The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you have experienced the kind of loss that I have experienced- and I know a lot of people have- it can nonetheless feel like no one really gets it. Well here is proof of the transformative power of death, life, and love packaged in a fairy tale. I'm wrecked like someone tore my chest cavity apart. Thank you, Alice Hoffman.

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United by Cory Booker

United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good by Cory Booker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cory Booker isn’t my favorite candidate for the Democratic nomination but I was pleasantly surprised by his memoir. After reading this, he’s moved way up my rankings. The memoir dealt with some but not all of my policy concerns: poverty and the prison-industrial complex. He only briefly touched on environmental issues. I would have preferred a more comprehensive explanation of his policy perspectives.

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The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing. Phillip Roth's plot-writing is unequaled. Also, this terrifying alternate history doesn't feel so very alternate these days that American democratic values are under siege, numerous groups are openly the targets of hate speech (sometimes by the President himself) and violence, and there are domestic calamities like little children being held in detention centers without their parents, soap, or sufficient diapers.

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Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have become a very skeptical reader, and as such, I was kind of dubious for a large chunk of this book. Mostly I objected to the form of the book because it feels like it's part novel and part essay collection. I wasn't in love with that format. Also, the thing about the essays is that I agree with every word of them- or very nearly every word- but they lack the scholarly historical flavor that both the character Blaine and I prefer in our nonfiction.

But by the end I cared so much about the main characters, I love them so hard, I think Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a genius of fiction writing and if she wants to throw in essays, she can do whatever she wants. A new favorite!

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A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that every American should read in order to consider the difference between the American values we should all honor, and partisan politics. Comey makes a clear case that integrity and honesty should be our most dearly held values and I agree with that because the inverse-corruption and dishonesty- are effective tools of oppression.

This is not a Republican book or a Democratic book. This is an interesting look at how challenging it is to separate oneself from the quagmire of American partisan politics, and how important that separation can be, especially in law enforcement.

Most of all, this book is very well-written, very entertaining, and very educational.

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