Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating look into the cultivation of language used by the leaders of extreme groups to lure and detain members. Amanda Montell describes how these leaders, whether they're Jim Jones or the latest Instagram influencer, use similar language techniques to bait followers into believing their message. The "cultish" language pervades our society and after reading this book, you'll begin to see evidence of these techniques throughout our culture. It's a must read for anyone interested in how someone might join not just extreme groups but any social group that has it's own language and charismatic leader.

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Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sea of Tranquility was one of my favorite books released in 2022. It's my kind of science fiction that focuses more on human relationships rather than an entire new world. It follows Edwin St. Andrew as he travels across the Atlantic in 1912, Olive Llewellyn on her book tour two centuries later, and Gaspery Jacque-Roberts, an investigator, who lives on one of the distant Moon colonies. All of the characters' stories mysteriously intertwine to attempt to answer timeless, existential questions like: what would we change if we traveled back in time? Would we help others or just ourselves? Would our attempts to change events create an even worse situation?

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I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you're a fan of true crime, this is an impressively researched piece of nonfiction. McNamara not only wrote the book about this particular serial rapist/killer, but she also assisted in solving the 40 year cold case before her untimely death. The details of the Golden State Killer, also know as the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker, are truly gruesome and awful, but McNamara handles the subject matter with respect for the victims which can be a difficult task for the true crime genre. Again, I would recommend this book for true crime fans but the details of the Golden State Killer's crimes are completely awful and disturbing.

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The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this sweeping and unforgettable "project" by Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project asks important questions about this nation's founding fathers and their actions, or in-actions, when establishing the rule of law. Did they truly believe the words they were writing in our founding documents? In this project, as it's truly a project with contributions from numerous writers, Hannah-Jones sets out to demonstrate "the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative." Hannah-Jones argues our entire economic, social, and judicial systems were built on the backs of enslaved people who neither had access to these systems nor were they equipped with "inalienable rights." As a country, we've never truly faced the everlasting effects of chattel slavery on this nation and how it's been Black Americans who have continued to carry the burden of "making democracy real." It's an important read and should be studied for years to come.

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Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A beautiful work of art/lyrical poetry from Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin. It illustrates the story of a black family surviving the initial COVID-19 lockdowns during the spring and summer of 2020. It's a story we can all relate to: a family member sick, the constant barrage of the news, the BLM protests, and the extreme boredom coupled with a growing anxiety. It aptly identifies and acknowledges those feelings we had during those troubling months while personifying those feeling through beautifully constructed artwork. An important piece of art to commemorate a difficult time in our history.

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Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the author of Klara and the Sun, Never Let Me Go tells the story of Kathy and her close friends, Ruth and Tommy. These friends are attending what seems to be an elite boarding school, Hailsham, set in the beautiful English countryside where they appear to have an ideal setting for childhood. Although, Kathy and the others begin to notice strange occurrences around the grounds of Hailsham and question why they're forbidden to leave. They begin to reveal truths, not only about Hailsham, but about their very existence. Kazuo Ishiguro spins another excellent science fiction/mystery which relies more on character development than sci-fi to explore themes such as friendship and love, the perils of technology, and the reasons for our existence. It's truly another remarkable work from Ishiguro.

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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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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Malcolm Gladwell's Bomber Mafia explores the introduction of airplanes into our military arsenal in a time when many believed they didn't have a future in warfare. Prior to WWII, many hadn't considered the use of airplanes to support ground troops until a group of military thinkers, the Bomber Mafia as they were referred to at the time, believed that precision bombing would limit the loss of life on the ground and make wars less lethal overall. With hindsight, Gladwell challenges this idea by looking at events that took place during WWII, specific battles since Japan and Europe, and weapons that we're created and used during these events. It's an excellent read for anyone interested WWII and historical events.

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The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a trailblazing theoretical physicist at the University of New Hampshire, asks deep questions about how we and the universe got to this very moment. She believes all of us should have the same access to the nature of our universe and it shouldn't be up to just a small section of researchers. In the Black feminist traditions, she hopes for a future where the field of science is open to all and where all are welcome to find answers to their questions about it. She expertly weaves many of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, dark matter theory, and the politics around the field of science together in an intriguing way. As someone who doesn't regular read particle physics, it was truly a remarkable read.

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Bewilderment by Richard Powers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the Pulitzer-prize winning author of "The Overstory," "Bewilderment" follows Theo Byrne, an astrobiologist, and his sensitive 9-year old son, Robin, who has always been wildly curious about the natural world. After losing his wife and Robin's mother, Theo struggles to keep Robin in school after he displays violent outbursts and possible signs of neurodiversity. The school wants to medicate Robin but Theo desperately wants to try a natural remedy which leads him to an experimental treatment called Decoded Neurofeedback. Will this experiment work? Can Robin learn the coping skills necessary to function? As a father, this was truly an emotional rollercoaster reading about Theo's and Robin's triumphs and mistakes. It was stunningly beautiful and utterly devastating at the same time. Richard Powers, as he does in many of his other works, asks difficult questions about the state of our natural world and our place within it.

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Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the author of "Migrations", comes the story of Inti and her twin sister, Aggie. The sisters split their time as children between their father, in the deep forest outside Vancouver, and their mother, in Australia. Learning from her father, Inti tends to spend her time in the forest learning from it and the animals within it. It leads her to a career as a biologist and the opportunity of a lifetime to reintroduce wolves to promote reforestation into the Highlands of Scotland. The Scottish people within this small agricultural community are terrified, angry, and willing to go to great lengths to protect their livelihood. Will Inti be able to protect the wolves? Can she convince this community that rewilding will bring back a thriving ecosystem? This gripping mystery leaves the reader at a loss until the very end.

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Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This excellent collection of short stories include themes of love, abandonment, heartbreak, loss, gentrification, and cultural heritage amongst the backdrop of Colorado, which more often than not, includes historical references to a long lost Denver. As a Colorado resident, you may recognize the names and places of Fajardo-Anstine's stories as well as the role gentrification and loss of cultural identity many Denver/Colorado natives feel. It weaves it's way throughout these stories as well as her love of this place and her culture.

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical and poetic memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming, she tells the coming-of-age tale of a young girl whose tumultuous childhood is split between Ohio, South Carolina, and Brooklyn. All of theses places, people, and memories form to shape her identity. Each chapter reads like the essence of a passing memory, captured just in time before it's forgotten. Woodson is magical at creating these memories. In this story, she weaves together stories of her family, friends, beliefs, and the events that defined her. It's a powerful story everyone needs to read.

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Review: With the Fire on High

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After her unplanned pregnancy during her freshman year of high school, people view Emoni Santiago differently. It doesn't slow her down, though. With the help and encouragement of her 'Buela, who watches her daughter during the day, Emoni makes tough choices and struggles to persevere through high school. She uses her passion for cooking and drive to create a better life for her daughter to pursue her dreams. Will she continue to make the same mistakes? Will her creativity and love of food be enough to elevate her out of a difficult situation? With the Fire on High is a solid second novel from Elisabeth Acevedo and great or anyone who loved her first, The Poet X.

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Review: Another Brooklyn

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As August boards the train to venture back into the city after attending her father's funeral, she recognizes an old friend which sends her hurtling through her own childhood memories. Through these lyrical, dream-like memories we learn about August's silent fears and treasured hopes along the backdrop of 1970's Brooklyn, NY. Jacqueline Woodson's searing portrait of a young girl discovering herself through the memories of her mother, being lifted up through childhood friendships, and ultimately overcoming the pain and suffering of it all. We find an unforgettable narrator who weaves a heartbreaking, poignant, and beautiful tale of becoming her true self. It's an instant classic that needs to be read by young adults and adults alike.

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Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like many children in Latin America, Enrique experiences devastation with the news of his mother's leaving for more money and a better life in the States. She promises to call and send gifts but nothing quells the emptiness for Enrique. Over time, he becomes despondent, refuses to follow his grandmother's rules, and chooses to medicate himself with drugs and alcohol. He wants desperately to find his mother and decides to leave Honduras in search of the Rio Grande with only his mother's phone number on a piece of paper as his guide. What follows is Enrique's courageous and heartbreaking journey north. Can he possibly survive? Will he ever see his mother again?Will his mother's presence be enough to heal him? How far are we willing to go for the one's we love? This book will change the way we view immigrants and those wanting to make a better life for themselves within the United State. Enrique's Journey is a must-read for young adults and adults alike.

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Dig. by A.S. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Shoveler carries his shovel everywhere he goes ,constantly being the new kid, while his mother moves them from town to town. The Freak with the seeming ability to move through space and time. CanIHelpYou? sells marijuana through the drive thru window at Arby's. Loretta the Ringmistress conducts her flea circus within her double wide trailer. Malcolm would enjoy first-class seats to Jamaica more if it wasn't for his father's cancer. All of these teenagers have little in common, besides being the outcast, until Marla and Gottfried Hemmings, the product of generational Pennsylvania potato farmers, enter their lives.

In A.S. King's surreal, dark, and brilliant book, these teenagers are sent on a journey of self discovery. They begin to dig at their families' histories to discover pain, racism, neglect, but also hope and connectedness. Dig begs the questions: does my family history make me who I am today? Can we overcome the sins of our descendants? Do we have the courage to face those transgressions and work towards forgiveness and reconciliation?

Dig is an excellent read for adults and young adults alike.

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Review: Pet

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a future set within a seemingly utopian society, Jam imagines what life had been like for her parents when monsters roamed the streets openly. Her parents' generation, with the help of angels, destroyed their society's monsters allowing Jam, the black and trans protagonist, and her friends to feel safe and accepted. That is until an otherworldly character arrives and reveals how their perfect society may not be as perfect as they thought.

Although there are many elements of fantasy in Emezi's Pet, Jam's world has many similarities to our own. These comparisons would provide an opportunity for in depth discussions around questions like: What are the monsters we currently have in our society? How can we grow to accept one another? Who would Pet represent in our society? How do we eliminate our own monsters?

I highly recommend Pet for teens and adults.

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jason Reynolds' remix of the Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning challenges the history pushed by our nationalist fervor. As a society, we often lift our founders to extreme heights without realizing their faults, hatred, and shortcomings. Reynolds and Kendi expose the truth behind the ways the founding of our country was steeped in racism and hatred through a lens that is accessible to all readers. It truly is a must read for any and all over the age of 10 and would provide an excellent way for communities to discuss our shortcomings as a society. Also, the reading list at the end of the book allows curious readers to pursue a more in depth and fully realized history of our country.

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