The Best-Seller List Has Some Regrets, and That’s OK
In his seventh book, Daniel Pink tells readers how to turn remorse upside down.
She Wasn’t on PCP, but Her Own Body Made Her Hallucinate
In “A Molecule Away From Madness,” Sara Manning Peskin explains how neurological aberrations can kill.
Why Olga Tokarczuk Likes to Read T.S. Eliot in Translation
“It’s fascinating to read poetry in its original form, but it’s just as fascinating to read it in a variety of translations. Suddenly the same text takes on new dimensions, as if it were growing in new directions.”
In ‘Anonymous Sex,’ No Strings — and No Bylines
An anthology of erotic short fiction keeps the award-winning writers a dirty secret.
In ‘Anonymous Sex,’ No Strings — and No Bylines
An anthology of erotic short fiction keeps the award-winning writers a dirty secret.
Newly Published, From Black Joy to Tech Policy
A selection of books published this week.
Sexist Silences and Other Letters to the Editor
Readers respond to recent issues of the Sunday Book Review.
Did the First Americans Arrive via Land Bridge? This Geneticist Says No.
In “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas,” Jennifer Raff combines archaeology, genetics, linguistics and more to argue against a longstanding theory.
Legendborn
UnCovered review by Nancy Wessler, Librarian, ACLS Mays Landing Branch
Sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews enters into the prestigious Early College program at UNC-Chapel Hill still deeply mourning the death of her mother three months prior. She is fleeing the painful memories of home, but on her first night at school she witnesses an act of magic - a magic that can erase memories, a magic that she realizes was used to erase her memories on the night her mother died. No longer certain that her mother’s death was an accident, Bree soon finds herself immersed in the world of a secret Arthurian society, the members of which are descended from the actual Knights of the Round Table and whose mission is to protect humanity from otherworldly demons. Joining their ranks may mean finding the answers to her mother’s past, but it also means risking life and limb in a magical war centuries in the making and discovering truths about herself that have long lay hidden.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a YA urban fantasy that hits all the
sweet spots of the genre. There’s a dangerous magical world
hidden within our ordinary one; an engaging and relatable protagonist with
powers she doesn’t understand; a diverse, fully-formed supporting cast ready to
provide banter, romance, tension, and adversity; scary monsters heralding
calamity; and the early makings of a love triangle. What sets Legendborn
apart, however, is the way in which Deonn interweaves the very real issues of
grief, racism, oppression, and inheritance into this tale of the fantastic. The
book addresses the entirety of Bree’s experience as a Black girl in North
Carolina, exploring the ongoing legacy of white supremacy and American chattel
slavery as well as championing the ways in which Black Americans have always
survived, resisted, and thrived. There are revelations later in the book that
are equal parts devastating and uplifting.
Ultimately, Legendborn is a story about love and loss. It explores the nature of power and who gets to wield it, generational trauma, and the things we owe our forbearers, each other, and ourselves. Also, King Arthur! Magic swords!
Did the First Americans Arrive via Land Bridge? This Geneticist Says No.
In “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas,” Jennifer Raff combines archaeology, genetics, linguistics and more to argue against a longstanding theory.
Politics Drove Rebecca Mead From Her Adopted Home and Into Her Next Book
In a new memoir, “Home/Land,” Mead leaves New York for her native England, exploring dislocation and the idea of belonging.
This Novel Examines Motherhood, but Not From the Usual Angles
In her debut novel, “Wildcat,” Amelia Morris shows the impact of babies on friendship and ambition.
The Uneasy Alliance Between Frederick Douglass and White Abolitionists
Linda Hirshman’s “The Color of Abolition” pulls the curtain on the “casual racism of the privileged” that flourished in some abolitionist circles.
Unlikely Friends, United by Protest and Troubled Histories
“How to Be a Revolutionary,” a novel by C.A. Davids, spans decades and continents exploring the personal costs of political activism.
What Makes Iceland So Great? Ask Its First Lady.
In “Secrets of the Sprakkar,” Eliza Reid pulls the curtain back on her country — the good (there’s a lot), the bad (not much) and the ugly (even less).
Antagonist, Activist, Operator, Survivor
A.J. Baime’s “White Lies” explores the life and times of the civil rights figure Walter F. White.
Thriller 'The Violin Conspiracy' addresses racism in classical music
In his debut thriller, Brendan Slocumb employs polemic about racism to great effect as he reminds us that the high-toned world of classical music suffers from, and because of, racism.
(Image credit: Anchor)
A Gamer Learns to Weaponize Sounds in This Genre-Bender
Our latest science-fiction and fantasy column includes “Battle of the Linguist Mages,” “In the Serpent’s Wake” and “The Violence.”
What’s for Dinner? Probably Not London Porker.
In “Eating to Extinction,” Dan Saladino explores what the loss of local, nutrient-rich agriculture means for the planet.
A woman embraces change in the 1960s in Tessa Hadley's novel 'Free Love'
Phyllis Fischer, a 40-year-old wife and mother, is drawn into a liberating relationship with a much younger man. She soon realizes that perhaps she wasn't so content as she thought.
(Image credit: Harper Collins)
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