the young horse’s parents warn him that one day “he won’t see you as a friend. He’ll see you as his prey.” A dangerous chance encounter with Seti’s father separates them, and, during their time apart, Seti lives as a junior member of his father’s pack, learning how to be a wolf. Although tragedy brings the horse and wolf back together briefly, they can’t deny their natures and their separate destinies. The link between them, however, will prove unbreakable. This action-packed and compassionate story is credited to Davis, the founder of the multiplatinum-selling New Age music group Mannheim Steamroller; the text is written by TV and YA writer Valenti (Last Night at the Monarch Motel, 2013, etc.). It pulls readers into a human-free, natural world of wild forest and pastures where the young animals grow through friendship and adversity. The tale employs a deft blend of authentic animal characteristics and humanlike thoughts and speech (the latter rendered in italics). Realistic charcoal images by Taylor effectively complement mood and action; a subtle design of hoof and paw prints running throughout the pages underscores the theme of interspecies friendship. The book also includes information about the lives and histories of reallife Warlander horses and timber wolves and a brief glossary of story-related words. In addition, there’s a 45-minute CD of “soft atmospheric effects”—rain and thunder, running water, buzzing insects, frogs, and birds—and a bit of musical |

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pageantry and otherworldly sound effects that seem to represent the magical bond between Ghost and Seti.

An eventful coming-of-age novel with vivid, relatable animal characters and the promise of more adventures to come.

HUNTER’S SUPER NIGHT

Ellen, Laurel Illus. by Laurice, Skye FriesenPress (48 pp.) $22.49 | 12.99 paper | $3.99 e-book Jun. 20, 2019 978-1-5255-5000-3 978-1-5255-5001-0 paper A group of tiny owls face their first-day-of-kindergarten fears in this sweet debut from Ellen and Laurice.

At dawn, Hunter and all the good little owls are going to sleep, excited but nervous about starting kindergarten the next night. Grecko is afraid the other owls will make fun of his missing talon; Luma worries that others won’t like his colorful wings; Little Hoot is nervous that she’ll be too small; and Melody worries she won’t make friends because of an injured wing. The little owls’ families—a diverse group that includes single parents and older siblings as mentors—all offer the same encouraging song: “Be brave. Be kind. / And smile. In a while / Everything will be alright / It could be a super night!” The wise owl teacher welcomes the kindergarteners and helps each of them appreciate their special gifts, sending them home with greater confidence and fewer worries. Laurice’s beautifully shaded cartoon illustrations feature a range of owl types—spectacled, snowy, barn, pygmy, and barred—to highlight the owls’ differences and strengths and balance realistic owl features with anthropomorphic expressions. Ellen’s accessible prose is complemented by the rhyming verses seeded naturally into the dialogue, and the refrain will inspire lap readers to join in. Although Hunter is the title character and does save the day, he’s one of a strong ensemble of likable youngsters.

These charming, differently abled owls give just the right comforting encouragement.

SISSY GOES TINY

Flansburg, Rebecca & Norrgard, Ba Illus. by Weber, Penny Audrey Press 978-1-936-426-22-5 A young girl adapts when she and her family move into a tiny mobile house in this debut illustrated children’s book.

Sissy, a biracial girl, loves her life, especially waking up in her big, spacious room. One day, Sissy’s parents inform her that soon they will be moving out of their house and “going Tiny.” They explain: “Our new Tiny House will be on wheels…we can live wherever we want!…Living Tiny means we can own Fewer things and have More experiences.” Sissy 126

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is skeptical, especially when her mom says, “We must look at everything we own and keep only the things that have a necessary purpose or are very special to us. We’re going to do what’s called a possessions purge.” Sissy feels reassured after talking to friends who already live tiny. They teach her how to repurpose old items, such as turning her baby blanket into a pillow, and how to take pictures of her “Favorite Things” and put them in a memory book. Sissy feels good about donating her old toys to families in need and becomes very excited when the tiny house arrives. She is thrilled to explore the house on wheels and especially loves her tiny bedroom; the bookshelves feature maps and home-schooling works, indicating that her new journey is just beginning. Flansburg and Norrgard offer an inventive concept here. Weber’s (I Belong, 2018, etc.) illustrations are colorful and appealing, featuring friendly faces and realistic depictions that skillfully complement the text. Throughout the story, the authors deftly demonstrate their knowledge of the tiny house movement. The book also includes a page listing facts about tiny houses and a short history of Sissy (who was “named after” Norrgard’s tiny house, Sisu). The tale’s positive message should be welcomed by teachers and librarians. But the work relies heavily on telling instead of showing, with some long-winded descriptions (“The twinkle lights that used to be on her headboard were now wrapped around the handrail, and, just as she predicted, her homemade sun catcher glittered and danced in the light that streamed in from her new skylight window”). Still, the topic is timely, and Sissy’s situation will be relatable to many kids as the concept of tiny living gains traction.

An engaging and child-friendly look at a growing lifestyle.

MISTRESS OF BEACON HILL

Gentry, Leigh Archway Publishing (355 pp.)

A lovely Irishwoman immigrates to Kentucky in this debut historical novel.

Arrabella “Ella” McCarthy expects to marry her childhood friend and remain in Ireland with her loving family for the rest of her life. But there are limited prospects for a talented Irishwoman in 1897, so when her American uncle proposes naming her his heir in exchange for moving to Kentucky and marrying a neighbor’s wealthy son, Ella can’t refuse. Her major consolation is that she’ll be able to bring four of her beloved horses to her new homeland. But to do so, she must survive a dangerous ocean crossing where unlucky circumstances make her a target for harassment and assault. If readers know that Ella disguises herself as a man in response, they will begin to understand the contours of this adventure.

The first of several romantic options comes to her aid as well, and he soon admires her beauty, resilience, and humor. Landing in America presents Ella with two more dubious romantic choices in the form of the Brannock brothers, Padraig and Sean. The latter is Ella’s intended, and she soon realizes that as

Gomez gives a classic tale new life and sheds light on an underacknowledged chapter of American history. unfamous men

sons of a recently deceased hotel tycoon and landowner, they have a world of expectations on their shoulders. Sean copes by drinking and gambling, and Padraig locks his feelings away to better perform his many duties. Violence, passion, and easily avoidable miscommunications ensue before Ella can comfortably call herself the mistress of her new Kentucky estate. An early scene in Gentry’s romance where Ella’s Irish Catholic mother frankly discusses the pleasures of sex alerts readers that love and marriage will be framed in a contemporary, recognizable manner. Ella herself is a mix of a 21st-century woman and a historical creation; situations are crafted to display her bravery, brains, and compassion, but this unblemished perfection can read like a portrait of a saint. Despite these motley tones, this series opener presents a beautiful thesis: that true love shapes people to notice others’ needs before their own.

Darker events near the end suggest an intriguing, if straightforward, continuation of the saga.

A gentle, frothy take on classic romance set pieces.

Two Mexican American workers pursue dreams of independence in this reimagining of John Steinbeck’s classic 1937 novella Of Mice and Men. On a warm spring day, two men arrive at a lemon ranch in Saticoy, California. Juanito Sanchez is much gentler than his huge stature might indicate. After the death of his aunt, who raised him, he’s traveling to Los Angeles, where his uncle runs a small grocery store. Because he’s intellectually disabled, his aunt entrusted his inheritance money to his friend and travel companion, Tomás Delgado. Tomás is sharp-witted and perceptive, but he’s unable to resist a gamble. He insists to Juanito that their lives will be better soon, as Juanito’s uncle has promised them both employment and shelter. Juanito yearns for solitude and stability, and Tomás looks forward to the freedoms that such a job would give him. To that end, he reassures Juanito that they’ll head to LA as soon as they earn enough wages as migrant fruit pickers. However, during their first week in the lemon groves, Tomás takes an interest in Celedonia, the lovely wife of the boss’s son, which creates tensions that lead to tragedy. Gomez (Our Noise, 1995, etc.) excels at creating a sense of impending catastrophe as Tomás and Juanito’s situation worsens. Tomás is a complicated and engaging character who resents the limitations imposed on him by white society and who’s haunted by his wartime naval experience. The narrative parallels to Of Mice and Men are handled well, as the author uses many motifs from the original work to very different ends. The story exposes the plight of Mexican American workers of the era through conversations that address the abysmal conditions on migrant farms and the injustices of a

WALKER’S KEY

Haddleton, Frank B. Onion River Press (360 pp.) $16.99 paper | $11.99 e-book Jun. 4, 2019 978-1-949066-23-4 Haddleton’s debut is a striking, multifaceted take on the family-secret novel.

In the year 1900, Darby Walker makes the trek across Florida’s Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg; his brother Tulley’s lighthouse has gone dark, and their father is dead under suspicious circumstances. The timelines are split between this urgent present and the brothers’ childhood, starting with Darby’s birth in 1865. These sections provide background on the bitter conflicts between gregarious, sensitive Darby and boundary-pushing, standoffish Tulley, but they also delve deeper into the Walker family’s roots and its history in Cape Cod. Haddleton’s use of multiple time periods offers various perspectives on both Darby’s and Tulley’s backstories. Most strikingly, the novel outlines the life of the boys’ grandfather Nathaniel, a staunch abolitionist who once helped to free slaves from Florida plantations. Nathaniel’s history in particular sets up powerful themes, connecting the family to the land and seas of Florida and Massachusetts as well as their participation in historical events and prejudices. Some paths, like Nathaniel’s, are heroic, but others contain dark chapters that pit brother against brother, foreshadowing Darby and Tulley’s present-day conflict. The nuanced exploration of these themes of compassion and strife would be enough to recommend the book, but it also drives the plot in the present as Darby questions Tulley about his role in their father’s death. The writing here lends a strong sense of place to the proceedings, as do thorough—but not overwhelming—details on ships, lighthouses, and the sea: “Darby only had to make it six miles across the bay….There were no passengers aboard to complain about the rough ride or about getting wet, and a little salt water on the boat didn’t concern Darby in the slightest.” With the initial murder mystery linking all these disparate elements together, this must-read novel maintains a consistent, compelling sense of tension and feeling.

A well-researched mystery punctuated by thrilling tension and deep emotion.

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UNFAMOUS MEN

Gomez, Jeff Harrow Books (154 pp.) $14.00 paper | $14.00 e-book Nov. 12, 2019 978-1-73311-280-2

mass deportation effort. In this way, Gomez gives a classic tale new life and sheds light on an underacknowledged chapter of American history.

A convincing fictional exploration of human optimism and weakness.

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INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Robert L. Slater

WITH HELP FROM HIS LOCAL BOOKSTORE, A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER PUBLISHES A DYSTOPIAN SERIES ADDRESSING AT-RISK TEENS

By Rhett Morgan Photo courtesy Damian Vines

three nonfiction books. But the most influential family member in terms of writing was always my older brother, James. He wrote in high school, took journalism in college, and then went into the Navy as a media specialist. I wanted to follow in his footsteps but ended up being the first to publish a novel.

When did you start writing yourself?

I started writing in grade school—stories, poetry, and song lyrics. In college, I started writing plays and got a few of them produced. Started my first novel in 1991 when I should have been focusing on my term paper, spent the next dozen years or so collecting 555-plus rejection notices for about 14 sales.

Ever since reading A Canticle for Leibowitz as a middle schooler, Robert L. Slater has been drawn to apocalyptic fiction. Slater has spent 20 years as a teacher, inspiring young adults to take an interest in literature and in turn being inspired by his students. Coming from a family of writers, the author combined his love for apocalyptic fiction with the challenges facing today’s at-risk youth. The result was All Is Silence, the first book in the Deserted Lands series, which follows Lizzie—a suicidal teen who survives a disease that has ravaged the States. Deserted Lands has become a hit for Slater, especially among locals in his hometown of Bellingham, Washington, where his local bookstore, Village Books, helped him independently publish, getting his work out to the local community and beyond.

Why do you call yourself a third-generation writer?

My grandfathers were storytellers, my mom’s dad actually wrote them down and composed poetry in his Scottish dialect. My mother wrote a few novels and has published

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How has your work as a teacher influenced your writing?

I started teaching at alternative high schools by accident in 1999 and wanted to write plays with more good parts for young women and fiction for teens who didn’t like to read.

After a few years, I realized that so many girls had the same basic story that it became Lizzie’s backstory. The stories are pretty archetypal for the kids I worked with.

What led you to publish All Is Silence?

I’d created the idea of the Deserted Lands, and I realized that setting a young, at-risk teen female in the lead would make a fantastic story. I thought about it for a little more than a year, then wrote almost 60,000 words for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November 2012. I had spent the previous 20 years trying to break into publishing, and dystopian/apocalyptic young adult fiction was huge. My story had a couple twists on tropes that no one had done, and I didn’t want to wait for a publisher.

How did Village Books help make All Is Silence a reality?

As a resident of Bellingham since arriving at Western Washington University in 1991, I have developed a lot of connections in education, libraries, arts organizations, and bookstores. Village Books facilitated the interactions as I learned book design the hard way. They allowed me to host a book release party and reading in their reading room. It was one of the best attended presentations up to that time. I have been willing and able whenever there is an opportunity to partner with Village Books: authors talk about favorite authors, Indie Day as a “bookseller,” and Writer’s Resolutions New Year’s presentations.

STAGECOACH WILLY 600 Bloody Miles

Harris, Scott Dusty Saddle Publishing (196 pp.) $6.99 paper | $0.99 e-book | Jun. 3, 2019 978-1-07-205054-4

What do you think makes younger readers respond strongly to Lizzie?

I think most readers either see themselves or someone they love in Lizzie. Her behaviors are impulsive but always based out of love. She’s definitely an underdog, and her quirks are charming as long as you don’t have to live with her! It also resonates with older folks who recognize their own past!

Rhett Morgan is a writer and translator living in Paris.

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A Western adventure explores the danger and excitement of the stagecoach era.

In this latest foray into the Old West from Harris (A Novel Journey, 2019, etc.), readers are introduced to colorful driver Stagecoach Willy and his taciturn shotgun messenger, Ten. The two are dragged down from their mountaintop retirement cabin for a special assignment. They have to carry $250,000 in cash and gold and plans for a new type of sawmill from Portland, Oregon, to Sacramento. There is a wrinkle to which the old partners must agree. The plans are locked in a briefcase held by Kate Warren, a beautiful Pinkerton agent. To put Willy’s and Ten’s minds at ease, Kate lists her credentials, adding: “I can’t pee standing up, but I can do just about everything else you boys can do.” Kate quickly proves herself, even stopping the first attempt to rob the partners of their cargo. The group even adds a passenger, Sydney, a dog that was being mistreated at one stop. The quartet settles into the challenging routine of rolling from stop to stop over often treacherous roads, looking out for trouble. The four also bond as a result of their exhilarating exploits. In this first installment of a series, Harris deftly summons the spirits of the old pulps for a new generation. Long before armored cars, stagecoaches transported important cargo. The author’s intrepid odd couple have a history of success: The two men never lost a load during their time together. The gregarious Willy always has a story to tell, and Ten, too often his friend’s audience of one, longs for the quiet of his cabin. While this pair isn’t terribly nuanced, Kate proves a deeper character, being orphaned and ending up the head of her family at too young an age. The author’s thorough research is apparent in his vivid descriptions of the stagecoach life. What results is an invigorating novella with the feel of a fast-paced movie serial from yesteryear, which will leave readers pondering what will happen next to the heroes.

This lively series opener reveals why Wild West tales continue to entertain.

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MIGHTY MOMMIES AND THEIR AMAZING JOBS

Jacobsen, Donald Illus. by Evans, Graham Three Suns Press (50 pp.) $21.99 | $12.99 paper | $4.99 e-book Jan. 10, 2019 978-1-73282-731-8 978-1-73282-732-5 paper

Author Jacobsen (Stinky Winky, 2018, etc.) and illustrator Evans (The Wishing Feather, 2019, etc.) highlight moms in a variety of mostly STEM-related jobs.

In this picture book, Jacobsen presents a number of different working mothers, matching children’s names to their parents’ careers (“Daniel’s mommy is a Doctor”). The moms portrayed include an architect, a police officer, an engineer, and an attorney. The accompanying rhymes are short and accessible, presenting a simplified version of what each job entails. In some cases, the text offers a joke, as when Paul’s paleontologist mother is said to want to clone dinosaurs. Many of the jobs are associated with science and technology (marine biologist, pharmacist) or high-risk careers (firefighter), but teachers also get a shoutout. Evans’ illustrations have a Cartoon Network–like style; although all of the mothers shown here seem to have the same types of noses, eyelashes, and body shapes, they have a range of skin tones; moms with disabilities, however, go unrepresented. The book’s organization is a bit haphazard—the jobs aren’t sorted alphabetically or by type—but that may have been intentional so that each of the different occupations feels unique among the others.

A nice mix of careers that may be inspiring to young readers.

THE WOMEN OF DAUPHINE

Jannerson, Deb NineStar Press (229 pp.) $14.99 paper | $5.99 e-book | Jun. 5, 2019 978-1-950412-89-1 Death is no barrier to lesbian love in this YA supernatural romance.

Cassie is a shy, bookish New Orleans junior high student who feels alienated from her churchy parents and almost everything that goes on in school, especially the crushes her classmates are constantly gushing about. Her only real friend is Gem, a girl who looks about 15 years old; likes to wear a Boy Scout shirt, green skirt, and fishnets; and has haunted Cassie’s house for the two decades or so since she was murdered there in 1969. The schoolgirl and the ghost become soul mates and talk about everything, including Gem’s history with a girl named Daze, her “Hellcat” lover in reform school before their relationship ended in blood and fire. Cassie and Gem eventually come out to each other.

After Cassie enters high school, they kindle a passion that 130

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progresses from making out to sex that is fully carnal (though demurely described) despite Gem’s lack of corporeal substance.

Alas, the world just won’t let them be. After she slashes a homophobic bully and tells unbelieving adults about Gem, Cassie is packed off to Chose People Ministries, a coercive Christian therapeutic group that specializes in curing kids of gay sexuality and ghost delusions. There, she is subjected to aversive electroconvulsive treatments while viewing Sapphic pornography and pictures of specters. Jannerson’s (Thanks for Nothing, 2018, etc.) winsome yarn handles its magical realism in a vivid but matterof-fact, no-jump-scare fashion, with the only horrors being those of religious intolerance and psychiatric abuse. Her treatment of gay sexuality is likewise positive and nonspooky. She nicely evokes the visceral wrongness Cassie feels dancing with a boy—“As the song progressed, Mackey’s hands drifted lower, and a nauseous lump formed in my throat”—and the giddy rightness she feels with Gem. The author at times brings a little too much maturity to the story: 13-year-old Cassie sometimes sounds like a 24-year-old graduate student—“both the activity and the actual notes felt, in the end, disingenuous,” she sighs when kids sign her seventh grade yearbook—and the third act bogs down in mundane relationship issues as college proves a direr threat than electroconvulsive therapy to Cassie and Gem’s love. Still, Jannerson’s appealing characters, deft prose, and psychological insights will hold readers’ attention.

An entertaining fantasy that nicely balances some ghostly melodrama with whimsy, teen wish fulfillment, and coming-of-age lessons.

FLYGIRL

Kardon, R.D. Acorn Publishing (310 pp.) $24.95 | $14.95 paper | $4.99 e-book Jan. 3, 2019 978-1-947392-22-9 978-1-947392-21-2 paper A determined female commercial pilot must navigate complex company politics and personal drama as she attempts to advance her career in this debut romantic suspense novel.

Tris Miles is a turboprop pilot on a small commuter airline in the late 1990s when she gets the opportunity to interview with the flight department of a large corporation. Enthralled by aviation since childhood, Tris is eager to earn the rank of captain and gain certification on big corporate jets. She also has a deeply personal reason for proving herself, tied to the guilt she feels over the death of Bron, her lover and fellow pilot. A competent and cool-headed aviator, Tris has become accustomed to being on the receiving end of casual sexism, frequently being mistaken for a flight attendant. But as she starts her new job at Tetrix, Inc., she steps into a new level of professional pressure and intrigue. Working alongside Larry Ross, an alcoholic with an unhappy home life, and Ed Deter, overtly hostile to female aviators, and under the supervision of Brian Zorn, a manipulator

Kelso’s prose is detailed yet taut as he roots the plot believably in medical research. hyperion’s fracture

with a tendency to hold dangerous grudges, Tris soon begins to miss the camaraderie among the pilots at her old job. As she doggedly tries to get the training she needs to make captain, she feels increasingly alone in a fight to resist being drawn into deception and danger. Kardon’s narrative is both thoughtful and gripping. She vividly portrays the fine line between respect and familiarity that women in nontraditional roles must walk to do their jobs well in the face of sexual harassment on one hand and antagonistic resistance on the other. Tris is an appealing and relatable character who struggles to keep both her selfrespect and her ambition intact while negotiating the slippery morality of the corporate world. The conclusion comes a bit too abruptly and is perhaps too grounded in realism to provide a satisfying win, but it remains true to Tris’ character. The details of the “true ballet” of piloting a plane add an evocative dimension to the text that may leave readers longing to take to the air.

An absorbing, if somewhat abbreviated, portrait of a woman’s experience in the largely male world of aviation.

Kelso’s (Fractured, 2019) medical thriller sequel tells the story of two doctors whose discovery of a cancer cure might get them killed.

Synthetic-biology expert Claire Hodgson travels to Panama to meet with her old friend Meera Jindal about a long-lasting antibiotic that Meera discovered while doing research in the Panamanian rainforest. According to Claire’s trials, the drug, Endovancin, may be a cure for cancer. As another scientist describes it: “It’s not hyperbole to say it could wind up in the pantheon of drugs alongside penicillin, insulin, cortisone, and aspirin….Millions of patients would benefit from it annually.” Soon after Claire’s arrival, however, a group of armed men, who want the drug for themselves, kidnap both doctors. Claire and her research partner, orthopedic trauma surgeon Mark Thurman, had been planning to do experimental surgery to heal the leg of a prize racehorse named Hyperion, but their treatment will be useless without Endovancin. Meanwhile, an unscrupulous pharmaceutical company—which happens to be run by the owner of Hyperion’s chief rival, a horse named Rampage—also sets its sights on Endovancin, going so far as to bribe one of Claire and Mark’s lab technicians. Now Mark must call on John Bristow, an old Special Forces friend, to help him rescue Claire, secure the Endovancin formula, and prevent the death of a worldclass racehorse. Over the course of this novel, Kelso’s prose is detailed yet taut as he roots the plot believably in medical research: “It’s all pharmaceuticals, Doctor. Just how do you think you’re getting paid? The signing bonus you deposited didn’t appear out of thin air….Whether you like it or not, your hands are dirty like the rest of us.” By the time readers finish

WILD HARE

Koerber, Laura Who Chains You Books (184 pp.) $11.97 paper | $3.97 e-book Jun. 12, 2019 978-1-946044-51-8 Koerber (The Eclipse Dancer, 2018, etc.) offers readers an embittered narrator, a dystopic near future, and an intriguing, nuanced treatment of magic, nature, and justice in this urban-fantasy tale.

Bob Fallon is half-human and “half-forest spirit from the wild hare clan,” and he owns one of the last remaining bits of forested land in northern Wisconsin. It would be easy for him to dismiss humankind entirely—and on some days, that’s exactly what he wants to do. His clan’s mantra of “feed, fuck, fight” has governed a lot of his life, and he can’t help but feel a smoldering rage about the destruction of the forests and other injustices in his surroundings. Koerber’s characterization of Bob is perhaps the book’s strongest element; the protagonist’s jaded, acidic attitude will put readers perfectly into a noirish mindset. At the same time, Bob does a great job of providing context, both for the decaying world he inhabits and for his own limited abilities: “since I’m a fairy, why can’t I fix things?”

When Arne, one of his few friends, is jailed for failing to pay speeding tickets, Bob starts raising money for his release, but this is easier said than done, as Bob has spent years avoiding townspeople, doing begrudging odd jobs for them, or outright stealing from them—and the state adds Arne’s room and board to the fine every day. Bob works inside and outside the law as he runs afoul of local militia, a congressman with shady ties, and a host of other fairies, spirits, and tricksters. Overall, the story manages to weave together a complex tapestry of themes, from climate change to poverty to what qualifies as morality in a world that’s facing catastrophe. The prose is clear and concise throughout, giving readers a sense of each scene and character through the protagonist’s eyes.

A wrenching, complex novel that any fantasy fan would do well to pick up.

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HYPERION’S FRACTURE

Kelso, Thomas Jolly Robin Press (408 pp.)

Aug. 8, 2019 978-0-9994561-4-9

the novel, the overall story appears fairly outlandish from a distance. However, the reading experience is immersive and feels far from melodramatic; instead, the reader gets the sense that all the espionage, gun battles, and hostage situations are mere annoyances keeping the dedicated scientists from the most important thing: their work.

A fast-paced but well-grounded adventure.

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LITTLE BY LITTLE WE WON A Novel Based on the Life of Angela Bambace

WE GOT THIS Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor

Lamphier, Peg A. Barbera Foundation (288 pp.) $14.99 paper | $9.99 e-book Jul. 31, 2019 978-1-947431-24-9

Ed. by Lindholm, Marika; Dumesnil, Cheryl; Shonk, Katherine & Ruta, Domenica She Writes Press (352 pp.) $17.95 paper | $9.95 e-book | Sep. 10, 2019 978-1-63152-656-5

A historical novel focuses on a legendary union organizer and anarchist during the 20th century.

Angela Bambace is born in Brazil in 1898 and spends the first year of her life in Calabria, though Harlem is the initial place she calls home. Not yet a teenager, she witnesses the gruesome carnage at a garment factory that burns down to the ground on aptly named Misery Lane, a catastrophe that claims the lives of more than 140 workers, mostly immigrants and women. Nevertheless, Bambace follows her mother’s example out of economic necessity and becomes a seamstress, burdened by long hours and meager compensation. But she begins organizing for the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and participates in the historically significant strikes of 1919, watershed events in the transformation of labor dissatisfaction into a political movement, astutely portrayed by Lamphier (Iron Widow, 2019). Bambace is compelled to put her aspirations on hold when her father forces her into an arranged marriage with Romolo Camponeschi, an abusive husband with whom she bears two children. But she eventually leaves him—he sues her for divorce and full custody of the children—and falls in love with Luigi Quintiliano, a lawyer who worked for the defense of Sacco and Vanzetti. Bambace eventually moves to Baltimore to organize for the ILGWU, a temporary assignment that grows into a permanent, high-ranking post. This novel is part of the Mentoris Project, which highlights notable Italians and Italian Americans. In these pages, the author deftly captures not only the social unrest of the time and the ghastly conditions under which laborers were compelled to work, but also the plights of female employees and Italians, both often cruelly dismissed by their counterparts. Lamphier shows Bambace tirelessly fighting for the rights of all workers, though her name is tarnished by her ideological association with anarchists, an affinity she proudly defends: “I am an anarchist because I believe people, all people, have the right to live with dignity, to work for a living wage, and to make real choices about their lives.” This is a historically edifying book, skillfully depicting both the tumultuous times and Bambace’s considerable contributions.

A rigorously researched tale about a union leader that’s brimming with historical insights and thrilling drama.

Seventy-five writers share the experiences, hardships, and triumphs of single motherhood.

In 2015, Lindholm, a contributor to and one of four co-editors of this collaborative debut anthology, founded Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere, a social platform and “informative community for single moms, who currently raise 22 million American children.” This was the genesis for this collection, which seeks to eliminate the stigma of solo motherhood by combatting outdated stereotypes. Along the way, the essays show the writers’ grace, their humor, and even their mistakes. Readers will find some of the authors’ names familiar, although their stories may not be. Ariel Gore, the award-winning writer and founding editor of the periodical Hip Mama, shares lies that she told in the Sonoma County welfare office in order to keep both her child and her creativity alive. Iraqi writer Faleeha Hassan recalls fleeing her home country after appearing on dangerous militants’ “death lists”; in Turkey, she struggled to enroll her children in school—not just for their education, but for the warmth that their unheated apartment couldn’t provide. Amy Poehler of Parks and Recreation fame breaks down divorce with heartbreaking and sidesplitting hilarity. Among these and other well-known names are emerging writers, poets, and performers. They include writers with ties to ESME, authors of color, military mothers, and LGBTQ parents and those who were raised by them. The well-curated collection is divided into seven chapters with strict, but never restrictive, themes, such as raising children, seeking help, and dating while single. Readers will be able to revisit these essays for laughs, inspiration, or a cathartic cry.

An engaging tribute to the heart, soul, and ingenuity of solo moms.

MURDER, CURLERS & KEGS

McFarlane, Arlene ParadiseDeer Publishing (196 pp.) $11.99 paper | $4.99 e-book Jul. 19, 2019 978-0-9953076-7-4

A hair salon owner finds herself in the middle of another murder mystery, much to the dismay of her favorite police detective.

Valentine Beaumont, owner of Beaumont’s beauty parlor, is having a very bad morning. First, she poked her eye with her mascara wand. Then she walked out on her porch only to 132

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THE INVISIBLE BOAT

Müller, Eric G. The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (336 pp.) $18.00 paper | Dec. 7, 2013 978-1-936367-44-3 In this middle-grade novel, three children journey in a magical boat to help reunite humans with the elemental world.

It’s a sad day for the white Temple family when it has to leave Honey Creek Farm for the city. Before leaving, Julie, 11, and her almost two years younger brother, Leo, make several surprising discoveries, including a little bottle with an exquisitely made tiny ship inside, complete with a swan figurehead. They also meet a little man called Curly Beard, who explains how they can sail in the magical boat. But it’s not a toy; a crucial plan is afoot to save Earth from ecological disaster by reuniting humans with elementals like Curly Beard, “little folk…such as elves, fairies, wights, imps,” and more. (It’s unclear what these Old World beings are doing in what’s apparently North America.) Joining their mission is a new neighbor, Annabel, a pretty black girl around Leo’s age who walks with crutches. Healing the planet begins with aiding the Queen of the Waters, but first, the children must free Curly Beard, who’s been captured. Their path will be filled with danger and difficulty—but the kids have guides, resources,

courage, and good hearts to help them. Many writers have tried to conjure up that true feeling of magic in their fantasy adventures, but Müller (Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, 2018, etc.) is one of the few who succeed. Lush, appealing descriptions stand out, as in an area packed with hundreds of captivating temptations that the children must resist: rooms full of sweet songbirds; “every imaginable toy”; intriguing weapons; jugglers and acrobats; and much more. Like C.S. Lewis, Müller offers effective characterizations (some may object to Annabel’s being described as “lame,” but her point of view is represented) and an exciting plot that’s ballasted by moral seriousness. The quest’s puzzles and challenges are original and involving, and the ending is genuinely moving. It also suggests further escapades to come—let’s hope so.

A delightful, compelling fantasy adventure sure to win fans.

THE ORANGE GROVE

Murdoch, Kate Regal House Publishing (253 pp.) $16.95 paper | $9.99 e-book Oct. 11, 2019 978-1-947548-22-0

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discover that somebody had left an upright sex toy there with a perm rod wrapped around it—an ominous reference to the time she caught a murderer by using a similar implement to injure his “family jewels.” It’s clear that the most infamous stylist in Rueland, Massachusetts, is being stalked. Still, she shows up to help her friend Jimmy O’Shea get ready for the grand opening of his new pub, the Wee Irish Dude. (Jimmy was a California surfer before moving to Rueland years ago.) As Valentine and the entertainingly offbeat staff at Beaumont’s begin to clean and set up, a large beer keg comes crashing down the pub’s staircase. It breaks open, revealing the dead body of Jimmy’s cousin, Dooley.

McFarlane’s (Murders, Curlers & Cruises, 2018, etc.) fourth volume of her madcap mystery series is off to a rousing start as the police arrive, headed by Michael Romero, a man that Valentine calls a “extremely sexy, ruggedly handsome, tough police detective.” He brings more bad news: Ziggy Stoaks, the killer taken down by Valentine’s perm rod, has escaped from prison. This beach-read lark is part cozy mystery and part farce, as when Valentine defends herself by squirting hand lotion into the mouth of a gun-wielding assailant. The feisty, pleasantly sarcastic heroine is an able narrator who can turn just about anything in her bag of beauty supplies into an imaginative weapon—even if it’s just a rubber band. Well-paced action scenes and two romantic suitors add to the fun. Of the latter, Romero has the inside track, but McFarlane makes Jock, an Argentinian hair stylist, very tempting.

A frothy adventure with a cache of inventive weaponry and a final surprise.

In this historical novel set in 18thcentury France, the mistress of a powerful aristocrat becomes caught between her principles and prosperity.

Henriette d’Augustin is one of several mistresses kept by Duc Hugo d’Amboise and, as a result, lives a life of comfortable leisure in his chateau with her daughter, Solange. But the Duc becomes infatuated with his most recent romantic addition, Letitia du Massenet, “ravishing and virginal,” who “possesses an uncommon wit for a girl of eighteen.” The Duc desperately pines for a son, one thing his wife, Charlotte, despite years of effort, has proven unable to give him. She feels predictably threatened by Letitia’s hold on her husband. Charlotte is encouraged by Madame Céline de Poitiers, another mistress who is worried that she too will be cast aside and left penniless, to conspire against Letitia. Their collaborative efforts grow increasingly diabolical, all the more so after Letitia becomes pregnant. Charlotte recruits the help of Romain de Villiers, an old friend and tarot reader with whom she engages in an illicit romance. Murdoch (Stone Circle, 2017) deftly portrays the unenviable way in which Henriette becomes entangled in the web of Charlotte’s campaign to ruin Letitia.

Henriette wants to defend Letitia, who is sorely dependent on the Duc for funds, but is wary of crossing Charlotte, for whom loyalty is a zero-sum game. Henriette has her livelihood, reputation, and daughter to protect as well as a closely guarded secret that, if uncovered, could spell her downfall. The author expertly re-creates high-society France at the beginning of the 18th century—this is a well-researched and historically valid depiction.

In addition, she skillfully keeps the plot a tensile cord of suspense, revealing and concealing just enough to keep readers immersed and guessing. And while she doesn’t break any new |

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Peterson’s highly ambitious sci-fi debut offers serious speculation into the future of humanity. gardeners of the universe

literary ground, this book isn’t an overly sentimental iteration of the genre. Consider Henriette’s counsel to Letitia: “You see child, men are quite stupid and simple. They do not plan, devise, or see subtleties the way we do. This is our advantage.”

A historically authentic and intelligently crafted period drama that’s romantically stirring.

COMBUSTIBLE PUNCH

Peters, Paul Michael Self (304 pp.) $14.99 paper | $3.99 e-book Aug. 13, 2019 978-1-73308-831-2

GARDENERS OF THE UNIVERSE

In this thriller, a desperate author agrees to write the story of an enigmatic, self-professed serial killer.

Rick Philips’ days of being a famous author may be behind him. It’s been more than a decade since he released the bestselling Shelter in Place, in which he recounts his experience as the sole survivor of a high school shooting. He now teaches writing at Dupont University. But the college’s dean implies that if Rick doesn’t soon produce something substantial, he’ll lose his job. As it happens, Rick has already found a topic for his next book: a female serial killer. Or rather, she found him. He and Harriet Bristol Wheeler met recently at a writers’ conference, where she admitted she is a serial murderer and told him she wants him to tell her story. He complies and begins regularly interviewing Harriet. She says she’s killed 12 individuals but insists they aren’t victims, as they were all “bad people.” To allay any doubts Rick may have, Harriet takes him to a dumped body that she later IDs. Beyond that, she’s predominantly evasive: She reveals her history but only gradually names the others she’s murdered. Rick doesn’t immediately see the danger in his frequent proximity to a serial killer, but his life has been in turmoil for years, as he drinks excessively and has nightmares of Ian Maynard Abbot, the school shooter who nearly killed him. It may not be long before Harriet, who’s both clever and unpredictable, becomes the “monster” Rick fears the most.

Peters’ (The Complete Collection of Short Stories, 2019, etc.) evenly paced novel is a riveting look at a serial killer, even if only in glimpses. Despite Harriet’s openness in detailing certain murders, she’s shrouded in mystery. Harriet isn’t her real name, and she cryptically tells Rick that, while she’s killed some, others have “just happened to die around” her. Rick also has a somewhat murky background. But this slowly comes to light through interactions with two strong female characters: Paige Turner, his first ex-wife, with whom he’s still on good terms; and Samantha Taylor, a neighbor, Dupont graduate student, and potential love interest. Though Rick and Harriet often assert that she’s a cunning murderer who doesn’t fit serial killer profiles, it’s not clear how she’s eluded detection for so long. For example, most scenes show Harriet killing someone with little to no planning and no indication she took precautions to avoid leaving evidence behind. Still, Harriet is an endlessly intriguing 134

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character. Rick sometimes sees “coldness” in her eyes or lack of emotion, but she easily charms people. What she’s thinking or feeling is nearly impossible to determine, and readers may wonder how much of what she’s relaying to Rick is true. The author generates a modicum of sympathy for Harriet, who supposedly has an inoperable brain lesion and a daughter whom someone took from her. Rick, meanwhile, makes a disturbing request of Harriet, which plays out in a twisty final act and open ending.

An enthralling and unnerving probe into the complex mind of a murderer.

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Peterson, Ronald E. PTB Books (394 pp.) $19.95 paper 978-0-9997035-1-9

In Peterson’s (An Introvert Learns to Fly, 2018) novel, godlike aliens give three Earth children extraordinary gifts to guide humanity’s technological and social progress.

The Torae, an ancient, advanced alien race who consider themselves stewards of all intelligent life, judge Homo sapiens to be a promising species for development. They imbue three American children with vast mental abilities—Californian Rianne, a budding bioengineer; working-class Minnesotan Dan, a computer prodigy; and insightful Sarah, a Virginian who’s a natural diplomat and ethicist. Via intermittent direct communication with the Torae and through their own maturation, the three lead humankind to radical technological and conceptual breakthroughs. But there’s a complication that not even the far-seeing Torae imagined: the Unity, a spacefaring, insectlike race who have the astounding ability to manipulate tiny black holes. The Torae judge the Unity to be a galaxy-threatening pest and launch a war of extermination against them. When the existence of Earth is threatened, the children’s mission becomes even more urgent. Most of the leapfrogging narrative involves Rianne, Dan, and Sarah as adults. Over the course of their lives, they witness mankind’s implantation with communication devices; fight a cyber-based world war; create new life; and medically unlock secrets of immortality. Peterson has an impressive background—he’s a physicist and the former vice president of technology at Honeywell—and his expertise comes through in his highly ambitious sci-fi debut, which offers serious speculation into the future of humanity. At the same time, however, the story never feels didactic or constrained by an agenda to educate readers with techno-speak. Instead, the author manages to juggle a large ensemble cast while clearly exploring the ramifications of each paradigm shift within the suspenseful narrative.

Still, it’s a bit odd that humanity has such a low-key reaction to finding out that the Unity and the Torae exist; they just seem to take it all in stride.

A f luid, grand-canvas, peripatetic future-history adventure.

RANDALL AND RANDALL

Poper, Nadine Illus. by Gortman, Polina Blue Whale Press (32 pp.) $16.99 | $10.99 paper 978-0-9814938-7-9 978-0-9814938-8-6 paper

NEW STORIES WE TELL True Tales by America’s New Generation of Great Women Journalists Ed. by Ralph, Kaylen & Demkiewicz, Joanna The Sager Group (385 pp.)

Oct. 21, 2019

Two former journalism school classmates offer a vibrant array of long-form writings by women in this collection.

In an editor’s note, Teen Vogue columnist Ralph and Demkiewicz, the marketing director of small press Milkweed Editions, trace their book’s origin to a 2012 panel that they attended at the Missouri School of Journalism. The panel was part of a twoday seminar celebrating the release of a different long-form anthology. The six panelists were male, and 16 of the 19 anthologized stories had been written by men. The student audience

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Young readers get a slice of science in this undersea tale about symbiosis.

Randall the pistol shrimp accidentally gets a new roommate when he snaps at a fish he believes is a threat. But the goby fish, also named Randall, offers to let the shrimp know when genuine predators are around. Unfortunately, the goby misidentifies plankton, a sand dollar, and a sea cucumber as dangerous foes, all the while singing songs that drive the shrimp to distraction.

Likewise, the noises the shrimp’s snapping claws make irritate the goby. After a huge fight, the goby leaves only to run into a real killer: a shark. Randall the shrimp to the rescue. His snapping scares the shark away, and the goby learns to value the sound and his shellfish friend. Based on a real-life symbiotic relationship, this silly tale makes the science approachable through the goby’s giggleworthy antics. Notes from ichthyologist Dr. John Randall describe the phenomenon for adults, and Gortman’s (Fishing for Turkey, 2016) closing illustrations supply diagrams of the charismatic creatures. The picture book’s cartoonish interior images deftly mix human and animal characteristics, showing the shrimp’s long antennae as mustaches.

Poper’s (Frank Stinks, 2017, etc.) simple English text seamlessly introduces a few straightforward Spanish-language phrases (“mi casa”) due to the coastal Mexico setting. The ingenious aquatic tale also encourages readers to realize they can find friendship even if they don’t see eye to eye with their cohorts.

A clever introduction to a scientific concept that includes an accessible moral.

was mostly made up of women, and the editors note that “bitter whispers ran through the crowd.” This anthology—the third in a series—offers a satisfying rejoinder to that panel’s focus on men. The editors preface each piece with a bio and short introduction by the writer, in which she provides thoughts on the writing process, her career, and her story topic. These riveting introductions grant brief but intriguing glimpses of how Rachel Aviv’s editor talked her through moments of doubt, for example, or how Nikole Hannah-Jones reconciled her personal and professional views on a thorny topic. The subjects range widely and include school segregation, Jerry Lewis, the vaping industry, hate crimes, the Islamic State group, and campus sexual assault.

A few stories stand out: Aviv’s terrifying piece on Nevada’s flawed system of guardians for the elderly from the New Yorker and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s hilarious, detailed profile of Gwyneth Paltrow and her lifestyle brand, Goop, from the New York Times Magazine. The most recent stories were published in 2018, and the oldest, Sara Corbett’s profile of skateboarder Cara-Beth Burnside, in 2000. Only the latter piece feels a bit dated now, with its references to a “super-caffeinated Red Bull soda” and “Skateboard Shannen, a new remote-control toy from Mattel.”

A well-selected anthology of potent stories by formidable women writers.

THE DON OF SIRACUSA

Rea, Sean FriesenPress (383 pp.)

978-1-5255-3881-0 978-1-5255-3882-7 paper

A talented Italian American businessman is tempted by an alliance with Mafiaconnected figures in Rea’s debut novel.

Stefano Caruso spearheaded the successful international expansion of the automotive manufacturing company founded by his father. Since then, he’s been setting his sights even higher, diversifying his investments into horse racing, real estate, tech startups, and oil. He’s ambitious and unafraid of risk, but his life takes an unexpected turn when his long-term business partner Vincent sets up a meeting with a mysterious man who introduces himself only as Daniel. The stranger warns Caruso of corruption and embezzlement within his own company, and he sets up a meeting between Caruso and Benito Cuggi, an old Mafia boss who now runs a vast, legitimate business empire. Cuggi offers to help Caruso ferret out the thieves in his company, but Caruso struggles with the fact that his family had previously vowed to steer clear of Mafia violence. While mulling over what to do, Caruso flies to Mexico to personally inspect his factories near the U.S.–Mexico border for signs of corruption; then, he orchestrates high-stakes deals between Chinese and German auto industry titans. He later meets a beautiful horse trainer named Arianna Rosetti—a woman unlike anyone he’s ever met. Readers of Rea’s novel will likely be able to predict the outcomes of Caruso’s business negotiations and personal decisions, but they’ll still find them to be highly |

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Rossman elegantly expresses Owen’s efforts to connect with a possibly kindred soul. seven photographs

entertaining. Along the way, the author also shows how Caruso’s feelings for Arianna further complicate the high-stakes corruption investigation. The prose sometimes includes broad stylistic flourishes; for example, here’s Rea’s description of Daniel when Caruso first meets him: “His hair was short, black, and curled like the waves against Amalfi’s stony cliffs.” For the most part, though, the author has a straightforward style that effectively propels the story forward.

A well-paced mob thriller that immerses the reader in a dangerous world.

SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHS

Rossman, Alan iUniverse (354 pp.) $34.99 | $20.99 paper | $3.99 e-book Feb. 13, 2019 978-1-5320-6531-6 978-1-5320-6529-3 paper A grieving graphic designer forms a unique bond with a depressed neighbor in Rossman’s debut novel.

It’s been a year and a half since Owen and Janey Conway’s son, Aaron, died. To deal with his grief, Owen has been attending a support group called SOS. He’s also interested in a neighbor named Wilson Lacy, a retired scientist and teacher. Owen barely knows him, but he’s seen him tooling around the neighborhood in his 1950s sports car. Because Owen is sad, he’s drawn to what he senses is Wilson’s sadness, so he approaches his neighbor with a proposal. Owen’s a graphic designer, and he wonders if Wilson might want to take part in a project involving seven photographs, carefully chosen to represent significant points in the neighbor’s lifetime. Wilson, whose wife has recently left him due to his depression, agrees to the plan. “Maybe he was beginning to see something else in his photographs that could be used to shed some light on his darkness—and that glimmer moved him with an amalgam of desperation and hope,” narrates Owen. His plan involves what he calls “visual literacy” (“The idea is that there is meaning engraved in all visual images”), and he presents the project to Wilson as a kind of science experiment. Then Sophie, the hostess at the local pub, enters the picture; Owen introduces her to Wilson without fully realizing the effect that she might have.

Rossman’s novel about grief and its aftermath is truly heartfelt in its execution. Over the course of the story, the author clearly describes his protagonist’s complicated thought processes as he wades through grief on the way to acceptance. The characters are all thoughtful people who are clearly interested in finding answers to hard questions, and Rossman elegantly expresses Owen’s efforts to connect with a possibly kindred soul. The novel is long-winded, however, and the dense prose can make some of the book’s loftier concepts a bit hard to grasp. An extensive epilogue with photographs provides helpful insights, but other parts of the story remain hazy.

A perceptive novel about human connection that sometimes gets lost in its own thoughts.

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THE WINDOW TRAIL

Rusz, JJ CreateSpace (284 pp.) $12.99 paper | $2.99 e-book | Jul. 4, 2019 978-1-72242-487-9 In this series opener, a gruesome murder with far-reaching consequences unsettles a Texas town and brings together an attractive college professor and a young lawman intent on solving the case.

Before professor Claire Harp came to the state university in Alpine, Texas, a sophomore called Mote McCrary hiked up the Window Trail into the mountains of Big Bend National Park and leaped off a cliff. Mote’s professor and mentor, Michael Kincaid, subsequently rocked the publishing world with a much-lauded book based on conversations with the teen. The site of Mote’s death became a destination for young devotees of Kincaid’s literary triumph.

When two of them persuade Claire to take them there, it turns out to be a distressing trip, made more disturbing on the way back when a coyote passes by with a woman’s hand in its mouth. Claire and Capt. Clayton Alton Shoot from the sheriff ’s office find the rest of the remains the next day in a remote area of a wealthy rancher’s property. The dead woman turns out to be a part-time tech assistant at the university, notorious for her multiple affairs. The attraction between Claire and Clayton grows; meanwhile, the solution to the murder, obscured by an abundance of motives, is complicated by Alpine’s overly ambitious chief of police. Claire also finds herself on the trail of a second mystery that may or may not be related to the brutal crime. Rusz (How To Write Anything, 2019, etc.) deftly gives his characters substance and weaves humor and poignancy into escalating plot twists and turns. (Even the revelation of the perpetrator’s identity doesn’t quite lead where expected in the aftermath.) And the author, who clearly knows the territory, brings alive the book’s setting, the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, where readers can picture “a silhouette of mountains, purple and black against a sky that would not quite disappear, the horizon a bazaar of volcanic tents and towers” and the “northern fingers of the Chihuahuan desert reaching into Far West Texas.”

An absorbing, well-crafted mystery alive with colorful, substantive characters in a vivid setting.

CAROL’S QUEST FOR COURAGE

Sky, JoAnn Illus. by Koehler, Ed Dogs & Books (36 pp.)

978-0-9998430-6-2

RIPLEY ROBINSON AND THE WORM CHARMER

Stricklen, David Beachhead (206 pp.) $1.99 e-book | Jun. 13, 2019

This YA novel sees a wrestler meet the challenges of bullying and his crush’s strange hobby.

Seventh grader Ripley Robinson has just moved to Hidden Mountain with his family. At school one day, his only friend, Jasper, warns: “You never want to be the last one in the bathroom.” But Ripley lingers, and bully Dirk Heartley stuffs his head in the toilet and flushes. A talented wrestler, Ripley uses the back of his head to break Dirk’s nose. Ripley runs, hiding in a janitor’s closet. A girl named Geddy spies him and investigates.

Ripley is instantly smitten by her freckles and quirky style. He learns from her about the town’s worm-charming competition, which consists of coaxing the creatures to the surface of a field. The team that charms the most worms wins clues to a secret treasure of $300,000. Geddy hopes to triumph so that she and her mother won’t have to move to Oregon and live with Grandma. Ripley wants to help, but he must also concentrate on wrestling, dodging Dirk, and grappling with being popular after busting the bully’s nose. Will Chet, the eerie janitor with

THE LIGHT IN THE RUINS

Tavella, Michael G. Westbow Press (424 pp.) $42.95 | $27.95 paper | $3.99 e-book Jul. 27, 2018 978-1-973626-59-6 978-1-973626-58-9 paper

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Sky and Koehler (No Heartbreaker, 2019, etc.) return to Santa Claus’ dog park with another Christmas tale of love and courage starring a cute canine.

Carol, one of 100 dogs who live at the North Pole’s dog park, loves to sing, but she’s afraid to do so in public. She sets off on a journey by train to find her courage, but the pup has no luck locating it. Then she sees a young girl performing at a Christmas Eve variety show who panics onstage. Carol races to the rescue, howling alongside the youngster to the tune of “Silent Night.” Carol then realizes she didn’t have to travel to find her courage—it was inside herself all along. As in the previous installment, Carol is given the option to return home with Santa or live with her new friend, where she fits in. The fact that Carol’s kindness brings her courage into existence offers a strong message for young readers, and Sky smoothly tells this story in cheerful rhyme. Koehler’s bright, cartoonish illustrations depict a diverse human crowd, and the girl’s family appears to be of mixed heritage. Carol’s eyelashes are perhaps a bit overstated, but the Christmas-y details in the illustrations’ margins add to the holiday appeal.

A strong holiday story about courage, caring, and finding one’s voice.

a hook for a hand, add to Ripley’s problems or solve a few?

Stricklen’s (The Heart of the Swarm, 2016) latest novel deftly balances romance, sportsmanship, and lessons in racism. When a girl named Dixie gives Ripley a jean jacket, it’s adorned with the Confederate flag (after her name), and he thinks nothing of it. Later, Ripley hangs out with Hawk, his African American wrestling teammate. In Hawk’s predominantly black neighborhood, Ripley feels white for the first time and is reminded that the Confederate flag represents slavery. The boys also have an escapade involving destroyed property that leads to Ripley’s learning that honesty is the best policy. The author gives sports fans plenty to love in the wrestling scenes, and music nerds will adore Geddy, who’s named after the band Rush’s singer. Stricklen skillfully weaves together numerous plot threads, though some readers may find the story arc focusing on an elderly black woman named Betsy Turner overly sweet.

Unlikely elements blend wonderfully in this eclectic adventure.

Tavella’s debut Christian novel tells the story of a Lutheran pastor who embarks on a mission from God in a future, dystopian Pennsylvania.

In the early 22nd century, the United States has fallen into a second Dark Age, with a ruined economy and a population diminished by disease. Pastor Jonathan Klug, the leader of the Lutheran congregation in the small town of Felderheim, Pennsylvania, has seen a decline in people’s faith in God. One day, he finds an old letter in an unused church room. Written in 2008, it offers an apocalyptic vision: In the near future, there will be a monumental local confrontation between good and evil. “You, the discoverer of this letter, have been selected as an instrument of God’s purpose in the dark time,” reads the missive. “You will seek and find a manuscript of great importance at the church in ruins.” Jonathan elects to establish a monastic retreat in an abandoned cave attraction outside town, encouraged by a disembodied voice that only he can hear, which says to “Build here, Jonathan.” An ancient manuscript discovered in the cave supports Jonathan’s intuition, and with the help of a local Roman Catholic priest and like-minded neighbors known as the Amici Christi, he sets about preparing for the coming storm. Evil is already upon them, however, in the form of roving bands called Goths—and a treacherous figure in their midst.

Over the course of this novel, Tavella’s lean prose succeeds in conjuring the mysticism of Jonathan’s world: “The brazier fires were burning low. With startling abruptness, a flame shot into the air from the altar.” The future society intriguingly replicates a medieval setting, and the author seamlessly weaves religiosity |

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This is a book that may initially inspire fear, but ideally, it will also be one that engenders discussion. a planet of 3 billion

into his characters’ daily lives. However, at the same time, the characters also have a certain pre-modern flatness, and readers may wish that Tavella had given them a bit more complexity.

The distinctive dystopian environment, however, effectively combines the history of Pennsylvania with Christian monasticism, which sets this novel apart from typical genre fare.

An imaginative and convincing account of God-fearing survivors in tumultuous times.

FROM MOSES TO MOSES

Taylor, Irving AuthorHouseUK (352 pp.) $20.95 paper | $4.99 e-book Mar. 22, 2019 978-1-5462-9755-0

A historical novel that chronicles the trials and triumphs of the great Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides.

Moses ben Maimon, more widely known historically as Moses Maimonides, grows up in Córdoba during Spain’s “golden age,” during which not only prosperity reigns, but also religious tolerance, which permits adherents of the three Abrahamic faiths to live and worship side by side. Still, Jews are considered “dhimmis”—second-class citizens, below Muslims. But after the generally lenient Almoravid rulers are replaced by draconian Almohads, Maimonides and his family face a stark choice: flee,

This Issue’s Contributors

Tucker argues for the benefits of decreasing Earth’s population in this debut work on sustainability.

Earth has a carrying capacity, according to the author, and it’s less than half the number of human beings that it currently has: “In effect, humanity has been on a century-long binge,” he says, “featuring exponential population growth, continuous growth in industrial output and individual consumption, and the ecological devastation that goes with it.” He argues that the ideal population is 3 billion people—approximately the number that were alive on Earth in the mid-20th century. This may sound like a low number, but Tucker’s method of calculating it sounds quite reasonable. The population is not only growing, but becoming increasingly “middle class,” he asserts, meaning that each person is able to consume more things and generate more waste. Even if the population were to stabilize and humanity found new, hyperefficient ways to recycle its trash, the author argues that we’ve already passed the point of sustainability given the size of the planet and its amount of resources.

CHILDREN’S & TEEN Marcie Bovetz • Christopher A. Brown • Timothy Capehart • Ann Childs • Alec B. Chunn • Amanda Chuong • Tamar Cimenian • Jeannie Coutant • Erin Deedy • Elise DeGuiseppi • Brooke Faulkner • Amy Seto Forrester • Ayn Reyes Frazee • Carol Goldman • Hannah Gomez • Melinda Greenblatt • Kathleen T. Isaacs • Darlene Sigda Ivy • Deborah Kaplan • Megan Dowd Lambert • Lori Low • Joan Malewitz • Kirby McCurtis • Sierra McKenzie • Kathie Meizner • Mary Margaret Mercado • Daniel Meyer • J. Elizabeth Mills • Lisa Moore • Tori Ann Ogawa • Sara Ortiz • Deb Paulson • John Edward Peters • Deesha Philyaw • Susan Pine • Andrea Plaid • Asata Radcliffe • Amy B. Reyes • Nancy Thalia Reynolds • Erika Rohrbach • Ronnie Rom • Leslie L. Rounds • Katie Scherrer • Stephanie Seales • John W. Shannon • Rita Soltan • Jennifer Sweeney • Christina Vortia • Bean Yogi • INDIE Alana Abbott • Kent Armstrong • Jillian Bietz • Darren Carlaw • Charles Cassady • Michael Deagler • Stephanie Dobler Cerra • Steve Donoghue • Tina Gianoulis • Lynne Heffley • Jennifer Helinek • Justin Hickey • Ivan Kenneally • Barbara London • Mandy Malone • Dale McGarrigle • Randall Nichols • Jamison Pfeifer • Alicia Power • Matt Rauscher • Walker Rutter-Bowman • Jerome Shea • Mary Slosson • Holly Storm • Gale Walden •

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A PLANET OF 3 BILLION Mapping Humanity’s Long History of Ecological Destruction and Finding Our Way to a Resilient Future: A Global Citizen’s Guide to Saving the Planet

Tucker, Christopher Atlas Observatory Press (342 pp.)

Sep. 9, 2019 978-0-578-51530-4

# ADULT Maude Adjarian • Mark Athitakis • Joseph Barbato • Amy Boaz • Catherine Cardno • Tobias Carroll • Lee E. Cart • Kristin Centorcelli • Devon Crowe • Dave DeChristopher • Kathleen Devereaux • Amanda Diehl • Bobbi Dumas • Daniel Dyer • Lisa Elliott • Mia Franz • Amy Goldschlager • Janice Harayda • Natalia Holtzman • Laura Jenkins • Jessica Jernigan • Skip Johnson • Jayashree Kambel • Tom Lavoie • Louise Leetch • Judith Leitch • Peter Lewis • Elsbeth Lindner • Michael Magras • Joe Maniscalco • Don McLeese • Gregory McNamee • Clayton Moore • Ismail Muhammad • Jennifer Nabers • Christopher Navratil • Liza Nelson • Therese Purcell Nielsen • Connie Ogle • Mike Oppenheim • Scott Parker • Jim Piechota • William E. Pike • Steve Potter • Margaret Quamme • Karen Rigby • Leslie Safford • Rosanne Simeone • Linda Simon • Margot E. Spangenberg • Claire Trazenfeld • Jessica Miller • George Weaver • Steve Weinberg • Kerry Winfrey •

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convert, or die. In his debut novel, Taylor (Medicine/Univ. Coll.

London) details Maimonides’ lifelong search for a safe environment—one that’s stable enough for him to pursue his monumentally significant intellectual ambitions. Maimonides’ family finally flees Córdoba, and then Spain entirely, and after aborted attempts to settle in Morocco and Palestine, they finally find a home in Egypt. While in Morocco, Maimonides nominally converts to Islam but continues to secretly worship as a Jew—a criminal apostasy that’s punishable by death. The author deftly charts Maimonides’ intellectual development, particularly his attempt to reconcile supernatural elements of the Jewish faith with natural science: “He remained convinced of the importance of the scientific method, of the need for independent observation, and of the requirement to be rational in delivering treatment.” Taylor’s command of the details of Maimonides’ life, as well as the cultural and political features of the historical period, is simply magisterial. His account of his subject’s valiant attempt to preserve the Jewish culture and its ancient repository of biblical teachings is as engaging as it is moving. The prose is unfailingly clear throughout, but it’s more academic than literary in tone, and it reads more like scholarly history than literary fiction. Nevertheless, the author shows Maimonides’ life to be both dramatically thrilling and philosophically important.

A rigorously researched and lucidly presented account of a philosopher’s extraordinary journey.

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Turner, James E. Burning Barn Books (426 pp.) $17.99 paper | $9.99 e-book Jan. 17, 2019 978-1-73272-891-2 A debut memoir about a student with learning disabilities who, through guidance, luck, and a stint in the U.S. military, got accepted to Northwestern University’s medical school.

Turner says in an introduction that he’d originally intended to write down his memories only for his children, but then he thought that some of his stories might have wider appeal—and, in this, he’s right. His account provides a close-up view of his late-1960s studies to become a medic; most of his colleagues were later shipped off to Vietnam, where they faced grave danger. Turner’s own two-year stint in the Army is at the heart of the book, but he began his journey in a small Southern Illinois farming community. He writes that his dyslexia and attention deficit disorder resulted in academic challenges throughout

his life and that he chose to enlist after he almost failed out of his first year at Blackburn College. He was assigned to a medical dispensary at the Pentagon after medic training, and his descriptions of the Pentagon as a city unto itself, before the existence of cellphones or the internet, are compelling.

Turner’s prose is clear and informative, as when he describes the Pentagon internal phone system: “this network included one hundred thousand miles of telephone wire…enough to encircle the globe four times at the equator.” Turner remembers being on duty in Washington in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, and this historical material is often compelling. He also highlights how his grandparents and good teachers helped him during his life, during which he eventually found success as a doctor. That said, the book might have been improved by a stronger edit, particularly when the author tells other people’s war stories.

However, readers who are interested in this memoir’s setting— primarily the ’60s, in a predominately male domain—will find this book of interest.

An informative account of 1960s stateside military life by a man who lived it.

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The author presents and analyzes many different populationsustainability hypotheses and also examines historical trends from humanity’s first 200,000 years, which had relatively minuscule population growth. Tucker then lays out his case for why estimates above 3 billion are, in his opinion, starry-eyed. So what, then, do we do with all the extra people? The author has a long-term plan—and it’s actually much simpler, and less sinister, than one might think. In the second half of the book, the author provides a strategy for getting back to a sustainable civilization—an act that he characterizes not as a retreat or decline but as a chance for a new beginning.

This book has a premise that’s likely to alarm the vast majority of readers at first glance, but Tucker executes his argument in a tone that’s calm and even cordial. Although he admits that his target number might be wrong—and encourages others to attempt to raise it, based on the available data—he shows a deep familiarity with the issue of overpopulation and comes to his argument armed with information. Indeed, many readers may find themselves marveling at the complexity of Earth’s resource cycle, as he lays it out. Even those who finish the book unconvinced of the necessity of curbing Earth’s population will get a better understanding of the factors that go into human sustainability—and of how easily they can become imbalanced.

In the end, Tucker’s primary theme seems to be that humankind needs to start thinking about its problems in a geographic framework: “Without a shared geographical understanding of our planet, our species, and the civilizations we have created, we will soon find ourselves unable to deal with the unfortunate consequences of ignoring certain realities about our planet.”

This is a book that may initially inspire fear, but ideally, it will also be one that engenders discussion.

A book that offers an engaging and sometimes-frightening dose of overpopulation reality.

ROAMERS AND WANDERERS A Collection

Webb, Frances Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency (112 pp.) $25.50 | $9.99 e-book | May 2, 2019 978-1-948858-90-8

A dozen poems and short stories about people in transit and the interpersonal dramas that emerge in the course of travel.

Webb (A Short Joy for Alma Hedman, 2018) offers a collection of cursory tales and vignettes, set between the 1950s and 1970s.

In each of these stories, characters are on the move from one place to another. There’s a woman in “Getting to Verdun” who accompanies her father and husband to Holland, where her dad had fought in World War I. In “The Convention,” Sally joins her husband, Harold, at a business convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where she witnesses the trivialities of business dinners and happy hours. “On a Bench in the Amtrak Train Station” centers on the thoughts of a woman as she closely observes a mother and child: “She is standing still and itching to hold that baby again!” Stories like this one, as well as “The Guide and the Boy”—set during a guided tour of the Teotihuacán area in Mexico—and poems such as “Really, Isn’t it Strange” read more like vignettes, with their close attention to detail and lack of resolution. Overall, Webb writes in a crisp, casual style that emphasizes mundane details and interactions. In “The Convention,” for example, she describes a dinner attentively: “Harold fiddled with his fork. / Janet drank her water. / I drank my water. / Ed shook out his napkin.” Familial themes also loom large, with tales featuring married couples, father-daughter relationships, and thoughts of childbearing. “Norway,” one of the collection’s |

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Ziemba’s examination of the evolution of football from a “brutal, controversial display that was more of a curiosity” to the “obsession it remains today” is engrossing. cadets, cannons and legends

most successful stories, describes the disorienting experience of traveling and encountering new languages: The protagonist thinks in response to a Norwegian man’s attentive questioning over a business dinner, “Was this a list of prepositions?” Some readers may be frustrated by the lack of narrative development; indeed, Webb’s description of a Tupperware demonstration in “The Convention” could apply to the collection as a whole: “No final outcome. No outburst.” Still, readers will find plenty of detail and emotional complexity here.

Descriptive, understated stories of characters in flux.

YELLOW SKY

Wright, Brooks Artichoke Press (285 pp.) $15.95 paper 978-1-388-19341-6 Good versus evil, the Depression, the Dust Bowl, a vagrant elephant, and a traveling circus— this novel has all that and more: Step right up, folks.

Wright (The Sky Is Far Away, 2019, etc.) has created a superb character in his protagonist, young Hughey Gibson. By the world’s reckoning, Hughey is a naif and a dreamer. Early on, he sees an elephant moseying along the tree line of the Gibson farm (or what’s left of it). A hundred pages later, his improbable vision is vindicated, but his reputation for being a moony innocent still stands. Hughey’s opposite is Jakes McConnell, the epitome of bad company. He talks Hughey into going to the circus, and soon Hughey is accused of being Jakes’ accomplice in a burglary. So now there is no going back to Shelbyville, Missouri. Like it or not, Hughey is now a roustabout. And he does come to like it, especially when he catches the eye of Marlina

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 2019 by Kirkus Media LLC. KIRKUS REVIEWS (ISSN 1948- 7428) is published semimonthly by Kirkus Media LLC, 2600Via Fortuna, Suite 130, Austin, TX 78746.

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Sova, the circus girl who rides the elephant. But bad luck and bad company keep dogging him until he is linked to a homicide (Jakes again). Through it all, people either believe in Hughey’s innate innocence or are dumbfounded by him. Wright is a wonderful writer (The elephant “slapped lazily across a crazed and wirehaired shoulder with its pendulous and serpentine trunk”).

The big question is: What are readers to make of Hughey? Is he hopelessly naïve or naïvely hopeful? A subtitle might be The Education of Hughey Gibson, but what he learns seems to be a kind of fatalism and acceptance. Which is hardly surprising. This is a hard world of creepy criminals and corrupt cops, a lesson that over time he reluctantly accepts. As an apt coda, the final chapters feature the mother of all dust storms. Hughey finally “sees the elephant,” as the old idiom goes. Still, as the author skillfully shows, this world needs its Hughey Gibsons. And that turns out to be a terrible indictment of this world.

Grim doings, grim humor, and grim wisdom abound in this masterful tale; a book well worth reading.

CADETS, CANNONS AND LEGENDS

Ziemba, Joe Gatekeeper Press (474 pp.) $19.95 paper | $11.99 e-book Nov. 7, 2018 978-1-64237-341-7

A debut sports book offers a comprehensive history of a military academy’s football program and the development of the game itself.

The Morgan Park Military Academy was first established in 1873 in Chicago. The school was then called the Mt. Vernon English, Classical, and Military Academy. According to extant records, the academy first participated in an organized football game in 1893 and fielded a team for a full season of competition the following year. Ziemba chronicles the arc of the football program’s growth in detail so journalistically microscopic the study is simultaneously impressive as a feat of archival precision and tedious to read. The academy was originally a part of the University of Chicago. The coach of the college team, Amos Alonzo Stagg, quickly took over as the leader of the academy players as well, using the school as a kind of farm squad to train and recruit talent for the university. The author tracks not only the academy team’s triumphs and defeats—it had its first losing season in 1903—but also the school’s intramural disputes, like its controversial decision in 1900 to close its doors to female students. Ziemba’s account is not only spangled with black-andwhite photographs of the campus and key figures, but is filled with statistical information as well, including an appendix that documents the team’s results for decades. His scholarly rigor is indefatigable and remarkable, although the results of it are unlikely to grab the attention of anyone who doesn’t have some kind of personal relationship to Morgan Academy. But Ziemba’s examination of the evolution of football from a “brutal, controversial display that was more of a curiosity” to the “obsession

it remains today” is engrossing. The author expertly discusses how different football was as a game in its embryonic stage: “The bloodshed and physical dismay endured by football players in the early days of the game was certainly not anything new.

With little padding, archaic rules, and often ill-advised officials, the examples of horrific injuries and multiple deaths on the football field had become alarming.” For readers interested in an astute history of the game’s inception, this is a worthy option.

A remarkably well-researched history of a football team that should appeal to fans of the school or the game.

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Fi e l d No t e s Photo courtesy Michael Tran-FilmMagic

Photo courtesy Noam Galai-Getty Images

By Megan Labrise

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

“He sat forward and gripped his cane with both hands. He was wearing black leather gloves with his symbol on them. ‘Have you talked to Random House?’ he asked. ‘You have power now,’ he said. ‘Learn to wield it. It’s you, it’s me, and it’s them. Convince them that they need to put everything behind me.’ He locked eyes with me. ‘I trust you. Tell them I trust you.’ ”

“It was a knife party, man. Everyone was constantly fearing their execution and their evisceration in the press, or someone was trying to go after them so they would have to go to someone else. This is how a lot of investigative reporting works: There’s a dysfunction, and that’s when leaks start to occur. It’s like Facebook— once the election happened there were leaks like crazy because people were just disturbed about what was going on. But I’ve never encountered a cast of characters that were willing to kill each other.”

—Mike Isaac, author of Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, in New York Magazine 142

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“This was an example of journalism stepping in where other systems had failed.”

—Jodi Kantor

“Nobody was immune from sexual harassment. Even the most famous, shiny women and celebrities, including people like Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow, had been victims of this themselves.”

—Megan Twohey

Photo courtesy Karen Krogh

—Dan Piepenbring recounts working with Prince on his memoir, The Beautiful Ones, in the New Yorker

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the New York Times reporters who broke the story of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and abuse in 2017—and galvanized the #MeToo movement—appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to discuss their new book, She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement:

“To be invited and then disinvited—it brings up all sorts of middle school feelings. ‘You can come to our party. Uh no, you can’t come to our party.’ One thing I’ve learned from this: I shouldn’t take my freedom of expression for granted.”

—YA author Julia Watts (Quiver, Finding H.F.), who was disinvited from the Knox County Public Library’s teen literary festival after an organizer learned she’s also written lesbian erotica, in Publishers Weekly

“Now he is a narcissist.”

—author and poet Linda Boström Knausgård (Welcome to America), speaking of ex-husband Karl Ove Knausgaard with interviewer Lisa Abend, in Vanity Fair

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Appreciations: Harlan Ellison’s Dog Days B Y G RE G O RY MC NA MEE

Photo courtesy Barbara Alper Getty Images

The year 1984 came and went, and England—much as Margaret Thatcher might have wished otherwise—did not become a dictatorship. The year 2001 came and went, with no strange monoliths discovered on distant moons. But 2024 is fast upon us, and, to judge by the cycle of stories that makes up Harlan Ellison’s slim book Vic and Blood, that way truly lies apocalypse—and with it, telepathic dogs, dumb-as-dirt humans, and other plausibilities.

Half a century ago, Harlan Ellison was known among sci-fi aficionados for the Hugo Award–winning short story “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” and “The City on the Edge of Forever,” perhaps the best Star Trek episode ever made.

He also had a bit part in Gay Talese’s legendary 1966 magazine piece “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” in which Sinatra criticized Ellison’s sartorial sense and Ellison, ever fearless, snarked right back.

Then, in 1969, Ellison (who died last summer at the age of 84), wrote a short story in which nuclear nightmare rained down and the surface of the world was left “for anyone with a taste for radiation and rubble”—mostly disaffected teenage boys with a yen for violence. In “A Boy and His Dog,” that inaugural tale, Vic is a dim young man without much sense while Blood, the descendant of a motley breed of dogs that “had become the shock commandos of a new kind of war,” can see through waves of radiation and read minds—all very helpful when “roverpaks,” gangs of enemy kids and their killer dogs, are in the neighborhood.

Vic meets a young woman who takes him underground, where the God-fearing citizens of the surface had long ago fled, founding theocratic cities that one might find in a more cynical version of The Handmaid’s Tale. One is a replica of Topeka, Kansas, where Vic is put to work breeding with the young women of a place where radiation has made the menfolk incapable of the task—work that quickly grows tiresome. To boot, as Vic grouses, the new Topekans eat “artificial peas and fake meat and make-believe chicken and ersatz corn and bogus bread, and it all tasted like chalk and dust to me.” He and Blood flee, the young woman in tow, but then things get ugly, and—well, an injured Blood needs his protein, and not fake stuff.

The actor L.Q. Jones made a movie of “A Boy and His Dog” in 1975, starring a young and unknown Don Johnson, and it brought Ellison a huge new audience. Jones threw in a twist at the end that made the film instantly controversial. The twist had to do not with the sex, which was true to the book, but to the already abundant violence, which Jones, a veteran of Sam Peckinpah’s 1969 shoot’em-up splatterfest The Wild Bunch, amplified. Ellison, who called himself a misanthrope but not a misogynist, wasn’t pleased with the modification, pointing out that the deed hinted at—those who have seen the film will know what I mean—didn’t take place in his pages. Still, he allowed, it shook people up, a transgression that suited Harlan Ellison, the poet of dangerous visions, just fine.

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