Good Reads & Views

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
Fiction

What it’s about: What if Hillary Rodham didn’t marry Bill Clinton? How would her life have been different? This is a fascinating what-if piece of fiction. It is split into two parts: leading up to and the courtship with Bill Clinton and the aftermath, which includes her rise in the political ranks, almost-infidelity, and Donald Trump.

Why you might like it: You might be put off by this novel for any number of reasons. I do not have a special interest or fascination with politics, but I loved this book. The main focus is on Hilary’s interpersonal relationships with everyone on her team and herself. If you put your own political affiliation aside, this is a story about a woman keeping true to herself to become something really great.

Reviewers say: “Successfully interspersing fact with fiction, Sittenfeld imagines Rodham's personal and professional life without marriage in aching detail in this captivating novel” (Library Journal).

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The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
Fiction

What it’s about: Beth is a child prodigy when it comes to chess. She learns the game from the orphanage janitor, and quickly becomes obsessed. With the aid of little green pills, she is able to mentally play out chess games and memorize openings, midgames, and endgames. When she is lucky enough to get adopted, her and her adoptive mother, Mrs. Wheatley, start to develop Beth’s skills as a player. Those thirty-two game pieces end up bringing her all around the world in this exciting underdog story.

Warning: A working knowledge of chess is key to enjoying this book. It’s helpful to know the names of the pieces, directions on the board, and other chess terms and attacks. If you’re unfamiliar with chess terms, you’re still able to enjoy the story. I give you permission to zone out while the narrator chatters-on about opening the file or gloss over the page while reading about castling queen side.

What’s next? Watch the surprisingly accurate-to-the-book Netflix original series by the same name starring Anya Taylor-Joy.

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Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
J Fiction

What it’s about: ZJ’s dad is a hero to everyone... except ZJ. You see, ZJ’s dad is an NFL player, a very good one, and everyone looks up to him. But to ZJ, he’s just dad. After a few too many hits, his dad starts to act strangely. He forgets things, has pounding headaches, and becomes irrationally angry. He has to stop playing professionally, and ZJ doesn’t understand why. 

Why you might like it: Jacqueline Woodson is a lyrical mastermind. Her free verse novels flow and stop at the perfect moments. Even though this book is shelved in youth services, adults (especially parents) will feel empathy for ZJ and his family as it is revealed that ZJ’s dad has CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which is a very recently discovered degenerative brain disease caused by too many head injuries. It’s interesting to see this diagnosis through the eyes of a young child, how it affects him and his relationships with his friends. It’s almost gut-wrenching. 

Reviewers say: “Eloquent prose poetry creates a moving narrative that reveals the grief of a child trying to understand why his father has changed and why nothing can be done. An ardent account of the multitudes of losses experienced by those who suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy and its effects on their families, ZJ's doleful tale unveils the intense nostalgia and hope one can feel despite realizing that sometimes what is lost can never be regained” (Publishers Weekly).

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The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott by Zoe Thorogood
Nonfiction

What it is: This is one of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read. Billie Scott lives alone in a one bedroom apartment, and spends her days painting. At long last, she gets accepted into a prestigious art gallery, and must produce 10 original works. She’s ecstatic and celebrates by leaving her apartment. While out, she gets in an altercation with some seedy individuals. Three days later, she goes to the doctor and learns that she will be blind in 2 weeks. That leaves Billie Scott with 2 weeks to produce 10 of the best watercolor portraits she has ever created. So she boards a train heading right into the heart of London with 100 quid, her art supplies, and nary a plan.

What’s inside: Stunning illustrations, a captivating story, and an increasingly interesting cast of characters. Throughout Billie Scott’s journey she takes notes and sketches the people she’s met, their quirky characteristics, and her decline in sight. You’re with her every step of the way as she accepts her prognosis and finishes her portraits.

Reviewers say: “This expansive story of an artist’s journey embraces both the power of art and human connection and showcases a new comics talent” (Publisher’s Weekly, starred review).

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Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting & Got a Life by Kelsey Miller
Nonfiction

What it’s about: Kelsey Miller writes about her life of yo-yo dieting and how she finally started living only after she gave up dieting and started intuitively eating.

What’s inside: For anyone who has been on a diet, or who has been dieting their whole life, the first few months of a new year feel like a palate cleanser. A new year, a new you. You start that diet, you eat clean, you get a gym membership. But most of those diets fail. Before February, you’ve lost steam and you’re back to eating Oreos in the dark pantry, hiding your shame from your family. Kelsey’s story was very similar to this, going on her first diet in elementary school, and dieting on-and-off until her late 20s when someone she trusted suggested intuitive eating. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change. Nothing is off limits, so Kelsey learned to think about meals in terms of nutrition and satisfaction, rather than net carbs and cheat meals. She could have Oreos when she wanted them, but never wind up in a situation where she needed them.

Is it for you? Kelsey’s story is very relatable, especially if you’ve lived a life of chronic dieting and daily weigh-ins. If you’re looking for a confidence boost (and a potential life change), this is the book for you.

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Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
YA Fiction

What it’s about: This is a coming-of-age book about a girl named Ada. She’s had a troubling past and has messy relationships with both of her parents, the church, and her own body and sexuality. The main narrative focuses on the time after her high school graduation and her first semester of college, though we do get flashbacks into her primary years. It’s the first time she’s living on her own, miles away from her family, and she is struggling to find her rhythm in both her classes and the day-to-day lifestyle of a college freshman. One day she wanders into a dance studio and peeps on a young woman expressing herself through movement that captivates her. They become friends, and Ada finally starts to build confidence.

Why you might like it: This novel is written in free-verse, making it a quick read despite its 400-page length. The way the words fall on the pages really fits Ada’s mood and tone. The reader falls in love with her and the relationships she builds. This is Candice Iloh’s debut novel, and I’m excited to read more from her!

Other free-verse books: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, and Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai.

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Dragman by Steven Appleby
Nonfiction

What is it? This is a graphic novel that, quite literally, has it all. A main character who is questioning his gender identity. Superheroes. Mystery. Murder. Love. Selling of souls. Dynamic relationships. Flying dolls. And babies.

What’s inside: A collection of beautiful and unique watercolor paintings, telling the rise and fall of August Crimp, AKA Dragman. Ever since he was a child, August has been questioning his identity, and wearing women’s clothing in secret. One day he dons a pair of pantyhose he found behind his couch, and he starts flying! He applies to become an official superhero, but ultimately gets rejected. He continues to live his life as just August, getting married, and having a child. But when a scientist discovers the human soul, and then corporations discover they can sell and exploit the human soul, Dragman, along with his companion Dog Girl, go on a secret mission to discover the truth behind soul-trafficking.

Reviewer’s say: “Despite its many twists and turns, the graphic novel’s emotional heart lays with August’s struggle to accept his own identity and its full power. Gender fluidity in this jaunty superhero story is trumpeted not only as a gift and a source of strength, but as something that might just save the world” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele
Nonfiction

What it’s about: In this memoir, Patrisse Khan-Cullors tells her story of living in a poor black neighborhood, growing up with multiple family members in incarceration, and becoming one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. She elaborates on undiagnosed mental illnesses being misconstrued as resisting arrest, and the gut reaction of police officers. She touches on racial profiling and the multiple times her residency was raided, once with a 6-year-old girl present, because “someone fitting the profile” could maybe, possibly, live there. Everything that she, and all black Americans, experienced growing up lead to her forming Black Lives Matter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, shortly after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, murderer of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old kid.

Why it’s important: I chose to listen to this memoir, as it was read by the author. Hearing her tell her own story, in her own words, with her town voice, was powerful, and it broke me a few times. Given this current world, and its current problems, I thought it was important to educate myself on something I didn’t know much about. Hearing her stories and how her family has been treated was truly eye opening, and it’s extremely important for people of every race and color to understand what is happening behind this movement.

Further Reading: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander.

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Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
Fiction

What it’s about: Rose Gold and her mother, Patty, have a complicated relationship. For the first 18 years of her life, Rose Gold believed she was seriously ill, allergic to everything, wheelchair bound, and practically lived in the hospital. Garnishing sympathy from the town, Patty was given money and sympathy from her community, when, in reality, she was just a really, really, really good manipulator. She serves 5 years in prison. Upon her release, she begs Rose Gold to take her in, give her another chance, and everyone in town is shocked when she says yes.

Why you might like it: This novel was a nail biter. It had great pace and really keeps the reader interested. If you like books with surprising twists and a great revenge story, you’ll like this book.

Content warning: The mother in the novel suffers from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental illness in which the caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury for the person under their care. While I do not feel the author goes over-the-top, this subject matter may be unsettling or upsetting to some readers.

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Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks

What is it? This is a fun, well-written, and quirky comedic graphic novel about best friends who work together every fall in a pumpkin patch. Deja and Josie have worked together at the Succotash Hut for four seasons. They both share a love of the season and all things autumn. It’s their last shift before they both head to college, and Deja finally convinces Josie to go talk to his crush, Marcy, who he has been infatuated with since freshman year orientation over 4 years ago. Deja hilariously refers to her as Elmer Fudge, Cornelius Fudge, Fudge Judy, or Fudge Ripple, because she works in the, you guessed it, Fudge Shoppe. The remainder of the novel follows Deja and Josie as they race through the pumpkin patch to find Marcy, all the while reliving memories and contemplating their future together.

What sets it apart: Graphic novels are becoming more and more prevalent in library collections. There are good ones and there are bad ones. There are original stories and there are retellings. Many times it is hard to develop a character in images and speech bubbles. Rainbow Rowell, who is a fan-favorite among my generation, does a great job giving these characters a back story, and moving them forward throughout the book. And Faith Erin Hicks’ illustration style fits perfectly for Rowell’s bouncy writing style. Dare I say it, this is a perfect graphic novel that you will absolutely finish in one sitting and will be thinking about for a long time.

Book Buzz: Pumpkinheads won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Graphic Novels & Comics in 2019.

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