Reviews with TLC

Fires to Come by Asha Lemmie packs a lot in a few pages. A story of belonging, family, and power that feels like it's going one direction and then pivots in a way that is both surprising and makes perfect sense. Lemmie creates complex but real characters that are both likeable and unlikeable, often at the same time.  Fires to Come explores the life of Carlotta, a Black baby adopted by an Italian family in the early twentieth century who never quite feels like she fits in even when she goes to Harlem trying to figure out her place in the world. As Carlotta seeks to fit in, she makes choices to protect herself that sometimes feel misguided but understandable. Fires to Come is a well-written, intriguing story about choices made and the consequences of those choices. Currently Reading: Braiding Sweetgrass   by Robin Wall Kimmerer Larger Than Life  by Jodi Picoult The Bad Friend  by Carolline Kepne Harlem by Eric Jerome Dickey Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for

Natural Selection: A Short Story by Elin Hilderbrand made me smile in spite of myself. While parts of the plot were fairly predictable, the element of self-discovery felt interesting enough to overcome that predictability. Some characters' choices were a bit hard to really embrace at various points in the story, but still served the story. The examination of relationships that plays out throughout the story with the backdrop of a trip to explore nature feels like an exercise in natural selection itself. I enjoyed Natural Selection more than I expected to because the cast of characters and the descriptions of the settings were intriguing and beautiful in their own ways. Currently Reading: Braiding Sweetgrass   by Robin Wall Kimmerer Fires to Come  by Asha Lemmie Larger Than Life  by Jodi Picoult The Bad Friend by Carolline Kepne Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights   by Omar Barghouti The Butterfly's Burden  by Mahmoud Darwish Disclosure:

How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good by Steve Phillips is a fascinating take on the current political landscape of the United States. Phillips tracks and explains how the Confederacy has morphed over time in the United States. How We Win the Civil War draws a direct line between the Civil War and modern day White Supremacy ideas. There are moments in the early chapters that feel hopeless yet were intriguing enough to keep me interested. I nodded along at times, felt skeptical at other times, and learned a bit along the way. In the second part of the How We Win the Civil War , Phillips examines various movements in several states aimed at civic engagement and voting as well as encouraging people to run for office that the people can feel excited about. Phillips demonstrates how these organizations strategize to achieve their goals. How We Win the Civil War takes a realistic yet hopeful approach to creating a more inclusive and

Mother Country by Etaf Rum pulled me in quickly and held on. Rum creates a short story filled with characters that are at once relatable and unique proving once again that people have more in common than not. The clash between expectations and the desire for something different that threads throughout Mother Country transcends the exploration of cultural differences landing in the heart of anyone who has ever wanted a future different than the one they grew up expected to live. Rum tells the story in a way that feels like sitting down with a friend to hear what's happening in their life.  Mother Country explores not only motherhood but daughterhood and the desire to escape not only tradition but generational trauma while also exploring what it takes to find understanding and compassion in the journey to embrace the truth of who one is. Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good  by Steve Phillips Braiding Swe

The Bookstore Wedding: A Short Story by Alice Hoffman continues the story of two sisters who had been estranged and are rebuilding their relationship while also honoring their parents and the bookstore they inherited. While one sister is planning her wedding to her rekindled love yet again, the other sister gets sick causing the wedding to be postponed once again. The Bookstore Wedding is filled with familial love and the kind of supportive community many crave these days. As some things came together and other things fell apart, I often found it difficult to understand the decisions the sisters or the community made but somehow that only added to the appealability. Hoffman provides characters that are at once complex and simple in a way that makes them more approachable. The Bookstore Wedding is a sweet story of endurance and connection. Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good  by Steve Phillips Mother Countr

They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri demonstrates the resilience of not only Ahed Tamimi but her family, her community, and the Palestinian community as a whole. Her story resonates on a deep level demonstrating how the political is personal in an approachable and engaging way. Written in first person, They Called Me a Lioness often brought me fully into the moment and left me feeling voyeuristic all at once. Tamimi and Takruri plant Tamimi's struggle in middle of the larger struggle with a seamlessness that reminds the reader that her story is both unique and all too common. The overarching story is one that brings to light the way humans are programmed to condemn or praise an action depending on who we are taught is worthy and who is unworthy. They Called Me a Lioness is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of resilience as well as a call to action to the world. Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Secur

A Night at the Tropicana: A Short Story by Chanel Cleeton is a beautiful story of love lost to fulfill family expectations that leaves a mark on those who feel it. Family expectations and ambition get in the way of a love that feels magical in its beginning but gets sidelined by a parent's interference before it even has a chance to really begin. Years later a recreation of the event at a different place brings back the memories of that first taste of love. The romance of the evening paired with the romance of young love juxtaposed against a fundraiser capitalizing on the idea of that evening felt apropos to the world we live in yet the nostalgia threading through the memories also managed to impart an unexpected hopefulness. A Night at the Tropicana pulled me in and had me hoping for a magical ending... Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good  by Steve Phillips They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl&