When Jules was in elementary school, he lost both his parents and was shipped off to boarding school, along with his two older siblings. Awash in grief and disbelief, he folded into himself, casting off his previous self in an effort to simply survive the new life fate had thrown at him. For his siblings, coping manifested in different ways - his sister's cool detachment and … [Read more...]
‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ and the Resiliency of the Human Spirit
Kya Clark had every reason to believe the world was set against her. Left to fend for herself at the age of ten and forced to raise herself in a small, rundown shack in the marshes of coastal North Carolina, Kya lived life in the shadows. Despite her deep longing to step into the light, past experiences taught her that living on the fringe was safer. Yet, the basic human desire … [Read more...]
Sugar Run by Mesha Maren
Jodi is invisible. Okay, she’s not actually invisible, but she feels like she is. It’s a feeling that started in childhood, when her twin brothers came along and stole the spotlight. It persisted into adolescence, when she did everything she could to be seen, whether by family or strangers. It was, in fact, her desire to be seen that landed her in prison at age 17 for … [Read more...]
‘The Clockmaker’s Daughter’ Takes a Stylistic Leap, and…..
If there’s one word that comes to mind when I read a Kate Morton book, it’s cozy. It’s so easy to curl up and let her stories wrap around you and provide shelter from what’s going on in the world. They’re always so intricate, precariously balancing past and present until they collide in the most unexpected ways. The Clockmaker’s Daughter was no different, but this one took … [Read more...]
On the consequences of fear-driven hate: Black Earth Two Years Later
This is also posted on Medium.com.I originally reviewed Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy Snyder back in April 2017 here, but with everything that has happened in the past year and a half, I find myself coming back to this book over and over. I haven’t re-read it, but because the issues it covered are becoming increasingly prevalent, I decided to … [Read more...]