booksgurrsandpurrs's reviews
38 reviews

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 

Are you willing to break yourself apart in order to be accepted? How do we define being "enough"? If you are having a tough time what systems are in place to support you? Are you truly being seen/perceived or do you feel like an imposter? This is an anthology series that is at time dynamic and expansive and at other times a quiet sort of storytelling. All are well crafted and as a reader I felt incredibly spoiled having so many writers I admire at my finger tips. Although there are some stories that have horror elements  there are others that are based in folklore while others lean into societal injustices. 

Savage Conversations by LeAnne Howe

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

  The play is performed with three characters. Mary Todd Lincoln, "Savage Indian", and the rope. The inclusion of Rope as a character is such a clever and insidious choice, but an apt one that reflects the dark side of America's Legacy. Rope multiplies as the story unravels and although we know historically how this play ends it is no less impactful in the hands of LeAnne Howe's poetic refrain. Mary Todd Lincoln conjures up vicious "Indian", but why? That is at the heart of the play. The author constantly has these two characters in juxtaposition with one another, and at times intermingles similarities between the two that are so thought provoking I'm still grappling with what the author wants me as the reader to take away from those interactions. 

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

challenging informative slow-paced

4.5

 

Their authors are consumers, not practitioners, of archaeology, ethnobotany, linguistics, physical anthropology, folklore studies, cultural anthropology, ethnohistory, and related disciplines. Pg 95

 

Indian history is the antidote to the pious ethnocentrism of American exceptionalism, the notion that European Americans are God's chosen people. Indian history reveals that the U.S. and its predecessor British colonies have wrought great harm in the world. We must not forget this - not to wallow in our wrongdoing, but to understand and to learn that we might not wreak harm again. (Pg 134)

 

The author discusses not only the outdated textbooks in American classrooms, but the backtracking of factual historical events. Historical figures are posed as heroes with no nuance or blemishes to their character, Who is the intended audience, who authors the material and the deceptive framing of language to rationalize the States past wrongdoings. This is not just a case of outdated textbooks, but also re-publications , backtracking historical knowledge, and victim blaming. Financial and international political interference is posed as a humanitarian endeavor. Historical and modern events lack context; Why did an event happen and what were the consequences? Ultimately, lies of omission are a key factor. 

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

 And so it is possible that I'm being unfair here. But I know what I know about heartbreak, and I know what I know about this country. And so it is possible that I'm being as fair as I possibly can be. (pg198)

Yes, Bring your hauntings down to the fire and throw them in. Bring not just the trinkets and tokens of dismantled love but bring your broken hearts, the whole damn faulty machine. There are enough new ones to go around. (pg199)

Author Hanif Abdurraqib once again uses a semi-autobiographical approach to thread the emotional undercurrent of what he deems ascent. But to define such a thing we the reader must first explore history (public and intimate) at its monstrous moments to then revere the magical feats of human kind. 

There's a song in my heart and it only beats to the rhythm of Abdurraqib's prose. Somehow Abdurraqib orchestrates a sweet symphony of love, grief, heartbreak and reverence for community and sport in a swirling suspended state of elation and descent within an intimate sense of urgency between writer and reader. Listen closely, we don't know if we'll be present next year. There's only right now. 

Bad Mexican, Bad American: Poems by Jose Hernandez Diaz

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

 At times autobiographical and at others ascending to surrealistic heights, Hernandez-Diaz poetry collection is written as prose poems existing somewhere in between literary categorization in a way I'd liken the experience of everyday life. In "My Father Never Ate Until Everyone Had Eaten", he reflects on his childhood self misunderstanding his father not eating at the dinner table as an indication he didn't want to spend time with his family, but in reality it was out of fiscal necessity. There's a lot of love between these pages; love of culture, love of community, music, art and the artists that shaped him.

The prose poems took a little getting used to and as the poems became more surreal I leaned into the world the author was creating. 

Diamond Bars 2 by David A. Romero

hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.5

 David A. Romero writes the kind of poetry I can connect with. He once again captures the nuances of identity amongst the community he inhabits. Diamond Bars 2 is an elevated experience from My Name is Romero, digging deeper into regionalism, community, working class existence, complexities of love, addiction, racism, and navigating art vs commerce. 

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

hopeful informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 Since this is a YA fantasy, I expected the influence of Jamaican history to be more symbolic rather than pointed, but the reading experience was quite the opposite and the story is better for it. There's discussion about the price of war. The ripple effect of colonization is threaded throughout the story. Strength of family, inner power and identity. Cole's fantasy world building is handled smoothly, immersing the reader into the world. One I'm excited to return to in this continuing series.   

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 This was an anticipated read for me.

Other similar books: Altered Carbon, Handmaid's Tale & I Keep My Exoskeleton to Myself.

Nelah, our wealthy protagonist, seems like she has it all on the surface, but upon closer inspection she's trapped in a loveless marriage under constant scrutiny of a surveillance state. Nelah's unhappiness leads to risky behavior, a car accident, and a buried body.

Liked
People can upload their consciousness into new bodies, similar to a sci-fi reincarnation. Rich people hold onto their memories because they can afford it. This had me reflect on how history is crafted by a colonial construct. Who has the keys to keeping history alive that affects the present and future?

American privilege within the continent of Africa versus people traveling internationally within the continent.

Gender inequality discussion

Disliked
Early plot twists around gender that don't go anywhere.

World building that feels like an info dump rather than naturally placed into the story.

A surveillance state that makes it impossible for the protagonist to do what she's done. I usually enjoy unlikeable characters, but the risky decisions Nelah makes don't really make sense once the restrictions of the surveillance state have been presented to the reader.

There's an ongoing conversation about inequality by women and men, but only focuses on the harm towards women rather than how the whole system hurts both genders.
 Ultimately, I get the impression the author doesn't trust the reader enough to think we are capable of making connections within the narrative and instead of providing questions to move the story along the author provides answers.
Suggestion: Turn this into a duology or series to flush out and balance the story. 

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 JB, Ramon, and Trey all attend the Urban Promise Prep School. JB is a sensitive artist still figuring out what the future looks like. Ramon has culinary ambitions. Trey is a dedicated basketball student hoping to turn his after school activities into a profession. All three students find themselves in detention the same day their principal is murdered. Now these three young boys are prime suspects. Rumors spread, and articles are written. Will their community stand behind them or turn against them? Are JB, Ramon and Trey willing to trust each other to clear their names or is the situation too divisive to trust each other?

I enjoy the book's formatting that varies from articles, eye witness accounts, interrogations, letters, to POV from each suspect before, during and after the murder.  Underlying this noir genre is a deeper discussion about the function, ideals and design of academic settings. Are kids taught critical thinking skills or to stay silent and obey?