Alternating between telling the story of her childhood and a present-day visit from her mother, Auder gives a funny and intriguing representation of the turmoil that so often arises in close familial relationships. (With the added element of having a superstar for a mother.) Within these pages is also a hearty nod to the way in which siblings can be life rafts. I very much enjoyed this one!
This book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, but it is such a fun ride. Geeta's alleged murder of her husband has granted her a kind of freedom, and soon other village women recognize that they too could rid themselves of their oppressors. The mood ranges from sad to angry to elated, but ultimately the friendships, community and Geeta's dry wit result in a truly enjoyable read.
Kids are fast. Childhood is faster. Treasure the small moments when your kid isn't a blur. **great alternative to Dr. Seuss "The Places You'll Go"
Can a book be a hug? This book is a hug, a book about familiar expectations, a life plan, sibling love, and a sweet love side story. Follow Mina as she navigates through following her dreams, and enjoy her discovery of how she finds her happiness.
(Content warning: This book deals heavily with the topic of trauma and sexual violence.)
I was so enamored by this debut by Chantal V. Johnson! The author has said herself that she wrote the book trying really hard not to resort to the popularized buzz words around trauma, and the result is a piece of literature that breathes new air into discussions surrounding issues that have long been around - like misogyny, feminine beauty standards, PTSD, eating disorders, etc. I appreciate how she shows the minute ways in which past trauma continually impacts people - in an Uber, for example, when the driver makes a wrong turn and Vivian suddenly plunges into a fear-spiral about getting abducted. This is a really important work about cultural allowances of everyday sexual violence. It's witty, it's engrossing, and it entreats the reader to examine the world around them for ways they are contributing to the brokenness.
This book is a masterclass on making characters come alive on the page. Cara Romero is a Dominican mother and immigrant trying to get a job in the middle of the Great Recession in New York. In a matter of 12 sessions (each chapter = one session), she spills the secrets of her life to a career counselor who will ultimately decide whether she is job-ready. In the course of these sessions, we learn about Cara's family of origin, the people who depend on her, and the depth of her grief for her estranged son whose sexuality she had trouble understanding. This is a loving story about the difficulty - and necessity - of change.
"Most people I know live their lives moving in a constant forward direction, the whole time looking backward." In this book, a time travel machine technician goes between universes saving people from (ab)using time travel in their efforts to fix their disappointing lives. When he's not doing that, he's searching for his missing father, who disappeared after inventing time travel. Within this strange and mind-bending plot, Yu addresses some of life's most philosophical questions. Is time a forward trajectory? Do regret and nostalgia serve us? How do we reconcile with the ache of a parent's lost dream? This book is an unconventional but beautiful tribute from a son to his father, and calls on us to reimagine the way we think about time.
A story about sisters, connection, love, reconciling the past and facing the future. It hit every note for me.
As children, it is so difficult to understand the decisions our parents make, or how they love us. Koh’s rediscovery and subsequent translation of her mother’s letters is the rediscovery of a mother’s love. The interspersed memories provide a hard-hitting perspective, but it is balanced by such lyrical delivery.
This beautifully crafted, inter-generational story follows two childhood friends during their final year of high school in a small Mojave desert town. I was instantly drawn into the lives of Salahudin and Noor as they navigate grief, the unpredictability of their parental figures, racism, isolating secrets and fears. Told in alternating perspectives, you cannot help but rage against all the obstacles they face. Sabaa Tahir tells their story so eloquently, you will not be able to put it down and it will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page.
