Rene Denfeld, a #30Authors contributor whose novel The Enchanted, was an award-winning lyrical masterpiece, is back. This time, she explores what it means for a child to go missing, the stories they tell themselves to survive, and how the threads of despair can weave their way into everything we do in The Child Finder.At the age of 5, Madison Culver went missing. Three … [Read more...]
Feminism, Privilege, and Power Meet Head-On In ‘The Female Persuasion’
I've read two books by Meg Wolitzer - The Wife and The Interestings. One I loved, the other I was underwhelmed by. Her latest, The Female Persuasion, was the book that would tip the scales on how I feel about her books and wow, did she convert me into a fan.In addition to being a great story, The Female Persuasion had my mind doing mental flip flops on what it means to … [Read more...]
‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas Worth Every Piece of Praise
I often hear that we live in a post-racial America, that we have come a long way, and that progress has been made. For years we lived in a country where it was easier to sweep everyday racism and micro aggressions under the rug, giving the glossy veneer of a more accepting society.But those of us who pay attention know the truth: we live in a country where white … [Read more...]
Nickolas Butler Strikes Again in ‘The Hearts of Men’
Few authors are able to strike at the hearts of a reader quite like Nickolas Butler. His first novel, Shotgun Lovesongs, was brilliant and put its finger on the pulse of a vein of American life in a way that neither glorified nor condemned life in a small town. In his latest, The Hearts of Men, Butler pours some of his own experiences into a novel about boy scouting, a lifetime … [Read more...]
‘Black Earth’, The Holocaust, and Why We Need to Heed the Warning Signs
It's taken me a long time to finally review this book. Partly, this is because it's a dense read and is chock full of history and military theory, but mostly because it took an emotional toll on me. Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy Snyder is about why we need to look at the Holocaust as warning, not history, because the conditions that led … [Read more...]