Reported by Garry
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater. Two teenagers, one skirt, one lighter, and a single moment that changes both lives forever. Sasha is a non-binary teenager from an affluent Oakland subdivision; Richard is from the impoverished area of town. Their worlds cross over for 8 minutes each day on the 57 Bus, until one afternoon that left Sasha severely burned and Richard facing life in prison. This could be a cut and dried case, but Slater delves deeply into the families, social backgrounds, and legal proceedings and paints a nuanced, hopeful story of forgiveness, compassion, a fractured legal system, and powerful human connections. MR
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow is a new look at the history of humanity, based on the latest archeological findings from around the world. Graeber is a Professor of Anthropology and Wengrow is a Professor of Archaeology, and as such bring the weight of authority to their writing. Our reader says that this book could easily be a first-year textbook due to the amount of detailed information, but that it reads more as a narrative of the history of humanity for the past 300,000 years or more. This book dismantles many of our myths about human civilization and the path that we have taken to today, and instead gives us a more complete, nuanced view of what “society” is, has been, and may be. AH
This week we have a Nevermore staff review:
The Great Gatsby is one of those classic novels I was assigned to read in school, when I was a teenager who did not enjoy reading, mainly doing so when it was required. While arranging the new non-fiction section last month, I noticed the graphic novelization of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic. On a whim, I snatched it off the shelf. This was a good chance for me to re-familiarize myself with a classic story that is a cultural institution, as well as enjoy a new graphic novel (I am a sucker for a crisp, new graphic novel or trade paperback).
The book did not disappoint. The artist did a great job converting Fitzgerald's descriptive prose into actual images, using a simple, elegant art style that depicts the beauty and excess of mansions and apartments where the upper class spends its time, while also giving a contrasting picture of the grimy streets of the poor neighborhood where the mechanic--Gatsby's killer--lived. I recommend this book for anyone who loves classic novels or for those who just want to refresh their understanding of an important work in one sitting. BS
Also mentioned:
Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy
The Pure Land by Alan Spence
The Wrath of Angels by John Connolly
Postal Séance: A Scientific Investigation into the Possibility of a Postlife Postal Existence by Henrik Drescher
Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis
House by Tracy Kidder
Rachel Calof’s Story: Jewish Homesteader on the Northern Plains by Rachel Calof
How To Talk To Your Cat by Jean Craighead George
Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson
Roots by Alex Haley
Penny by Karl Stevens
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
No comments:
Post a Comment