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Little fires everywhere [DAPL book club kit]
2019
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New York Times Review
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, by Celeste Ng. (Penguin Press, $27.) The magic of Ng's second novel, which opens with arson and centers on an interracial adoption, lies in its power to implicate every character - and likely many readers - in the innocent delusion that "no one sees race here." DEFIANCE: The Extraordinary Life of Lady Anne Barnard, by Stephen Taylor. (Norton, $28.95.) Over the course of Taylor's biography, a picture emerges of Lady Anne Barnard as a cleareyed yet self-doubting woman determined to live life on her own terms even as she worried about her right to set those terms. AT THE STRANGERS' GATE: Arrivals in New York, by Adam Gopnik. (Knopf, $26.95.) In his new memoir, Gopnik recalls the decade after he and his soon-to-be wife moved from Montreal to New York, in 1980. Always the elegant stylist, he effortlessly weaves in the city's cultural history, tracing his path from graduate student in art history to staff writer for The New Yorker. HOME FIRE, by Kamila Shamsie. (Riverhead, $26.) In a challenging and engrossing novel full of tiny but resonant details, two families find their fates entwined when a young man travels to Syria to join ISIS, following in the steps of the jihadist father he never really knew. BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD, by Attica Locke. (Mulholland/ Little, Brown, $26.) This murder mystery follows Darren Matthews, a black Texas Ranger, as he tries to solve a dual killing in a small town full of zany characters, buried feelings and betrayals that go back generations. THE STONE SKY: The Broken Earth: Book Three, by N. K. Jemisin. (Orbit, paper, $16.99.) Jemisin, who writes the Book Review's Otherworldly column about science fiction and fantasy, won a Hugo Award for each of the first two novels in her Broken Earth trilogy. In the extraordinary conclusion, a mother and daughter do geologic battle for the fate of the earth. AUTUMN, by Karl Ove Knausgaard. Translated by Ingvild Burkey. (Penguin Press, $27.) In this collection of finely honed miniature essays, the first of a planned quartet based on the seasons, the Norwegian author of the multi-volume novel "My Struggle" describes the world for his unborn child. AFTERGLOW (A Dog Memoir), by Eileen Myles. (Grove, $24.) Myles, the poet and autobiographical novelist, turns her attention to the role her dog Rosie played in her life and art. ONE NATION AFTER TRUMP: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet-Deported, by E. J. Dionne Jr., Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann. (St. Martin's, $25.99.) Seasoned Washington observers examine how Donald Trump's rise reflects long-term Republican trends. The full reviews of these and other recent books are on the web: nytimes.com/books
Library Journal Review
Ng's engrossing sophomore novel explores, in gorgeous prose, themes of class, racial identity, and motherhood. An omniscient narrator slowly reveals the characters who inhabit Ng's real-life hometown of Shaker Heights, OH, a planned community near Cleveland, whose genuinely well--intentioned residents are not shy about proclaiming how socially progressive they are. The wealthy Richardson family embodies the Shaker Heights ideal. Elena Richardson abandoned her dream of being a serious journalist (she now writes puff pieces for the community paper) because that's what she thought she should do to create a well-ordered world for her four children and attorney husband. Her comfortable suburban utopia is threatened, however, when Mia, a free-spirited artist, and her teenage daughter, Pearl, settle into the Richardson's rental property after years of drifting around the country. After Pearl is befriended by the Richardson children, Elena offers Mia a job as their housekeeper under the guise of "helping" this single mom, but she really wants to learn more about the mysterious outsiders. The gloves come off, however, when Elena learns of Mia's role in an ugly custody battle that is dividing her beloved community and cracking its idealistic veneer. Jennifer Lim gracefully and authentically acts as Ng's omniscient narrator, hopping around town, divulging characters' secrets but also evoking empathy for these characters who are just trying to do what they think is right. VERDICT Well suited for audio, Ng's gem will please fans and captivate listeners new to her work. ["A magnificent, multilayered epic that's perfect for eager readers": LJ 6/1/17 starred review of the Penguin Pr. hc.]-Beth Farrell, Cleveland State Univ. Law Lib. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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