n my non-fiction round-up last month, I mentioned a few books that were difficult to read, but worth it (read round-up here). Just Mercy is an incredible, but devastating addition to that group. You may have seen the 2019 movie starring Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx, but I honestly can't imagine the degree of nuance and context that must have been lost in a two-hour movie. And let’s be honest, if you’re an L&L subscriber, I’m sure you’d read the book first anyway!
There is certainly something about a Nigerian upbringing, and the journey to ex-pat life in America, that is causing so many young women to write some of the best novels of the last few years. I don't want to flippantly say “it must be something in the water,” because obviously part of that “something” is the political and social oppression and uncertainty of a country divided by a recent civil war and ongoing ethnic tensions and government corruption. But whatever is inspiring the writers and fueling their novels, I am grateful for each and every one that has come into my life. (read reviews of other books by Nigerian-American authors here).
I was drawn to Black Cake because it seemed everyone, everywhere was reading this debut novel. The story begins with Byron and Bennie, brother and sister, who have been estranged for years, but who are thrust together to hear their mother Eleanor’s lawyer read them her will and last requests.
I have my friend Ellen to thank for recommending Kindred. Written in 1979, Kindred is another landmark Black American novel that I hadn’t read, by a novelist I had always intended to read. Set in modern-day California, Butler tells the story of a newly married woman, Dana, who one day without warning or explanation, finds herself transported to the antebellum South.
Shortlisted for the Booker prize, The Fortune Men, is gripping, harrowing and infuriating. Nadifa Mohamed was born in Somalia and has lived most of her life in London, so she no doubt has experienced extreme examples of racism in the United Kingdom similar to what she writes about in The Fortune Men.
Originally published in 1937 and recognized as one of the most important novels in American Black literature, I somehow never read this gorgeous novel. I think all of my daughters read it in high school – and I can see why.
Whenever my mom or I review a non-fiction book, we comment on the rarity of the genre appearing on our reading lists. And yet somehow, of the last 11 books I’ve read, seven were non-fiction! Year Of Yes I reviewed in November (read review here). But rather than choosing just two books to share with you this month, I’ve written a rapid-fire round-up and hope to spark more non-fiction interest on your reading list.
It’s always thrilling when I hear that Barbara Kingsolver has written a new book. She has authored some of the best books I’ve read over the past several years: The Poisonwood Bible; Unsheltered; Flight Behavior; and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to name a few. In Demon Copperhead, Kingsolver reimagines Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield and sets her story in modern-day Appalachia. Her protagonist, like Dickens’, is left to navigate a society where children are powerless, unseen and must fight for survival.
Recommended by the owner of my favorite independent bookstore in Kennebunkport, Maine (Fine Print Books), I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hester. I knew it was set in Salem, Massachusetts and had something to do with witches and Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter. But that’s about it. So, I was thrilled to discover that this is an absolute jewel of a novel!
Just Kids was a surprise hit for me since I didn't really know that much about Patti Smith. Smith's autobiography focuses mainly on her relationship with Robert Maplethorpe, about whom I also knew very little.
File this under classics I thought I had read and realized after one chapter that I had not. A gorgeous book about a girl coming of age in a time and place when being young, Black and female made survival alone a major achievement.
Frazer creates masterful, sweeping surveys of women in history and Warrior Queens is no exception. She starts with Queen Boudicea from 1st century Britain and builds her case from there all the way through to Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher.
This gorgeous, dark, difficult book was well worth the read. With prose-like poetry, Hartman weaves stories of Black women around the turn of the last century who don’t fit the mold or keep their heads down together with stories on how society punishes them.
In this memoir we have another very funny television personality as the author. Shannon had some very difficult moments in her life, which made this book a much tougher read than I anticipated.
Written by the creator of NBC’s The Good Place, this book is both very funny, and taught me the history of moral philosophy. More than that, it gave me a framework of how to approach everyday and extraordinary decisions from a moral point of view.
Samra Habib is an Ahmadi Muslim who spent her early childhood in Pakistan before fleeing persecution with her family and settling in Toronto. As a young teen in Canada, Habib faces huge challenges from bullying to being the sole translator for her parents as they navigate a whole new bureaucracy.
For those who don’t know, Shonda Rhimes is the creator and head writer of several of the most popular TV shows of the last 15 years: Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder. In addition, her production company Shondaland produces many other shows, including the smash hit Bridgerton. On top of that, she’s a Dartmouth grad, and for all of these reasons, I love her.
I picked up No One Is Talking About This because it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize this year – a sure sign of a great book. Patricia Lockwood, who recently turned 40, won the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2022, given to young writers for literary excellence. She has previously published two volumes of poetry and a memoir. No One Is Talking About This is her first novel.
Grey Bees is a novel that I would likely never have found without a recommendation from one of my favorite people: Diana Harding. Although it is written by an internationally known Ukrainian author and translated by an award-winning translator, Ukrainian fiction has not until now been on my reading radar. I’m thrilled to be able to alert all of you to this quiet, heartfelt, gorgeous book.
