tracithomas's reviews
1008 reviews

Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

This book is so tender and heartwarming and lovely. I was surprised and charmed by how earnest it was. I also felt like I learned a lot. I really appreciated the variety of subjects and writerly styles. It was a great length. 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

This is a perfect nonfiction book for people who do not read nonfiction. It covers a lot of ground and is very easy and accessible. For me, this book was way too surface and lacked the authority of an expert and felt more like a person reciting facts they learned on a topic they're obsessed with (which Green basically admits is what is going on here). 

The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir by Martha S. Jones

informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

The research that went into this book is astounding. Jones really puts he chops as a historian on display. I love the intimacy of the book. It does feel long and slow in parts in a way that felt very much like this was something she needed to write for herself. I appreciated the lyrical style and the tension of race and it's shifting boundaries.

Scorched Earth by Tiana Clark

emotional reflective fast-paced

4.0

I liked this collection it covers a lot of ground. No one poem stuck with me, but a lot of the writing is thoughtful and enjoyable. I liked how themes carried over throughout the book, and I liked how she was thinking about writing and poetry as a subject in her poems that were not actually about that at all. 

I'll Love You Forever: Notes from a K-Pop Fan by Giaae Kwon

reflective medium-paced

4.0

This is such a lovely reflection on art and self. I enjoyed learning about K Pop but struggled to really grasp the references. The writing reads as casual which I was impressed by because that conversational tone can feel cheap in memoir, but not here. It’s very enjoyable— like a convo with a smart friend but not a pretentious one. Kwon is genuine and eager and that is nice to spend time with. 

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

informative medium-paced

4.0

This is such an impressive work of academic research and history. It is easy to read in the sense that the author breaks things down clearly and gives tons of examples. It is a slower read bc of the need to cite and prove points to an academic standard, which can be a little more challenging for a lay reader. I appreciated the arguments crafted and the sheer depth of the research. A real feat. 

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

informative slow-paced

4.0

There are some really juicy parts of this exposé memoir. I liked her writing style but think there were too many extra details about things that were only minor to her story (like her fear of getting Zika, which she didn't get). The last 30% she does get into the juicy stuff and proves facebook is run by a bunch of egomaniacal (or nicer, careless) people, who are not nearly as smart as we want to give them credit for. If this had been shorter it could've really packed a huge punch, but over all, for what it was trying to do I think she did a very solid job.

There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

People need to read this book. It gets at a super specific and rising trend in homelessness in the USA that we are not talking about enough at all. It is super engaging and reads like a novel because of the narrative structure. I would say sometimes things get confusing as he follows 5 families and I was forgetting who was who a bit here and there. I also think it was a touch too long and repetitive, but overall I was hooked. 

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton, Linda Wagner-Martin

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I get the Edith Wharton hype with this one. She is such a sharp and snarky writer. I loved her quick turns of phrase. Undine Spragg is an unlikable woman that I couldn't help but root for. She is dastardly and also a joy to be around. I have no doubt she and Scarlett O'Hara are cut from the same cloth. The book goes on a bit too long and I could've used even more drama, but maybe I'm being greedy. 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I never read Animal Farm in school. I had some idea it was about animals and that it was an allegory of power run amok. I hate to say it, but this novella is good good. Razor sharp. Funny and fucked up. Doing a lot while also going down smooth. I wish I had been taught Animal Farm in school, because I know there is plenty to unpack around mid-century politics, satire, and allegory, and with the right teacher this book must bang hard. I know it wasn’t written for today, but Trump is trying to make Animal Farm great again.