Over the past few weeks, reading two books had a profound impact on the way I see the country I live in and the structure of its society. The books are Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen and These Truths by Jill Lepore. Loewen, a college professor, conducted an extensive survey of …
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the view from here
A young adult thriller set in New York City in 2118, The Thousandth Floor transports you inside The Tower, the skyscraper which changed the city’s skyline forever. It’s the tallest building in the world, encompassing entire neighborhoods and school districts. The perspective shifts between 5 teenagers that have all sorts of challenges in their lives …
life and death are one
Long Bright River is a stunner. There’s no other way to put it. Liz Moore crafts a slow-burn of an intergenerational novel set in the opioid ravaged streets of Philadelphia. Police officer Mickey walks her beat in Kensington, watching the ladies work the streets and fearing for the well-being of her estranged sister, Kacey. As …
The Empty Chair
Un-Su Kim’s The Plotters is the story of a strangely endearing assassin fighting for both continued business and personal survival in South Korea’s hectic election season. Reseng was raised in the Dog Library, the hub of government-sponsored murder for hire, after being abandoned in a garbage can as an infant. Old Raccoon, the appointed head …
The Educated Family
In The Topeka School, readers meet the illustrious psychotherapists of the Gordon family, their son Adam, and members of their community in Topeka, Kansas. Author Ben Lerner introduces the doctors Gordon, Adam’s parents, separately, and also reveals a great deal about their back story as a couple. Young Adam grows up throughout the book, transforming …
More Money, More Problems
In The Two Income Trap, not-yet-Senator Elizabeth Warren and her daughter examine the results of a detailed study of bankruptcy in America and highlight why families still can’t make ends meet, in a society where more often than not, both parents are working. Wait, did I lose you? I promise, it’s not a snooze-fest. And …
What She’s Saying
When Theo, a psychotherapist, applies to work at The Grove, a mental hospital on the outskirts of London, he knows exactly what he’s getting himself into. He knows that The Grove may go bankrupt any day due to lack of funding and that it’s being overseen by a strict medical board. He also knows that …
Question Everything
Imagine for a moment that you are a highly visible member of a small, vocal group. You’ve grown up in that community of people, the vast majority of whom are your family members. You work for them and with them, every day. The rest of the world is made up of sinners who are blind …
the decade
Between 2009 and 2019, I had two marriages, one divorce, and three groups that I considered family with whom my ties were cut forever. I owned three Toyotas and totaled one of them. I purchased one used car and one new car. I embarked on four new jobs and ended one career. I moved ten …
2019 In The Books
It’s January 1, and according to my 2019 spreadsheet, I finished 64 books last year. That’s a huge leap from the 2018 total of 37 — a jump that I attribute to my extended illness and the increased free time I had due to not working. Since I didn’t write up every single book I …
Literal Laura 