pickExquisite. Enchanting. The most beautiful immigrant story I've encountered, bursting with Tan's fantastical creations. Feels sort of sacrilegious to sing the praises in words, of a story told entirely in images to such powerful effect, but it's what I got! I'm now going to reread it.
If you somehow haven't picked up Creature by this artist/author, highly recommend.
⚠️Images of forced child labour, war, death, major injury
pickReviews had me prepared to dislike this #wpf25 title but instead I flirted with loving it. I couldn‘t fully commit because there was so much about her unhealthy relationship with Marlowe which didn‘t add much, just another story of an older male misusing a damaged girl. Nila‘s other relationships and what she hides from herself and others as she struggles with her identity are what made this book special. So many lines made me pause and reread.
so-soI admire the writing and the skill of this novel. I see why it has made the short list for #womensprize, but it was not a novel for me.
pickSet in post-reunification Germany, Nila‘s Afghan parents & Nila struggle to find their cultural place in Berlin. Nila is coming of age in techno clubs and a drug-fuelled lifestyle of self-loathing & an obsession with her older American boyfriend. Her struggle to find her place & the cultural expectation that she be a good girl were all excellent. The messy narrative surrounding Nila & Marlowe less so. Overall this is an intriguing, absorbing read
panI am beyond frustrated by this book. It has such rich material—fish out of water, racism, stranger in your own land—and it‘s just kind of a mess. Plus, there‘s an explosive event near the end that was so gripping, I really wish the book had been set around it, but instead it‘s squandered. What is this doing on the #WP25 short (or long) list?
so-soRead because of the #womensprizeforfiction shortlist, but this one was really not for me. Strong, evocative writing but utter aimless characters and plot.
#DynamicDs Day 20: #Devil
pickPolicy of preventative deterrence = death by Sonoran desert.
Funneling migrants through the desert is intentional and cruel. Common sense suggests until the root causes of the migration are addressed it will not end. When migrants say they would rather die on the trail than remain in their home countries it speaks volumes.
Jason‘s second book focusing on human smugglers is even better because it really lays bare the complexities of the issue.
pick#CoverStories Day 29: #Music that transcends borders is what Yo Yo Ma, United Nations Messenger of Peace, creates - and this is a fantastic picturebook biography that shows exactly that. My full review including a video of Yo Yo Ma‘s historic musical performance that took place at the Rio Grande also known as the US-Mexico Border: https://wp.me/pDlzr-quq - A very timely book.
