The Archer - If you’re looking for a novel that offers escapism, with a healthy dose of reality; family drama, with poetic lyricism, look no further than The Archer by Shruti Swamy. Taking place in 1960s- 1970s Bombay, it presents the idea and dilemma of independent womanhood, motherhood and artistic endeavors coexisting. When the protagonist, Vidya as a young girl, observes her mother and a class of women performing a native dance, she is vexed. She is determined to not only learn it, but perfect it. The pursuit of it means more than marriage, becoming a mother or her eventual college studies. It takes on even more meaning once she loses her mother while still only in high school. Of course her desire to be consumed by her art runs contrary to her father’s, her husband’s and societal expectations. Can Vidya have it all? Does she want it all or is her life’s ambition singular? Although this is Samy’s debut novel, it is not her first publication. Her recently published collection of stories, A House is a Body, was dubbed by Kiese Laymon as “one of the greatest short story collections of the 2020s.” Given that, along with the The Archer’s original premise, it is no surprise that this is an impressive and wholly engaging debut from a unique writing talent who will only get better and better with each project. Publisher: Algonquin Books, an imprint of Workman Press A Knock at Midnight by debut writer/lawyer Brittany K. Barnett is a compelling memoir of justice, determination and freedom. The small-town Georgia native was in the midst of a successful career in finance in 2011, and headed to an even more lucrative one in corporate law when she came along the story of Sharanda Jones. Sharanda was a single mother who received a life sentence without parole for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. The situation resonated with Brittany who herself was the daughter of a single mom, addicted to drugs, and constantly in and out of jail through little fault of her own but an untreated addiction. Although criminal justice law was not in Brittany’s wheelhouse at the time, she was determined learn what she needed in hopes of garnering Sharanda a second chance at life, along with family friends and former neighbors who had been unfairly impacted by a flawed justice system. I dug into the history of federal drug legislation, trying to find justification for the clearly inequitable 100-to-1 crack-to-powder ratio. Surely there had to be some legislative. History that explained lawmakers’ rationale. … What little legislative history there was suggested that legislators justified penalties a hundred times harsher for crack cocaine for reasons unsubstantiated at the time … In the months leading up to the 1986 elections, more than one thousand articles appeared in major news outlets around the country focused on the devastation wrought by crack cocaine. The articles played on age-old racist white fears of Black criminality, ignoring the fact that white Americans used cocaine at higher rates than Black Americans. Somewhere in between law school and Brittany’s mom’s legal and drug addiction struggles, her mother persevered, overcoming her habit (not while in prison) and released from the clutches of a failed system. It took several years, but thanks to Brittany’s persistence and Sharanda’s hopeful nature, the single mom who thought she’d never hug her kids again, let alone experience their life milestones as twenty-something-year-old women, her story too ends on an inspiring note. A Knock at Midnight is no ordinary book. It impressively weaves together elements of memoir, prison drama, and courtroom suspense, and it does so in a very approachable, accessible way for readers of all ages. Publisher: Crown, an imprint of Random House Revival Season - While Revival Season by Monica West is a quick read, it is not necessarily an easy read. That is not to say it isn’t a well-executed, contemporary debut novel, because it is, but the subject matter about an abusive Southern Baptist preacher, is intense and heart-wrenching at times. The story’s main character, 15-year-old Miriam is the daughter of one of the South’s most prominent Black evangelists. As such, at the start of every summer, she and her family load up the family car and spend several weeks on the road, going from church to church for her father’s healing services. During this one fateful summer, Miriam sees her passionate preacher father in a different light as she observes his temper targeted towards not only herself and her mother, but congregants. Maybe even doubling vexing is hearing her father accused of abusing a young girl. During that same revival season, Miriam learns that she may actually have the gift of healing her father may only be faking. Out of fear of her father’s jealousy, as well as his staunch belief that women cannot heal or have leadership positions in the church, she uses her “gift” sparingly and on the down low. With all the tumult of this particular season, Miriam’s belief in her father and religion is shaken to its core. The story of Revival Season is simple, yet somewhat unique in its exploration of a young girl’s faith in the face of an abusive father and a life-altering decision. It is both interesting and laudable that although a Black family is at the center of this story, race and racism are not. As a writer, her style is pared down and straight forward, maybe at first glance, even a bit underwhelming, with little to no lush, lyrical or memorable lines, per se. That said, with a debut such as this, West undeniably shows signs of an emerging talent to keep an eye on. Publisher: Simon & Schuster
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A Knock at Midnight by debut writer/lawyer Brittany K. Barnett is a compelling memoir of justice, determination and freedom. The small-town Georgia native was in the midst of a successful career in finance in 2011, and headed to an even more lucrative one in corporate law when she came along the story of Sharanda Jones. Sharanda was a single mother who received a life sentence without parole for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. The situation resonated with Brittany who herself was the daughter of a single mom, addicted to drugs, and constantly in and out of jail through little fault of her own but an untreated addiction. Although criminal justice law was not in Brittany’s wheelhouse at the time, she was determined learn what she needed in hopes of garnering Sharanda a second chance at life, along with family friends and former neighbors who had been unfairly impacted by a flawed justice system. I dug into the history of federal drug legislation, trying to find justification for the clearly inequitable 100-to-1 crack-to-powder ratio. Surely there had to be some legislative. History that explained lawmakers’ rationale. … What little legislative history there was suggested that legislators justified penalties a hundred times harsher for crack cocaine for reasons unsubstantiated at the time … In the months leading up to the 1986 elections, more than one thousand articles appeared in major news outlets around the country focused on the devastation wrought by crack cocaine. The articles played on age-old racist white fears of Black criminality, ignoring the fact that white Americans used cocaine at higher rates than Black Americans. Somewhere in between law school and Brittany’s mom’s legal and drug addiction struggles, her mother persevered, overcoming her habit (not while in prison) and released from the clutches of a failed system. It took several years, but thanks to Brittany’s persistence and Sharanda’s hopeful nature, the single mom who thought she’d never hug her kids again, let alone experience their life milestones as twenty-something-year-old women, her story too ends on an inspiring note. A Knock at Midnight is no ordinary book. It impressively weaves together elements of memoir, prison drama, and courtroom suspense, and it does so in a very approachable, accessible way for readers of all ages. Publisher: Crown, an imprint of Random House The Archer - If you’re looking for a novel that offers escapism, with a healthy dose of reality; family drama, with poetic lyricism, look no further than The Archer by Shruti Swamy. Taking place in 1960s- 1970s Bombay, it presents the idea and dilemma of independent womanhood, motherhood and artistic endeavors coexisting. When the protagonist, Vidya as a young girl, observes her mother and a class of women performing a native dance, she is vexed. She is determined to not only learn it, but perfect it. The pursuit of it means more than marriage, becoming a mother or her eventual college studies. It takes on even more meaning once she loses her mother while still only in high school. Of course her desire to be consumed by her art runs contrary to her father’s, her husband’s and societal expectations. Can Vidya have it all? Does she want it all or is her life’s ambition singular? Although this is Samy’s debut novel, it is not her first publication. Her recently published collection of stories, A House is a Body, was dubbed by Kiese Laymon as “one of the greatest short story collections of the 2020s.” Given that, along with the The Archer’s original premise, it is no surprise that this is an impressive and wholly engaging debut from a unique writing talent who will only get better and better with each project. Publisher: Algonquin Books, an imprint of Workman Press Revival Season - While Revival Season by Monica West is a quick read, it is not necessarily an easy read. That is not to say it isn’t a well-executed, contemporary debut novel, because it is, but the subject matter about an abusive Southern Baptist preacher, is intense and heart-wrenching at times. The story’s main character, 15-year-old Miriam is the daughter of one of the South’s most prominent Black evangelists. As such, at the start of every summer, she and her family load up the family car and spend several weeks on the road, going from church to church for her father’s healing services. During this one fateful summer, Miriam sees her passionate preacher father in a different light as she observes his temper targeted towards not only herself and her mother, but congregants. Maybe even doubling vexing is hearing her father accused of abusing a young girl. During that same revival season, Miriam learns that she may actually have the gift of healing her father may only be faking. Out of fear of her father’s jealousy, as well as his staunch belief that women cannot heal or have leadership positions in the church, she uses her “gift” sparingly and on the down low. With all the tumult of this particular season, Miriam’s belief in her father and religion is shaken to its core. The story of Revival Season is simple, yet somewhat unique in its exploration of a young girl’s faith in the face of an abusive father and a life-altering decision. It is both interesting and laudable that although a Black family is at the center of this story, race and racism are not. As a writer, her style is pared down and straight forward, maybe at first glance, even a bit underwhelming, with little to no lush, lyrical or memorable lines, per se. That said, with a debut such as this, West undeniably shows signs of an emerging talent to keep an eye on. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ripple Effect deftly mixes writing genres of literary fiction and mystery, leaving readers to wonder where author Cathy Rath has been all this time, and will this be the first of many or a possible series. Ripple Effect by newcomer, Cathy Rath, is a fresh and truly engaging take on family dynamics and family secrets. It is as much a suspense plot-driven narrative as it is a character-driven one that make for a story with a lot of heart and undeniable intrigue. The protagonist, Jeannie Glazer, was three years old in 1952 when her father dies in a car accident on a trip to Atlanta. Sixteen years later, as a college freshman, she is arrested during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. She is released hours later when a sergeant announces that her bail was paid by her “pop” and tosses her an envelope of cash. Stunned and suspicious, Jeannie tells no one, convinced somebody is watching her. Determined to find answers, her search closes in on an even darker secret about her father’s tragic death two decades earlier.
Although Jeannie garners most of the novel's character focus, there are several others that are key to the story and mystery. Some are within the Glazer family, others are pivotal supporting cast of characters., but all that should be, are fully drawn and interesting. Also interesting and admirable is that the novel crosses over two to three time periods, which in the hands of a lesser writer could be tricky, even problematic, but Rath navigates it all with aplomb. It is especially appreciative that the character names and dates as demarkation of each chapter. The reader is quickly drawn into the point of view and the year/decade. All that, and coming in at just under 300 pages, Ripple Effect is one of the most readable books you and your book group should dive into this year. Infinite Country by Patricia Engel is what American Dirt by Jeanine Commins should have been, or at least what the latter fancied itself to be. Where Cummins’ novel about a mother and son on the run from the Cartel in Mexico succeeded in delivering up an undeniable absorbing suspense thriller, it received warranted criticism for promoting falsehoods, often labeled “stereotypical” and “appropriative.” Engle’s story about a Colombian family fractured by deportation, and the young female protagonist initially running from school, her family and her inner demons, feels authentic and compassionate. It deftly combines political narratives with human struggles.
The story begins with 15-year-old Talia breaking free from a nun-managed reform school in the Colombian mountains. Talia, a young, but tortured soul is more than capable on her own. She’s tough, and a force to be reckoned with as she forges her way back to Bogotá where she had been raised by her father and grandmother in Colombia. From there, she is determined to catch a flight and reunite with her mother and siblings in the United States, her place of birth. but raised by her father and grandmother in Colombia. Along the way from the school to her home, readers are taken along not only Talia’s rigorous trek and the people she encounters, but through the backstory of her young life and her family’s. Though Talia’s journey drives the novel’s narrative and rhythm of short, brisk chapters, Infinite Country’s is less about Talia’s journey and need to reunite with her family than expected from the story’s start. Instead, as the novel richly unfolds, one realizes its focus is on her and her parent’s choices and unfortunate circumstances, as well as the cruel immigration policies that led to their initial separation. It is those themes that Engel explores and excels. The writing is lyrical and captivating, and the messages are necessary and urgent. Photo Credit - UTA
"Interior Chinatown" is an excellent example of satire. In fact, it is one of the best recent examples of the genre. It is both fun, yet poignant, deftly weaving in issues of race, identity and racism, while often eliciting a laugh from the reader. The book’s author, Charles Yu, comes from a screenwriter background, including projects for high profile cable channels such as HBO, FX and AMC. That screenwriting background comes through with this novel because it is written in a screenplay format, with characters that blur the line between real life (in the novel) and movie actors. The novel’s young protagonist, Willis Wu, sees himself like the world, and certainly Hollywood, sees him- as “Generic Asian Man.” Most of his adult life is spent leaving the SRO housing complex/Chinese restaurant (Interior Chinatown) brimming with other aspiring Asian actors and restaurant workers, then going to the set of the “Black and White” procedural cop show. For it, he is just an extra “Generic Asian Man,” but he longs to be “Kung Fu Guy,” which is supposedly many steps up. Throughout Wu’s days on the set and career, such as it is, he longs for more personally and professionally but feels held back by ever persistent low self-esteem and societal stereotypes. Although these issues of identity, race and racism are center stage, Yu delivers it with an undeniable delightful sense of humor. But don’t let the entertainment aspect fool you. Yu successfully delivers biting commentary on Hollywood typecasting and societal stereotypes. Below is an example of the more biting, poignant type of dialogue found towards the novel’s end after Yu has climbed the “Asian Man” in Hollywood ladder and found success, but at a cost. Yu I spent most of my life trapped. Interior Chinatown. I made it out, to become Kung Fu Dad. But that was just another role. A better role than I’ve ever had, but still a role. I can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over again. My dad did that. And where did it get him? He was a true master, someone who had mastered his craft. And what did his life add up to? You never recognized him for what he could do. Who he was. You never allowed him a name. So what do we do? Skewering Hollywood typecasts has never been so much fun since Robert Townsends’ “Hollywood Shuffle,” a 1987 American satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. It is easy to understand why “Interior Chinatown” won the 2020 National Book Award. It is brilliant in its messaging, format and delivery, and destined to a screen adaptation in the near future. Any time of year is a great time of year to learn about your culture and/or the other people's culture. But in February, the spotlight is on Black history and culture, so now is as good a time as any to take advantage of the readily available information that was once relegated to the backseat of American society. It's true that there was a time not long ago when Black people were rarely on television or in movies, nor were celebrated in other aspects of the arts. Likewise, literature by, for and about the African diaspora was practically nonexistent in comparison to their white counterparts. Black authors were not often given a platform among the major publishing houses, making historical and contemporary black stories few and far between.
Fortunately, in recent decades that has changed for the better, with a plethora of talented Black writers in the forefront of the literary industry. During Black History Month and throughout the year, be encouraged to reflect on more than 400 years of Black history, heritage and culture in literature. Be it regarding stories of the past, current accounts; fiction or nonfiction. Below are a few carefully curated, recently release selections to get you started: - Black Buck (fiction) by Mateo Askaripour - Caste (nonfiction) by Isabel Wilkerson - Caul Baby (fiction) by Morgan Jerkins - Four Hundred Souls (nonfiction) edited by Ibram X Kendi and Keisha N. Blain - Office of Historical Corrections (contemporary short stores & novella) by Danielle Evans - The Prophets (fiction) - by Robert Jones, Jr. - A Spy in the Struggle (fiction/mystery) by Aya de Leon (photo: Marc J. Franklin for Playbill)
Ayad Akhtar deftly blurs the lines between memoir and literary fiction as he explores what it really means to be American in a post 9-11 era. “Homeland Elegies” is immediate and politically charged, with a tender father and son story at its core. The novel is loosely autobiographical as Ayad, the novel's protagonist, like the actual author, is a playwright of Pakistani descent living in New York. He is constantly confronting family and societal battles -as a Muslim who has often the target of micro-aggressions- and as the son of a Pakistani immigrant. As a successful doctor who successfully provided for his family while practicing in Wisconsin, his father often critiques his son for pursuing creative endeavors instead of lucrative ones. Throughout the novel, Ayad navigates what he considers home. Is it America where he has spent most of his life, or the Pakistan of his youth? He has allegiance to both, but experiences guilt if he is critical of either. As such, he is stuck in between the very different perspectives on the topic by his parents. His mother fondly clings to her homeland, while constantly voicing resentment towards the U.S. Conversely, his father is dismissive of Pakistan, and views America as the “great land of opportunity.” As an adult, Ayad forges his own identity and a new life in New York. His respect for the country he has learned to embrace and his infatuation with his adopted city is tested after Muslims become the target of a disportioncate amount of hate in the aftermath of 9-11. One of the results of Ayad’s conflicting emotions came in the form of a play he wrote that garnered much success on and off Broadway. Not quite ten years after 9/11, I wrote a play in which an American-born character with Muslim origins confesses that as the towers were falling, he felt something unexpected and unwelcome, a sense of pride- a “blush” is how he describes it- which, he explains in the play’s climatic scene, made him realize that, despited being born here, despite the totality of his belief in this country and his commitment to being an American, he somehow still identified with a mentality that saw itself as aggrieved and other, a mind-set he’s spent much of the play despising and for which he continually uses to those on stage, and many in the audience, the term “Muslim.” While America was shaken to its core after 9-11, it was torn at the seams after the financial crash of 2008, followed by the presidential election of 2016. The political divide was never bigger and the racist rhetoric probably hadn’t been more loud and blunt in many decades. The only thing more surprising to Ayad than the actual results of the presidential run-off was his father supporting Trump. Once again, father and son find another issue to be at odds over, and Ayad, the author and protagonist, found endless social commentaries to observe and present. Although finding answers to life’s dilemmas is a goal for Ayad, experiencing healing and closeness with his father priority. America is his homeland, but family is home. That search for connection- to the world and to family- is a trough line of this brilliant novel. It’s the broad social constructs, mixing with the deeply personal layers, along with the poignantly merged genres that make “Homeland Elegies” one of the most important books you should read this year by one of the most interesting writers of our time. TRUE STORY by Kate Reed Petty
This is a trippy, page-turning thriller with a feminist theme that lives up to its buzz. I don’t care if that’s too many adjectives or descriptors because that’s what comes to mind while reading the book and in its completion. Navigating between time periods of 1999 and 2015, the reader comes to know the the characters, first as teen agers, through young adulthood. While still in high school when a group of soccer stars recount a story of alleged rape they committed against a classmate, the story takes on various shapes and forms throughout the school year through over the next decade among the possible perpetrators and the young woman allegedly victimized. Alice Lovette who was wasted at the time of the said crime, has never really known what happened to her. Is it the actual crime or the not knowing that has informed her reclusive life all these years? As a ghost writer she tells other people’s stories, but her former classmate and friend, who is a documentary filmmaker, insists she tell her story regarding that fateful night. Author Kate Reed Petty drives the plot through different points of view, varied location and formats, including as a screenplay in some chapters. The result is not really knowing what is true, what is a lie, who’s right and who’s wrong. An unreliable narrator has never been so frustrating, yet delectable. Publishing Release Date: August 4, 2020 MIGRATIONS by Charlotte McConnaghy Taking place in the not so distant future when animals, fish and birds are all nearly gone, “Migrations” by Australian writer Charlotte McConagy, is quiet, stark, haunting and true as it follows the journey of Franny Stone across oceans and continents. She is running from her demons and her past as she convinces the captain of a private shipping boat and his crew to follow the migration patterns of a near extinct bird that she is tracking. This against the backdrop of a fast-changing landscape and the strictly enforced new laws and environmental activists guarding it all. Franny, a perpetual wanderer, has even seemingly left her husband, Niall, at the cost of this new adventure. However things were between them before her departure, he is constantly on her mind and she writes to him often. Through each letter, the reader gains insight into their relationship and his influence on her. With each port stop and avoided catastrophe at sea, there is an illumination into the fisherman and women on what is now Franny’s excursion. Soon, the reader is swept up in learning about Franny's life through flashbacks, and each of her shipmates. With such interesting, fully-drawn characters, coupled with the backdrop of a depleted earth and environmental catastrophes, you will be completely absorbed. There is something quietly appealing about “Migrationsa.” The earth Franny inhabits is somewhat still and contemplative, making it a tender and beguiling read that will haunt you well beyond the final chapter. Publishing Release Date: August 4, 2020 STAKES IS HIGH by Mychal Denzel Smith In a post-Trump era and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Mychal Denzel Smith succinctly and brilliantly weighs in on the ideals of what it is to be American, more specifically, Black in America. From the delusion of patriotism and equality, to the need of accountability by the likes of Bret Kavanaugh, Harvey Weinstein, and everybody’s favorite funny father, Bill Cosby, he is sounding an alarm. For white viewers, there was absolution. You thought he was funny, maybe you even found her attractive, and the children relatable, so here was proof, definitively, that you had room for acceptance of black people after all. It had nothing to do with race- they rarely even mentioned it, so you never thought about it. For thirty minutes, a colorblind reality, wherein white people had no responsibility for black success or failure, was possible … So much so that it seemed impossible to imagine Bill committing heinous acts of violence on so many women, across so many years. This isn’t the first time Smith has taken on iconic real-life social characters. In his nonfiction debut, “Invisible Man Got the Whole World Watching,” he examines his world as a young black man navigating and life in the era of President Obama juxtaposed against and in the murder of Trayvon Martin. A superb and accessible social commentary, especially for millennials and Gen Zers. Likewise, “Stakes is High” is immediate and relevant. Both books solidifying Smith as a necessary voice of a generation. Publishing Release Date: Sep. 15, 2020 STAKES IS HIGH by Mychal Denzel Smith
In a post-Trump era and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Mychal Denzel Smith succinctly and brilliantly weighs in on the ideals of what it is to be American, more specifically, Black in America. From the delusion of patriotism and equality, to the need of accountability by the likes of Bret Kavanaugh, Harvey Weinstein, and everybody’s favorite funny father, Bill Cosby, he is sounding an alarm. For white viewers, there was absolution. You thought he was funny, maybe you even found her attractive, and the children relatable, so here was proof, definitively, that you had room for acceptance of black people after all. It had nothing to do with race- they rarely even mentioned it, so you never thought about it. For thirty minutes, a colorblind reality, wherein white people had no responsibility for black success or failure, was possible … So much so that it seemed impossible to imagine Bill committing heinous acts of violence on so many women, across so many years. This isn’t the first time Smith has taken on iconic real-life social characters. In his nonfiction debut, “Invisible Man Got the Whole World Watching,” he examined his world as a young black man navigating life in the era of President Obama juxtaposed against the murder of Trayvon Martin’s. A superb and accessible social commentary, especially for millennials and Gen Zs. Likewise, “Stakes is High” is immediate and relevant. Both books solidifying Smith as a necessary voice of a generation. Publishing Release Date: Sep. 15, 2020 MIGRATIONS by Charlotte McConnaghy Taking place in the not so distant future when animals, fish and birds are all nearly gone, “Migrations” by Australian writer Charlotte McConagy, is quiet, stark, haunting and true as it follows the journey of Franny Stone across oceans and continents. She is running from her demons and her past as she convinces the captain of a private shipping boat and his crew to follow the migration patterns of a near extinct bird that she is tracking. This against the backdrop of a fast-changing landscape and the strictly enforced new laws and environmental activists guarding it all. Franny, a perpetual wanderer, has even seemingly left her husband, Niall, at the cost of this new adventure. However things were between them before her departure, he is constantly on her mind and she writes to him often. Through each letter, the reader insight into their relationship and his influence on her. With each port stop and avoided catastrophe at sea, there is an illumination into the fisherman and women on what is now Franny’s excursion. Soon, the reader is swept up in learning about Franny's life through flashbacks, and each of her shipmates. With such interesting, fully-drawn characters, coupled with the backdrop of a depleted earth and environmental catastrophes, you will be completely absorbed. There is something quietly appealing about “Migrations.” The earth Franny inhabits is somewhat still and contemplative, making it a tender and beguiling read that will haunt you well beyond the final chapter. Publishing Release Date: August 4, 2020 TRUE STORY by Kate Reed Petty This is a trippy, page-turning thriller with a feminist theme that lives up to its buzz. I don’t care if that’s too many adjectives or descriptors because that’s what comes to mind while reading the book and in its completion. Navigating between time periods of 1999 and 2015, the reader comes to know the the characters, first as teen agers, through young adulthood. While still in high school when a group of soccer stars recount a story of alleged rape they committed against a classmate, the story takes on various shapes and forms throughout the school year through over the next decade among the possible perpetrators and the young woman allegedly victimized. Alice Lovette who was wasted at the time of the said crime, has never really known what happened to her. Is it the actual crime or the not knowing that has informed her reclusive life all these years? As a ghost writer she tells other people’s stories, but her former classmate and friend, who is a documentary filmmaker, insists she tell her story regarding that fateful night. Author Kate Reed Petty drives the plot through different points of view, varied location and formats, including as a screenplay in some chapters. The result is not really knowing what is true, what is a lie, who’s right and who’s wrong. An unreliable narrator has never been so frustrating, yet delectable. Publishing Release Date: August 4, 2020 MIGRATIONS by Charlotte McConaghy
Taking place in the not so distant future when animals, fish and birds are all nearly gone, “Migrations” by Australian writer Charlotte McConaghy, is quiet, stark, haunting and true as it follows the journey of Franny Stone across oceans and continents. She is running from her demons and her past as she convinces the captain of a private shipping boat and his crew to follow the migration patterns of a near extinct bird that she is tracking. This against the backdrop of a fast-changing landscape and the strictly enforced new laws and environmental activists guarding it all. Franny, a perpetual wanderer, has even seemingly left her husband, Niall, at the cost of this new adventure. However things were between them before her departure, he is constantly on her mind and she writes to him often. Through each letter, the reader gains insight into their relationship and his influence on her. With each port stop and avoided catastrophe at sea, there is an illumination into the fisherman and women on what is now Franny’s excursion. Soon, the reader is swept up in learning about Franny's life through flashbacks, and each of her shipmates. With such interesting, fully-drawn characters, coupled with the backdrop of a depleted earth and environmental catastrophes, you will be completely absorbed. There is something quietly appealing about “Migrationsa.” The earth Franny inhabits is somewhat still and contemplative, making it a tender and beguiling read that will haunt you well beyond the final chapter. Publishing Release Date: August 4, 2020 TRUE STORY by Kate Reed Petty This is a trippy, page-turning thriller with a feminist theme that lives up to its buzz. I don’t care if that’s too many adjectives or descriptors because that’s what comes to mind while reading the book and in its completion. Navigating between time periods of 1999 and 2015, the reader comes to know the the characters, first as teen agers, through young adulthood. While still in high school when a group of soccer stars recount a story of alleged rape they committed against a classmate, the story takes on various shapes and forms throughout the school year through over the next decade among the possible perpetrators and the young woman allegedly victimized. Alice Lovette who was wasted at the time of the said crime, has never really known what happened to her. Is it the actual crime or the not knowing that has informed her reclusive life all these years? As a ghost writer she tells other people’s stories, but her former classmate and friend, who is a documentary filmmaker, insists she tell her story regarding that fateful night. Author Kate Reed Petty drives the plot through different points of view, varied location and formats, including as a screenplay in some chapters. The result is not really knowing what is true, what is a lie, who’s right and who’s wrong. An unreliable narrator has never been so frustrating, yet delectable. Publishing Release Date: August 4, 2020 STAKES IS HIGH by Mychal Denzel Smith In a post-Trump era and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Mychal Denzel Smith succinctly and brilliantly weighs in on the ideals of what it is to be American, more specifically, Black in America. From the delusion of patriotism and equality, to the need of accountability by the likes of Bret Kavanaugh, Harvey Weinstein, and everybody’s favorite funny father, Bill Cosby, he is sounding an alarm. For white viewers, there was absolution. You thought he was funny, maybe you even found her attractive, and the children relatable, so here was proof, definitively, that you had room for acceptance of black people after all. It had nothing to do with race- they rarely even mentioned it, so you never thought about it. For thirty minutes, a colorblind reality, wherein white people had no responsibility for black success or failure, was possible … So much so that it seemed impossible to imagine Bill committing heinous acts of violence on so many women, across so many years. This isn’t the first time Smith has taken on iconic real-life social characters. In his nonfiction debut, “Invisible Man Got the Whole World Watching,” he examines his world as a young black man navigating life in the era of President Obama juxtaposed against the murder of Trayvon Martin. A superb and accessible social commentary, especially for millennials and Gen Zs. “Stakes is High” is immediate and relevant, solidifying Smith as a necessary voice of a generation. Publishing Release Date: Sep. 2020 |
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