David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Malcolm Gladwell uses the biblical story of David versus Goliath to illuminate how we often think of disadvantages and achievement. More often than not, we're intrigued by underdog stories like David vs Goliath where David is severely disadvantaged but overcomes against great odds, but Gladwell argues our disadvantages like size in David's case, attending a mediocre school, losing a loved one, facing discrimination, or dealing with a disability force us to overcome even greater obstacles in our future successes. It's a book about how the challenges life throws at us provides us an opportunity for growth and the ability to overcome more difficult challenges in the future. Although not as great as Gladwell's other reads, David and Goliath demonstrates how the most important accomplishments often come from the most adversity.

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Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shazuka Satomi, an accomplished violin player and teacher, makes a deal with the devil so she may save herself by delivering seven violinists of the upmost talent. She has already delivered six of the seven promised when she stumbles upon Katina Nguyen playing her violin in the park on the East side of Los Angeles. Katrina, a transgendered runaway attempting to escape abuses at home, gladly accepts room and board to learn from the great Satomi. Meanwhile, Lan Tran, a starship captain and recent refugee from a far away planet, purchases a donut shop in Los Angeles, a shop Satomi frequents, to safely wait out the Endplague. All three of these women's paths come together by chance to create an unforgettable story about family, love, curses, and acceptance.

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