![]() This book tells the story of homo sapiens from the very start. Harari takes an evolutionary lens to history and describes each transition or event in terms of science. It is difficult to articulate the scope of this book. Harari covers an immensity of historical information. However, the real intrigue of this text comes from the unrelentingly scientific approach of the narration. A friend recommended this book to me as we were discussing some of the realities we see in our society today. Harari did not disappoint. I learned a bunch of history here, but I can't emphasize enough how novel this evolutionary perspective was to me. The concept that most of my life is based on imagined entities fascinates me.
0 Comments
![]() This book starts when Julia's perfect sister, Olga, dies. Julia's parents want her to dress like a good girl, only say nice things, and stay home with them forever. This is not Julia. With the help of some formative experiences, Julia recovers from her sister's death and discovers some familial secrets along the way. The plot of this novel surprised me a number of times. Julia sees the world in a pretty dark way, which is understandable considering her circumstances. I found Julia's struggle to establish her true identity heartening and important: she grapples with the expectations of her undocumented conservative Mexican parents and her reality as an American teen in realistic ways. One aspect of certainty here is that Julia has a strong narrative voice throughout the novel. ![]() The title character of this novel leaves his childhood home in search of enlightenment. Each anecdotal chapter features a different lesson or formative experience for Siddhartha. He is often alone in his travel, yet his companions leave deep marks on his development. Among those with whom he interacts, the Buddha himself even has a speaking role in this novel. I "read" this novel as in incoming freshman years ago. I did not really read the novel that time. The narrative and plot feel a bit dry, even today. However, I found myself enjoying, appreciating, and relating to the lessons Siddhartha learns in the latter 3/4 of the novel. I wonder if my elevated interest this time around has to do with the fact that I book clubbed this novel with a friend. We would read a few chapters and chat about them, which led us- I think- to a deeper understanding of the novel. ![]() Fabiola moves from Haiti to Detroit to live with her cousins at the crossroads of American Street and Joy Road. She is quickly caught up in familial and political conflicts as she learns to navigate her new environment. Fabiola walks a precarious line as her actions have the potential to put others in or out of prison, and in or out of this world. I love that this novel presents the perspective of a teenage girl moving to Detroit; the city itself plays a role in this book. I also really enjoy how Zoboi ingrains Fabiola's religious and spiritual beliefs into the narrative. Fabiola is a complete character who does not make concessions regarding her most important traits, which is both inspiring and realistic. ![]() This novel features an ensemble of protagonists and the chapters rotate between the varied cast. Each protagonist is part of or related to extremely wealthy families in Singapore. Like, crazy wealthy. The plot centers around the wedding of Colin Khoo and Araminta Lee but it goes all around the world as Kwan narrates the lavish lives of these incredibly high rollers. This novel was recommended to me by a student and I was immediately taken aback by the title. Regardless, I gave it a go and found myself reading some kind of almost-adult Gossip Girl set in mostly in Asia but with serious time in North America and Europe. While I have not yet chosen to read the sequel (the characters' lives were unfathomable at times), I look forward to seeing the movie when it premiers this summer. ![]() Taylor Greer buys an old beater, changes her name, and trades in her Kentucky hometown for the desert of Arizona all in the first couple chapters of this novel. What comes next is a heartwarming tale of the power of family: both by blood and by choice. Alongside Taylor, main characters include an undocumented couple from Guatemala, a Native American child, an older widow-lady, and a live-in best friend. I first read this novel as required summer reading when I was thirteen years old. I did not quite get it then and I remember struggling to even imagine what Arizona looks like. But then, I read the novel again this past spring as an adult and the whole thing came to life for me. There are still many elements I do not directly relate to, but Taylor and Lou Ann's relationship strikes a chord. Plus, I love the themes on people and life that Kingsolver weaves into the story. ![]() This novel from Yaa Gyasi traces the heritage of a family, beginning when two sisters are separated from their home in West Africa in the eighteenth century and reaching all the way to present time. Each chapter focuses on a different member of the family tree as the characters navigate their time and circumstance and very human ways. This book came on my radar when it was the Washtenaw Reads selection, but I did not read it until Mr. Packard put a copy in my hands. I really liked the changing narrative in each chapter. Gyasi's storytelling is both a collection of short stories and a single larger tapestry: I enjoyed hearing her slip into the perspectives of people at different moments of the African diaspora and use their snapshots to create a narrative. ![]() Young Hugo Cabret manages the clocks in a Paris railway station without any adult supervision. He scampers through the walls and nabs what he needs to survive from vendors at the station. This story is a mysterious adventure involving a real-world filmmaker, a robot that draws, and a young boy looking for family. Many of you may have read this book or seen the movie already, but I have not really been interested in Hugo Cabret until I heard Gene Luen Yang referenced this book as an inspiration for him to write graphic novels at a talk he did at the library. I love how the illustrations in Hugo Cabret are part of the plot: the don't just illustrate what the words say, but rather they hold their own as story elements. ![]() Justyce McAllister is a top student at a boarding school in Atlanta, GA. He's on the debate team, has a few best friends, and is ready to get into an Ivy League university. But a few racially charged run-ins with the police leave him searching for answers. He begins the exercise of writing to MLK (Dear Martin) as he learns about and explores the race-based tensions between young black men and the white police officers he meets. A friend recommended this book to me and I was initially intrigued by the concept of writing letters to MLK as a way to seek understanding. That intrigue was then sustained by the engaging characters and (at times) nuanced discussion of racial politics in America today. |
J. HiEBERBibliophile Archives
June 2020
Categories
All
|