Bakari Sellers the Activist and CNN Commentator Reflects on His Journey in My Vanishing Country

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KIRKUSVOL. LXXXVIII, NO. 11 | 1 JUNE 2020 REVIEWS

Bakari Sellers The activist and CNN commentator reflects on his journey in My Vanishing Country. p. 58

Also in the issue: Brit Bennett, Connie Schultz, Samira Ahmed, and more from the editor’s desk: Delayed Gratification Chairman BY TOM BEER HERBERT SIMON President & Publisher MARC WINKELMAN

John Paraskevas # Is there a book you’ve been meaning to read for ages? It’s time to finally check Chief Executive Officer it off your list. MEG LABORDE KUEHN [email protected] That was the case for me with The Beginning of Spring, the 1988 novel by Editor-in-Chief Penelope Fitzgerald, which has intrigued me for more than a decade now. I’ve TOM BEER [email protected] read and loved other Fitzgerald novels— (1979), (1995)— Offshore The Blue Flower Vice President of Marketing and the chapter about in Hermione Lee’s superb biogra- SARAH KALINA The Beginning of Spring [email protected] phy of Fitzgerald made it sound awfully enticing: the story of an English family Managing/Nonfiction Editor in Moscow in 1913 trying to carry on after the mother unexpectedly decamps ERIC LIEBETRAU [email protected]

back to England. Lee details how Fitzgerald’s careful research—on Russian Fiction Editor LAURIE MUCHNICK “merchants, railway stations, ministries, churches, birch trees, dachas, and [email protected]

Tom Beer mushrooms”—is miraculously transmuted into a complete fictional world. Plus, Young Readers’ Editor VICKY SMITH there was Fitzgerald’s characteristic wry humor. How could I resist? [email protected] Apparently, I could. The Beginning of Spring was never finished. Or started. Young Readers’ Editor LAURA SIMEON Then, after a couple of weeks of sheltering in place, I saw Adam Morgan, editor-in-chief of the [email protected] Southern Review of Books, proselytizing for the book on Twitter. (“I used to be a book critic, but now Editor at Large MEGAN LABRISE all I do is reply ‘Penelope Fitzgerald’s THE BEGINNING OF SPRING’ to literary question threads,” [email protected]

he wrote.) I confessed that I hadn’t read it and, after a friendly admonishment from Adam, agreed to Vice President of Kirkus Indie KAREN SCHECHNER finally remedy that. [email protected] First, I had to obtain a copy—a real paperback, thank you very much— Senior Indie Editor DAVID RAPP from a local indie: Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn. When my package [email protected] arrived in the mail, it felt like Christmas morning. I spent the next few days Indie Editor MYRA FORSBERG transfixed by the novel—its comedy, its wistfulness, its strangeness—and [email protected] finished with an exhalation, as though I’d been holding my breath while Associate Manager of Indie KATERINA PAPPAS reading it. Why had I procrastinated so long? [email protected] Editorial Assistant Others are clearly feeling the same now-or-never resolve. In March, JOHANNA ZWIRNER author Yiyun Li and publisher A Public Space launched #TolstoyTogether, [email protected] Mysteries Editor a virtual book club where members would read 12 to 15 pages of War and THOMAS LEITCH

Peace every day for three months and share their observations with the Contributing Editor hashtag on Twitter. This daunting Russian classic was clearly a bucket-list GREGORY McNAMEE Copy Editor title for many readers; the club has remained popular and the online discus- BETSY JUDKINS

sion lively. Designer I took to Twitter myself to ask, “During this shelter-in-place period, have you finally gotten around ALEX HEAD Director of Kirkus Editorial to reading a book you’ve always meant to read? Which one?” The response was overwhelming, and the LAUREN BAILEY [email protected] answers revealing and entertaining: Moby-Dick (“I may just be done with it when this is all over”), The Production Editor Power Broker by Robert A. Caro (“my white whale”), The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer (“after HEATHER RODINO [email protected] having owned a copy for 23 years”), The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer (“I think I’m Website and Software Developer going to enjoy the fall quite a bit more than the rise”). Some titles showed up repeatedly: Middlemarch, PERCY PEREZ [email protected] The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter books. Advertising Director A number of authors chimed in, too, with their own literary white whales: Thomas Beller (Bay MONIQUE STENSRUD [email protected] of Souls by Robert Stone), Cherise Wolas (Proust’s In Search of Lost Time), Ryan Chapman (A Heart So Advertising Associate White by Javier Marías), Peter Swanson (The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson), Sarah Weinman TATIANA ARNOLD [email protected] (George Eliot’s ). Daniel Deronda Graphic Designer Now I’m scanning my shelves for other books I’ve foolishly put off reading and ordered two more LIANA WALKER [email protected] Fitzgeralds, (1986) and (1992); I want to hold on to that feeling of a reading Innocence The Gate of Angels Controller experience that is every bit as rewarding as I’d hoped it would be. There’s something about the moment MICHELLE GONZALES [email protected] we’re living in—the long hours at home, the awareness of mortality—that leaves so many of us thinking: for customer service What am I waiting for? or subscription questions, please call 1-800-316-9361

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2 | 1 june 2020 | from the editor’s desk | kirkus.com | young adult

, the acerbic publication publication reviews as - Kirkus on our Reviews even before they are published in the magazine. magazine. the in published are they before even — Duchess Goldblatt The Kirkus Star is awarded to books of remarkable | 1 june 2020 | 3 | kirkus.com | contents Don’t wait on the mail for can reviews! read You pre kirkus.com on released are they can also access the You current issue and back issues of password, usernameor a have not do you If subscriber. a as in logging by website please contact customer care to set up your account by calling 1.800.316.9361 or emailing [email protected]. yet warmhearted doyenne of Twitter. Now her yetwarmhearted her Now doyenne Twitter. of admirers can get to know her still-anonymous 51. p. review the on Read creator. Most Most readers who are active on social media are aware of merit, merit, as determined by Kirkus.impartial of editors the 4 4 6 51 51 52 50 14 38 22 99 99 64 48 58 159 159 183 145 145 100 160 182 150 146 134 106

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fiction children’s young adult young nonfiction at ......

...... contents purchase kirkus.com you can now can now you books online books ...... REVIEWS NOTE EDITOR’S ...... REVIEWS NOTE EDITOR’S ...... PICTURE BOOKS BACK-TO-SCHOOL ...... REVIEWS NOTE EDITOR’S ...... ROMANCE ...... REVIEWS NOTE EDITOR’S ...... MYSTERY ...... REVIEWS NOTE EDITOR’S ...... REVIEWS STARRED INDEX TO ...... REVIEWS STARRED INDEX TO ...... REVIEWS STARRED INDEX TO ...... LESLIE & ELLEN ROONEY LINDSAY INTERVIEW: SAMIRA AHMED...... INTERVIEW: ...... REVIEWS STARRED INDEX TO ...... REVIEWS STARRED INDEX TO ...... CONNIE SCHULTZ INTERVIEW: BRIT BENNETTINTERVIEW: ...... BROWN MCCULLY MOLLY INTERVIEW: SEEN & HEARD...... SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY ...... CONFIDENTIAL KITCHEN ON THE COVER: BAKARI SELLERS...... ON THE COVER: ANTHONY BOURDAIN’S APPRECIATIONS: fiction These titles earned the Kirkus Star: TENDER IS THE FLESH Bazterrica, Agustina Trans. by Moses, Sarah THE NEW WILDERNESS by Diane Cook...... 11 Scribner (224 pp.) $16.00 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 THE PULL OF THE STARS by Emma Donoghue...... 12 978-1-982150-92-1 THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI by Akwaeke Emezi...... 13 ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE BOURNE EVOLUTION A processing plant manager struggles with the grim realities of a society where by Brian Freeman...... 15 cannibalism is the new normal. CATHEDRAL by Ben Hopkins...... 18 Marcos Tejo is the boss’s son. Once, that meant taking over his father’s meat ARIA by Nazanine Hozar...... 18 plant when the older man began to suffer from dementia and WITH OR WITHOUT YOU by Caroline Leavitt...... 20 require nursing home care. But ever since the Transition, when I GIVE IT TO YOU by Valerie Martin...... 23 animals became infected with a virus fatal to humans and had to be destroyed, society has been clamoring for a new source of TALKING ANIMALS by Joni Murphy...... 26 meat, laboring under the belief, reinforced by media and gov- IMPERSONATION by Heidi Pitlor...... 28 ernment messaging, that plant proteins would result in malnu- trition and ill effects. Now, as is true across the country, Marcos’ IN THE VALLEY by Ron Rash...... 30 slaughterhouse deals in “special meat”—human beings. Though WANT by Lynn Steger Strong...... 34 Marcos understands the moral horror of his job supervising the workers who stun, kill, flay, and butcher other humans, he A HOUSE IS A BODY by Shruti Swamy...... 34 doesn’t feel much since the crib death of his infant son. “One can VALENTINE by Elizabeth Wetmore...... 37 get used to almost anything,” he muses, “except for the death of a child.” One day, the head of a breeding center sends Marcos a THE TUNNEL by A.B. Yehoshua; trans. by Stuart Schoffman...... 38 gift: an adult female FGP, a “First Generation Pure,” born and EVERY KIND OF WICKED by Lisa Black...... 39 bred in captivity. As Marcos lives with his product, he gradually begins to awaken to the trauma of his past and the nightmare of FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly...... 40 his present. This is Bazterrica’s first novel to appear in America, THE GEOMETRY OF HOLDING HANDS though she is widely published in her native Argentina, and it by Alexander McCall Smith...... 44 could have been inelegant, using shock value to get across ideas about the inherent brutality of factory farming and the cruelty of governments and societies willing to sacrifice their citizenry ARIA for power and money. It is a testament to Bazterrica’s skill that Hozar, Nazanine such a bleak book can also be a page-turner. Knopf (448 pp.) An unrelentingly dark and disquieting look at the way $28.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 societies conform to committing atrocities. 978-1-524-74903-3

4 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult The Particular Sadness of The author revisits themes she When Francie is 8 years old, her mother, Elaine, suffers a psychotic break. break. psychotic a suffers Elaine, mother, explored in Bender, Aimee Bender, Doubleday (304 pp.) strugglesElaine’s with mental health are Lemon novel. (2010) in her latest Cake $26.95 | Jul. 28, 2020 $26.95 | Jul. THE BUTTERFLY LAMPSHADE THE BUTTERFLY 978-0-385-53487-1 | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 5 nothing new, nothing but new, this episode is severe enough that Elaine is institutionalized and Francie is institutionalized sent and fromFrancie Oregon, Portland, to scouring yard sales for odd treasures she can sell online. Her rela- Her online. sell can she treasures odd for sales yard scouring their new baby, Vicky. Twenty years later, Francie is still living in living still is Francie later, years Twenty Vicky. baby, new their tionship with her adopted family tionship and with her adopted is solid, if fraught—Minn Los Angeles to live with her Aunt Minn, her Uncle Stan, and managingLA. She’s a frame store, but she spends her free time Vicky are Vicky always looking for signs of Elaine’s illness in Francie. - - - ; The also Maisel Marvelous Mrs. In In a darkly comic debut, Beanland It begins with tragedy: Florence Simon & Schuster (320 pp.) Simon & Schuster SWIMS FOREVER tells tells the story of a Jewish family on the FLORENCE ADLER FLORENCE New Jersey coast in 1934. coast Jersey New Beanland, Rachel $25.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 7, | Jul. $25.99 978-1-982132-46-0 Adler, Adler, while working toward her ambi- A A unique if occasionally overreaching novel for lovers of but the author fails to engage meaningfully with it and so it little- in particularlyit, buoy to interested enough those be for brought to light, from jealousy to hidden romances to shady despite coherent feels plot the Remarkably, dealings. business her half-baked approach is an “add-Holocaust-and-stir” effect effect approach is an “add-Holocaust-and-stir” her half-baked culture. American Jewish of known pieces having lost her second. The Adler family matriarch, Esther, reads like an afterthought. Perhaps Beanland thought writ rest as give she birthprepares her to third child to a year after ing ambitiously among seven different third-person per is reminiscent of the hit show it could have been a sensitive exploration of the sometimes- ing a story about Jews set in the 1930s that deal doesn’t with nonetheless may setting the of particularity the regard, this in spectives, the novel explores the aftermath of the tragedy tious goal of becoming the first Jewish woman to swimthe turns into a diffuse attempt to do too much. The novel’s of result the but insensitive, or frivolous be would tragedy that that lacks emotional verisimilitude. In addition, some of the the seven points of view, but the novel falters thematically; those adjacent to it. Florence’s older is Fannie, sister, on bed events take place in the shadow of the approaching Holocaust, Holocaust, approaching the of shadow the in place take events order to minimize her risk of losing the As baby. the family absurd lengths we’ll go to protect the people we love, but it as experienced by three generations of the Adler family and decides it would be best to keep the tragedy from Fannie in fights against all odds to keep this huge secret, other issues are are issues other secret, huge this keep to odds all against fights Jewish Jewish details in the novel are inconsistent. In this regard, it English Channel, drowns off the coast Shift of Atlantic City. . Maisel Mrs. The Marvelous long reads, short reads

In the early days of the coronavi- review says, “Even your most extravagant speculations rus era, it felt like everyone who about what’s really going on with these wildly contrast- was lucky enough to be healthy and ing yet oddly simpatico siblings will be trumped in this working from home was having a skillful, sardonic debut.” similar reaction: They were creating But maybe you’re looking for a long book to spend sourdough starters and regrowing time with; and maybe you miss going to the theater, too. scallions from the roots and catch- Italian playwright Stefano Massi- ing up on lots of TV. But soon dif- ni’s The Lehman Trilogy (translat- ferences began to appear, especially ed by Richard Dixon; HarperVia, in the realm of fiction. To wit: Some June 2) is a novel in verse that, people, their attention spans shot, wanted short books like his acclaimed play, tells the that would enable them to escape their own brains for a sprawling story of the real-life little while without making too much of a commitment; Lehman brothers and their de- others wanted to sink into a really long novel. Fortu- scendants, a family of Jewish im- nately, there are great books out there for people with migrants who created a financial either preference. empire. “Expansive and intimate, If you want short, there’s Mary Gaitskill’s This Is sober and playful, Massini’s nov- Pleasure (Pantheon, 2019), a #MeToo story that felt ul- el focuses less on arcane finan- tratopical when it came out in cial maneuvers and more on the November and now seems like outsized personalities of the Lehman family members an artifact from another time. who drove the company’s success,” according to our In it, our starred review ex- starred review. plains, a successful book editor Or perhaps this is the time to read Anniversaries, a named Quin is accused of “en- three-volume, 1,720-page behemoth by East German gaging with women he meets, at writer Uwe Johnson, translated by Damion Searls (New work and elsewhere, intimately York Review Books, 2018). Our review says: “Likened and sexually—toying with them, to Joyce’s Ulysses, it’s really a his friend Margot suggests, in a kind of Joseph Cornell box ‘vaguely sadistic’ yet ultimately in words, a vast montage harmless way.” The book is told stretching from August 1967 from the perspectives of both to August 1968. The narrator, Quin and Margot, and “Gaitskill’s willingness to ignore Gesine Cresspahl, lives in common wisdom and consider controversial and com- self-exile on the Upper West plex questions from different viewpoints is a true liter- Side [of New York], working ary pleasure,” according to our reviewer. as a translator, trying to raise Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer a daughter, Marie, by herself. (Doubleday, 2018) is another quick read, “a dryly fun- Gesine is too young to have ny and wickedly crafty exercise been complicit in the crimes in psychological suspense,” ac- of the Third Reich, but she cording to our review. Korede is a saw them unfold, enabled by nurse is Lagos, Nigeria, but when those who stood by, some of whose uniforms have mere- we meet her, she’s cleaning up a ly changed colors in the years since the war ended….A bloody bathroom after her sis- rich book to be read slowly and thoughtfully, from a ter, Ayoola, who has killed one of writer too little known today.” I wish I hadn’t left my her boyfriends (the third to meet copy at the office the last time I was there. this fate). And then a doctor at the hospital where Korede works—a Laurie Muchnick is the fiction editor. doctor she has a crush on—asks for Ayoola’s phone number. As our

6 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult - In In a parody of a White House mem- Veteran Washington satirist Washington Buckley Veteran Simon & Schuster (288 pp.) Simon & Schuster ble political crises ahead of Election Day Election of ahead crises political ble skewers skewers the Trump administration in a farce farce that imagines several all-too-credi- MAKE RUSSIA GREAT AGAIN GREAT MAKE RUSSIA Buckley, Christopher Buckley, $28.00 | Jul. 14, 2020 $28.00 | Jul. 2020. 978-1-982157-46-3 | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 7 prison about his brief tenure as chief of staff. His first challenge first His staff. of chief as tenure brief his about prison program called Placid Vladimir reelec threatens Reflux Putin’s is to deal with the fallout when a rogue government computer tion bid. Also from Russia with bromance is oligarch Oleg oir, Trump loyalist Trump Herbert oir, K. Nutterman writes from federal chief. bureau Moscow newspaper’s U.S. a of murder the in cated Congress passed a law freezing his assets after he was - impli Pishinsky, an old buddy of Donald Trump’s who is upset because because upset is who Trump’s Donald of buddy old an Pishinsky,

- A novel with rewards for patient and sympathetic readers. readers. sympathetic and patient for rewards with novel A Sentences like “At some got point, Vicky Sentences up like “At to wipe down the like like she notes—every single detail of every encounter she has. who sticks with this glacial pace will realize that Francie notices notices Francie that realize will pace glacial this with sticks who what happened when she was 8, Francie withdraws from world the beyond this small circle. A reader’s capacity to appreci- relationship between living beings and the inanimate world. living beings and the inanimate relationship between ing. She is an engaging protagonist. And she notes—or it feels thing when she was a child. By the end, the book reveals itself as itself reveals book the end, the By child. a was she when thing table, and I watched all the last pieces of rice and blueberries up take a whole lot of the first half of the novel. But the reader to to spend inside Francie’s head. Francie is smart and interest everything because her survival depended on noticing every- connect to her sponge and gather together to fall into her hand” her fall into to together gather and sponge her to connect occasional visits—depends largely on how well Elaine’s medications are As working. she begins to revisit and work through a meditation on memory, identity, and the sometimes-uncanny a identity, meditation on memory, ate ate this novel will depend on how much time they’re willing Her Her relationship with her mother—maintained by phone and He wants the law repealed and brandishes a secret weapon: a A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL thumb drive holding video of Trump in flagrante seriatim with Burke, James Lee 18 Miss Universe contestants. Trump tells Herb and Sen. Squigg Simon & Schuster (384 pp.) Lee Biskitt of South Carolina (read Lindsey Graham) to engi- $28.00 | Aug. 11, 2020 neer the repeal. As these narrative lines get tangled in various 978-1-982151-68-3 ways, Buckley, a former White House speechwriter, adds comic spin to recent events, providing a plausible view of the crude, Burke wraps up the trilogy begun in jury-rigged, stopgap daily carnival that is No. 45 at work. The Robicheaux (2018) and continued in The author can be witty and clever but also sophomoric and sex- New Iberia Blues (2019) by taking a giant ist. Seamus Colonnity (Fox’s Sean Hannity) makes a joke about step into the past—actually, a Chinese something “going around like Wuhan coronavirus.” Greta Fib- box of criminal pasts. berson, the White House chief of communications, has “a bal- “In the days before 9/11,” Detective cony you could play Shakespeare from.” Herb can recognize the Dave Robicheaux is working for the New Iberia Sheriff’s Depart- “Rubicon moment” that eventually lands him in prison while ment. As usual, the felonies officially reported to the department elsewhere thinking he should avoid a problem because “this was represent only a fraction of his Louisiana parish’s seething pas- not a caca of my making.” sions. When Isolde Balangie, seeing Dave at an amusement pier Buckley is a smart, entertaining observer, but the weak where heartthrob singer Johnny Shondell is singing, tells him that spots in his humor can leave a reader wincing. Johnny is delivering her to his uncle Mark and that she thinks all the Shondells should be killed because the family burned her ancestor at the stake 400 years ago, Dave makes a noncommittal

8 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult -

A A sweeping intergenerational story who find themselves staying briefly at the Neptune the Inn Neptune in New Rochelle, New of the intertwined lives of two people LOST SOULS AT THE SOULS AT LOST NEPTUNE INN Grand Central Publishing (336 pp.) Grand Carter, Betsy Carter, $27.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. | $27.00 978-1-5387-6391-9 York. class family - | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 9 Dillard Fox is a child, a young man, a middle-aged stepfather, stepfather, middle-aged a man, young a child, a is Fox Dillard unplanned pregnancy—she spends her life working in her par middle-aged woman, and an aging Apart grandmother. from a stint as a hotel cleaner and helper in her teens—resulting in an ents’ bakery. ents’ Dillard bakery. is gay; Emilia Mae is not. The two marry and an aging man in this book. He is also a musician, a teaching is also a musician, a teaching and an aging man in this book. He assistant, a receptionist, a construction laborer, and a a single a mother, teen, a is a baby, bakery Wingo assistant. Emilia Mae

- - the brother years the brother As Willie Brennan, the narrator of A A determined but pugnacious lower- high school, he’s feeling ill at ease with his with ease at ill feeling he’s school, high class family strives to cling to its perch in perch its to cling to strives familyclass an upscale suburb. Burke’s Burke’s fourth novel, prepares to enter Knopf (288 pp.) Burke, Shannon Burke, $25.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. | $25.95 THE BROTHER YEARS THE BROTHER 978-1-5247-4864-7 strives to cling to its perch in an upscale suburb. in an its perch to cling to strives A determined but pugnacious lower but pugnacious determined A Not the best installment in this much-honored franchise, installmentbest the much-honored this in Not A A seriocomic coming-of-age story that labors to balance but the one that best explains its incantatory power. bullying older Coyle, brother, who delivers regular beatings. His him. His furyseem to doesn’t put off his old friend Clete Purcel, keep keep Isolde as his personal plaything, wealthy Mark Shondell his children to more complex social dynamics. Willie finishes his Willie his more social children complex dynamics. to hanging on in Seneca, a wealthy receives Chicago Willie suburb, the “serio” and “comic.” virtue of being cleareyed and candid: He thoughtfully recalls how thoughtfullyrecalls He candid: and cleareyed being of virtue while managing serious themes of class divisions and abuse, a cir response and quickly regrets it. Whether or not he plans to it goes a long way toward explaining the thread that links Dave’s myself, I myself, had learned how to operate in that rich-kid world.” It’s semiofficial visit to his home, Dave ends up beating the tar out of out tar the beating up ends Dave home, his to visit semiofficial sophomore year wiser, if not exactly triumphant: “Almost despite despite “Almost triumphant: exactly not if wiser, year sophomore story, and some incidents are sitcom-simple (the time dad bought dad time (the sitcom-simple are incidents some and story, spective. (The novel opens in not 1979.) an It’s entirely effective Willie and Coyle strategy; seemsthe to conflict merit between a surroundings. He’s surroundings. in He’s open conflict with his smart, athletic, and to to keep money flowing and maintain peace in the home, and do to to make ends meet working multiple jobs. And though they’re ostracism the endure will Willie time, In neighborhood.” rich the cle he squares by having Willie tell this storythis tell from per nostalgic a Willie havingby squares he cle of the dismembered corpses of two minions Shondell’s hired to ope, who, whether or not she’s really Mark’s wife, keeps throwing keeps wife, reallyMark’s she’s not or whether who, ope, clearly has a finger in any number of unsavory pies, andduring a constant constant reminders that he belongs “the to weird, poor family in a time-traveling “revelator” whose deadly tango with Dave and a private - eye with Penel an even mother, shorter fuse, or Isolde’s all rich novel fodder but unevenly executed. a boat, character the has time thedad met Willie’s Bob Seger…). get can kid rich a much how just revealed match tennis climactic a ethic blinded him and head-down work away with and how dad’s a stint in juvie. Burke wants to tell this story with a light touch and entitlement of his peers, bemoan dad’s ill-advised schemes follow Dave is only the first sign of the advent of Gideon Richetti, Gideon of advent the of sign first the only is Dave follow darker treatment, mom and darker the younger siblings add little theto father is a taskmaster to his wife and four children while straining while children four and wife his to taskmaster a is father Clete Clete serves as the portal to a troubled past extending far before Dave smoldering looks he returns with interest. The discovery 23 grandly repetitive adventures. 9/11. Whether or not you buy the metaphor of reincarnation here, reincarnation of metaphor the buy you not or Whether 9/11.

one another because of their deep yearning for love and comfort BEHIND THE RED DOOR and home and family. In the mid-20th century, these options are Collins, Megan not available for Dillard with a man—though by the time he Atria (320 pp.) meets Emilia Mae and her daughter, Alice, his heart has already $27.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 been broken by a secret relationship with Nick that ended 978-1-982130-39-8 abruptly and unexpectedly, leaving him unmoored. Emilia Mae, once a colicky baby, has grown up with the knowledge that her Nightmares have been plaguing mother believes she was born with the devil inside her. It is Fern Douglas. That’s bad enough, but Alice who binds Dillard and Emilia Mae together. In this sweep- when Astrid Sullivan, a woman Fern ing tale that extends through much of the 20th century before doesn’t know, starts showing up in the ending in 1980s New York City, the reader meets Dillard’s and dreams, Fern has to wonder whether her Emilia Mae’s parents, friends, and lovers and is given a deep, nightmares might really be recovered layered look at what events, people, choices, and secrets shape memories. Dillard, Emilia Mae, and Alice into the complicated individuals As a child, Fern lived just a few miles from Astrid, yet she they ultimately become. doesn’t know anything about Astrid’s kidnapping though it was A bittersweet tale that follows the twists and turns of covered by the local and national news: Taken by a stranger, love and loss and the painfulness and joy of life. Astrid was kept for weeks and then mysteriously found near her own house, blindfolded and drugged but otherwise unharmed. How can Fern have no memory of the famous story? Now, 20 years later, Astrid Sullivan has been abducted again. Fern has a

10 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult Fifteen Fifteen years ago, Rachel - Cunning Rachel was only 11 when she shot lodge on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, ham killed her parents. Or so she thought. she so Or parents. her killed ham her watched mother, her father turn his rifle on himself in their remote hunting Putnam (304 pp.) Dionne, Karen Dionne, $27.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. | $27.00 THE WICKED SISTER 978-0-735-21303-6 This ecological horror story (particularly horrifying now) horrifying (particularlystory horror ecological This | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 11 make for those she loves? make them. Cook also raises uncomfortable questions: How far will explores painful regions of the human heart. painful regions explores even enjoying circumstances that overwhelmthat circumstances evenenjoying around adults the a person go to survive, and what sacrifices will she she orwon’t - - - the new wilderness the new In In a dystopian future, a woman and explores painful regions of the human heart. the human regions of painful explores her daughter leave behind the increas population is trapped, to join a survival ingly unlivable conditions of the all- study in the Wilderness State. Wilderness study in the consuming consuming City, where most of the Cook, Diane Harper/HarperCollins (384 pp.) (384 pp.) Harper/HarperCollins $27.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 Aug. | $27.99 THE NEW WILDERNESS 978-0-06233-313-1 This ecological horror story horror This ecological (particularly now) horrifying As part of Bea Agnes the and havestudy, been members of A A dark psychological thriller riddled with twisted family begins to which read Astrid’s memoir, sparks memories of hav before various births and deaths, travels the wild as a ragtag her newly recovering memories for his latest scholarly treatise. little girl.” The originally Community, 20 adults and children healthy, with a healthy, natural instinct for primitive skills. As she tells her powers of psychological observation make her “good at this at “good her observationpsychological of make powers her unsettled and disturbed. up before his move to Florida. Back in her hometown, Fern unclear but whose motherly protectiveness is fiercely - all-con powerful powerful love between mother and daughter centers the novel. pack, rife with typical internal politics. Members carry their who bullied Fern as a child. Meanwhile, Fern must once again navigate Ted’s navigate Ted’s “Experiments.” A psychologist specializing in returns to Cedar, New Hampshire, to help her father, Ted, pack Ted, father, her help to Hampshire, New Cedar, returnsto makes makes for a tricky mystery. Even in the final pages, Collins including her best friend, Kyla, and Kyla’s scary brother, Cooper, Cooper, scarybrother, Kyla’s and Kyla, friend, best her including ing been with Astrid during her first kidnapping. Fern begins to begins Fern kidnapping. first her during Astrid with been ing she slowly sifts in echoes of long-repressed sounds and sights. ing City air—the reason Bea joined the study—is now vitally air like resources questionable increasingly and space livable ing suming, to Agnes, who grows suming, up to in a world where natural order survival thing.” Agnes, whose “health cratered” from breath- the study has of Ted used fear, Fern since she was a child as a use to hoping eageris interviewhe now and subject, to test her, track down people who might help her put the pieces together, trumps human-made rules. The push-pull of ambivalent but the grown-ups, “follow the The animals.” viewpoint shifts over are loyalties romantic whose Bea, tormented fromtime prickly, the Rangers who make sure everyone follows the Manual’s rules. Manual’s everyonethe followssure make who Rangers the the Community since it began when Agnes was a “frail, failing chance chance to investigate her weird Astrid connection to when she dynamics. avoids any expected resolution, leaving the reader deliciously and water but also about the resilience of children who adapt, and kill by leaving hand no or human bow, traces in their wake. few possessions on their backs and eat what they can forage Collins nimbly orchestrates Fern’s growing sense of terror as Cook writes about desperate people in a world of ever shrink Discovering who Astrid kidnapped and how is Fern connected Bea misses aspects of her urban life, however difficult it was, but was, it difficult however life, urban her of aspects misses Bea They live according to the Manual, watched over from afar by

and then was found catatonic after having disappeared into the distressing events that marked their otherwise idyllic existence. deep woods for two weeks. Now 26, she’s been in and out of psy- Dionne has her locale down pat: It doesn’t get much creepier chiatric institutions, unable to come to terms with her terrible than a huge lodge filled with taxidermic animals where cell sig- deed. The world thinks her father killed her mother, then him- nals are scarce and dangers lurk in the surrounding woods. The self: Rachel confessed, but no one believed her. One day, Trevor, characters lack nuance, though, and Dionne tends to clearly an aspiring journalist, sits down with Rachel so she can tell her telegraph upcoming plot twists. Further, the book’s true villain story and hopefully clear her father’s name. Then she plans to does everything short of mustache twirling, and it’s not quite take her own life. But when Rachel catches a glimpse of the clear if readers should take Rachel’s earnest claim that she can police report that says there’s no way she could have fired that talk to animals seriously. In the end, it’s all just a bit too much. rifle, she questions everything she thought she knew about that A melodramatic, ultimately disappointing endeavor. day, and the gaps in her memory take on an even more ominous hue. She checks herself out of the hospital, calls Trevor for a ride, and heads back to the lodge, where her older sister, Diana, THE PULL OF and her aunt, Charlotte, have lived for years. Choosing to hide THE STARS out in the lodge rather than reveal herself, Rachel searches for Donoghue, Emma clues about her parents’ deaths and soon realizes that Diana, Little, Brown (304 pp.) and their complicated relationship, may hold the key to every- $28.00 | Jul. 21, 2020 thing. Interspersed with Rachel’s present-day narrative, her 978-0-316-49901-9 mother, Jenny, who was a wildlife biologist along with Rachel’s father, Peter, details the years leading up to her death and the A nurse in a Dublin hospital battles the ordinary hazards of childbirth and the extraordinary dangers of the 1918 flu. Donoghue began writing this novel during the 1918 pandemic’s centennial year, before COVID-19 gave it the grim contemporary relevance echoing through her text: signs warning, “IF IN DOUBT, DON’T STIR OUT,” an overwhelmed hospital bedding patients on the floor, stores running out of disinfectant. These details provide a thrumming background noise to the central drama of women’s lives brought into hard focus by pregnancy and birth. Julia Power works in Maternity/Fever, a supply room converted to handle pregnant women infected with the flu. The disease makes labor and delivery even more high risk than normal. On Oct. 31, 1918, Julia arrives to learn that one of her patients died in the night, and over the next two days we see her cope with three harrowing deliveries, only one of which ends well. Dono- ghue depicts these deliveries in unflinching detail, but the gruesome particulars serve to underscore Julia’s heroic commitment to saving women and their babies in a world that does little for either. Her budding friendship with able new assistant Bridie Sweeney, one of the ill-treated “boarders” at a nearby convent, gives Julia a glimpse of how unwanted and illegitimate children are abused in Catholic Ireland. As far as she’s concerned, the common saying “She doesn’t love him unless she gives him twelve,” referring to children, reveals total indifference to women’s health and their children’s prospects. Donoghue isn’t a showy writer, but her prose sings with blunt poetry, as in the exchange between Julia and Bridie that gives the novel its title. Influenza gets its name from an old Italian belief that it was the influence of the stars that made you sick, Julia explains; Bridie responds, “As if, when it’s your time, your star gives you a yank.” Their relationship forms the emotional core of a story rich in swift, assured sketches of achingly human characters coping as best they can in extreme circumstances. Darkly compelling, illuminated by the light of compassion and tenderness: Donoghue’s best novel since Room (2010).

12 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com |

Vividly written and deeply affecting. the death of vivek oji

THE DEATH OF a middle-class community in Nigeria—one that includes several VIVEK OJI immigrants, among them Vivek’s Indian mother. In these early Emezi, Akwaeke chapters, there is no sense of the tragedy that’s coming. The first Riverhead (256 pp.) hint of trouble ahead is when Vivek starts slipping into fugue $27.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 states. Eventually, Vivek will explain that these were moments 978-0-525-54160-8 when the burden of living an inauthentic life became too much to bear. When Vivek lets his hair grow long and acknowledges The author of the young adult novel his true sexuality, he experiences some relief from this stress, Pet, a finalist for the 2019 National Book but new problems arise—including an aunt who thinks he’s pos- Award, offers another exploration of sessed by demons and boys who throw bottles at him. He is only gender identity, this time for adults. just beginning to express his true self openly when he dies. Only This book’s title leaves no doubt a handful of chapters—most of them very brief—are told from about the fate of its central character. Nor does the first chap- Vivek’s point of view. There’s something heartbreaking about ter, which is one sentence long: “They burned down the market the fact that his story can only be told by others, especially on the day Vivek Oji died.” Then the story moves into the past since some of them never saw him as he wanted to be seen. And to introduce Vivek’s father, Chika, as he is about to meet Kavita, Osita—who loved Vivek and knew him better than anyone— the woman who will become his wife and Vivek’s mother. The cannot say everything he knows. Even so, the novel ends on a next chapter is told from the perspective of Vivek’s cousin, note of hope. Osita. As the narrative moves around in time and from view- Vividly written and deeply affecting. point to viewpoint, Emezi offers a richly textured depiction of young adult

| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 13

INTERVIEWS & PROFILES Connie Schultz

THE PRIZEWINNING POLITICAL COLUMNIST (AND POLITICAL WIFE) MAKES A MASTERFUL FICTION DEBUT WITH THE DAUGHTERS OF ERIETOWN By Laurie Muchnick Lylah Rose Wolff We recently spoke with Schultz about the novel; the conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

How would you describe your novel? It’s set in a small working-class town on the shores of Lake Erie, written by a woman who grew up in a small working-class town on the shores of Lake Erie. Of course, it’s a story about women over four generations, but it’s also about the men they love. I think the term working class only appears once. But to me, it means people who have hopes and dreams just like everyone else, who want more for their kids, who want more for their communities. And they try to get on that trajectory until the big problems come and they have no money to fix them. And that’s when everything can fall apart. That’s the story of so many working-class families I know. And they’re diverse, by the way; I hope that came across in Erietown. It’s not just white people—I get really frustrated with that idea.

This book reminded me a lot of some of the feminist novels from the 1970s by writers like Marge Piercy and Marilyn French. Well, I consider that a real compliment, because I’m very If you weren’t already familiar with Connie Schultz’s fond of their writing. I came of age in the ’70s. So I read The work as a political columnist—she won a Pulitzer Prize in Women’s Room when I was in college, I have the first edition 2005 while at the Cleveland Plain Dealer—you may have got- of Our Bodies, Ourselves. That made it easy to do research—I ten to know her in the past few years as one of the most con- just had to pull it off the shelf. I thought, if I’m going to focus genial people on social media. Her Facebook page and Twit- on women in this novel, and I want to tell a story that spans ter feed feature her takes on the news along with pictures of a period of time, it makes sense for me to include a period of her dogs, Franklin and Walter, her grandchildren, and her hus- time that I knew well, but it’s amazing how much we don’t band, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. The title of her 2007 mem- remember from our childhoods. You know those little pam- oir, …and His Lovely Wife, was a wry response to finding herself phlets you can get about the year you were born? “Here are treated like an appendage during Brown’s first campaign fol- the top songs, here are the top....” I have one for every single lowing their marriage. Now Schultz has written a novel, The year represented in the book. I found them on eBay, on Etsy, Daughters of Erietown (Random House, June 9), in which “the because I couldn’t get over how much I couldn’t remember. evolving role of women in middle America in the second half of the 20th century is illuminated by the story of one Ohio What made you decide to write a novel? family, its secrets and failures, its hopes and dreams,” accord- I finally decided to get serious about it when I realized what ing to our starred review, which calls it “a masterful debut.” was stopping me—and that was fear. I had to live what I’ve

14 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | always told my kids and what I’ve written, which is the only regrets you’ll have are the things you were afraid to try. I did a TEDx talk about four years ago about how women of my generation—I’m 62—are the first to really have large numbers who think we shouldn’t become invisible at the age of 50. So many of my friends have done these incredible things much later in their lives. Unlike our mothers did too often, we don’t have to feel used up. It’s “What do we do next?” ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE Are there any books that you love or books you used BOURNE EVOLUTION Freeman, Brian as models? Putnam (416 pp.) Well, start with Grace Paley, period. I can’t adequately con- $28.00 | Jul. 28, 2020 vey what it’s like to be a working-class Protestant kid in 978-0-525-54259-9 Ashtabula, Ohio, who first started reading Grace Paley in Novelist Freeman nails the Ludlum high school and thought, Wow, our family has a lot more in style in the latest Jason Bourne adventure. common with a Jewish woman living in New York than a lot Without apparent motive, a man of the novels I’ve been assigned to read in class, which were with no known criminal history or mental illness opens fire on a Las Vegas crowd mostly by male writers. and slaughters 66 people. More than a year later, a New York And A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. [From] the first time I read congresswoman is murdered, shot in the neck. The congress- that, the same scene still stays with me now. It’s the scene in the woman had been about to expose a large-scale data hacking scandal in big tech. The suspect is an “ex-government operative doctor’s office, do you remember that? Francie and her brother gone rogue” code-named Cain. That’s the hero, Jason Bourne. are there, and the doctor is saying to the nurse, “Look how dirty Fans know that as Cain, he was a professional assassin before they are. That little boy, he’s so filthy.” And when Francie gets a gunshot wound stole all memory of his past. Treadstone, his up there, she essentially says, “You don’t need to tell me, we al- former organization, believes he’s out of control and wants him

dead. Good luck with that, because “Bourne was a ghost. Impos- young adult ready know we’re dirty.” I mean, what she’s saying is, “I heard sible to kill.” So Bourne agrees to meet secretly with a journalist every word you said. I understand exactly what you think of us.” in Quebec City who has written about the Vegas killings and is I remember that feeling of being a working-class kid. investigating the congresswoman’s murder. Nothing goes right, of course. Later, Bourne agrees to find a connection between I remember my daughter had to read A Tree Grows in that killing and a mysterious organization called Medusa. What Brooklyn in college. She and I started talking about it, and I follows is plenty of well-plotted action of the bloodletting vari- told her about that scene, and I realized it was not a story I ety. The main threat to society is a software application called had told her about my own childhood. I was so busy trying Prescix. People think it’s cool because it predicts what they’re going to do before they know it themselves. They don’t realize to make her feel confident in herself, and I wanted her to that it’s controlling what they’re going to do. That is plausible, believe in all her options, that I hadn’t told her that I came scary stuff, but for a real scare meet the superb villain Miss Shir- to this in a different way. I came to it in part from having ley. She warns people, “at all times when we are together to call me Miss Shirley.” That’s in every sentence, with violations pun- people judge me strictly on where I came from. ishable by a bullet in the throat, even if she’s just treated a guy to the best sex ever. The showdown between Bourne and Miss The Daughters of Erietown received a starred review in the Shirley is one for the ages. Freeman’s first Jason Bourne thriller is a treat for fans of March 15, 2020, issue. the late Robert Ludlum.

THE NIGHT SWIM Goldin, Megan St. Martin’s (352 pp.) $27.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-1-250-21968-8

A podcast investigator covering her first present-tense criminal trial is thrown for a loop by a radical new development in a much older case. Now that she has two successful seasons of Guilty or Not Guilty under her belt, Rachel Krall is ready to turn from reopening old cases to following one as it unfolds in real time. Champion swimmer Scott Blair is about to be tried for the rape and sexual bat- tery of Kelly Moore, who attends the high school he graduated

| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 15 from the year before. Prosecutor Mitchell Alkins and rock-star these two assaults a generation apart could possibly have to do defense attorney Dale Quinn agree that the two teenagers had with each other. sex on the night in question, but they don’t agree whether it Not as intense as Goldin’s blistering debut, The Escape was consensual. So Rachel’s come to Neapolis, North Carolina, Room (2018), but a remarkably strong contender for second to attend the trial, prepare daily summaries of every twist and place. turn, and assure her listeners that every broadcast “puts you in the jury box.” As the trial proceeds through an unsparing barrage of she-said, he-said testimony, Rachel finds the objec- BEAR NECESSITY tivity she’s promised her listeners increasingly compromised Gould-Bourn, James by her growing sympathy for Kelly. A far more serious com- Scribner (320 pp.) plication begins even before the trial with a furtive series of $26.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 notes from Hannah Stills, whose older sister, Jenny, was raped, 978-1-982128-29-6 beaten, and drowned back in 1992. Certain that her sister’s assailant, who’s never been punished or identified, will be pres- A London widower who is having ent in the courtroom, Hannah writes that she’s finally ready trouble supporting his son turns to danc- to reopen her own painful past and reveal knowledge about ing as a panda in the park. her sister’s last night that she’s never shared with anyone else. With the unexpected death of his But though Hannah begs for Rachel’s help, she fails to show wife in her late 20s, Danny Malooley has up at every meeting she proposes, leaving Rachel to wonder been slowly falling further and further whether she’s really a will-of-the-wisp—and incidentally, what behind on his rent. Young parents at 17, Danny and Liz were very much in love and delighted in their son, Will, even though they struggled to make ends meet as he grew up. Fourteen months after Liz’s death, however, Danny finds himself with an 11-year-old son who hasn’t spoken since the accident, so far behind on his rent that his landlord has threatened to break his legs if he doesn’t pay up, unfairly fired from his construction job, and grasping at any opportunity to make money. The realization that street performers in the park earn enough to cover his rent spurs his decision to buy a deeply discounted panda costume all but destroyed by the hard-partying college student who last rented it. Standing in the park in a smelly costume does not garner the money he’d hoped—though, shock of shocks, his son actually starts talking after Danny saves him from bullies—so he decides to start dancing in the costume. And after a chance encounter with Krystal, a pole-dancer (a near-naked performer, not a stripper, she is keen to make clear), who subsequently makes fun of his lack of skills, Danny convinces her to teach him to dance so he can try to win a street performance competition with a purse so large he’ll be able to pay off his evil landlord. The platonic relationship between Danny and Krystal is refreshing. The story hinges on the fast friendships formed on construction sites, between street performers, and in strip clubs—the latter reminiscent of the movie Magic Mike but without even a hint of voyeurism. A well-written, speedy read that focuses on the love between a dad and his son and how it can lead to friendship.

16 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss. -John Milton, Paradise Lost

MATTHEW LOCKDOWN HUNTING GROUND HENSON AND Meghan Holloway Stories of Crime, THE ICE Terror, and Hope June TEMPLE OF HARLEM in a Pandemic 9781947993983 Gary Phillips June July 9781951709174 9781947993860

THE SOUTHLAND THE NINJA’S SKIN DEEP young adult BLADE Sung J. Woo Johnny Shaw Tori Eldridge July August September 9781947993952 9781947993969 9781951709099

POETIC JUSTICE THE MAN IN THE LAKEHOUSE Andrea J. Johnson MILAN Joe Clifford September Vito Racanelli September 9781951709082 October 9781951709105 9781951709112

Read different. Read independent. Read Polis Books.

| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 17 CATHEDRAL Meanwhile, young Rettich Schäffer is an apprentice stonecut- Hopkins, Ben ter working on the Cathedral, wanting to buy his freedom from Europa Editions (624 pp.) the bishop, so he borrows from a Jewish moneylender. The sto- $27.00 | Jan. 26, 2021 ries of Christians and Jews intertwine over the decades, with 978-1-60945-611-5 piety and decency largely absent from center stage. Surround- ing the rising edifice in Hagenburg are degradations of every This first novel by screenwriter Hop- kind—“the siren calls of Temptation, Debauchery and Vice” kins imagines a paean to the glory of and “the Magical World of the Goyyim. Sodom without cata- God arising from the unholy muck of the clysm.” Hypocrisy abounds, as when Father Arnold chants over Middle Ages. the bodies of dead bandits, because “God listens to what he By the year 1229, a lofty Cathedral— says….The priest gets an extra sixpence for every Last Rite he a bishop’s vanity project, always capi- gives. He was probably praying for a massacre.” Jews like Yudl talized—is already in the works in Hagenburg, Germany. The ben Yitzhak Rosheimer privately regard the Cathedral as “the Bishop’s treasurer is not enamored of the idea, opining that “a Abomination.” To him it is “just a pile of stones and vain idols, constant river of silver and gold flows into that damned hole, an excrescence of the sinful earth.” Well, it’s either that or “the providing the wages of the idle, and paying quarrymen, for- finest Cathedral in the German Lands.” Across the decades, esters and glaziers for their so-called labour.” The bishop has no one character dominates this story of ambition, vanity, and just “passed into Glory,” the Lord Treasurer is abroad, the pope power. In the midst of a plague, a mother and child find cold is dead, infidel hordes besiege Jerusalem, and “all is in turmoil comfort within the completed empty church as “the Witch of and flux.” No wonder the Cathedral takes so long to build. Winter rode the wind.” A thoroughly engrossing, beautifully told look at human frailty.

ARIA Hozar, Nazanine Knopf (448 pp.) $28.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 978-1-524-74903-3

An orphan grows up during decades of unrest in Iran. Making an impressive fiction debut, Hozar creates a vibrant, unsettling portrait of her native Iran from the 1950s to 1981, a period beset by poverty and oppression, chaos and revolution. The tale begins in 1953, when a desperate new mother abandons her newborn in a garbage- strewn street in Tehran. While wild dogs scavenge through the trash, a man wandering through the neighborhood hears a muffled cry. Behrouz, an illiterate truck driver for the army, rescues the baby and impetuously names her Aria, for music that evokes “all the world’s pains and all the world’s loves.” Behrouz takes the infant home to his wife, Zahra, a hardhearted woman who resents her husband and balks at this new imposition and responsibility. In a culture rife with superstition, she is suspicious of the child, whose blue eyes, Zahra believes, “mean… the devil’s in her.” With Behrouz gone for weeks at a time, Zahra vents her anger at Aria, whom she beats and nearly starves. But as if in a fairy tale, suddenly the girl’s fortunes change: She finds herself in a new home, this time with an emotionally reticent woman who strives to do good works in order to atone for her privilege. As Aria later recalls, she had “a mother who left her, a mother who beat her, and a mother who loved her but couldn’t say so.” Aria goes to school, where her two closest friends are children whose parents hold drastically different views about Iran’s politics: The girl’s father is repeatedly arrested for being

18 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 19 a communist while the boy’s wealthy family “sells the Shah his Columbia Law School who began her career at a major Manhat- diamonds.” Cries of “Death to the Shah! Long live Khomeini!” tan law firm.” Another is in the acknowledgments: “To everyone portend the violent upheaval that changes the country’s—and who sees ugly parts of themselves in these characters and won- Aria’s—future. ders if I’m writing about them, I’m not. (But I am…).” Clearly An engrossing tale that reveals a nation’s fraught history. the story of Alexandra Vogel’s life at Klasko & Fitch is grounded in experience and first-hand observation. It’s an intense, disturbing #MeToo story that takes the significant risk of making THE BOYS’ CLUB its main character neither innocent nor completely likable. The Katz, Erica book opens with an excerpt from a transcript of a New York Harper/HarperCollins (416 pp.) Supreme Court trial. The defendant is Gary Kaplan, whom $26.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 we will come to know as the firm’s most important, powerful, 978-0-06296-148-8 and wealthy client. What the charge is, or exactly why Alex is called to testify in such detail about her experiences at the The perils and pleasures—if that’s firm, will not be clear until very late in the book. Before that, the right word—of a high-powered we go with Alex on the wild ride that is an associate’s first year young woman working as a first-year as she tries to impress the bigwigs in order to “match” with a associate at a major Manhattan law firm. desirable department. Towering above them all is Mergers and One of the key sentences in this Acquisitions—the best, brightest, toughest, most important— debut novel is in the author bio on so naturally Alex, a mega-achiever whose accomplishments the last page: “Erica Katz is the pseudonym for a graduate of include a world record in girls junior swimming, sets her sights on it. Almost immediately the furiously competitive situation changes her into something of a monster. Multiday work sessions alternate with exorbitant dining, drinking, and drugging, taking quite a toll on her relationships with her boyfriend and her parents. Meanwhile sexual tension is building between her and more powerful colleagues while her relationships with the few women in the firm are…poor. She doesn’t see the situation for what it is until late in the book, when nuance goes out the window; her awakening is rushed and less realistic than what’s gone before. A knowing, nuanced #MeToo story from the world of corporate law, with juicy The Wolf of Wall Street–type action.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU Leavitt, Caroline Algonquin (288 pp.) $26.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-1-61620-779-3

What if Snow White woke up and decided she didn’t much like Prince Charming? Something like that happens in Leavitt’s latest novel. New Yorkers Simon and Stella have been a couple since the heady days when his rock band was almost famous. Now in their 40s, he’s still chasing musical fame while Stella, a skilled and well-regarded nurse, supports them both and generally is the adult in the relationship. The night before they’re supposed to leave for a gig in California that might be his big break, they have a nasty argument, drink a lot of wine, and, despite Stella’s aversion to drug abuse, share an unidentified pill. In the morning, Simon wakes up and Stella doesn’t. Her coma lasts for several months. The middle section of the book alternates among Simon’s anguished guilt and devotion to caring for her, Stella’s hallucinatory experiences while comatose,

20 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | “a deeply satisfying novel, “anita lahey writes about “evoking comparisons in both sensuously vivid and friendship and loss with both style and substance remarkably poignant.” nimbleness and grace. her to the work of John irving memoir brings back to life and obertson avies in its — kirkus reviews (starred) r d what illness and death took assemblage of perceptive, away.” richly detailed character — elizabeth hay, scotiabank studies ... the life of a

giller prize-winning author of canadian city is revealed with young adult late nights on air verve and insight.” — kirkus reviews

available in bookstores and online now at www.biblioasis.com “while how to Die is a slim book, it offers some hefty insights, leavened with frequent, self- effacing humour ... brilliant.”

— toronto star

| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 21 INTERVIEWS & PROFILES Brit Bennett

THE AUTHOR DISCUSSES HER SECOND NOVEL, THE VANISHING HALF, AND THE COMPLICATED MEANINGS OF RACIAL IDENTITY IN AMERICA By Tom Beer Emma Trim The novel opens in 1968 in Mallard, Louisiana, “a town that existed on no maps.” Is it based on a real place? It’s based on a place my mother remembered from her childhood in Louisiana. She mentioned offhandedly a town of people who continually intermarried so that their kids would get lighter in each generation. It was really interesting to me, and I did some research into similar communities, sociological reports about these insular communities that were organized around the idea of light skin. So I was able to draw on some historical records, although I was more interested in writing toward memory and myth than I was in writing toward history.

Why did you decide to make Desiree and Stella twins? Twins are naturally sort of metaphorical when you’re thinking about identity and this question of What makes me me, and what makes you you? So I knew that I wanted to have twins at the center of it and that they were going to live their lives on opposite sides of the color line.

As young girls they see their father lynched by a white mob. How does that affect them? I think of that as the moment where they split—where they become very different people. They both witness this very What does it mean to be black? To be white? Do these traumatic and violent event, but they react to it so differ- racial categories really exist, or are they simply social con- ently. Desiree keeps a lot of it inside and is able to put her structs? The Vanishing Half (Riverhead, June 2), the new nov- head down and keep going. Stella turns it over and over in el by the author of The Mothers (2016), grapples with these her head. She can’t really make sense of it; she’s a very logical and other questions through the story of Desiree and Stella person, and she needs things to make sense. But racist vio- Vignes, twin sisters in 1960s Louisiana. They are black—un- lence is inherently illogical. til the day Stella walks into a New Orleans office building to apply for a secretarial job and is taken for white. This act As an adult, Desiree’s daughter, Jude, becomes roman- of passing will lead Stella to a new life and a break with her tically involved with Reese, who is a trans man. past—a move that will reverberate for all the characters, in- Reese is actually a character from something completely dif- cluding Desiree’s and Stella’s daughters. In a starred review, ferent that I had been working on. I knew that part of the Kirkus called it a “rich, sharp story about the way identity is book would be Jude’s leaving Mallard and going to LA and formed.” Brit Bennett recently discussed the novel by vid- starting over, and I knew that I wanted her to have this big eoconference; the conversation has been edited for length love story. I started to think about Reese, and it felt like a and clarity. good fit. I was really interested, thematically, in how Reese

22 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult ------Yes, Yes, the narrator of Martin’s new uncomfortably relevant dive into per vacationing in Tuscany, vacationing but in Tuscany, this prickly, romance. novel is a American middle-aged woman sonal and societal ethics is no escapist YOU I GIVE IT TO Nan A. Talese (304 pp.) Talese A. Nan $27.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. | $27.95 978-0-385-54639-3 Martin, Valerie Martin, One character’s coma One is character’s only the first surprise in this sat Creative Creative writing professor stays Vidor Jan at Chiara Villa | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 23 before. People begin to commission her probing portraits; backstories that have a common thread: Stella, Simon, and under murky circumstances outside the villa in 1943. Believ particularly the Fascist era. Jan sees the family’s central trag- isfying story of middle-aged love. was cautious and always played by the rules; the new one is restless, reckless, and emotionally distant. The only thing that that thing only The emotionallydistant. and reckless, restless, in the meantime, Simon, kicked out of his band because he impressed with his dedication; unlucky in love herself, she’s its together over the next 20 years, Beatrice shares tales with much of his adult life in an insane asylum but died violently familystories, the use to permission her hasgiven Beatrice ing istic Sandro) against evil (his Fascist, capitalistic, misogynis into into a family of aristocrats who split their time between Flor stayed at Stella’s bedside, is a Lyft driver. And swearing she Libby see won’t Simon anymore and keeps then opening the the doctors treating her. Libby had never liked Simon but is the attraction. Then the patient awakes, and, as can happen the novel here. narrative Jan’s pits innocence (spiritual, ideal- tic brother Marco). Yet the changes she tic witnesses Yet brother at Marco). the villa calms her is art. Compulsive doodling turns into startlingly edy as the death of Uncle Sandro, a gentle romantic who spent spent who romantic gentle a Sandro, Uncle of death the as edy ence ence and their country estate, Villa Chiara. During more vis capitalism in Italy (and America). Beatrice, the novel’s true accomplished accomplished drawings—a talent she had never displayed the exposures of old secrets, healed wounds, lead to aftermath and surprising futures. and the reactions of Stella’s best friend,who is Libby, one of after comas, her personality is quite different. The old Stella and in Beatrice over time reveal harsh realities about class and and class about realities harsh reveal time over Beatrice in and attending graduate school at Boston College, but she was born was she but College, Boston at school graduate attending as a paying guest for the first time during the summer of 1983. door when he buzzes. Leavitt expands the characters with drawn to him. Sparks butfly, their loyaltyto Stella counters failed marriage to a Cape son Cod she oysterman’s met while Jan, connecting Jan, family history to 20th-century history, Italian writes Jan them into a book; chapters become a novel within Libby all felt severely rejected by their parents in childhood. The upheavals in their lives caused by Stella’s coma and its The villa’s owner is Beatrice, herself a professor at an unnamed unnamed an at professor a herself Beatrice, is owner villa’s The American college. Beatrice’s last name, Doyle, comes from her her from comes Doyle, name, last Beatrice’s college. American - received a 1, starred review 2020,April in the between between them. I recognize, as a cisgender person, that so she’s spoiled, she’s entitled. But I love writing characters who loveI characters But writing entitled. she’s spoiled, she’s up and think that your mother doesn’t like you. like up and think that your mother doesn’t plicated plicated relationship with her always mother—[Stella] keeps I was struck by how well rounded all your characters all your rounded well how struck by I was It was so refreshing the way you handled Jude’s discov handled Jude’s you refreshing the way so It was issue. are—even spoiled Kennedy, Stella’s “white” daughter. daughter. “white” Stella’s spoiled Kennedy, are—even are interesting about this relationship. are interesting are different than myself. I was also interested in thinking about how she turned out to be this way and her really - com not change physically, and she ends up being a completely - dif not change physically, read it and give me feedback. But I knew that was a trope I is a counterpoint to Stella. Reese experiences these physical it to be some type of gotcha moment. that things No—you other the know to on moving we’re im- then and mediately, many cis writers write trans characters terribly. I had friends had I terribly. characters trans write writers cis many these walls between them, and [Kennedy] doesn’t understand doesn’t [Kennedy] and them, between walls these tion. People are surprised to hear me say you that—like said, changes that actually affirm who he is, versus Stella, who does who Stella, versus is, he who actuallyaffirm that changes character who wants to be a star on the stagethe on star - a be atten needs and to wants who character ery is trans. that Reese wanted to avoid—I didn’t want it to be a reveal, I didn’t want want didn’t I reveal, a be to it want didn’t avoid—I to wanted why. I started thinking about how hard that would be, to grow to be, would that hard how about thinking started I why. ferent person—mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. psychologically. and emotionally, ferent person—mentally, Kennedy Kennedy was one of my favorite characters to write—this I didn’t want that to be a point of conflict or point of tension tension of point or conflict of point a be to that want didn’t I The Vanishing Half Half Vanishing The central enigma, originally went to America to reinvent herself ZO through education. She married but never took her working- Miller, Xander class ex-husband seriously and continues to have problematic Knopf (368 pp.) relationships with her mother and her son, who paradoxically $26.95 | Aug. 11, 2020 has chosen to live in Germany. Yet after spending most of her 978-1-101-87412-7 life in America, Beatrice remains an outsider there while her identity as Italian landed gentry seems to crystallize as the A picaresque romance set in contem- working-class locals her family has patronized for generations porary Haiti. take financial control. Zo is a child when a professor tells Martin parses personal and social politics with methodi- him that, as a penniless orphan in the cal care and a reserved tone reminiscent of Edith Wharton. poorest nation in the Western hemi- sphere, he might be “the poorest man in the Western world.” Zo is certainly poor, but he is enterprising, willing to do any work that pays. Eventually, he discovers that his capacity to divine what women need is, perhaps, his truest vocation. He’s working a construction job when he gets his first glimpse of his employer’s daughter. What follows is a story of star-crossed romance threatened by class and—eventually—the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010. Miller’s writing is vivid and engaging, filled with richly imagined scenes and fully formed characters. Zo is an easy protagonist to root for, and Anaya makes for a pleasingly complex foil and partner. She is a real, contemporary woman while Zo—a poor orphan who grows into a man of prodigious strength and sexual prow- ess—is like a figure from legend. The knowledge that Miller is a white man from the United States writing about black people in Haiti may affect how some readers react to this novel. The depiction of Zo as a spectacular physical specimen—an indefatigable lover and superhuman laborer—becomes complicated when framed within the history of white people talking about black bodies. In a lengthy author’s note, Miller explains that he became acquainted with Haiti when he traveled there to work as an EMT in the aftermath of the earthquake he writes about. He thanks numerous Haitians he got to know at that time. He asserts that he “is not a Haiti expert” while praising Haitian authors. The fact remains that Miller is a white man from the United States writing about black people in Haiti at a moment when authors, readers, publishers, and critics are talking about who should tell whose stories—and, just as importantly, who gets generous advances and the prestige of publishing with legacy houses. To the extent that this novel gains critical and popular attention, this is almost certainly going to be a factor in its reception. This beautifully written debut lands in the middle of a debate about representation in American literature.

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| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 25 WHY I DON’T WRITE AND readers will assume animal references—“herds,” “invasive spe- OTHER STORIES cies”—are metaphoric. They’re not, or only in the sense that Minot, Susan the book is one giant metaphor, a 21st-century combination of Knopf (176 pp.) Animal Farm and Aesop’s Fables. It’s also a political thriller about $25.00 | Aug. 5, 2020 an unwitting government bureaucrat uncovering corruption— 978-0-525-65824-5 think Robert Redford in his Three Days of the Condor period except he’s a llama or alpaca. The alpaca would be Alfonzo, Minot’s first collection since 1989 toiling in the basement of City Hall as second assistant to begins with a story ironically titled the nonexistent assistant to the nonexistent commissioner “Why I Don’t Write.” of records while also working on his Ph.D. Illicitly printing This doesn’t seem to apply to Minot out his dissertation at work, he borrows office paper from herself, who has written six books since his friend Mitchell, a llama who works on housing issues (a 1986, but it does suggest the psychic toll of being a writer in humorous tip of the hat to New York’s Mitchell-Lama afford- an age of Twitter-size attention spans and yawning cynicism. able housing program). Better at office politics than his friend, “What do you do all day?” someone asks the narrator. The Mitchell nevertheless feels caught between the needs of the answer, both to this question and the one posed by the title, poor and homeless versus the demands of landlords and the comes in the form of a disorienting collage of allusions to mayor, whom he hates. Alfonzo’s dissertation is rejected, in private heartaches, post-2016 political scandals, national trag- part because the scrap paper Mitchell has given him happens edies, domestic chores, and pointed observations. (“Women to have irrelevant facts and figures printed on the pre-used writers without children: many. Women writers with children: side. Meanwhile, right-wing radio is influencing land animals few.”) The nine stories that follow are a mixed bag. The most to blame sea animals “for every woe,” and Alfonzo finds a pub- successful show why sustained engagement matters, especially lication in his bag from the resistance movement SERF, the for a writer like Minot whose gift is for illuminating revelatory Sea Equality Revolutionary Front, a cause Mitchell’s lemur moments in characters’ lives rather than experimental fiction. girlfriend, a barista, has been pushing. When Alfonzo learns Sometimes these moments are tragic, as in “Boston Common his department is being closed, and the reason, he and Mitch- at Twilight,” which explores a teenager’s ill-fated decision to fol- ell are spurred into action. Murphy packs a lot of issues—class, low a stranger, a woman, into the city to buy pot from her and, climate change immigration, vegetarianism, and more—into a later, the heartbreaking consequence of his failure to stop blam- familiar plot about malfeasance. She balances her poetic rumi- ing himself. Elsewhere, the stories turn on happy, though some- nations and dogmatic lecturing with a goofy relish for puns, what old-fashioned, epiphanies. In “Polepole,” a woman’s brief from “The Five Burrows” of New York to the “freshly groomed” encounter with the maid of a married man with whom she’s just horse mayor to “Reading Rainboa” to radical “Bobby Seal.” had a one-night stand in Kenya makes her determined to take Weird yet engrossing and hard to forget. better care of herself. Throughout, Minot is keenly aware of how men hurt women—as well as how women sabotage themselves. In “The Language of Cats and Dogs,” another standout, THE WAY OUT the protagonist recalls the moment her writing professor prop- Piglia, Ricardo ositioned her. Rather than tell him off, she sits frozen in his dis- Trans. by Croll, Robert gusting car, embarrassed by his cheesy pickup line and ashamed Restless Books (304 pp.) as though she’s somehow to blame. $20.00 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 This collection’s best stories show us why Minot should 978-1-63206-220-8 resist irony and never stop writing beautifully about women’s lives. The late Argentine writer and Princ- eton professor continues his Emilio Renzi cycle of novels. TALKING ANIMALS Renzi, an investigator-turned-novel- Murphy, Joni ist, returns as a visiting professor of lit- Farrar, Straus and Giroux erature at a leafy college in New Jersey while researching the (304 pp.) Argentina-born British novelist W.H. Hudson. There he meets $16.00 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 Ida Brown, a combative academic superstar who imagines her- 978-0-374-53874-3 self outside the system while actually being the system: “Her salary was a state secret,” writes Piglia, “but it was said that they Murphy offers a satirical fable set in raised it every six months and that her sole condition was that an alternate world peopled by all species she must earn one hundred dollars more than the highest-paid of animals. male (that’s not what she called them) in her profession.” Ida New York City is introduced as is working on Joseph Conrad, a friend of Hudson’s, and warns a “vessel for animals” in Murphy’s first Renzi to stay away from her intellectual territory. Naturally, they chapter, a purposely grandiose history of the city in which fall into bed together, hiding their tryst by publicly pretending

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| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 27 that nothing is going on. Everything comes full circle: Renzi IMPERSONATION is “interested in writers who were tied to some double identity, Pitlor, Heidi bound up in two languages and two traditions,” just as he him- Algonquin (336 pp.) self is—and as Ida is, and the Russian widow across the hall, and $26.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 other players in the novel. Things take an unanticipated bad 978-1-61620-791-5 turn when Ida dies, the victim of a letter bomb, which brings out the investigator in Renzi. He himself comes under suspicion, Ghostwriting for celebrity clients grilled by detectives, one of whom tells him grimly, “Nothing yields more drama than income for a des- is irrelevant under these circumstances.” Whodunit? Conrad’s perate single mom. novel The Secret Agent figures in a sidelong way while the perp “Let me guess: you live in Brooklyn…. is a failed scholar of Dostoyevsky-an cast whom Renzi visits in You went to Vassar or maybe Oberlin…. prison: “When he moved, his footsteps clinked with a gloomy You got your MFA from the Iowa Writer’s sound; he was detained, and for the first time the word took on Workshop….You shop at Whole Foods.” The feminist political its full meaning for me.” It’s all very bookish. The resolution of powerhouse Lana Breban and her people think they know all the story is nicely indefinite, though Piglia’s appropriation of about Allie Lang, who’s traveled by bus from her shabby rented the Unabomber and his manifesto seems a touch obvious, as are house in Western Massachusetts to discuss the latest snag in the faint echoes of Stieg Larsson. their memoir project—but they have her all wrong. About the An offbeat take on the campus novel, full of sex, intrigue, only things Allie shares with the bougie hipster they imagine her and marginalia. to be are liberal politics and feminism. Allie is a single mother by choice and is raising her son, Cass, almost completely alone

28 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult The first novel published in English The lives of a disobedient dog and by the Colombian writer Quintana - cen its melancholy owner grow entangled in this allegorical novella. Quintana, Pilar Quintana, $14.99 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. $14.99 paper | THE BITCH Trans. by Dillman, Lisa Trans. 978-1-64286-059-7 World Editions (128 pp.) Editions (128 World | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 29 recalling her failed efforts through healers to get pregnant and is at once a balm for her loneliness and a reminder of it: Unable is a at balm once for her loneliness and a reminder of it: Unable ters on Damaris, who’s living in a coastal town with an oft-absent oft-absent an with town coastal a in living who’s Damaris, on ters to have children, she names the dog Chirli, after “the daughter of her family. When she’s offered When a she’s puppy the fromdog a litter, of her family. a moment in her childhood as she watched the Reyeses’ son get son Reyeses’ the aswatched childhood she her in moment a fisherman husband, minding the home of theReyeses, friends I never had.” Chirli is an emotional trigger, and Damaris is soon is Damaris and trigger, emotional an is Chirli had.” never I - - The Heaven The Heaven A child slips off a boat A and drowns in After After a terrible accident, secrets, Simon & Schuster (304 pp.) Simon & Schuster ple sharing a last weekend at a lake house house lake a at weekend last a sharing ple in this impressive debut novel. shames, and fears emerge among six peo- the deep water of a North Carolina lake. LAKE LIFE Poissant, David James David Poissant, $25.00 | Jul. 7, 2020 7, | Jul. $25.00 978-1-47672-999-2 (2014)—builds the narrative and the faceted theme Both the story and its resourceful heroine are fresh, intel fresh, are heroine resourceful its storyand the Both A well-wrought family writer. tale from a talented well-wrought A ligent, and charming. Starling, winding down careers will at soon Cornell University, because they agreed to remain childless. The younger son takes takes son younger The agreedthey because childless. remain to hasn’t hasn’t told his parents that he’s been jobless for two years or heavy drinker heavyawash drinker in debt and upset that his wife is pregnant publisher, and publisher, political team are looking for simply exist. don’t with some cliché and overwriting. His gradual uncloseting of of Animals of Animals making good use of the close third-person albeit point of view, meds for depression and anxiety after two suicide attempts. He He attempts. suicide two after anxiety and depression for meds is bare and the rent is overdue hired a write to when book she’s memoir of a high-profile bro from the video gameworld, was six months and struggles with his partner’s need for monogamy. six months and struggles with his need partner’s for monogamy. sell, coincidentally on the birthday of a daughter who lived onlylived who daughter a of birthday the coincidentallyon sell, math of the 2016 election; she dryly and sometimes poignantly sexual harassment allegations cupboard against its subject. Her the sextet’s the many sextet’s skeletons—including the anathema of a vote that he’s a pothead living off his boyfriend, a hot new artist in to to elected office. The problem is, the book is supposedto be to to be so well paid she had with planned a trip to World Disney ending, it won’t spoil some anything makes curi- ending, to say it Poissant won’t ous decisions in resolving this murmuration of Starlings. of children lost and found through well-crafted scenes while own. Poissant—author of the shortthe of story collection Poissant—author own. except for occasional help from her wandering hippie boyfriend hippie wandering her from help occasional for except channels the zeitgeist through nuanced characters, settings, answers where one might expect more complication. As for the for As complication. more expect might one where answers a month. They’ve never told their sons about her. The elder is a They’ve never their sons told about her. a month. a warm and fuzzy memoir of motherhood, and Lana has been all. She has The a heartwarming staff for her stories that. agent, and a nearly senile neighbor. Her last ghostwriting job, the and just-right details. and just-right for Trump—is cleverly for Trump—is handled, although he tends to offer pat far too busy with her career to do much hands-on parenting at for Lana, on rightsa her who’s fierce way advocate forwomen’s New York who has been mum about not finishingYork a painting in New Cass—but then the book got cancelled due to an avalanche of Pitlor’s Pitlor’s third novel is set during the lead-up to and the after The parents, BTW, are The dealing parents, with BTW, a recent infidelity of their It happens near the family vacation house that Richard and Lisa and Richard that house vacation family the near happens It What’s What’s Allie supposed to do, substitute her own experiences? washed away by a large wave hitting a rocky shore. Every incident JEAN-LUC PERSECUTED in this brief novel seems calibrated to show life’s tenuousness Ramuz, C.F. and violence: Humans and dogs die via gunshot, hatchet, and Trans. by Baes, Olivia poison, and Damaris’ relationship with the dog frays as Chirli Deep Vellum (152 pp.) disappears into the nearby jungle, returning only to disappear $15.95 paper | Aug. 11, 2020 again. Though the novel is short, Quintana patiently explores 978-1-64605-016-1 Damaris’ darkening mood, as Chirli’s untamed nature echoes its owner’s despair over keeping life under control: “Alone, totally Cheerless novel of lost love and mad- alone, in a body that bore her no children and was good only ness in the Alps. for breaking things.” As Damaris’ and Chirli’s lives take increas- Jean-Luc Robille is a giant of a man, ingly tragic turns, their restless natures feel increasingly broadly blessed with a big baby who now sleeps symbolic of the difficulty of domesticating ourselves and oth- soundly in a larch crib that Jean-Luc has ers, even when it serves our best interests. In an author’s note, lovingly crafted himself. His wife, Chris- Quintana said she was inspired by seeing a female dog’s corpse tine, is beautiful and willful, and no sooner is Jean-Luc out the on her first day on Colombia’s Pacific coast. “I thought, there is door to visit a friend than she is canoodling with another man a huge story here,” she writes. “Huge” overstates things, but it’s in their mountain village. When Jean-Luc learns of the affair, he an intense story despite its brevity. confronts her, and she haughtily reminds him of what she said A somber and sensitive dog-and-owner tale scrubbed when he proposed to her: “I like Augustin better, and he’s asked clean of the genre’s usual sweetness. me too, but his father is against it because I’m too poor, and I’ve had enough of being a servant in other people’s homes, so let’s get engaged if you’d like; but if Augustin wants to kiss me, I’ll let myself be kissed.” Published in French in 1908, Ramuz’s mod- ernist novel was certainly shocking then, and if it seems a little staid now, it has the class-conscious bite of Marcel Pagnol’s Manon of the Spring. Things get more shocking when, after time has passed and Christine has supposedly been faithful, Jean-Luc learns that the affair has resumed. He throws her out and then, with the grim logic of a classical tragedy, terrible things begin to happen. It would be a spoiler to say just what, but suffice it to say that Jean-Luc descends into alcoholism and madness, wandering into the village wearing the helmet of a papal Swiss Guard and carrying a burden that, as the gendarmes chase him into the mountains, transforms the novel into a painful tale of isolation and woe that resembles nothing so much as Franken stein save that Mary Shelley’s monster had a richer vocabulary. Plainly, even matter-of-factly written, the story is a downer but an affecting one that leaves readers wishing that Jean-Luc had had better luck. Translated for the first time in English, Ramuz’s slender story will interest students of early European modernism.

IN THE VALLEY Rash, Ron Doubleday (240 pp.) $26.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-0-385-54429-0

Rash’s latest is a collection of 10 stories anchored by a novella featuring the ruthless Serena Pemberton of his best-known novel, Serena (2008), as she returns to the U.S. and resumes her reign of terror. Though Serena has received the lion’s share of attention, the short story has always been Rash’s best genre. Several pieces collected here—mostly set in western North Carolina from

30 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult - A A brace of strong stories, and the novella’s a fine, sus | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 31 little Serena can’t do. Sure, now and again Rash tries to channel againand now Sure, to do. tries Rash can’t Serena little his terrifying, spooky mother—she must bribe, cajole, - intimi penseful contribution to the thriving genre of Appalachian mayhem. so—with the help of her conscienceless enforcer, Galloway, and Galloway, enforcer, conscienceless her of help the so—with on. But those are quibbles, not disfiguring flaws. on. But those are quibbles, date, murder, date, perhaps murder, even bend the rules of time, but there’s Cormac McCarthy and fails; a couple stories seem slight; and so and slight; seem stories couple a fails; and McCarthy Cormac - buckle’s buckle’s luck has never seemed transferable—but old Jubal has returned home, where she needs to accomplish the impos hopes the luck might extend, in one last moment of crisis, to his to crisis, of moment last one in extend, might luck the hopes wounded, wounded, justice-minded young park ranger, determines that vengeance’s vengeance’s double edge—how honed it is, how it cuts whom- namesake namesake grandson, a Perhaps best toddler. of all is “L’homme makes makes for the centerpiece. Unrepentant lumber queen Serena saved him in battle. His family has struggled mightily—that she’ll have the better of a local who keeps tauntingly poaching see itself as righteous. Rash is expert at revealing the sword of sible: clear-cut a last mountaintop forest in just days. To do trout. Another standout is “The Belt,” about an octogenarian the Civil War to the the on present—center Civil War revenge that wants to cave the shattered soldier had visited. But the title novella ever wields it. In the excellent “Flight,” for example, a Stacy, after World War after War World II, lived out his days sheltered re-creation art—a near-perfect of the drawings by inside a French his own deep-country cabin where an old man, psychologically wrecked psychologicallyman, wrecked old deep-countryan where cabin Civil War veteran and his talisman, War Civil the lucky brass buckle that Blessé,” about a recently widowed art teacher summoned to a THE RIVER HOME stalled by writer’s block until he finds release elsewhere. Oldest Richell, Hannah daughter Eve grows into a busy mother with an obsessive eye Harper/HarperCollins (368 pp.) for detail. Middle sister Lucy is “ridiculously naïve and chaotic” $16.99 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 while volatile Margot, who dropped out of school at 16, is “the 978-0-06-300160-2 Queen of Self-Sabotage.” A giveaway prologue hints too heavily toward Margot’s share of the family’s mysteries; meanwhile, Lucy Blessed with youth, love, and prom- and Eve are keeping their own secrets. But all will come to a boil ise, Ted and Kit move into an idyllic during the tense days running up to Lucy’s suddenly announced country home, but years later their wedding, to be held informally in a tent in the Windfalls orchard. relationship has failed and each of their This, then, is the place where pain will finally be shared and the three adult daughters is burdened with a family chess pieces rearranged on the board. Richell’s uncom- threatening secret. plicated tale-spinning, along with her devotion to lovely land- “This is the place,” life model Kit tells playwright Ted when scapes and boho-chic interiors, propels her narrative forward at she first sees Windfalls, the gorgeous if neglected English farm- a smooth pace, gliding over implausibilities to deliver a polished house set above an orchard and a river in Somerset. But this pic- blend of romance, tragedy, and family feeling. ture-perfect setting becomes the backdrop to jealousy, postnatal A brimming glassful of apple-scented summer escapism. depression, sexual violence, and arson in British author Richell’s latest novel, a family drama that follows simply delineated characters along clear grooves. Free-spirited Kit becomes a neglectful CHER AMI AND MAJOR mother but a successful popular novelist; Ted’s early promise is WHITTLESEY Rooney, Kathleen Penguin (336 pp.) $17.00 paper | Aug. 11, 2020 978-0-14-313542-5

A World War I saga narrated by a homing pigeon and an American military officer, both real-life heroes. On Oct. 4, 1918, Cher Ami, a Brit- ish-trained carrier pigeon, flew a highly dangerous mission in France, delivering a vital message to headquarters from besieged American troops on the front lines. The bird, now stuffed and on display at the Smithsonian, tells her story on the centenary of her historic flight. Maj. Charles Whit- tlesey was a well-educated, mild-mannered Manhattan attorney who enlisted in the Army and served as commander of what came to be known as The Lost Battalion. From Whittlesey’s account, we learn how he and his men were trapped in enemy territory and cut off from supply lines for five hellish days, under attack not only from the Germans, but from American “friendly fire.” It was Whittlesey who wrote the desperate note that Cher Ami—though severely injured in flight—managed to convey. The major was a strong, well-respected leader, but he held himself responsible for the many deaths and disfiguring injuries in his regiment. Returning home from war, he withered under the glare of the hero’s welcome and sudden fame thrust on him. Rooney, author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk (2017), has a lot on her mind here. Her well-researched novel touches on the folly of war (particularly this war), the sentience of animals, and—especially—survivor guilt and imposter syndrome. Rooney’s writing has a delicate lyricism; particularly vivid are passages describing the horrific sounds (and smells) of battle. The talking pigeon does give one pause: She’s hardly the first such creature in literature, but some of her observations, especially when she rails against human foibles, border on cute. Still, she injects humor and whimsy into an otherwise solemn story. A curiosity but richly imagined and genuinely affecting.

32 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | NEW FROM NEW DIRECTIONS young adult

"An understated, lyrical story of reading and "Adania Shibli takes a gamble in entrusting resistance over the tumultuous generations." our access to the key event in her novel– —Kirkus the rape and murder of a young Bedouin woman–to two profoundly self-absorbed "A splendid declaration of the love of literature, narrators – an Israeli psychopath and a the only link between epochs and beings." Palestinian amateur sleuth high on the autism scale–but her method of indirection —Elle justifies itself fully as the book reaches its heart-stopping conclusion." —J.M Coetzee

NEW DIRECTIONS INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS SINCE 1936

| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 33 A wise, unflinching, and compelling novel about womanhood. want

THE QUEEN OF TUESDAY WANT Strauss, Darin Strong, Lynn Steger Random House (336 pp.) Henry Holt (224 pp.) $27.00 | Aug. 18, 2020 $25.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 978-0-8129-9276-2 978-1-250-24753-7

A fictionalized version of Lucille A deeply overwhelmed mother navi- Ball’s life, including a love affair with the gates the banality, joy, and turmoil of her author’s grandfather. life. For decades, Strauss, the author of Strong’s second novel follows Eliza- the award-winning memoir Half a Life beth, a 34-year-old academic and mother (2010) as well as novels including Chang of two, who finds herself living a life and Eng (2000), has been obsessed with the fact that his grand- she never imagined. Elizabeth, who grew up in a well-off fam- father Isidore Strauss might have met Lucille Ball at a 1949 party ily, now teaches low-income students at a New York City char- thrown by Donald Trump’s father to celebrate the destruction ter school (a job she needs and likes but cannot seem to love) of the Pavilion of Fun on Coney Island. The complicated con- because she cannot find a full-time job in academia. On top of coction of memoir and fiction that has emerged from this spark declaring bankruptcy with her husband, Elizabeth finds her day of inspiration interweaves imagined scenes from Ball’s life on filled to the brim: She runs miles at dawn, raises her children, and off the set with imagined scenes from his grandfather’s. works multiple jobs, tends to her marriage, placates her cruel Between these chapters, he slips in vignettes of what seems to parents, tries to make rent, navigates her privilege, and rekin- be memoir, documenting his earlier attempts to bring atten- dles a friendship with Sasha, her ex–best friend and the most tion to this passion project. The novel begins at Trump’s party, formative relationship of her life. As they start to communicate written up in a highly stylized, flashy prose style: “Hey, that’s again, Elizabeth thinks back on their decades-old relation- your favorite celebrity over there. On the boardwalk, her white ship and where it went wrong. Strong taps into the intensity of shoes scuffed black with sand. (If she’s not famous now, just female friendships and how overwhelming, all-consuming, and wait.) She’s striding—confidenting—right into this party.” Before painful they can be: “I’d forget then, on the best days, that we the night’s over, Desi Arnaz will have punched Isidore Strauss were separate. Our words and wants and limbs would overlap.” in the eye. What follows incorporates impressive research into Strong writes womanhood with brutal honesty; exhaustion, the progress of Ball’s career—the author hopes to “remind peo- love, desire, anxiety, and the devastation of unfulfilled expecta- ple that Lucille Ball starred in America’s first big-time interra- tions permeate every page. At one point, Elizabeth thinks about cial love story; was the first powerful woman in Hollywood; that all the things she wants to confide to Sasha: “I want to tell her she owned more movie sets at one point than did any movie that I’m scared I’m too wore out, worn down, that this constant studio.” However, in addition to grafting his made-up story anxious ache that I have now isn’t about my job or kids or all the onto the facts of Ball’s life, he admits to monkeying with other ways life isn’t what it should be, that maybe it’s just me, it’s most details, which undercuts even the informational aims of the of who I am.” This moment captures the despair and agony of book. Mingling fictional characters with famous historical ones realizing not only how the world has failed you, but how you’ve worked to brilliant effect in E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime and many failed yourself. Strong’s writing consistently distills bitter truths similar novels since, but this feels more like a thought experi- in understated yet penetrating ways. ment than a compelling story. The jaunty narrator is not just A wise, unflinching, and compelling novel about omniscient, but presumptuous and intrusive, spending a good womanhood. deal of time in the characters’ heads, confidently reporting their thoughts. In a scene in which Ball is having sexual intercourse with the author’s grandfather, Strauss has her meditate on why A HOUSE IS A BODY she likes him so much. “Really, it was the fucking. It’s hard not Swamy, Shruti to love something you’re really good at. She was really good at Algonquin (208 pp.) that.” Oof. $25.95 | Aug. 11, 2020 This odd book stands to anger Lucille Ball’s fans and 978-1-61620-989-6 bemuse Darin Strauss’. Fear of loneliness, abandonment, and death propel these 12 stories set in the U.S. and India. In this debut collection, time is tem- peramental. Reality bleeds into dreams, and these dreams later shape reality. In the first entry, the sublime “Blindness,” Sudha, an architect and newlywed, struggles with a husband who can’t (and won’t) understand her depression. A dream of an alternate life may

34 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 35 A Syrian woman confronts a fictionalized version of herself. the frightened ones

be the only cure for her persistent “black feeling.” Disaster falling into something and bravely grasping what they can on looms large, and quirky characters find themselves trapped in their way down in a frenetic attempt to pull themselves back up. hamster wheels, spinning futures they have little control over. A dazzling and exquisitely crafted collection. In the stirring “Mourners,” Mark’s wife, Chariya, has died. His cousin Reggie as well as Chariya’s sister Maya help him parent his infant daughter while he stumbles through the cruelty of THE FRIGHTENED ONES grief. “He holds his breath. He is so close to it, to feeling joy, Wannous, Dima the joy of the body. But it is moving away from him. He cannot Trans. by Jaquette, Elisabeth reach it.” Swamy’s pulsating prose produces riveting narratives. Knopf (208 pp.) Her stories twist in subtle yet unexpected ways, and crucial $26.95 | Aug. 12, 2020 revelations appear buried in the middles of paragraphs. This is 978-0-525-65513-8 certainly the case in the haunting “The Neighbors,” in which a play date takes a dark turn when a mother of two small chil- A Syrian woman confronts a fiction- dren reveals a disturbing truth to another mother she’s only just alized version of herself. met. In other stories, art serves as a space for solace and refuge Suleima, the woman who narrates amid chaos. “Earthly Pleasures” finds Radika visiting a muse- this brief but intense novel, lives in um’s Rothko painting whenever she feels alone. “It had a way Damascus. It’s the present day, more of getting into me, the painting. The room filled and emptied or less, and Suleima’s father has died, her brother is missing, several times. There were moments I felt as though I was falling and her mother spends each day reading the same page of an in.” The fallible characters in Swamy’s ravishing book are always unnamed book. Suleima is reading a manuscript that Naseem, a former lover, has written; the woman who narrates Naseem’s manuscript resembles Suleima herself, and, in fact, her chapters alternate with Suleima’s own—it’s a novel within a novel. Actually, the two women resemble each other so closely, and their voices have been rendered so similarly, that it quickly becomes difficult to differentiate between them. Wannous’ novel is made up almost entirely of memories and reflections narrated either by Suleima or her double; there is very little dialogue, and no other characters are given a chance to speak. The effect is somewhat claustrophobic. That might be partly the point—the oppressive atmosphere of the novel resembles that of Assad’s Syria—but it also begins to feel self-indulgent and even tiresome, as Suleima describes her fears and dreams in long, lingering asides. Glimpses of another character’s point of view would have helped. Suleima and Naseem originally met in the waiting room of the therapist, Kamil, they both visited. Kamil appears in the book from time to time, but always fil- tered through Suleima’s consciousness; he isn’t given much of a chance to speak for himself. Neither is Suleima’s mother nor any of the other minor characters. In the end, the book feels like a missed opportunity.

LITTLE SCRATCH Watson, Rebecca Doubleday (224 pp.) $22.95 | Aug. 11, 2020 978-0-385-54576-1

An ordinary day in an ordinary life rendered thought by thought. The unnamed narrator of this debut novel is an Everywoman: She wakes up a little hungover; she hurries to be on time for a soul-crushing job; she scrolls through her Twitter feed with compulsive frequency; she loves but does not quite trust her boyfriend; she has recently been

36 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult - - - Three elderly female friends reunite lifetime. recently died, in a short meditation on relationship bonds and the wisdom— to to clear out the home of a fourth, who and other traits—accumulated over a Riverhead (272 pp.) $27.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. | $27.00 THE WEEKEND 978-0-593-08643-8 Wood, Charlotte Wood, From its chilling opening its to haunting this conclusion, From Largely observing the classical unities of time, place, and A A neatly observed, tightly circumscribed journey into | kirkus.com | fiction | 1 june 2020 | 37 bor on Larkspur Lane, retired teacher Corrine Shepard, mourns Shepard, Corrine teacher retired Lane, Larkspur on bor liantly captured in a climactic dust storm that the author must home in Bittoes, not far from and Sydney, the action spans the her late husband by drinking too much and fending off the over the off fending and much too drinking by husband late her healing. Through these tells alternating a narratives, Wetmore in a feverhave pitch. written until a big bang of a finale is set in motion. The novel displays predictable territory. predictable prises. Meanwhile poor, prises. mangy Meanwhile poor, Finn haunts the proceedings, an powerful powerful story a of repressed female rageanger, against - system weekend weekend during which and Adele, Jude, Wendy, friends for 40 wit, insight, and some astute social commentary, especially on with her uncle; an encounter at the pool sets her on the path to at the pool sets her on the path to with her uncle; an encounter nation lands her in a holding All cell. this white-hot fury is bril- return of her runaway mother, Ginny. Glory holes up in a motel motel Glorya in up holes Ginny. runawayher returnof mother, is Christmas, the place is Sylvie’s appealing but decaying seaside relationship latest her that now homeless probably is Adele ished seems to be ending; while Wendy is fending off the obvious need Wendy be ending; while seems to she is further unnerved by threatening phone calls. Her neigh- years, meet to empty the place of Sylvie’s belongings. - Fastidi astonishing novel will resonate with many readers. novel will resonate astonishing to have Finn put to sleep. Wood consistently compartmentalizes, consistently Wood sleep. put to haveto Finn the clever one, the artsy one, the bossy one—while The present and their is overlappingseparate largely pasts. static unraveling the topic the of topic age, but offers little in the way of engagement or sur testify testify at the upcoming trial, moves into town with her 9-year- the for longs who Pierce, Ann Debra lonelyof 10-year-old tures ous, waspish Jude ous, approaches waspish the Jude task efficiently; blowsy actress accompanied by owed her academic Wendy, decrepit dog, Finn, ever present specter of decline and mortality. of decline ever present specter old daughter, Aimee Jo. With her husband With staying Aimee at Jo. the ranch, old daughter, action, Wood’s new novel plays out Wood’s action, like a small theatrical drama, a chamber piece in which the three characters, both individually and as a group, confront the limits of their friendship.The time arrival of her rich long-term lover, Daniel; artistically impover and limits, the women—the thin one, the fat one, the pert one; atic sexism and racism ready to explode in a “surface blowout.” does what she can. Rigid and preoccupied, Jude is awaiting the Glory hopes her rapist “dies young.” Mary Rose’s seething indig- seething Rose’s Mary young.” “dies rapist her Gloryhopes Adele Adele (“so short and so bosomy”) responds chaotically; and wid- - - - The brutal rape of a Mexican Ameri- It’s It’s Feb. 15, 1976, and Odessa, Texas, women women in 1970s small-town Texas West traumatic aftereffects on several Anglo can teenager on Day Valentine’s and its drive Wetmore’s searing, propulsive debut. propulsive searing, Wetmore’s drive Harper/HarperCollins (320 pp.) (320 pp.) Harper/HarperCollins $26.99 | Apr. 7, 2020 7, Apr. $26.99 | VALENTINE 978-0-06-291326-5 Wetmore, Elizabeth Wetmore, A daring book whose innovations are balanced by the sad balanced innovations are daring book whose A bathroom trips, the narrator’s efforts to mitigate the damageof the mitigate to efforts narrator’s the trips, bathroom book’s overwhelming immediacy. The result overwhelmingbook’s is an immediacy. unusual read- by young roughneck Dale Strickland, who had picked her up boom that will attract both prosperity and violence, especially looking in, translate my thoughts into something a little pret justification andcentered text aswell as lots of negative space, lowed lowed Glory to her house, the pregnant Mary Rose, who will her assault, her deep desire to return to a sense of normalcy, and normalcy, of sense a to return to desire deep her assault, her her to happened that is it what boyfriend her tell struggle her to underscore the outragesthe everyday—a the of underscore that now dissonant familiarity of its pain. physical form of the narrative reproduces the experience of which take the form of intrusiveof form literallythe intrudingthoughts on take which rupt each other, merge, and battle in the saturated “now” of the of “now” saturated the in battle and merge, other, rupteach raped. At first the reality of thisunsettlingly commonplace ing experience which relates both the mundane (every drip of memories, fears, hopes, untrammeled bodily messages, and uprisings, internet browsing text history, which overlap, inter sitting on the oil-rich Permian Basin, is on the brink of another sitting on the oil-rich Permian she renames herself, flees barefoot across the barren oil patch tier, more tier, heightened than my actual head…as if the diary isn’t the narrator’s morning shower, every and of her commute) step morning shower, the narrator’s diary…itthere—thea always was write revelatoryI the (“When the woman’s scattered thoughts, sensory responses, invasive the page from the As margin. right-hand a way of representing the cacophony of the character’s perceptions, British author to Mary Rose Whitehead’s to farmhouse. Whitehead’s Mary Her knock Rose on the door tim. While her attacker lies passed out in his truck, as Glory, even for As me”). the day wears on in a series of tea breaks and or slowed. cannot be silenced other—the performance of writing! I write thinking someone is someone thinking write I writing! of performance other—the only the traditional left-hand justification but also right-hand eyes peeled a for gritty the In oil next town where serial killer.” casual misogyny and racism rule supreme, cheap. Gloria Ramírez, raped But and 14-year-old badly women’s beaten lives are changes both their lives. Shocked at the brutality of the crime assault is cloaked in our narrator’s more long-standing anxieties, long-standing more narrator’s our in cloaked is assault at the Sonic drive-in, refuses to become another nameless vic against women. A against cafe A owner women. warns her waitresses: your “Keep and frightened by her confrontation fol- with Strickland, who’d different font sizes, and The other typographical pyrotechnics. Watson has created Watson an unusual layout for her words, using not THE TUNNEL Yehoshua, A.B. mystery Trans. by Schoffman, Stuart Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (336 pp.) $24.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 STAKE 978-1-328-62263-1 Anderson, Kevin J. Severn House (256 pp.) Struggling with early-stage demen- $28.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 tia, a recently retired engineer living 978-0-7278-9053-5 in Tel Aviv volunteers his services for a military project in the Negev Desert Dauntingly prolific Anderson steps that is threatened by unexpected human away from his farcical series starring Dan complications. Shamble, zombie PI, for a much more Zvi Luria’s mental condition first makes itself known straight-faced search for vampires in through the 72-year-old man’s inability to remember people’s Colorado Springs. first names—a failing that results in hapless social encounters. Back from his traumatizing service With a boost from his loving, assertive wife, Dina, a respected in the Bosnian War, David Grundy takes the name Simon Hel- pediatrician approaching retirement, Luria becomes an unpaid sing as a cover for his newfound peacetime vocation: hunting assistant to Maimoni, an admiring young engineer working in vampires. Following up on a list of characters he considers sus- his old office. The future of a secret military road in the huge picious mainly because they work at night, he drives a stake Ramon Crater is thrown into doubt with the discovery that a through the heart of convenience store clerk Mark Stallings family of undocumented West Bank Palestinians is living in and eliminates Douglas Eldridge, a fellow Bosnia vet, before a hiding on a hilltop there in an ancient Nabatean ruin. To pro- killing he didn’t count on sends him into hiding. Helsing’s only tect the dwellers, Luria proposes carving a tunnel through the remaining ties are to Lucius, the head of the Bastion, a shad- rock rather than demolishing it. When Dina becomes ill and owy group dedicated to rooting out vampires wherever they can is unable to keep tabs on her impulsively drifting husband, his be found, and to Alexis Tarada, a freelance researcher whose grasp on reality weakens. Ultimately so does his opposition to website, HideTruth.com, does its impartial best to weigh the “mixing personal matters and work.” In Escher-like fashion, the evidence for and against supernatural beings, evidence that book spins out multiple versions of reality, including Luria’s, Detective Todd Carrow, of the Colorado Springs Police Depart- in which the light in the tunnel of his consciousness steadily ment, would reflexively brand as paranoid raving. Like Helsing, recedes; his wife’s and children’s in attempting to understand who shares his list of suspected vampires with Alexis, Carrow is what he is thinking and feeling; and the humiliating mock real- willing to play along with her but only up to a point: “Vampires ity invented by the Palestinians in taking on Hebrew names to don’t have to be real, but the killer certainly is.” So although pass as Jews. For all its unsettling emotion and dark overtones, they might frame the question in different terms, all three this is one of Yehoshua’s most spryly amusing efforts. The only leading characters would agree that the main questions here first name Luria manages to remember—and keeps repeating— are whether there really are vampires and what we should do is the Arabic name of a young Palestinian woman who tells him if there are. to address her by her adopted name. His adventures with cell- Competent but unmemorable, especially by Anderson’s phones are priceless. Ultimately, the most important struggle own standards. is the one prescribed by his neurologist: “The spirit versus the brain.” Whether Luria knows it or not, his spirit is more than willing. THE FALCON ALWAYS A quirky, deeply affecting work by a master storyteller. WINGS TWICE Andrews, Donna Minotaur (320 pp.) $26.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-1-25-019300-1

Sudden death competes for attention with Andrews’ trademark brand of comic bedlam at the Riverton Renais- sance Faire. The highlight of the festival is the Game, the semi-improvised period soap opera that climaxes most evenings in a duel between the Duke of Waterston, played by professor Michael Waterston, and his archrival, Sir George of Simsdale, played by George Sims, before continuing with new

38 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | First-rate plotting and a compelling cast of characters. every kind of wicked

developments the next day. The lowlight is Terence Cox, a diffi- CRY BABY cult actor whose issues include an awkward amatory history with Billingham, Mark another cast member; an attempt to blackmail another player; a Atlantic Monthly (432 pp.) spot of reckless horsing around that gets computer programmer $26.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 Tad Jackson, the husband of ornamental blacksmith Faulkner 978-0-8021-4946-6 Cates, fired from his job; and perhaps even antagonizing Gra- cie and Harry, a pair of peregrine falcons who’ve become one DI Tom Thorne’s 17th case, an ago- of the faire’s signature attractions. It’s lucky that when Terence nizingly focused kidnapping, is a prequel is killed, inevitably by a period dagger to the back, Michael’s to his first 16. wife and Faulk’s most famous pupil, Meg Langslow, is on hand It’s 1996. John Major maintains to help Riverton police chief Mo Heedles with the job of sift- erratic control as prime minister, Brit- ing through the dozens of suspects, beginning with two local ain prepares to host the national foot- actors both convinced they’ve been cast as Polonius in eccentric ball (i.e., soccer) championships, and Maria Ashton takes her director Neil O’Malley’s new production of Hamlet. Although eyes off her 7-year-old son, Josh, and his best friend, Kieron Andrews keeps the proceedings as light and brisk as a carnival, Coyne, during the few minutes Catrin Coyne has left them to there’s more mystery than in Meg’s last several adventures, and use the facilities in a London park. When she goes looking for Meg rises to the occasion till she’s cornered by not one but two the two boys, Kieron has vanished. His disappearance sets in independent candidates for the hoosegow. motion the wheels of justice, or at least aspirational justice, in Andrews deftly juggles franchise characters, newbies, the form of DS Tom Thorne; his dislikable boss, DI Gordon red herrings, Renaissance tidbits, and murder most welcome. Boyle; and the members of the Major Incident Pool. There’s

no way Kieron could have been kidnapped by his father, Billy young adult Coyne, who’s serving a sentence in Whitehill Prison for assault DOUGH OR DIE and attempted murder. In the absence of such an obvious tar- Archer, Winnie get, the unsupported account of a single witness, housing proj- Kensington (352 pp.) ect manager Felix Barratt, leads Thorne to suspect, and Boyle $7.99 paper | Aug. 25, 2020 to more than suspect, Cat’s peculiar neighbor Grantleigh Fig- 978-1-4967-2441-0 gis. By the time the alibi Figgis claims has been confirmed, he’s already been murdered, and so has Dean Meade, the smarmy A reality show turns deadly for an store manager who turns out to be Kieron’s biological father. So apprentice bread maker. who is the man who’s holding Kieron prisoner, and how much Ivy Culpepper so worships Olaya tighter can Billingham turn the screws before his climactic Solis, the creative spirit behind Yeast twist? of Eden, that she works in Olaya’s shop, Not as original or unsparing as Their Little Secret (2019) but evidently without pay, just to learn the expertly grueling in its more conventional way. art of long-rise baking that creates artisanal loaves beloved by the citizens of Santa Sofia, on Southern California’s sunny shore. When Santa Sofia alum Sandra Mays EVERY KIND wants to shoot the pilot of America’s Best Bakeries at Yeast of OF WICKED Eden, Ivy naturally urges her mentor to agree. What better way Black, Lisa to bring attention to Olaya’s Bread for Life program, a baking Kensington (320 pp.) course for immigrant women? Of course, Ivy doesn’t count on $26.00 | Aug. 25, 2020 the series of challenges that threaten the production, from the 978-1-4967-2238-6 bad blood evident between imperious Sandra and showrunner Mack Hebron to the hit-and-run that sends cameraman Ben Forensic specialist Maggie Gardiner Nader to the hospital, all culminating in the demise of Sandra, investigates a series of murders as baf- who’s pushed over and hits her head. But rather than throwing fling as they are terrifying. cold water on the whole reality show enterprise, Sandra’s mur- The first victim looks like a run-of- der only sharpens Ivy’s appetite. Like a patron tearing into one the-mill mugging: a young man shot to of Olaya’s olive-and-rosemary loaves, she shows nothing but death in the Erie Street Cemetery. But his wounds aren’t gun- enthusiasm for the hunt for Sandra’s killer—even going so far shot wounds. And when Jack Renner and Thomas Riley, the as to volunteer her skills at Crosby House, a women’s shelter detectives assigned to the case, identify the victim as Evan where Nader also worked, in an attempt to ferret out who had a Harding, a Cleveland State student, Maggie can’t figure out motive to harm Ben, Sandra, the production, or all three. what he was doing on Erie Street, which is far from the path Standard cozy fare in an artisanal wrapper. between his part-time job at A to Z Check Cashing and the dorm where he lived with his girlfriend, Shanaya Thomas. A second body with similar wounds makes the case even more confusing. According to his driver’s license, the deceased is

| kirkus.com | mystery | 1 june 2020 | 39 Marlon Toner. But Marlon’s sister, Jennifer, points out that like FAIR WARNING her, Marlon is black, while the picture on the ID and the corpse Connelly, Michael who was carrying it are not. Jennifer has her own ax to grind: Little, Brown (416 pp.) She’s pissed that although Marlon’s not the dead guy the police $29.00 | May 26, 2020 found outside West Side Market, someone’s prescribing her 978-0-31653-942-5 brother so many opioids that the next corpse might actually be his. Finding out that the detective investigating the West Side A first-rate case for Connelly’s third- murder is her ex-husband, Rick, doesn’t really make juggling the string detective, bulldog journalist Jack two cases any harder for Maggie. Her relationship with Renner McEvoy, who’s been biding his time since is even more complicated than her relationship with her ex. But The Scarecrow (2009) as Harry Bosch and as the bodies pile up, the interconnected cases become more the Lincoln Lawyer have hogged the personal for Maggie, who finds herself enmeshed in a maze of spotlight. crimes as twisted as they are twisty. The consumer-protection website FairWarning can’t hold a First-rate plotting and a compelling cast of characters. candle to the LA Times, where Jack once plied his trade. The real problem this time, though, is that the cops come to Jack rather than vice versa, as a person of interest who had a one- SHADOW GARDEN night stand a year ago with Christina Portrero, whose latest Burt, Alexandra one-night stand broke her neck. In fact, Jack quickly discovers, Berkley (368 pp.) Tina was only the most recent among a number of women who $16.00 paper | Jul. 21, 2020 died of atlanto-occipital dislocation—several of them errone- 978-0-440-00032-7 ously listed as accidents, all of them clients of the genetic testing firm GT23. Why would sending out your DNA for genetic After an accident, a rich doctor’s information put you at enormously increased risk of falling vic- wife is recuperating at a condo set on tim to a brutal killer who calls himself the Shrike? The answer the grounds of a lovely estate in Texas, to the question of how “predators now can custom-order their but troubles arise when she starts asking victims,” which lies in the DRD4 gene, is guaranteed to make questions. even the most hard-bitten readers queasy. Throughout his pur- As the novel opens, Donna Pryor is suit of the killer, the LAPD’s pursuit of him, and his unwilling trying to settle in at Shadow Garden, where her physician hus- partnerships with fellow journalist Emily Atwater and former band, Edward, has settled her along with a housekeeper. “The FBI agent Rachel Walling, Jack works the case with a dogged truth is our marriage is over and Shadow Garden is my con- professionalism, a mastery of detail, and a scarred but oversized solation prize,” she thinks. But why is the housekeeper some- heart that puts most of his police procedural cousins to shame. times distant, and why won’t Donna’s adult daughter, Penelope, Darkly essential reading for every genre fan who’s ever return her calls? The story goes back in time, told from the considered sending a swab to a mail-order DNA testing viewpoints of Donna, Edward, and Penelope. Along with being service. a portrait of a marriage, it’s the story of parents who can’t or won’t admit to problems with their only child. Why do children get hurt around Penelope? When she stabbed a classmate in the THE DARKEST HEARTS arm with a fork in the school lunchroom, Donna told Edward, George, Nelson “She was in a mood, all those kids and the noise.” Aren’t they Akashic (256 pp.) being good parents by explaining, excusing, and covering up $28.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 her actions? But when something happens that should never be 978-1-61775-822-5 covered up, events spin out of control. Nothing is as popular these days as an unreliable narrator, but here the ambiguity is Worlds collide when a rap star’s man- overdone. The author creates tension, but as actions are told, ager and a vigilante both have a beef with retold, refuted, and analyzed, the novel becomes one long wait- the same business mogul. ing game. It’s a whole new world for D Hunter, Readers who enjoy uncertainty may find this entertain- an African American former bodyguard ing, but others will find the structure unsatisfying. making his way as a talent manager from his hometown of New York to LA, a town that seems like home to no one. Though managing artists like Lil Daye is lucrative for D, the young Atlanta rapper may be more trouble than he’s worth. Not only does Lil Daye have wife Mama Daye at home, but, like other men on the brink of something big, he’s acquired a few extracurricular girlfriends along the way. One of them, Dorita, feeling taken advantage of, makes some demands on Lil Daye and D, then apparently disappears. The deal D is closing

40 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | mystery | 1 june 2020 | 41 for Lil Daye with liquor-company owner Samuel Kurtz should GHOST UPS HER GAME cover whatever payday Dorita requests if Lil Daye has the sense Hart, Carolyn to do what it takes to buy off his troubles. Kurtz is everything D Severn House (224 pp.) hates about the business—cool, calculating, misogynistic, and $28.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 maybe even worse to women; D himself respects and admires a 978-0-7278-9047-4 strong woman, though his HIV-positive status has made dating tough. Unbeknownst to D, Kurtz is in the crosshairs of Serene The rebel of the Department of Powers, the closest thing to a real-life superhero, who has a very Good Intentions bypasses the rules once specific job: meting out justice to enemies of women. Though more to help those in need. D doesn’t know it, Serene’s vigilantism may be what keeps him Though Oklahoma-born Bailey Ruth safe when things with Kurtz and Lil Daye go south. Raeburn has often tried the patience A showcase of different approaches to values, business, of Wiggins, her heavenly boss, the red- and hip-hop seen through a lens that feels personal. headed rule breaker has a long and successful record of solving crimes back in her old hometown. Assigning herself the newest problem in Adelaide, she drops SARAH’S LIST down from heaven to see Robert Blair and Iris Gallagher stand- Gunn, Elizabeth ing over a dead body. Iris is holding a homemade sap but denies Severn House (192 pp.) killing fundraiser Matt Lambert. Robert ditches the murder $28.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 weapon while Bailey Ruth converses with Iris, that rare person 978-0-7278-9049-8 who can see her and admire her fashion sense. Since Iris refuses to call police chief Sam Cobb, who’s worked with Bailey Ruth A Tucson cop catches a very strange before, Bailey Ruth is forced to protect both Iris and Robert, case. a fledgling lawyer who’s the boyfriend of Iris’ daughter Gage, Sarah Burke and a new detective while researching Lambert, who, despite all the money he’s whose last name, Boganicevic, has been raised for Goddard College, is not universally beloved. Aided shortened to Bogey are sent to the scene by her ability to go anywhere unseen if she desires or appear of a murder at a high-end senior living to people and take on any persona that suits the moment, she home. A van used to transport residents crashed after the driver interviews everyone from Lambert’s family to his girlfriend and was chased down and shot dead by several men who’ve vanished business acquaintances. Despite all her tips and hints to the despite being closely followed by the police. The discovery in contrary, the police chief targets Iris. So Bailey Ruth must be the van of the driver’s bloodstained jacket with $8,400 inside extra creative this time in winkling out the killer. makes Sarah wonder why a low-paid man would have a bundle A charmer of a detective, a twisty mystery, and a feel- of cash. The victim was not DeShawn Williams, the usual driver, good story that’s balm for our troubled times. who was in an accident the night before. The staff’s decidedly mixed reactions to the replacement driver suggest that one man may have been mistaken for the other. Sarah and Jason DEATH WAITS IN THE DARK Peete visit DeShawn in the hospital just in time to catch two Langley, Mark Edward men trying to remove him. Jason tasers one, but when the other Blackstone (208 pp.) tries to knife first Jason and then herself, Sarah’s forced to kill $15.99 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 him, an incident that puts her on leave. Her housemates—her 978-1-5385-0777-3 boyfriend, her depressed mother, and her drug-addicted sister’s very bright daughter—all attempt to help her deal with A supreme blow to the life and san- the trauma of killing someone. But even as Sarah, who’s known ity of his first love calls New Mexico for her comprehensive lists, finds answers and crosses them off, not-quite-detective Arthur Nakai to the more questions keep popping up. Navajo Nation for a second case. A surprise ending and plenty of quirky characters add The call comes while Arthur, who depth to this procedural. commanded the 6th LAR Wolf Pack Marine Battalion in Afghanistan, is attending the funeral of Sgt. Joshua Derrick, the 12th member of the Wolf Pack to kill himself since returning home. Arthur and the five surviving members are all struggling with PTSD. So is Arthur’s wife, Sharon, whose son was stillborn three years ago and who was rescued from a kidnapper by Arthur in Path of the Dead (2018). But their pain can’t compare to that of Mar- garet Tabaaha, an Iraq War widow whose twin 18-year-old sons, Tsela and Tahoma, have been shot dead by a sniper. Even though he’s still not a licensed investigator, Arthur can’t say no to his

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| kirkus.com | mystery | 1 june 2020 | 43 childhood sweetheart. So he drives out to Margaret’s home, NO ROOM AT THE MORGUE gleans what information he can from Navajo Police Capt. Jake Manchette, Jean-Patrick Bilagody, and begins asking questions on his own. As Sharon Trans. by Waters, Alyson walks out on a Santa Fe therapist who specializes in PTSD and New York Review Books (192 pp.) flirts incongruously with her husband in hopes of conceiving a $15.95 paper | Aug. 11, 2020 second child, Arthur’s search for Tiffany Maldonado and Jen- 978-1-68137-418-5 nifer Peshlakai, the missing girls who’d walked out on the boys minutes before they were shot, turns out happily but not very An ex-cop–turned–private eye gets informatively, and his confrontation with his old nemesis Elias involved in a murder and finds the Dayton, whose Desert Patriot firm supplies the equipment to woman who brought him into the case keep frackers safe from environmentalists, chills his blood. may be the killer. A disappointing mystery whose scene-setting and back- Eugène Tarpon, the hero—if such ground details will still appeal to Tony Hillerman fans. a thing is possible in the nihilist atmosphere of this book—quit the police force after accidentally killing a protester. His attempt to make a go of it as a private eye THE FINISHER has brought him to the brink of ruin, and he’s about to retreat Lovesey, Peter from Paris to his rural hometown when a mysterious woman (in Soho Crime (360 pp.) noir, is there any other kind?) asks him to investigate the mur- $27.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 der of her roommate. When he turns up at the scene, the cops 978-1-641-29181-1 are already there, the woman has disappeared, and the detective finds himself the object of police interest. Manchette, who Detective Superintendent Peter Dia- wrote this book in the 1970s, is widely credited with revitalizing mond finds an intricate web of mysteries French noir. The novel is driven more by plot than attitude, and swirling around, and beneath, the city of its nihilism doesn’t preclude the possibility that people will act Bath’s Other Half marathon. decently. At times, as when one person after another—poten- Just as Spiro, an enslaved worker tial clients and would-be tormentors—keeps showing up on the from Albania, is escaping the gangmas- hero’s doormat when all he wants is to nap and enjoy a tin of ter dubbed the Finisher—because no one ever finds the bod- cassoulet, the book takes on the escalating complications of ies he’s responsible for—a complicated series of mischances a screwball farce. An extended kidnap sequence, in which the makes schoolteacher Maeve Kelly resolve to enter the Other hero finds himself stuck between thugs and the bumblings of Half to raise sponsorship money she feels she owes the Brit- a group of radical leftists, is brutal and funny at the same time. ish Heart Foundation. Unlike Olga Ivanova, the burly Russian The plot sags a bit and the windup depends too much on pat she recently rescued after a mugging, Maeve is no athlete, and psychologizing, but neither does too much damage to the fun. her training regimen is tough. But not as tough as the challenge If Marx, Freud, and Jim Thompson collaborated on a noir, fellow runner Belinda Pye faces when, in the middle of the this might be the result. race, she’s chatted up and groped by Olga’s trainer, Tony Pinto, who’s recently been released from prison after serving 12 years for slashing the face of Bryony Lancaster, a teenage ex-lover THE GEOMETRY OF who warned another woman about him. Concerned because HOLDING HANDS Belinda’s disappeared after failing to finish the race, Diamond McCall Smith, Alexander explores a nearby quarry—don’t call it a mine shaft—that seems Pantheon (240 pp.) a likely place to have hidden a corpse and is seriously injured $26.95 | Jul. 28, 2020 moments after glimpsing evidence that his hunch was correct. 978-1-5247-4894-4 Nothing daunted, he summons the highhandedness that’s made him a legend and assigns dozens of coppers to search the elabo- Edinburgh ethicist Isabel Dalhou- rate system of quarries beneath the city’s surface in the hope sie’s 13th outing offers her an uncomfort- of retracing his steps, setting himself up for an ugly confronta- able new role and another that’s already tion with Assistant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore when uncomfortably familiar. things don’t go quite the way he expected. Impressed by Isabel’s decisive reac- A witty, steadily absorbing procedural marked by tion to the semipublic shaming of an asset-stripping capitalist, Lovesey’s customary inventiveness and an unguessable retired physician Iain Melrose approaches her with an unusual solution. request. He doesn’t know her, he acknowledges, but they have mutual friends, and he’d appreciate it if she’d agree to serve as executor of his estate. It’s a big ask, because Melrose has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and he’s particularly concerned that a substantial plot of open land he owns outside Argyll be preserved by whichever of his cousins inherits it: Jack the artist,

44 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult - - - Rising political star Dalton Strait Five Five days before the scheduled 1914 A A war vet–turned–private eye hunts Who murdered the philandering Severn House (224 pp.) Severn House bomber to boot. bomber to hires fellow Iraq War veteran Roland choirmaster? for a fellow vet’s missing wife and a mad don find Emma’s husband, Sir Aidan, sit Putnam (352 pp.) Hampstead Hampstead Voices’ Christmas Concert, Lady Emma Fonthill and tenor Paul Sed- Ford Ford to find his missing wife, Natalie. Parker, T. Jefferson T. Parker, $27.00 | Aug. 11, 2020 Aug. | $27.00 $28.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. $28.99 | THEN SHE VANISHED THE MUSIC BOX ENIGMA BOX THE MUSIC 978-0-525-53767-0 978-0-7278-8955-3 Morris, R.N. Morris, A A crisp and clever whodunit with a juicy gallery of | 1 june 2020 | 45 | kirkus.com | mystery blackmailer Tiggie Benson. Aidan’s surprising changes of sing- breakdown of his heretofore faithful Sgt. Inchball before pro- los,” spies on him regularly. Paul meanwhile confronts his sister, meanwhile confronts his sister, Paul los,” spies on him regularly. head at the Voices’ final rehearsal, making him a nervous wreck Voices’ head at the poser Roderick Masters is furious that Aidan’s pronounced one pronounced Aidan’s that furious is Masters Roderick poser requiring only a methodical questioning of witnesses. But the ing assignments and failure to pay his performers come to a the with deal must Quinn Silas DCI Aidan? to delivered mously the case personal for Quinn. murder of one of his men makes military record has helped him gain success in the California in investigating the recent bombing of city hallin investigating the recent by the so-called structured as is sold out, musical movements. the concert Once gets a call from FBI Special Agent Mike Lark, asking for an assist an for asking Lark, Mike Agent Special FBI from call a gets suspects. tim of foul Roland talks play, to people who know the couple. ting dead at his piano, a tuning fork sticking out of his head. treasurer, Cavendish, to write him two blank checks for some well tie aware Emma, Greene. “peccadil- of who’s her husband’s of his Christmas pieces affair rubbish. with Cavendish’s Ursula ceeding to the crime at hand. The case seems straightforward, and leading to his And murder. what of the music box anony- Chaos Committee. Uncertain whether Natalie hasvic the been Natalie whether Uncertain Committee. Chaos Daphne, Aidan Daphne, places inappropriate hands Hat on her teacher, The Straits are a notorious clan of petty criminals, but Dalton’s The Straits are clan a of notorious petty criminals, but Dalton’s Aidan enrages her husband, Charles. And then there’s colorful Assembly. Roland, Assembly. who narrates in a relaxed first person, also A A flashback to two days earlier launches a series of sections Aidan feels emboldened to ask the music society’s dour young Aidan that left her with a child. Com- Anna, over with the affair “small expenses.” Later, during a visit to his young daughter, - - - the music box enigma box the music The Garden Club Mur Club Garden The Letitia “Tish” Tarragon, chef and The spirit of Christmas present is Severn House (224 pp.) Severn House marred by murder. to to run a food stand at the local holiday owner of Cookin’ the Books Café in Hobson Glen, Virginia, has Virginia, Hobson Glen, been tapped $28.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. $28.99 | THE CHRISTMAS FAIR KILLER THE CHRISTMAS FAIR 978-0-7278-8989-8 Meade, Amy Patricia Amy Meade, Who murdered the philandering choirmaster? the philandering murdered Who A A Christmas Carol on a tight schedule. Tish The elegant resolution of both problems makes this the A A foodie’s delight with lashings of Southern charm, the Sarah the builder, or John the accountant. Shortly after reluc bers of Theater the Williamsburg Group, who are performing him for another group member who could promote her career in honed skillsshe the uses she trailer, her were were the boundaries of your moral responsibility for others?” ways. Closer to home, she must deal with her niece plans Cat’s weatherman weatherman Jules Davis, her old college pal, she’s turning out with her. The confounding discovery that Jenny Inkpen doesn’t doesn’t Inkpen discovery confounding The Jenny that her. with supports both her and Isabel for the funding to buy a Porsche identity while Tish continues to hear more of the secrets that all the thespians suspects. make souls and complaining about Jenny Inkpen, the attractive young attractive the Inkpen, Jenny about complaining and souls group after he saw her busking in Savannah, but she dumped ater lore, and a puzzling mystery. lore, ater to to marry the unsuitably leonine Leo, apply to the trust that tantly accepting this commission, Isabel tantly realizes that the accepting this unfor commission, Isabel who served with historytunate wife, Hilary, she has with Jack’s ethicist’s best in more than a decade. than a decade. best in more ethicist’s even more effectively. When Tish discovers Tish When shot Jenny dead evenin more effectively. offers to deliver food to the players, who are all living and in her sympathetic ear ers trail- soon nearby, has them baring their exist forces the sheriff to scramble to discover real the victim’s addition to the company. Justin Dange added Jenny to the fragile assistant, his only serious hope of employment. “Where fair. With fair. With plenty of help from her usual loyal work crew and delectable food and drink. The stars of the fair are the mem- Cayenne Turbo, and sell the delicatessen Turbo, that Cayenne offers Eddie, her (2019) to help Sheriff Reade, who’s more than a little in love who’s help der Sheriff (2019) Reade, to Isabel wonders, and wonders, and wonders some more. and wonders and wonders, wonders, Isabel Isabel as a juror in a lawsuit, complicates her task in unwelcome unwelcome in task her complicates lawsuit, a in juror a as Isabel Night and Twelfth Natalie’s sister Ash Galland describes them as happy. Even if MR CAMPION’S SÉANCE there was marital discord, could Natalie leave her two sons? The Ripley, Mike complexion of the case changes when Natalie’s abandoned car Severn House (288 pp.) is discovered, a plea for help scrawled in lipstick on the uphol- $28.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 stery. Dalton’s sister, Tola, runs a marijuana business; their hard- 978-0-7278-8961-4 drinking granddad Virgil proudly shows Roland his collection of scorpions; neither seems concerned about the disappearance Albert Campion must work with a of Natalie, who blew through hundreds of thousands of dollars succession of three friends on the Met- gambling and shopping. Seeking reelection against a formidable ropolitan Police on a slow-motion case candidate, Dalton faces a further challenge: a controversial bill that takes more than 20 years to unfold for veterans aid he’s sponsoring. When more bombings occur, and resolve. Roland has to ask why. Since he didn’t serve in Iraq with Dalton, Apart from her uncanny resemblance he consults Harris Broadman, who did and who presents a far to Agatha Christie, Evadne Childe, the doyenne of British who- darker picture of Dalton Strait. How do all these jagged pieces dunits, is a generally unremarkable widow—her archaeologist fit into a coherent puzzle? husband, Edmund Walker-Pyne, was one of the first casualties Parker’s incisive character portraits and smooth, confi- of World War II—with a single remarkable talent: the ability to dent prose make his latest thriller taut and engaging. write novels that predict in uncanny detail some real-life crimes. Her perverse gift first reveals itself in 1946, when The Bottle Party Murders provides a blueprint for the robbery and murder UNDER PRESSURE of Tony Valetta, the shady owner of the Grafton Club, who was Pobi, Robert killed weeks after she submitted her manuscript to Veronica Minotaur (464 pp.) Hatherall, her longtime editor at J.P. Gilpin & Co. Alerted to $26.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 this outrage by his old friend Superintendent Stanislaus Oates, 978-1-25-029396-1 Campion talks to Rags Donovan, the Grafton cigarette girl who saw Evadne with Pierre Le Frog, the mystery man who intro- A series of stunningly high-casualty duced her to the club, ostensibly for the purposes of research. bombings in and around New York City Six years later, his conversation bears unexpected fruit when drives the FBI once more to consult pat- Rags is strangled on her way to a meeting with Campion shortly tern-sensitive astrophysicist Lucas Page, after she’s reported glimpsing Le Frog again—and shortly whose people skills may need work but before Evadne’s latest novel, Camera Obscuring, predicts the are still far better than the bomber’s. particulars of another crime. Nettled, Campion sets a trap that The first explosion, at a Guggenheim Museum gala for involves a medium, a pearl necklace, and a long-dead imaginary eco-friendly Horizon Dynamics, destroys a billion dollars’ cousin of his wife’s. As usual in Ripley’s pastiches, things don’t worth of art and 702 human beings without bringing down the go exactly as he’d planned, and it’ll be another 10 years before iconic structure. That’s one smart bomb, observes Lucas, who the case is wrapped up. quickly realizes that the weapon was a thermobaric explosion Wicked fun, sedate yet intricately plotted—a highlight in and enlightens Special Agent in Charge Brett Kehoe before the the series. FBI’s crack team of investigators armed with endless comput- ing power can do so. A delayed warning letter to a CNN anchor and a rapid succession of later bombings raise urgent questions A CHOIR OF CROWS about whodunit and why. A disconcerting number of the targets Robb, Candace seem to be connected to William and Seth Hockney’s fraternal Severn House (288 pp.) and financial partnership, which had recently purchased Hori- $28.99 | Jul. 2, 2020 zon Dynamics. But as far as Lucas and Angela Whitaker, the 978-1-78029-126-0 intuitive FBI agent who worked with him in City of Windows (2019), can tell, the Machine Bomber, as the media dub the In the winter of 1374, a new arch- perp, seems intent on hurting Hockney Worldwide Enterprises bishop, about to be enthroned in York, instead of helping it. A violent confrontation that doesn’t hap- brings with him disharmony and death. pen to include a bomb kills Kehoe’s leading suspect, but Lucas, Having watched Ronan, the vicar of seriously injured but skeptical as ever, is eager to get back in the incoming archbishop Alexander Neville, hunt even after Kehoe pulls him off it, and his uncanny concen- exchange cloaks with a stranger, Brother tration and tenacity pay off in a gripping denouement. Michaelo hears an angelic voice singing and then rescues a Nonstop thrills, especially for readers who want one last disheveled youth accused of pushing an unknown man off the glimpse of New York’s landmarks before they’re incinerated. chapter house roof and then killing Ronan. When Michaelo takes the youth to the home of local lawman Capt. Owen Archer and his apothecary wife, Lucie, for questioning, they discover that the youth is an exhausted young woman whose tale

46 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | young adult - - in Mind Trouble is being pressed by

Being president-elect of the United Retired Retired Army Col. Sykes, Wade aka The shot that retired Sam Kelson A wacko theft launches a second case second a launches theft wacko A States States is no bed Secretary of of State roses Holly Barker, for who’s former Severn House (224 pp.) Severn House marked for assassination even before she before assassinationeven for marked takes the oath of office. takes thoughts, or sometimes even recognize CHOPPY WATER for a private eye who just can’t shut up. eye who just can’t for a private from the Chicago PD in LUCKY BONES LUCKY Putnam (320 pp.) (2020) left him unable to lie or filter his $28.00 | Aug. 11, 2020 Aug. $28.00 | $28.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 Aug. $28.99 | 978-0-593-18829-3 978-0-7278-8982-9 Woods, Stuart Woods, Wiley, Michael Wiley, (2020). Luckily, Holly has Holly a her secret weapon: List (2020). Luckily, Hit Wiley spins a florid plot as disinhibited, and ultimately as ultimately and disinhibited, as plot florid a spins Wiley | 1 june 2020 | 47 | kirkus.com | mystery library where he’s working kills homeless vet Afghan Vic War his cold-eyed daughter, Sylvia, and Chip Voudreaux—to do himself in the mirror. Despite these Despite himself disabilities, in attractive the busi- mirror. have thought twice if seen she’d what Kelson did the moment old friend, Kelson’s LeCoeur, Marty keeper pages of was the real prize stolen from Kelson’s client. wasCan he avoidthe real - tell prize stolen from Kelson’s ing the many supporting crooks who press him for information ness owner Genevieve Bower thinks the he’s one to recover all sis. Against everyAgainst rule casessis. two the fiction, formula of that but managed to tolerate the presidency of Katharine Lee, have some creative accounting that will leave them even wealthier. sometime lover Stone Barrington, the New lawyer York who survived his own targeting for death in the same installment. tor tor Almonte and Amy Runeski, an unemployed mother suing turn out to be connected through a hush-hush thumb drive that drive thumb hush-hush a through connected be to out turn the brain trust at G&G Private Equity—wealthy Harold Crane, the Crane, brain trust Harold Equity—wealthy at G&G Private the knockoff Jimmy Choos the Jimmy that knockoff 1980s-music DJ Oliver Jeremy their initial meeting ended.) Meanwhile, one-armed book exactly how much he knows for long enough for them to wipe each other out? ended their nine-day fling by walking off with. (The client might client (The with. off walking by fling nine-day their ended exhausting to deal with, as his hero. exhausting to already has a record, is willing. Bad mistake. Moments before for divorce, and sends to Neto the hospital with a dire diagno- drawn a line in the sand since Holly was elected in the closing Neto Neto completes the transaction, a bomb smuggled into the Marty Marty won’t do it, but his nephew Neto, a young hacker who The first attempt Holly’son life, which appropriately takes Watchman, and his Watchman, white supremacist cabal, who’ve somehow - - On

lucky bones lucky A wacko theft launches a second case a second theft launches wacko A for a private eye who just can’t shut up. shut can’t who just eye for a private After After the death of his wife, Rita, A barking dog summons Nico into Soho Crime (312 pp.) Soho Crime where Rita grew up. starts a new life in the idyllic village of MURDER IN CHIANTI Gravigna in the Chianti hills in Tuscany, Bronx homicide detective Nico Doyle $27.95 | Jul. 7, 2020 7, | Jul. $27.95 Trinchieri, Camilla Trinchieri, 978-1-641-29179-8 expansive Salvatore Perillo. Since the Since corpse expansive Perillo. Salvatore An engaging procedural that introduces a delightful cast A A mélange of medieval political plotting and returning keep keep his Bronx background a When secret. Perillo, under pres has no ID, Nico inherits a faithful dog, whom he names One- healer, healer, Archer meets the musician Ambrose, an old friend just a piece of the puzzle Archer must solve in an atmosphere of atmosphere an in solve must Archer puzzle the of piece a just had murderous enemies. The young woman finally reveals her readers will want to spend more time with. spend more will want to readers who runs the restaurant declares with that quiet the authority, victim was American, disquieting Nico, who’s been careful to will surprise and satisfy. will surprise and satisfy. victim’s abandoned car, a bracelet traced to a jeweler, and a visit a and jeweler, a to traced bracelet a car, abandoned victim’s will entangle Archer, who, aside from his duties in York, is who, also willaside Archer, entangle from his duties York, in with the At the powerful Neville cottage family. of Magda the woman woman posing as a lad, and it was Ambrose who exchanged news that Garrett was dying of cancer. Might this have been returned from years in the French court, who’s come to warn soupçon of family drama at Sotto Il Fico, the restaurant Nico sure from prosecutor Della Langhe, learns of it, he and overea- grave punctuate Nico’s probe. The solution Trinchieri provides Trinchieri The solution probe. grave punctuate Nico’s ger sidekick Daniele press for Nico help. The discovery of the self as Marian, a nun stolen away from the life she loves. Hers is loves.fromshe Hers away life the stolen nun a asself Marian, the woods near his new home, calls Aldo, where landlord, he findsNico’s head. the a to shot man single a lyingground, the on the local marshall, to a hotel reveal the man’s identity: Napa Valley vineyard owner vineyard Valley Napa identity: reveal man’s the hotel a to that Edward’s physicians have been slowly poisoning him. characters sure to please fans of historical mysteries. please fans of historical to sure characters considers considers a second home. Tilde, Rita’s cousin, approve doesn’t daughter of Tilde’s Stella’s boyfriend.Gianni, Matriarch Elvira, cloaks with Ronan, muddying the investigation, since both men both since investigation, the muddying Ronan, with cloaks a mercy killing? Regular visits to the restaurant and to Rita’s a spy for Prince Edward, in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse mouse and cat of game high-stakes a in Edward, Prince for spy a distrust fear. and California. Adding another wrinkle to the investigation is the Robert Garrett, born Roberto Gerardi in Tuscany but raised in Tuscany Garrett, Gerardi bornRobert in Roberto Ambrose’s Ambrose’s return trip from France he met and protected the Wag. There’s There’s a Wag. fair amount of chatter about the murder and a place during a secret vacation at Stone’s place in Dark Har- bor, Maine, leaves six dispensable Secret Service agents dead science fiction but doesn’t muss Holly’s hair. So Sykes and company, nothing daunted, try again in a series of increasingly improbable locations. For all their pains, Holly, a longtime franchise character, and fantasy is probably a lot safer than Elizabeth Potter, a brand-new under- cover FBI agent who’s infiltrated Sykes’ inner circle without quite winning his unconditional trust. As she twists slowly in THE BIG BOOK OF MODERN the wind, she notices that another Sykes intimate seems to be FANTASY acting like a double agent too. Wonder how that will work out— Ed. by VanderMeer, Jeff & VanderMeer, Ann especially given Stone’s bleak reflection that “it could be like Vintage (864 pp.) this for the next eight years”? $25.00 paper | Jul. 21, 2020 Despite the allegedly high stakes, Woods delivers all the 978-0-525-56386-0 facile thrills of an unusually sedate video game. A companion volume to The Big Book of Classic Fantasy (2019), Ann and Jeff A BEAUTIFULLY FOOLISH VanderMeer’s latest anthology—and ENDEAVOR last together, according to the introduc- Green, Hank tion—explores modern fantasy and its evolution from the end Dutton (464 pp.) of WWII to 2010 with a shelf-bending collection featuring 91 $27.00 | Jul. 7, 2020 stories from some of the genre’s biggest luminaries, including 978-1-5247-4347-5 Ursula K. Le Guin, George R.R. Martin, Terry Pratchett, Ste- phen King, and J.G. Ballard. A circuitous sequel explaining all the The VanderMeers do an adept job of giving readers a com- weird things that happened in Green’s prehensive view of the narrative scope of fantasy—which they An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018). describe as “one of the broadest genres imaginable”—over the To recap: Spunky April May and her last six-plus decades with an impressively wide variety of sto- best pal, Andy Skampt, discovered an ries. In addition to featuring iconic adventure fantasy works alien robot she named Carl, the first of many to appear around (Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser story “Lean Times the globe. They roped in April’s ex Maya, a scientist named in Lankhmar”; “The Tales of Dragons and Dreamers,” a Return Miranda, and a few other like-minded folks to investigate the to Nevèrÿon story by Samuel R. Delany; and Michael Moor- phenomenon while a professional troll named Peter Petrawicki cock’s introduction to Elric of Melniboné in “The Dreaming caused trouble for now-famous April, leading to her apparent City”) and classic “literary” short stories like Vladimir Nabo- death by explosion. Unlike its predecessor, this sequel is nar- kov’s “Signs and Symbols” and “A Very Old Man With Enor- rated by a variety of April’s crew members until our hero is mous Wings” by Gabriel García Márquez, the anthology also miraculously and inevitably resurrected, albeit with some very contains a conspicuous number of dragon-powered stories. strange upgrades. It’s still pretty entertaining, but Green prac- Finnish author Tove Jansson’s illustrated all-ages story “The tically bends over backward to reverse-engineer his oddball Last Dragon in the World” includes her signature Moomins scenario so it finally makes sense. The Carls created a planet- characters in a delightful tale about a tiny dragon, and Patricia spanning reverie, one which Peter is trying to re-create from a McKillip’s “The Fellowship of the Dragon” follows five armed secret lab on a remote island, soon infiltrated by Miranda. Andy women as they embark on a perilous quest to find a missing is delivered a MacGuffin in a magic volume called The Book of harpist who has been allegedly imprisoned by a dragon. Many Good Times that can not only instruct him and his comrades on of the book’s strongest selections come from international fan- how to proceed, but also reads his thoughts and responds. His tasy, with translated stories from Mexican writer Alberto Chi- job is to infiltrate “The Thread,” a mysterious cabal seeking to mal (“Mogo”), French author Manuela Draeger (“The Arrest of manipulate a world forever changed by the Carls. To shorten the Great Mimille”), and Belarusian writer Abraham Sutzkever a Blues Brothers–esque quote without spoiling things, Team (“The Gopherwood Box”). April has millions of dollars, a huge online audience, virtually This doorstopper of an anthology will surely entertain unlimited resources and access to the things they need, a lead fantasy fans. with brand new superpowers and...a monkey? A really powerful sentient monkey who turns out to be not an alien but of a Byz- antine earthly origin and who also happens to be at war with a doppelgänger that might just be the end of us all. Green’s debut was a better novel with a wildly intriguing setup, so it’s not surprising that getting things wrapped up is a bit of a twisty affair. A satisfying sequel with likable characters, playful humor, and a prescient sense of the foolishness of modern life.

48 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | THE MAN FROM GRIFFINTOWN

A Canadian man’s sudden, unexplained invisibility makes him a target for countries determined to abuse his new powers of stealth in this debut thriller.

Markus’ book collects a trilogy, originally published in French, and the overall story is seamless and sharply paced, though generally somber. Book 1 is the strongest, as it focuses on Georges and learning the perks—and pitfalls—of his initially mysterious condition. The narrative becomes much denser by Book 2, as it expands to additional countries beyond Canada and to young adult global concerns such as climate change. The final book organically shifts further toward SF, including a significant time jump and advanced artificial intelligence. The ending, however, introduces startling new elements that suggest a sequel more than they offer resolution.

“ A protagonist’s invisibility ignites a distinctive thriller jampacked with plot. ” — Kirkus Reviews

“ I have recreated the invisible man and set his story in a future dominated by a new genus of Israeli robot. ” — MARKUS

For information on publishing and film rights, email [email protected] Facebook.com/Markus-197907044367282

| kirkus.com | science fiction & fantasy | 1 june 2020 | 49 SAY YES TO THE DUKE romance The Wildes of Lindow Castle James, Eloisa Avon/HarperCollins (400 pp.) RECIPE FOR PERSUASION $7.99 paper | May 19, 2020 Dev, Sonali 978-0-06-287806-9 Morrow/HarperCollins (448 pp.) $15.99 paper | Jul. 21, 2020 A young woman with a nervous dis- 978-0-06-283907-7 position draws the attention of a duke looking for a wife. A traumatized Indian American chef Although Viola Astley’s stepfather, is pushed over the edge when she reen- the Duke of Lindow, loves her and claims counters her teenage love in this mod- her as his daughter, society doesn’t accept ern-day interpretation of Persuasion. her as a proper lady. This judgement magnifies her own feel- Ashna Raje, daughter of Prince Bram ings of inadequacy; she knows she doesn’t quite fit in with the of Sripore, is struggling to breathe life rest of the Wildes, her stepfather’s raucous and rambunctious into her late father’s luxury restaurant. Once the most popular family. Viola wishes she could stay at home with her pet crow Indian outlet in Palo Alto, Curried Dreams is now running the and cows instead of running the gauntlet of society functions risk of closure. Ashna needs money to save her father’s legacy that make her feel ill and vomit. When Viola’s stepsister Joan and a job to keep her overachieving mother out of her hair. So learns of her deep-seated fears, Joan tells her to have confidence when she’s offered a role on Cooking With the Stars, a reality TV in herself as a “Wilde Child.” Bolstered by this single pep talk, show that pairs celebrities with professional chefs for a range of Viola miraculously sheds years of crippling social anxiety and culinary challenges, Ashna decides to overcome her natural reti- decides to pursue her interest in a handsome young vicar. How- cence and join the cast. But old wounds resurface when Ashna ever, her plans for a late-night meeting are thwarted by Devin is partnered with award-winning international soccer star Rico Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter. Devin has decided it’s Silva, her high school boyfriend. Since their relationship had time to marry and has his eye on Joan, the “real” Wilde daughter been uncommonly intense, Rico and Ashna are still nursing on the marriage mart. After Viola spars with Devin, he realizes scars from their painfully abrupt separation. With his return to that perhaps she’s the right match for him after all. Their court- her life, Ashna is forced to confront not only her painful past, ship progresses without conflict and will please readers looking but also her strained relationship with her mother, Shoban. As for high heat and low angst. Lavish descriptions of clothing and Ashna’s story unravels alongside her mother’s, the novel deftly hairstyles are more fully developed than the characters—or unpacks some of the ways in which Indian women’s experiences their romance. The lack of conflict makes the late-stage mis- of oppression have changed with time, though Dev details understandings and confessions seem silly and manufactured. Shoban’s crusade against patriarchy with much more empathy A subplot about whether or not medieval cycle plays based on and insight than her daughter’s. The second installment in the Bible stories are appropriate fare for Christian audiences might Raje Family series, following Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors be interesting to some readers, but it’s so divorced from the (2019), is ripe with an insider’s understanding of Indian, specifi- main romance arc that others might view it as filler cally Maharashtrian, culture: luscious references to traditional Perfect for readers who like high wigs and low stakes. food and attire jostle with bitter reminders of several deeply entrenched social and religious biases. As Dev swaps Austen’s Regency England for aristocratic India, she credibly builds a world in which social privilege insulates upper-class and upper- caste men from the consequences of their actions. An endearing romance that sensitively depicts the poi- gnancy of loss and reconciliation.

50 | 1 june 2020 | fiction | kirkus.com | nonfiction BECOMING DUCHESS These titles earned the Kirkus Star: GOLDBLATT Anonymous BECOMING DUCHESS GOLDBLATT by Anonymous...... 51 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (240 pp.) WAR AND PEACEKEEPING $24.00 | Jul. 7, 2020 by Martin Bell...... 54 978-0-358-21677-3 YOUNG REMBRANDT by Onno Blom; trans. by Beverley Jackson....54 How does a fictional character write A LAB OF ONE’S OWN by Rita Colwell & a real memoir? Very, very well. Sharon Bertsch McGrayne...... 66 Most readers who are active on social EAT THE BUDDHA by Barbara Demick...... 68 media are aware of Duchess Goldblatt, the acerbic yet warmhearted doyenne ANDREA DWORKIN

by Martin Duberman...... 70 of Twitter, represented by a Frans Hals portrait of an elderly young adult woman with a stiff muff around her neck. Over the years, she’s WHAT CAN A BODY DO? by Sara Hendren...... 76 dispensed witticisms and advice to her 24,000-plus followers, THE ARSONIST by Chloe Hooper...... 79 many of them writers, without giving away any clues about the BREAK IT UP person behind the persona. When she finally met her No. 1 fan, by Richard Kreitner...... 81 Lyle Lovett (it’s a long story), he was shocked that she wasn’t “a MONEY FOR NOTHING by Thomas Levenson...... 82 little old lady or a gay man!” Now, Duchess Goldblatt’s admirers can get to know her still-anonymous creator, and perhaps the WE’RE NOT HERE TO ENTERTAIN by Kevin Mattson...... 85 biggest surprise in this striking memoir is the fact that Duchess THREE RINGS by Daniel Mendelsohn...... 86 is a name (taken from a friend’s dog), not a title, though no doubt everyone will keep calling her “Your Grace.” The author created WORLD OF WONDERS by Aimee Nezhukumatathil; Duchess during a terrible time: She’d lost her job, her husband illus. by Fumi Mini Nakamura...... 87 had left her, and she was tormented by the part-time separation REAGANLAND from her young son. Duchess was a way for her to lurk online, by Rick Perlstein...... 88 but she soon found herself carefully crafting posts, responding THE BOOK OF UNCONFORMITIES by Hugh Raffles...... 90 to everyone who wrote to her, and finding solace in the community she’d created. The book is prismatic, moving among the THE JOURNALIST by Jerry A. Rose & Lucy Rose Fischer...... 91 author’s difficult childhood, the years after her divorce, and her GRASP by Sanjay Sarma with Luke Yoquinto...... 91 growing relationships with people Duchess had befriended— only a few of whom, including Lovett, have ever met her. She SITTING PRETTY by Rebekah Taussig...... 96 wrestles with the questions of whether she and Duchess are two separate people and how Duchess makes friends so easily when FLASH CRASH by Liam Vaughan...... 96 she herself feels almost friendless. Lovett’s manager called what she’s doing “collaborative performance art,” and that’s an apt term for it; together with Duchess’ followers, she’s created a EAT THE BUDDHA long-term fever dream of humor, compassion, wordplay, and Life and Death in a Tibetan Town dog photos. A fascinating memoir by a 21st-century original. Demick, Barbara Random House (368 pp.) $28.00 | Jul. 28, 2020 978-0-8129-9875-7

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 51 channeling anxiety into graphic memoir Leah Overstreet “I don’t want to be dirty. Sud- of my life I hadn’t considered in years. The book also denly, I’m afraid to shake hands embodies one of the primary reasons I enjoy read- with people. I wash my hands all ing memoirs: the power of another’s story to reveal the time. Often I’ll finish washing thoughts and emotions that have long lay dormant, of- and start again. My knuckles crack ten bringing much-needed introspection or clarity. and bleed. ‘Dirty’ turns into ‘con- For my part, the appropriate combination of pre- taminated,’ a feeling that’s more ab- scription medication, therapy, unconditional parental stract and insidious. Something just love, and nourishing friendships buoyed me through feels wrong, and that something the darkest moments of clings to me all day. The only safe my OCD. And if anything spot is the shower.” can accelerate the pro- When I first read that passage from Jason Adam cess of immersion thera- Katzenstein’s graphic memoir about anxiety and py for a germophobe, it’s OCD, Everything Is an Emergency (Perennial/Harper- living in New York City Collins, June 30), I experienced a visceral reaction. and riding the subway ev- The author and illustrator, it seemed, was channeling ery day, which I did from me—or at least the part of myself I’d grappled with ages 24 to 30. Years later, on a minute-to-minute basis from my teenage years the urgencies of raising a through my mid-20s. Long before the pandemic made toddler complicated mat- hand-washing de rigueur, my daily trips to the sink ters (you can only exert so registered in triple digits. In addition to the obsessive much control over what hand-washing, I showered at least three times per day, they touch or put in their only touched door handles with a shirt sleeve (or even mouths), but they also forced me to confront issues I my foot if no one was watching), and had to wear spe- thought were resolved, and I continue to work on en- cialized moisturizing gloves at night to ameliorate the suring they don’t adversely affect my son and others pain and bleeding. around me. Now, I’m blessed to be in a much more Reflecting on my experience as a young man diag- comfortable place, hopefully wiser and able to fully nosed with OCD, I felt an immediate connection to appreciate books that examine mental health issues Katzenstein’s memoir, which is a pleasing mix of text while simultaneously avoiding jargon-laden didacti- and cartoons that strikes just the right tone: accessible cism and airy, self-help platitudes. yet laced with enough gravitas, occasionally humor- Especially in these high-stress, spiritually draining ous but incisive in a way that makes others with the times, I continue to assert my belief in the significance disorder feel less alone. The author effectively dem- and vitality of books that tackle difficult subjects in a onstrates the banality of the affliction, which “begins manner that is both instructive and empathetic. Ev- with a thought. The thought is distressing, and it plays erything Is an Emergency is not as groundbreaking a over and over again, overpowering other thoughts, dis- graphic memoir as, say, Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk About tracting me, sapping all of my energy.” That’s a fairly Something More Pleasant? or Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, simple yet apt description of OCD and its ability to but it’s welcome nonetheless. Indeed, Katzenstein’s worm its way into every crevice of your consciousness story could provide solace to any young person strug- and leave you frustrated and exhausted. gling with OCD. I know 17-year-old Eric would have While I learned more than a decade ago that there embraced it with both raw hands. were millions of others dealing with varying degrees of the disorder—and have read countless articles and Eric Liebetrau is the nonfiction and managing editor. books about OCD and its attendant difficulties—Kat- zenstein’s memoir brought back into focus a period

52 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | An illuminating study of the many ideologies and geographies at issue in the Civil War era. rebels in the making

DO WHAT YOU WANT and industrial civilizations. “More recent research,” writes Civil The Story of Bad Religion War historian Barney, “has stressed the point that anxieties over Bad Religion with Ruland, Jim the loss of slavery and racial control, rather than a defense of Hachette (336 pp.) states’ rights, drove the South to secession.” That would explain $28.00 | Aug. 18, 2020 why so many nonslaveholding Southerners rallied to the cause 978-0-306-92222-0 of a rebellion fomented by the planter class—and then not the older, more conservative members but the younger, aspirational An authorized band biography that pseudo-aristocrats. As Barney chronicles, the face of secession attempts to provide long-overdue credit. was different in different regions of the South. The lowland After persevering through four decades, portion west of the Appalachians was a place where the wealthy an eternity by punk-rock standards, Bad were often deep in debt and the shareholder whites barely hung Religion has “never been more popular than on, with the implication that there was nothing to lose by going they are right now.” Devoted fans of the internationally popular to war. In New Orleans and other ports, fear of immigrants band will embrace the narrative, which offers plenty of backstory and “Know-Nothing” politics lent an even more fraught air to on the splits and reunions of the two principal songwriters, Greg secession while in industrial cities such as Richmond, a surpris- Graffin and Brett Gurewitz. It’s both a chronicle and critical ingly large number of free black workers were an important part guide to each of the band’s many albums and tours (nonfans will of the economic mix. The current surge of populism has sur- be overwhelmed by some of the detail). The biography—written prisingly many features in common with the tenets advanced with the assistance of Ruland, who co-authored the memoir of 160 years ago: a clergy that encouraged reactionary politics Black Flag and Circle Jerks founding member Keith Morris— while skirting the fact that they could not argue that slavery

also suggests why Bad Religion never achieved the sales levels or young adult popularity of Nirvana or Green Day, whose influence on musical culture Graffin and company feel has been overstated, at least in comparison to their own. “ ‘People are finally filling in the chapter between 1983 and 1991,’ Greg said. ‘What happened? Two words: Bad Religion.’ ” From the beginning, the band has felt slighted, starting young as suburban teenagers from the San Fernando Valley, rising with the spread of punk culture, and then getting overshadowed by bands who sold more but perhaps didn’t have Bad Religion’s European reach or die-hard following. It’s an often fascinating story, especially regarding Graffin’s pursuit of his doctorate in evolutionary biology and Gurewitz’s progression to record mogul through his founding of Epitaph Records. There are also the expected stories of excess and addition, and the claim that “Greg and Brett were establishing themselves as the Beatles of punk rock” would be more credible if it didn’t come from the band itself. The text generally refers to the characters by first name only, an insider’s perspective that prevents much critical distancing. The band has overcome a lot of challenges over the years, and this sufficient narrative documents every one of them.

REBELS IN THE MAKING The Secession Crisis and the Birth of the Confederacy Barney, William L. Oxford Univ. (393 pp.) $34.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-0-19-007608-5

A comprehensive history of secession as it played out across the Confed- eracy and the border states. The search for the causes of the Civil War has turned in different explanations over the decades, from the defense of the “Lost Cause” to the struggle between agrarian

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 53 “promoted the material well-being of all whites” and a pretense WAR AND on the part of politicians and their true-believer followers that PEACEKEEPING they were merely following the enshrined Constitution. What- Personal Reflections on ever the case, the election of Abraham Lincoln made war cer- Conflict and Lasting Peace tain, even when, as Barney notes, many parts of the South did Bell, Martin not support slavery or the dissolution of the Union. Oneworld Publications (336 pp.) An illuminating study of the many ideologies and geogra- $27.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 phies at issue in the Civil War era. 978-1-78607-763-9

A veteran journalist looks back on decades of covering wars and peacekeeping missions around the world. Bell, who has worked in more than 120 countries, lays out his resume in the introduction. “In a life of accidental episodes,” he writes, “I have been a soldier, a war reporter, a Member of Parliament, a UNICEF ambassador, a battlefield target, a war crimes witness, a writer, a poet, an ethics adviser, a lecturer and an incorrigible wanderer.” The book is a loosely linked set of essays on the lessons gathered from that vast experience, and his subjects include his time peacekeeping with the Brit- ish army in Cyprus, reporting on the Croatian civil war, and observations on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, whom he clearly admires, and Donald Trump, whom he does not. Bell also offers his views on land mines, which have become a scourge lingering in many countries after their local wars have ended, and the vicious civil wars in various African nations. In addition to the inevitable power of his eyewitness account of the history he has observed, the author brings to each of his topics an enviable (and often caustic) turn of phrase—e.g., in 1994, the U.N. headquarters in Bosnia was “a hotbed of cold feet,” and Prime Minister Boris Johnson “led the charge to the cliff edge” in his management of Brexit, which Bell considers a disaster in the making. The author is particularly vehement in his scorn for incompetent and dishonest reporting, especially when the reporter is more interested in building personal celebrity than in getting the story right. At every point, Bell offers colorful anecdotes and glimpses of real people, famous and otherwise, not all of whom are by any calculation admirable. An engaging read by a writer whose front seat to modern history is matched by his sharp prose and forthright opinions. (b/w photos)

YOUNG REMBRANDT Blom, Onno Trans. by Jackson, Beverley Norton (288 pp.) $30.00 | Sep. 8, 2020 978-0-393-53179-4

A Dutch biographer and literary critic re-creates the textures of Rem- brandt’s world. Drawing on the significant resources of the Rembrandt Research Project, Rembrandt Documents Project, and the multivolume Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings as well as histories and archival material,

54 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | i belong to vienna A JEWISHanna FAMILY’S goldenberg STORY OF EXILE AND RETURN

“Why would you return to a city that tried to murder you? Here is the story of one Jewish family that did . . . Blends history, biography, and memoir . . . Well-researched, intimate, evocative look at some of the 20th century’s foulest days.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A must-read for a new understanding of the Holocaust in Vienna.” — Esther Safran Foer, author of I Want You to Know We’re Still Here young adult “A suspenseful story of bravery, dignity, and the love of a city that withstands its bleakest chapter.” — Anne-Marie O’Connor, author of The Lady in Gold

“Forces us to reflect on what it means to try and live a ‘normal life’ in the throes of a political nightmare.” — George Prochnik, author of The Impossible Exile

I Belong to Vienna by Anna Goldenberg Translated from the German by Alta L. Price New Vessel Press / Nonfiction / June 9, 2020 / Eleven black-and-white photographs Paperback / ISBN 978-1-939931-84-9 / 207 pages / $16.95 Distributed by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution / [email protected]

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 55 Blom offers an assured, discerning biography. The author illu- and the more renowned the school, the stronger the dislike for minates the esteemed artist’s early life, beginning in Leiden, it: “Their rewards from the outside world…come almost entirely where Rembrandt was born in 1606, and ending in Amsterdam, from their research.” If universities are to weather the coming where he painted his “breakthrough” work, The Anatomy Lesson financial and cultural storms, Bok suggests, they’ll need to retool of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, in 1632. Blom creates a multifaceted view of to offer answers to real exigencies, such as the fact that employ- Leiden, which had emerged from political siege, famine, and ers (and donors) complain that students emerging with diplomas plague to become Holland’s prosperous second city and was the lack “soft” or “noncognitive” skills such as a willingness to work place where Rembrandt grew up, studied, and worked until he as a member of a team and observe basic social niceties. More moved to the Dutch capital in 1631. The son of a malt-miller, to the point, Bok also argues that institutions must do more to Rembrandt was restless, strong-willed, and ambitious; enrolled teach beyond mere rubrics, touching especially on questions of in the University of Leiden when he was 14, he left after two ethics and civic engagement, and point the way to how students years, possibly because of religious strife besetting the institu- might acquire “wisdom enough to decide how to live purpose- tion. His parents supported his art apprenticeships in Leiden ful, fulfilling lives” and prepare themselves for lifelong learning. and briefly in Amsterdam, where he focused on history painting, Whether faculties will want to take the time to produce “active copying his teacher’s works. Blom follows Rembrandt’s artistic and informed citizens” remains to be seen, notes the author, and evolution, honing a style of etching notable for its “looseness, such faculties tend to serve their own interests. bravura, and ostensible nonchalance” and experimenting with A useful though eminently debatable case for reform in self-portraits “to see how different emotions, moods and tem- the interest of teaching to today’s needs. peraments were expressed in the face.” Included among more than 100 illustrations are many self-portraits, images that serve as “a kind of autobiography.” Along with social, cultural, THE DEEP END political, and religious contexts for Rembrandt’s life, Blom The Literary Scene in the details the nitty-gritty of making art, such as the complicated, Great Depression and Today time-consuming process of grinding pigments and improvising Boog, Jason paint tubes from knotted pig bladders. As Rembrandt became OR Books (232 pp.) increasingly well-known and admired, his work was purchased $20.00 paper | Jul. 9, 2020 and commissioned by members of the court. The author notes, 978-1-935928-91-1 however, that he died alone and destitute; by 1669, his work had gone out of fashion. For writers of the 1930s, economic A fresh, well-researched, nuanced portrait. (100 hardship was central to their work. illustrations) Journalist Boog, West Coast correspondent for Publishers Weekly, combines personal reflections about the challenges HIGHER EXPECTATIONS writers face today with a well-researched, sometimes digressive Can Colleges Teach Students look back at writers of the “Crisis Generation,” who struggled What They Need To Know in during the Great Depression. “My book is dedicated to the sto- the 21st Century? ries of poets, novelists, and journalists who never made it” but Bok, Derek whose dedication to telling stories of the downtrodden makes Princeton Univ. (232 pp.) them worth remembering. They include poets Maxwell Boden- $29.95 | Aug. 25, 2020 heim, Kenneth Fearing, and Muriel Rukeyser (“systematically 978-0-691-20580-9 excluded” from the poetry academy, according to Adrienne Rich); Cornell Woolrich, “grandfather of the hardboiled noir”; Former Harvard University presi- and Nathanael West, whose Miss Lonelyhearts had paltry sales dent Bok examines ways in which higher when it was first published only to be acclaimed 50 years later, education can shape better citizens. long after West died. The writers of the Crisis Generation iden- The author looks back over seven decades of teaching to tified with “workers of all kinds,” marching with them for jobs examine where tertiary education is and where it’s going. It’s now and fair pay. Unlike writers today, who Boog claims are “unorga- said that students retain little information from the lecture for- nized, broke, and easily manipulated,” those of the Crisis Gen- mat, with better results coming from active participation rather eration saw themselves as activists, responding to and bearing than passive reception. Though in days past, Bok’s charges at witness to life in the 1930s. Many were given jobs through the Harvard filled the halls to hear the likes of Stephen Jay Gould and Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration; Michael Sandel, such talented interpreters are rare. All the same, others supported one another through organizations such as “at least half of college faculty continue to lecture extensively, the Raven Poetry Circle, which became a “home for struggling especially in large college courses, despite persuasive evidence readers and writers,” and the American Writers Union, which that active forms of problem-solving are more effective at help- lobbied for writers’ rights. “The writers in the 1930s,” notes ing students learn to think carefully and reason well.” Meanwhile, Boog, “forced newspapers to pay a living wage, pushed pub- writes the author, altogether too many professors resent teaching, lishers to establish more humane working conditions, rewrote

56 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | “Good history and a good read!” — John Ferling, author of Apostles of Revolution FOURTEENTH The Forgotten Story Gulf South During America's COLONY Revolutionary Era

The British colony of West Florida is the forgotten fourteenth colony of America’s Revolutionary era. The colony’s eventful years as a part of the British Empire form an important and compelling interlude in our American history. For a host of reasons, including the fact that West Florida did not rebel against the British government, the colony has long been dismissed young adult as a loyal but inconsequential fringe outpost. In Fourteenth Colony, historian Mike Bunn offers the first comprehensive history of the colony, introducing readers to the Gulf Coast’s remarkable British period and putting West Florida back in its rightful place on the map of colonial America.

“Fourteenth Colony will open many eyes to a startling historical omission just as it will force reconsideration of how we teach, and interpret, the American Revolution. Impressively researched, well written.” — Samuel C. Hyde Jr., Leon Ford Endowed Chair, professor of history, Southeastern Louisiana University Mike Bunn • November 3 • $27.95 9781588384133 • NewSouth Books

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 57 COVER STORY Bakari Sellers

A SON OF SOUTH CAROLINA—ONCE THE YOUNGEST BLACK ELECTED OFFICIAL IN THE U.S.—RECOUNTS HIS JOURNEY IN MY VANISHING COUNTRY By Eric Liebetrau Chris Jenkins Patrik Bass [senior editor at HarperCollins] and Judith Carr [president and publisher of Amistad]. When you’re 33, writing a memoir is a bit daunting. But I also realized that my life has been bookended by tragedy from Orangeburg to Charleston, and I had a story to tell from the perspective of being a child of the civil rights movement. My father wrote The River of No Return (1973), and I look at [my book] as being not the comple- tion of that, but a continuation, the next chapters in that story.

I was particularly moved by the section on the Mother Emanuel tragedy. Can you tell me more about that time? Bakari Sellers is an activist, politician, lawyer, TV com- For me, it was pain that I had never truly felt before—prob- mentator, and proud son of South Carolina. His personal histo- ably because I had a friendship with Clem [Clementa Pinck- ry, recounted in My Vanishing Country (Amistad/HarperCollins, ney, the state senator and pastor at Emanuel who was killed May 19), is both impressive and fascinating. As the son of civil in the shooting]. I also know the value of the black church in rights leader Cleveland Sellers, who was injured during the Or- our communities, and I can imagine [Clem’s] welcoming spir- angeburg Massacre of 1968, the author was imbued with an ac- it when he let Dylann Roof into the church to pray with them. tivist spirit early on. After achievement at Morehouse College Everyone was trying to figure out whether or not to go to and the USC School of Law, he won a seat in the South Caro- church that Sunday. A member asked me if I wanted to come lina House of Representatives at age 22, becoming the young- into church. I declined because I wanted to make sure the est black elected official in the country. When he lost the 2014 members had enough space, so we sat outside and listened to race for lieutenant governor, Sellers continued his crusading the sermon and the music. The recovery was a testament to legal work and became a political analyst for CNN, where he the beauty of our state, and politically speaking, you don’t get garnered praise for his coverage of, among many other events, any better leadership than Gregg Mullins [chief of police at the 2015 Mother Emanuel shooting in Charleston. He recently the time] and Mayor Joe Riley. spoke with Kirkus about the book; the conversation was edited for length and clarity. Tell me about your hometown of Denmark, then and now. How was the writing experience? Denmark is a town marked by so much love and family. Ev- Difficult—I can’t lie. I wanted to write a political book dur- erybody’s a cousin, everybody’s a brother or a sister. It’s a ing the age of Trump from the perspective of a young black place where you can still leave your keys in your car when you Democrat in the South. But no one wanted to buy that book. go into the grocery store. But it also faces a lot of the issues that overlay most of rural America, especially throughout the I find that surprising. South, where socio-economic divides have gotten larger and I got turned down probably 20 times. But I have that strong access to health care has disappeared. It’s kind of ironic that South Carolina spirit, so finally I just called up Tracy Sherrod, the book comes out now, when the pandemic is showing our the editorial director at Amistad. She called me in to meet with true colors. We are able to see a lot of these disparities where

58 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | people in rural communities and poor folks and black and brown folks are dying at very high rates.

Tell me about your work at the law firm. Not only do we represent the citizens of Denmark in the water lawsuit, but we were lead counsel in a National Black Farmers Association lawsuit, representing black farmers against the USDA. I also argued in front of the South Caro- lina Supreme Court to find our domestic violence laws uncon- the way books were sold in department stores, and convinced stitutional because they didn’t cover same-sex couples, and the government to create a federal bailout that put thousands of writers around the country back to work.” The author sees we won that argument. the Sunrise Movement, supporter of the Green New Deal, as a model for activism in “a world of inequality and catastrophe;” What about your political career? and he urges writers—and readers—to “rekindle the radical ideas” that distinguished the Crisis Generation. My political career’s not over. I will always do my best to rep- A passionate homage to forgotten writers who speak to resent Denmark in whatever way I can. We’re eyeing the 6th our own times. Congressional District, whenever that time comes. I was for- tunate enough to find a home at CNN. SUPERMAN’S NOT COMING Our National Water Crisis What’s it like at CNN? and What We the People Can Right now, we’re not talking politics as much as public health. Do About It It’s not as busy, but that will change. I go from being on 15 to Brockovich, Erin Knopf (384 pp.) 20 times a week to slow moments like this. But you have to re- $29.95 | Aug. 25, 2020 member, I’m a kid from Denmark, 3,300 people; to be able to 978-1-524-74696-4 go on [TV] and talk to 1 million people, that’s pretty damn cool.

The legal clerk–turned-activist sounds young adult the alarm on the global water crisis. I often feel helpless and hopeless about the state of our Two decades after the movie that country. You live these issues every day. Give me some made her a national celebrity, Brockovich urges readers to con- words of encouragement. front a scary reality: “We are amid a major water crisis that is beyond anything you can imagine.” She recounts her work on First, I tell people to make sure you are trying to come out of the case that inspired the Steven Soderbergh film, in which she this physically, emotionally, and spiritually stronger. Second, I helped take on California utility Pacific Gas and Electric, which remind people that you can’t eat a whole apple without taking had been accused of contaminating groundwater. The author offers an easy-to-understand guide to common water pollut- the first bite. You can’t complete a whole journey without the ants, including chromium 6, chloramines, and lead, and she first step. And you have to find something in your heart that shares stories of citizen activists in places like Martin County, gives you a burning desire to go forward. For me, those are my Kentucky; Tonganoxie, Kansas; and Flint, Michigan. Of the last, she writes, “I called out the water problems…a year before it kids, thinking about creating an America where they can be became a media frenzy.” Her book is filled with righteous anger free. That gives me purpose, as well as not letting my father and directed toward corporations who “lie, cheat, sue, intimidate, my mother down for all the sacrifices they’ve made in the past. falsify documents, and outright bully” and anyone who stands up to them. While Brockovich’s stories about her activism and condemnation of corporate greed are both interesting, the My Vanishing Country was reviewed in the March 15, 2020, issue. narrative’s real power comes from her clarion calls to regular citizens to get involved in the fight for safe water. “We are at a turning point,” she writes, “where we all need to fight before there’s not a drop of water left to drink.” The author doesn’t just traffic in platitudes; she offers several concrete suggestions for how people can gauge the safety of their own drinking water and stand up to corporations and politicians. Brockovich describes herself as “a foul-mouthed, short-skirted blonde woman from Kansas,” and her book showcases her authenticity, rough edges and all. While the prose could use some polishing, it serves adequately, explaining why the current water crisis threatens us all and how concerned people might go about changing it. A convincing call to arms about the global water crisis from a sharp, plainspoken activist.

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 59 A welcome addition to the math-for–lay readers genre, with the hope for more to come. pluses and minuses

PLUSES AND MINUSES Golf. Tennis. Boxing. Baseball. Basketball. Kareem Abdul- How Math Solves Our Jabbar. Larry Bird. Bill Walton. Arthur Ashe. Jackie Robin- Problems son. Roberto Clemente. Pete Rose and the rest of the Big Red Buijsman, Stefan Machine. Newspaperman and magazine profiler Callahan rounds Trans. by Brown, Andy the bases as he chronicles his close encounters with many of the Penguin (208 pp.) most prominent athletes of the last half-century. Fans of the $17.00 paper | Jul. 28, 2020 author will recognize the meandering yet readable storytell- 978-0-14-313458-9 ing style and some of the same characters from The Bases Were Loaded (And So Was I). A young Callahan commiserated with an Sharp answers to “the question about elder Red Smith; at their best, these pieces recall that legend what [mathematics] is good for.” of the press box’s outside-the-lines approach, if not exactly The answers come from a young his unassuming mien on the page. Certainly, this part-memoir, Dutch mathematician and philosopher of mathematics. While part-profile compilation reflects a time before social media, Buijsman notes that you may never use the formulas you memo- when athletes needed sportswriters. The underside of close, rized in high school, he also emphasizes that math is everywhere personal access is that writers who ingratiate themselves with in modern society. In his first book, he seeks to give readers a sources sometimes cut deals about what makes it into print, solid grasp of some of the math areas involved, whether it’s the which could raise questions about motive and veracity. The nar- inner workings of a car’s cruise control, the rules governing opin- rative spell is also periodically broken when Callahan includes ion polls, or how Google Maps designs efficient routes. The long, sometimes-tinny quotes from athletes. Still, just as the author acknowledges that there are still small hunter-gatherer best sportswriters put a topcoat on memory, allowing us to groups that have no number systems or measuring tools but appreciate the plays and players more than when we first saw who can still build boats, bridges, and houses and barter goods. them, the author’s skill at showing public figures in private The importance of math surged with the growth of popula- moments is evident, and he spares readers the usual arguments tions in cities and the expansion of agriculture and trade, which about who was the greatest to lace up a pair of sneakers. Particu- required the ability to reckon quantities of goods, levy taxes, larly intriguing are Callahan’s portraits of Bill Walsh and Tiger and invent coinage. The author’s focus on the practical utility Woods. In 2018, writes the author, “the new Tiger was a better of math dictates three chapters on calculus, probability theory, guy. Standing on the practice green or striding down the fairway, and graph theory, but he also ponders a philosophically intrigu- he actually chatted with golf’s brigade of good young players ing question: Why do findings from the most abstract areas who, almost to a man, had been drawn to the game by him.” of mathematics have remarkable relevance to aspects of the Sports fans will find a smooth and pleasant ride on this real world around us? Buijsman spares readers from too many trip back in time. detailed notations and equations, concentrating on the basic concepts, major innovators, and the games or puzzles that inspired the scholars. In graph theory, that involved whether or BOUND BY WAR not one could traverse all seven bridges of the city of Königsberg, How the United States crossing each bridge only once. In 1736, Swiss mathematician and the Philippines Built and physicist Leonhard Euler showed that this was impossible. America’s First Pacific Today, graph theory has broad applications, not only in map- Century ping software, but also in artificial intelligence, neural networks, Capozzola, Christopher cancer therapy, and the countless algorithms that drive internet Basic (480 pp.) searches or allow Netflix to make movie recommendations. $35.00 | Jul. 28, 2020 A welcome addition to the math-for–lay readers genre, 978-1-5416-1827-5 with the hope for more to come. The mostly painful history of the U.S. and its struggling ex-colony. GODS AT PLAY MIT history professor Capozzola writes that events in Cuba An Eyewitness Account provoked America’s declaration of war on Spain in 1898. Few of Great Moments in paid attention to its Asian colonies until the U.S. Asiatic Squad- American Sports ron, led by George Dewey, annihilated the Spanish fleet off its Callahan, Tom Philippines colony. American officials believed that an imperial Norton (304 pp.) power such as Britain or Germany would certainly take over $26.95 | Sep. 22, 2020 if America didn’t. There followed a nasty war in which Ameri- 978-1-324-00427-1 can forces (and locally recruited units) suppressed the Filipino independence movement. Capozzola notes that the American A heavily credentialed and well-trav- promise of eventual independence was sincere, and the colonial eled sportswriter spins yarns about the administration set up a local political infrastructure. This was old ballgames. done on the cheap, however, so Filipinos who benefited most

60 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 61 A blend of music industry 101, hip-hop history, and memoir from the Wu-Tang Clan’s muse. the baddest bitch in the room

serviced Americans or came to the U.S. Racist immigration laws professionally as a woman of color. Unfortunately, aside from in the U.S. banned Asians, but the Philippines, as a colony, was a vague mention of a black woman friend calling her out on her an exception. Readers can skim the author’s account of World privilege, she doesn’t address being embraced and respected as War II, which is largely unedifying. At the time, most Filipinos a nonblack woman within a music culture that often objectifies gave survival priority over resistance. Guerrilla activity slowly and denigrates black women. This is a disappointing omission grew, but rival groups often fought each other, and many were in an otherwise thoughtful and revealing story. little better than bandits. The most efficient, the Hukbalahap, An intimate, entertaining, and engrossing read for hip- were communists. At the end of the war, the Philippines was a hop fans. devastated nation with no Marshall Plan to rebuild it. As a final insult, Congress, in an economic move, denied Filipino soldiers the GI Bill of Rights. The U.S. granted independence in 1946; THE RELIGION CLAUSES supported Manuel Roxas, the collaborationist president under The Case for Separating Japanese occupation who won the first presidency; and signed a Church and State pact granting 23 military bases free from local criminal laws and Chemerinsky, Erwin & Gillman, Howard taxes. Capozzola convincingly argues that the nation remains a Oxford Univ. (248 pp.) quasi-colony, impoverished and ill-governed. Its leaders under- $24.95 | Aug. 28, 2020 stood that America favored nations threatened by communism 978-0-19-069973-4 and, later, terrorism. Even today, it hosts America’s “largest counterterrorist deployment outside of Afghanistan.” U.S. pres- A dispassionate exposition in favor of idents have spoken highly of several despotic kleptocrats, led by the separation of church and state. Ferdinand Marcos. Today’s Rodrigo Duterte, a violent figure, is Noting that the current structure of favored by Donald Trump. the Supreme Court is tilted toward an An expert, disturbing history. accommodationist view of the First Amendment, which tends to side with conservatives and religious majorities, legal experts Chemerinsky and Gillman take the initiative to offer a differing THE BADDEST BITCH IN view. “Our thesis,” they write, “is that the Constitution meant to THE ROOM create, and should be interpreted as creating, a secular republic, A Memoir meaning that the government has no role in advancing religion Chang, Sophia and that religious belief and practice should be a private mat- Catapult (320 pp.) ter.” The authors begin with an examination of how the fram- $26.00 | Sep. 8, 2020 ers of the Constitution viewed the relationship between church 978-1-64622-009-0 and state. Despite traditions to the contrary, they write, “the framers resisted strong pressure to declare that the American A blend of music industry 101, hip- republic would formally be associated with Christianity. There hop history, and memoir from the Wu- is no doubt that they intended to create a government that was Tang Clan’s muse. formally secular.” Though declaring themselves not to be “origi- For decades as a manager, marketer, nalists,” the authors work from the assumption that the found- and A&R rep, Chang helped talented men tell their stories ers sought specifically to create a secular government and that through hip-hop and R&B. Now it’s her turn to tell her story: such a government has served America best through time. They How did a “Korean Canadian French lit major” end up working work systematically, first through the Establishment Clause with a who’s who of heavy hitters in the music industry—and and then the Free Exercise Clause, explaining the background getting relationship advice from Method Man? From a chance to each clause and various court cases that have shaped the pub- meeting with Joey Ramone as a college student in the late lic understanding of them, before then examining their own 1980s to working with the Wu-Tang Clan, one of the greatest separationist views regarding each. Chemerinsky and Gillman rap groups of all time, Chang has a storied history in the indus- end with a counter to the argument that separation of church try. Her love for hip-hop—the music and the artists—comes and state is often a guise for hostility to religion; instead, they through loud and clear in this deeply personal memoir. Now in write, separation is a means of protecting all religions. Written her 50s, she reflects on her experiences, including her stint as in what can best be described as a relaxed legal style, the book head of a marketing department at Atlantic Records just two is largely accessible but will appeal most to attorneys and those years out of college and working with artists like A Tribe Called intrigued by the Constitution and the Supreme Court. Quest, KRS-One, Too Short, and Raphael Saadiq. It’s clear why A well-argued book geared toward those with an interest Chang gained a reputation for being hard and no-nonsense, in the intersection of law and religion. and that comes across in the narrative. But she also shows her more vulnerable side: enduring the highs and lows of love and loss, reclaiming her sexual confidence after the end of a 12-year relationship, and learning to embrace her Asian heritage. The author writes wisely about erasure and fighting to be seen

62 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 63 INTERVIEWS & PROFILES Molly Mccully Brown

THE POET, BORN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY, REFLECTS ON HER JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD IN A NEW ESSAY COLLECTION By Kelly McMasters Kevin Gutting second, In the Field Between Us: Poems, co-written with fellow Rudnitsky-winner Susannah Nevison, is also being published this month. Her “maniacal productivity,” as she calls it, is a topic that percolates throughout her work. That she is publishing these last two books during a pandemic seems strangely fitting. “Being productive and achieving in really aggressive ways while being asked to stay still has been the unintention- al mantra of my life,” Brown says. She is speaking with me from her childhood home near the campus of Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where her parents are professors. “With COVID-19, people are confronting the idea that being in a healthy body is inherently a temporary state,” she says. “But all of my work is deeply concerned with the fragility of the human body and the real danger of exceptionalism. We are always making calls on whose lives are worth saving and how much a life is worth.” These ideas are woven throughout the 16 luminous essays in her collection, loosely structured around the year Brown spent in Europe as the Amy Lowell Scholarship for American Poets Traveling Abroad fellow. We move with Brown through her childhood in rural Virginia to the world’s oldest anatomical theater in Bologna, Italy, to grocery stores where strangers ask, “What happened, sweetie? You’re so pretty to be in a wheelchair!” Primarily a poet, she started writing essays in college. When poet Molly McCully Brown started work on her “I’d like to pretend it was out of this generous or political newest book, Places I’ve Taken My Body: Essays (Persea, June idea,” she says, “but at 19 a lot of what I was doing was writ- 2), she was adamant that she did not want to write a mem- ing to keep myself company.” She had little instruction in oir. “My sense was that unless you have some extraordinary what her adult life would look like. “It isn’t that people who distance, don’t write a memoir before you turn 30,” she says. loved me didn’t want to be helpful, but often you are the “Of course, that’s what happened,” she confesses. “It isn’t a only person in your community for whom these are truths,” linear memoir, but it is a memoir.” she says. “There were limits to the ways in which they could Brown, however, is not your typical 28-year-old. She was keep me company in that experience.” born with cerebral palsy; her twin sister died shortly after And so she went looking for company in books and cul- birth. Places I’ve Taken My Body is her third book; her first, ture. “But it was really hard to find,” Brown explains. There The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded, won were plenty of narratives about fighting for a cure or facing Persea’s 2016 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry. Her death but nothing that answered her questions about beauty

64 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | and sex and desire. “I thought, OK, you are 24 and this is the body you will have forever—altered by surgery, in chronic pain, these complicated disintegrations. I wasn’t finding that material, so I started writing it.” At the beginning of her fellowship, for which the only requirement is that she not return to America for a year, she worries the gift of this time is wasted on her. In Bologna, she struggles with the city’s ancient cobblestoned streets, a flat tire on her wheelchair, endless searching for ramps, all in a INFERNO A Memoir of Motherhood language not her own. Although the book ends in London, and Madness she did ultimately return to Bologna. Cho, Catherine Brown is glad she made it back even though she knew ac- Henry Holt (256 pp.) cessibility in that ancient city would continue to be difficult $26.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-1-250-62371-3 for her. After eight months abroad, she’d figured out how to live with a level of fear and difficulty she hadn’t previously. A publishing professional makes “I think so many of the essays wear that difficulty and an- her writing debut with a memoir that ger a little more lightly because they were edited after I re- details her experiences with postpar- tum psychosis. turned to Bologna,” she says. “I figured out how to have the As Cho notes, she and her husband, James, were two experience of my body in a space that didn’t just feel like it Korean Americans who never paid “attention to Korean tradi- was a hundred shut doors.” tions,” but as they planned for a trip across the U.S. to show off their infant son to friends and relatives, “the rules [of their culture],” which included a “hundred-day celebration” for their Kelly McMasters is the co-editor of This Is the Place: Women baby, suddenly mattered. Then, a week before the event, Cho Writing About Home and Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir experienced a harrowing break with reality. Not only did the author believe she was Dante’s Beatrice, responsible for lead- From an Atomic Town. Places I’ve Taken My Body received a

ing her husband out of hell; she also believed her baby son had young adult starred review in the April 1, 2020, issue. “devils’ eyes.” James took her to a psychiatric hospital. In the dream state of madness, she felt “removed from time,” and memories from childhood and adolescence intermingled with the present. It was as though she was caught in “an infinite loop” in which events, including a past abusive relationship, happened “again and again but with slight variations.” Cho’s sense of self fractured to the point where she could not recognize the faces of members of her husband’s family in pictures. At the same time, the psychosis also seemed to bring her closer to the ancestors who fled North Korea at the beginning of the Korean War and sacrificed connections to loved ones they would never see again. Thinking of them, the author remarks that her experiences “felt so familiar, pre-written somehow,” as if the psychosis somehow replayed a kind of epigenetic trauma. Cho also candidly describes the depression that gripped her in the months following her break. “I wondered if [my son] could sense it,” she writes, “this stranger who had taken his mother’s place.” Haunting and emotionally intense, this powerful memoir explores the hidden connections that tie families across generations, offering poignant meditations on the meaning of motherhood and identity. A compelling look at a mysterious mental illness.

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 65

An unforgettable tell-all that’s rife with details of insurrection, scientific breakthrough, and overcoming the odds. a lab of one’s own

ELIOT NESS AND THE A LAB OF ONE’S OWN MAD BUTCHER One Woman’s Personal Hunting America’s Deadliest Journey Through Unidentified Serial Killer Sexism in Science at the Dawn of Modern Colwell, Rita and Criminology McGrayne, Sharon Bertsch Collins, Max Allan & Schwartz, A. Brad Simon & Schuster (288 pp.) HarperCollins (576 pp.) $27.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 $29.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-1-5011-8127-6 978-0-06-288197-7 One of the world’s most successful A sharp history of crusading detec- scientists reveals how systemic sexism tive Eliot Ness (1903-1957), a man who was vastly more compli- in science has suppressed women and undercut scientific prog- cated than the square-jawed hero of The Untouchables. ress—but she is confident that positive change lies ahead. Ness began his career as a hard-charging special agent In this beautifully written memoir, Colwell, a leading tasked with enforcing Prohibition in gangster-ruled Chicago. microbiologist whose many accolades include being the first As crime writer Collins and historian Schwartz chronicle, he female director of the National Science Foundation, exposes ended up a heavy drinker with a heart condition, thrice-married “a deep-seated bias against women in science [that] has been and unhappy. Having moved to Cleveland to take the post of documented at almost every level, from Nobel Prize winners head of public safety, he’d been broken by “one case he could down to undergraduates.” While readers may not be surprised never publicly close—the monster who emerged to prey on the to learn that science is a male-dominated field, the stories the city’s weakest and most vulnerable even as Eliot Ness began author recounts from her decades of experience as a researcher, cleaning up their town, a killer who made Capone seem benign educator, society president, and entrepreneur are shocking in by comparison, branded in the press a ‘Butcher’ for what he did their scope. She describes men wielding gender as a weapon and to his victims.” And what he did to his victims—most of them rigging the scientific system of recognition and reward against marginal people whose disappearances didn’t excite much inter- women based on unfounded theories of inferior intelligence est from the police—was horrific: The Butcher, “a killer who and ability. One male professor told her, “we don’t waste fellow- preyed on strangers, for reasons incomprehensible outside his ships on women” and that “the only degree you’re going to get own twisted pathology,” cut off heads and genitals, eviscerated is in the maternity ward of a hospital.” Rather than capitulate, and dissected, left torsos and arms scattered along the shore of Colwell persevered and achieved unrivaled success. In deliber- Lake Erie. Finally, upon Ness’ arrival, the police began to take ate and often captivating prose, she describes time after time notice, but they never could quite piece together the serial when she created opportunities for herself and for her female killer’s pattern until a resident of a veterans’ convalescent home peers and students. She also tells the stories of other women in Sandusky voiced his suspicion that the killer was a resident whose determination, insight, and talent helped to chip away there. The cat-and-mouse game that ensued makes for a careen- at the glass ceiling. “In the dozen years after my presidency ing read that’s full of surprises, especially once the killer decided [1984-1985],” she writes, “six women…became presidents of that he ought to take the opportunity to taunt his pursuer. Col- [the American Society for Microbiology]—more women presi- lins and Schwartz deliver a nimble, taut tale. More importantly, dents than the society had ever had before.” Colwell’s unshake- they offer a portrait of a complex crime fighter who believed in able belief that “more women equals better science” shaped her science and reason at a time when most officers smacked sus- historic tenure at the NSF and informs her concluding chapter, pects around with a blackjack, a portrait set against a backdrop a motivating collection of tips for aspiring scientists. Colwell’s of ethnic and class collisions, labor unrest, and political intrigue. grit and brilliance shine through on every page of the book, Catnip for true-crime buffs. which is as much a call to arms as it is autobiography. An unforgettable tell-all that’s rife with details of insurrection, scientific breakthrough, and overcoming the odds.

66 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com |

New Nonfiction from City Lights

The Green New Deal and Race Man Beyond Selected Works, 1960-2015 Ending the Climate By Julian Bond Emergency While We Still Foreword by Pamela Horowitz Can & Jeanne Theoharis Edited by Michael G. Long By Stan Cox Afterword by Doulgas Brinkley Foreword by Noam Chomsky Paperback | 9780872867949 | Paperback | 9780872868069 | $22.95 | eISBN 9780872867994 | $16.95 | eISBN 9780872868076 | 304pp 200pp

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readers interested in the civil rights movement and human than the alternative.” young adult rights overall, as well as to historians and political scientists.” —Kirkus Reviews —Library Journal, Starred Review

A Short History of No Fascist USA! Presidential Election The John Brown Anti-Klan Crises Committee and Lessons for (And How to Prevent the Today’s Movements Next One) By Hilary Moore & James By Alan Hirsch Tracy Paperback | 9780872868298 | Paperback | 9780872867963 | $16.95 | eISBN 9780872868328 | $16.95 | eISBN 9780872868007 | 224pp 256pp

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| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 67 Memorable voices inform a penetrating, absorbing history. eat the buddha

THE LAST LIBERTINES The World Beyond Your Head, the author brings an easy and wide- Craveri, Benedetta ranging erudition to his subject—in this case, our relationships Trans. by Kerner, Aaron to our vehicles. The book might have been titled In Defense of New York Review Books (680 pp.) Driving. Despite his mostly sober prose, Crawford’s “critical, $39.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 humanistic inquiry” is ultimately a passionate appeal to the 978-1-68137-340-9 importance of the autonomous individual in the face of the dehumanizing pressure of automation. Driverless cars meet a Wide-ranging history of a doomed worthy opponent in Crawford, who elegantly dissuades us from generation of French aristocrats whose a future in which “the world becomes a techno-zoo for defeated world would come to an end with the people, like the glassy-eyed creatures in WALL-E, or like the storming of the Bastille in 1789. lab rats who are raised in Plexiglas enclosures.” No matter how Craveri, an Italian professor of many lives you think could be saved by removing imperfect French literature, opens with Saint-Beuve’s famous observa- humans from the driving equation or how tempting you find tion, “It is always a beautiful thing to be twenty years old.” So it to turn your commute into more time looking at your phone, it is, she allows, but especially for the young generation that this book will have you pining for the freedom the open road came up around the time of the reign of Louis XVI. Some bril- has always represented. Crawford can get carried away, as in a liant and some merely rich idlers, the seven historical figures too-detailed account (with diagrams) of rebuilding a Volkswa- she portrays as representative of their class had not just wealth gen engine, but his delight in his subject makes for an enjoyable and nobility at their command; they also took note, to vary- reading experience even for the non-enthusiast. The text is yet ing degrees, of the Enlightenment ideals that were springing more evidence for Crawford’s argument, now extending over up around them. Four of her subjects were counts, two dukes, three books, that paying attention to and placing ourselves in one a mere “chevalier,” but all understood, by Craveri’s account, the material world brings a certain satisfaction that we neglect that the meritocratic ideal of thinkers like Diderot mattered at our peril. Employing memoir, journalism, cultural criticism, less than the accident of their birth. Some of the author’s char- and political philosophy—and never shying away from the con- acters hitched their fortunes to the star that was Marie Antoi- tentious (“An Ode to Redneck Women”)—the author makes nette, the “ravishing, frivolous queen.” But then, the nobility being human seem worthwhile. as a whole tended toward the frivolous, given to intensely pub- Even if Crawford is fighting a losing battle, he fights it lic displays of consumption, campaigns of gaining royal favor, valiantly, even heroically. court intrigues, and the usual affairs, all expressions of what the author calls “classical libertinism.” (She adds that the habit of the extramarital affair “played the role of corrective for a mat- EAT THE BUDDHA rimonial institution indifferent to the wishes of its contracting Life and Death in a parties.”) Craveri’s narrative is long, winding, and leisurely, as Tibetan Town the author takes her time getting to the French Revolution and Demick, Barbara the arrival of the guillotine, which took some—but not all—of Random House (368 pp.) the aristocrats off the stage. Indeed, there’s a hint of Balzac to $28.00 | Jul. 28, 2020 the prose, which has some nice moments, as when she writes of 978-0-8129-9875-7 one social climber, “Julie was too proud to submit to the logic of caste that relegated her to the margins of society.” A portrait of one town reveals Tibet’s For fans of Laclos and De Staël, an overstuffed portrait of tragic past. a long-gone era. (20 illustrations) Demick, a reporter for the Los Ange les Times who served as its bureau chief in Beijing and Seoul, offers a vibrant, often heartbreaking his- WHY WE DRIVE tory of Tibet, centered on Ngaba, which sits at 11,000 feet on Toward a Philosophy of the the plateau where Tibet collides with China. The author made Open Road three trips to the town beginning in 2013, and she interviewed Crawford, Matthew B. Tibetans in Ngaba and many others living abroad, including the Morrow/HarperCollins (368 pp.) Dalai Lama and an exiled princess, who spoke candidly about $28.99 | Jun. 9, 2020 the culture, religion, and politics of the besieged region. Tibet 978-0-06-274196-7 has long been vulnerable to Chinese invasion: In the 1930s, Red Army soldiers, after ransacking farms and slaughtering animals, A philosopher stakes his claim to caused widespread famine. Desperate from hunger, they dis- freedom and the open road. covered that votive statues in the monasteries were sculpted What do driving cars and riding from barley flour and butter and were forced into “literally motorcycles have to do with philosophy? eating the Buddha.” Demick chronicles decades of incursions, Quite a bit, it seems, at least when Crawford is steering the beginning in the 1950s, that resulted in cultural upheaval, eco- discussion. As in his previous books, Shop Class as Soulcraft and nomic hardship, and the deaths of about 300,000 Tibetans.

68 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | Determined to sweep out religion, the Chinese demolished THE DEATH OF THE ARTIST monasteries. Images of the Dalai Lama—or even mention of How Creators Are Struggling his name—incurred harsh punishment. Tibetans were herded To Survive in the Age of into communes, where they could not even cook for themselves. Billionaires and Big Tech Schoolchildren were indoctrinated to believe that the Commu- Deresiewicz, William nist Party “had liberated Tibet from serfdom.” By 1968, protests Henry Holt (368 pp.) arose, demanding the “dismantling of the communes, the dis- $27.99 | Jul. 28, 2020 tribution of livestock to the people, and the right to reopen 978-1-250-12551-4 the monasteries.” Not surprisingly, the Communists refused, directing militias to intimidate and persecute the activists. The In defense of artists of all varieties, protests, Demick writes, “established Ngaba’s reputation for most of whom face daunting challenges rebelliousness,” which intensified in 2009, when Ngaba became in making a living. notorious for self-immolations, “an unequivocal register of Cultural critic Deresiewicz astutely examines the state of discontent.” Although many Tibetans are grateful for the eco- the arts in contemporary culture, arguing convincingly that nomic growth and technology that the Chinese have brought, to be an artist is not to be a practitioner of a “secular religion” the loss has been tremendous. “I have everything I might pos- but instead a producer within a market economy. His book, he sibly want in life,” one Tibetan businessman told Demick, “but writes, “attempts to make visible…the two things that the arts my freedom.” have long concealed about themselves: work and money.” Draw- Memorable voices inform a penetrating, absorbing ing on articles, books, and essays by artists, scholars, and critics history. as well as 140 lengthy phone interviews with artists who work in young adult

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 69 A sympathetic, cleareyed portrait that gives Dworkin her due without smoothing over her rough edges. andrea dworkin

music, writing, visual art, film, and TV—he profiles 25 in detail— position was misunderstood as a call for censorship when in the author paints a vivid picture of the challenges involved fact what she advocated was the right of women who had been in making art, finding an audience, and being self-supporting harmed by pornography to sue its purveyors—and their obliga- as an artist. Noting that the term “fine arts” dates to 1767, he tion to prove their case in court. Her response to free-speech traces the cultural identity of artists from Renaissance artisans absolutists gives a good sense of both her belligerence and supported by patrons to Enlightenment creators of art “as an her searching intelligence: “People have no idea how middle- autonomous realm of expression” to bohemians who defiantly classed and privileged their liberal First Amendment stuff is— rejected the marketplace, as if the very idea of money tainted how power and money determine who can speak in this society.” the purity of their endeavors. Today, artists working in every These words resonate even more strongly today, and Duberman genre must be constantly aware, self-marketing to audiences or notes that after years of opprobrium, there is now “a modicum finding intermediaries, such as agents, to market them. Most of acknowledgment of Andrea’s insistent bravery, her mesmer- artists, Deresiewicz shows, earn subsistence incomes, with their izing public voice, her generosity of spirit.” biggest financial pressure coming from rent, both for living, A sympathetic, cleareyed portrait that gives Dworkin her working, and performing. The author examines a wide range due without smoothing over her rough edges. of topics relevant to artists’ lives, including MFA programs; the rise of Amazon and possibility for self-publishing; opportunities in TV, which is “rolling in cash”; the dearth of philanthropic THE COUGAR CONUNDRUM support of the arts in favor of projects with social impact; and Sharing the World With a the internet, which has made art accessible, offering “unmedi- Successful Predator ated access to the audience” but also putting artists in competi- Elbroch, Mark tion with many others. Island Press (272 pp.) A savvy assessment of how artists can, and should, func- $30.00 paper | Aug. 13, 2020 tion in the marketplace. 978-1-61091-998-2

A mountain biologist explores the ANDREA DWORKIN lives of cougars, which are becoming ever The Feminist as more present in the places that humans Revolutionary tread. Duberman, Martin Attacks by cougars—variously called pumas, panthers, and The New Press (384 pp.) mountain lions as well—seem to be on the upswing, though $29.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 Elbroch observes that domesticated animals such as dogs and 978-1-62097-585-5 cows are far more dangerous, to say nothing of venomous arach- nids and reptiles. An obvious reason for this spike, writes the Veteran biographer and gay rights author, is that there are simply more humans and, after a long activist Duberman assesses the life campaign to eradicate them followed by an equally intense effort and thought of the combative radical to restore them, more cougars, too. More and more humans are feminist. also spending more time outdoors, which increases the likeli- Andrea Dworkin (1946-2005) was among the most contro- hood of encounters. Elbroch takes readers on a tour of cougar versial figures in the second-wave feminist movement, carica- biology and ecology, emphasizing how important the big cats tured by her critics as a man-hating lesbian who believed all are to the ecosystem—e.g., they feed mostly on deer, which can heterosexual sex was rape. Duberman, who knew her personally, easily become too abundant in the absence of predators. More paints a much more nuanced picture, pointing out that Dwor- pointedly, the author spends much of the book examining man- kin lived for 40 years in a nonexclusive, occasionally sexual rela- agement practices, arguing against unrestricted hunting on sev- tionship with a devoted male partner and that she was ahead eral grounds, including the fact that “killing a mountain lion [has] of her time in seeing gender as a social construct that denied more than ten times the impact in determining the likelihood the fluidity of human sexual behavior. His account of- Dwor that there will be conflicts in an area as compared to adding one kin’s childhood and youth depicts a precocious rebel with a more live mountain lion to that same area.” Elbroch is particu- deep commitment to social justice and a theatrical, confron- larly critical of trophy hunters, who, in the case of bears, “cause tational personality that brooked no compromise or evasions. social chaos that increases infanticide for up to two years follow- When she was subjected to a brutal and humiliating vaginal ing the death of their trophy bear.” The effects on mountain lion exam after being arrested at a sit-in protesting the Vietnam War, populations are less well known, but all the same, the author con- 18-year-old Dworkin wrote to every newspaper in New York cludes that nonlethal conservation is preferable to but does not City describing her ordeal and the conditions at the Women’s necessarily rule out hunting, making hunters and biologists natu- House of Detention. It was the beginning of her lifelong battle ral allies: “We need bridges, not divisions, among stakeholders.” to make the world face the fact that women were routinely mis- Policymakers, conservationists, and hunters alike will treated and abused, culminating in her famous crusade against find this a useful, if sometimes controversial, handbook. pornography. Duberman persuasively argues that Dworkin’s (photos)

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| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 71 BRADBURY BEYOND APOLLO NOT A NOVEL Eller, Jonathan R. A Memoir in Pieces Univ. of Illinois (336 pp.) Erpenbeck, Jenny $34.95 | Aug. 16, 2020 Trans. by Beals, Kurt 978-0-252-04341-3 New Directions (212 pp.) $16.95 paper | Sep. 29, 2020 The final installment of the author’s 978-0-8112-2932-6 three-volume life of Ray Bradbury (1920-2012). A memoir from one of Europe’s most Eller, director of the Center for Ray original and accomplished writers. Bradbury Studies at Indiana University- German writer Erpenbeck has pub- Purdue, creates an assured, meticulously lished a number of works of fiction, researched narrative based on interviews, archival sources, many garnering distinguished prizes and awards. In her first and extensive knowledge of his subject’s oeuvre. Bradbury book of nonfiction, which she calls “a collection of texts,” she wrote his most famous works—such as Fahrenheit 451 and The is “looking back for the first time at many years of my life, at Martian Chronicles—from 1941 to 1962. By 1969, the year Brad- the thoughts that filled my life from day to day during that bury designated as Apollo Year 1 in honor of the space mis- time.” These essays, lectures, and speeches are organized in sion, he “had become a cultural icon whose legacy would shine three parts: “Life,” “Literature and Music,” and “Society.” In a light deep into the next century.” He also turned to other the first, the author recounts her early years growing up in East genres, including lectures, essays, poetry, plays, and orches- Berlin, when she saw “soldiers on patrol” and the “barricades, tral pieces; collected past stories; and pushed for stage, TV, the watchtowers, and the wall.” When she moved to another and film adaptations, efforts that sometimes failed because apartment, she could “read the time for my socialist life from of his prickly relationships with producers and collaborators. this clock in the other world.” After the wall fell, she writes, Though hailed by many for his lyrical prose, Bradbury could “my childhood belonged in a museum.” In the second section, exasperate the scientific community. The Smithsonian Air and Erpenbeck begins with her literary models, especially fairy tales, Space Museum, for example, complained of an “unbridgeable which featured transformations that “expanded my reality like gulf between his cosmology and the established science of the a drug.” She also discusses Hermann Hesse, Thomas Mann, and day” that made his participation with the museum untenable. Edgar Lee Masters, whose taciturn poems made her “want to When he was invited as a speaker, he took assigned topics as use language primarily to give shape to the gaps between the nothing more than “an invitation to extemporaneous story- words, those mute spaces.” In Spoon River Anthology, she writes, telling,” sometimes with regrettable results. As in his previous the “pauses are part of the text, they may be the finest part.” volumes, Eller traces Bradbury’s life in detail, noting every In this essay and one on her book The Old Child, Erpenbeck is publication and project, and his views on a variety of topics: revealing about her unique literary style: elliptical, restrained, politics (he was a Reagan supporter, applauding the adminis- unvarnished, and austere. In her exploration of her play Cats tration’s tax cuts and foreign policy), fear of flying (he “could Have Nine Lives, she explains how writing plays taught her to not fly to Florida” to receive an Aviation Space Writers Asso- excise unnecessary words: “Silence is essential, it is the insepa- ciation Award), and the Italian filmmaker Fellini (they shared rable shadow of what is spoken.” In the last section, Erpenbeck “avoidance of revision and rational reflection in the midst of the activist is front and center. “Blind Spots,” a keynote speech, creation”). Assessing Bradbury’s legacy, Eller persuasively powerfully addresses borders, refugees from “shitholes,” and depicts him as “a visionary, asked over and over again to tell us the “concept of freedom.” why we desire to explore, why we should go to the stars, and An ideal introduction to the life and work of an excep- what we might become when we get there.” tional artist. A well-crafted biography of a man who inspired “cosmic awareness in the everyday world.” BARNSTORMING OHIO To Understand America Giffels, David Hachette (272 pp.) $28.00 | Aug. 25, 2020 978-0-306-84639-7

An Ohio native chronicles his road trip through his complicated home state, which has gotten only more complicated in the Trump era. Giffels, a longtime Akron-based journalist, has no grand unified theory of Ohio to offer, no

72 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | common denominator for a place that encompasses Deep boom in craft brewing, hard-nosed progressive activism, and a South, urban, Midwestern, and Appalachian cultures and split stubbornness exemplified by Robert Pollard, the Dayton-based political sensibilities. It is, he writes, “an all-American buffet, frontman of the boozy but indefatigable band Guided by Voices. an uncannily complete everyplace.” But he also senses that the In Ohio, writes the author, “struggle is a sort of birthright, and loose tethers connecting the state are further unraveling, so he it has inspired energy and innovation in the generation that has hit the road to understand the fraying. In Lordstown, he found followed the industrial decline.” a factory town betrayed first by GM and then by Trump’s empty An affectionate, realistic survey of a state coming back promises of revival. Giffels visited farmers struggling amid tar- from the brink. iffs and punishing storms. In Elyria, a community pins its hopes on Amazon building a warehouse on the site of a dead mall; in Dayton, the opioid epidemic persists; in Cincinnati, relations between police and black residents remain tense. Throughout the book, Giffels tries to square these challenges with the fact that the state turned so eagerly to Trump in 2016. To that point, he finds a few lessons in the late Jim Traficant, the corrupt, pugnacious congressperson who still earned respect for a seemingly genuine compassion for the common man. The author’s efforts to cover multiple bases can feel breezy at times, and there’s little drama in his deep dive into the short-lived presidential can- didacy of Tim Ryan. But Giffels also writes gracefully at every

stop and actively seeks pockets of sunlight amid the gloom: a young adult

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 73 SYNCHRONICITY UNFIT FOR PURPOSE The Epic Quest To When Human Evolution Understand the Quantum Collides With the Modern Nature of Cause and Effect World Halpern, Paul Hart, Adam Basic (320 pp.) Bloomsbury Sigma (365 pp.) $24.99 | Aug. 18, 2020 $28.00 | Aug. 11, 2020 978-1-5416-7363-2 978-1-4729-7099-2

Another attempt to explain quantum How evolution has failed to equip mechanics that sometimes succeeds. human beings for the 21st century. A bedrock of science is that things For readers puzzled about why they happen for a reason. The window breaks after the rock strikes feel overworked, anxious, depressed, and it, not before. Also, it doesn’t break because the stars are mis- mentally and physically worn down, Hart, an entomologist and aligned. This is the concept of cause and effect, writes physics science broadcaster, has an interesting hypothesis. The culprit professor Halpern, who begins with a history of science begin- may be a “mismatch between the world in which we evolved ning with the ancient Greeks, who didn’t trust observation and the world in which we now find ourselves.” Many of the because human senses were imperfect. True knowledge, they issues the author examines in this scientifically sophisticated taught, required deep thought. Aristotle explained a few things but (mostly) readable, accessible treatise—gut health, chronic correctly but got many wrong. Once thinkers took observation obesity, internet-induced social dysfunctions, media violence’s seriously—Galileo was probably the first scientist—centuries effect on our brains, stress overload, hyperaddictive personality of straightforward scientific explanations followed until the disorders—have all been covered in various ways. What makes 20th century, when Einstein’s relativity muddled matter, energy, Hart’s approach intriguing is his framing of our modern-day ills time, and space and then quantum mechanics proved that rea- as simple biological deficiencies: We have created a world that sonable things such as locating a particle precisely are impos- regularly pushes us beyond our naturally given physical and psy- sible—but the impossible happens routinely. Light changes chological limits. “Most worryingly,” he writes, “despite a very from a wave to a particle and back again. Devoting two-thirds pressing need to solve the many environmental problems we of his text to history, Halpern delves so deeply into quantum have caused, evolution has left us selfish and without any sensi- mechanics that readers unfamiliar with college physics will ble notion of the future.” What can we do about this discrepancy struggle. At this point, he introduces Carl Jung, the brilliant between our capacities as evolved beings and the challenges of Swiss psychiatrist who both learned from and influenced physi- the modern world? That’s a more uncertain matter. One area cist Wolfgang Pauli during 25 years of their relationship, begin- in which Hart’s study hits home is his terrifying hypothetical ning in the 1930s. Jung believed that humans share a collective description of “microstressors” and how they can slowly kill us unconscious revealed through religion, mythology, and art, with in barely noticeable ways. Less original—even when backed by dreams playing a central role. That dreams rarely make sense peer-reviewed research from the scientific community—are stimulated Jung, who emphasized synchronicity, the idea that the author’s assessments of how our brains react to the increas- coincidences are connected provided one looks deeply enough. ingly hyperviolent images the media constantly feeds us. Hart Thus, it was no accident that Mark Twain was born and died in is unconvincing in his discussion of the long debatable idea that a year of Halley’s comet. The experience left Pauli fascinated by we’re becoming a more violent society and that those who expe- mysticism, numerology, and psychic phenomena without con- rience greater exposure to violent images will be more prone to tributing much to his scientific acumen. Since synchronicity is violence in real life. So what side of human nature will win out— unprovable, few scientists take it seriously. Halpern is no excep- our innate capacity for cooperation or our natural tendency tion, but he presents it as a painful example of the difficulty of toward selfishness? For Hart, it’s a toss-up. understanding phenomena that seem to lack cause and effect. An intermittently fascinating but inconclusive pop-sci- An intensely detailed investigation of modern scientific ence study. fields that defy common sense.

74 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | SUMMER READING FOR YOUNG SKEPTICS from bestselling author JAMES W. LOEWEN young adult

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THE NEW PRESS www.thenewpress.com

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 75 A nimble exploration of the ways our diverse bodies interact with the world around us. what can a body do?

THINK LIKE A FEMINIST WHAT CAN A The Philosophy Behind the BODY DO? Revolution How We Meet the Built Hay, Carol World Norton (224 pp.) Hendren, Sara $25.95 | Sep. 15, 2020 Riverhead (272 pp.) 978-1-324-00309-0 $27.00 | Aug. 18, 2020 978-0-7352-2000-3 How—and why—do young feminists’ goals differ from those of their mothers A granular inquiry into a fascinating and grandmothers? A philosophy profes- question: “Who is the world designed for?” sor has answers. Hendren, an artist and design Despite its title, this energetic overview of several cen- researcher who teaches design for disability at the Olin College turies of feminist thought offers few self-help tips until, late of Engineering, enthusiastically studies how both abled and in the book, Hay suggests ways to deal with annoyances like disabled bodies confront the relative rigidity or flexibility of “manspreading” and “mansplaining.” Instead, with a winning the built world and how disability derives in part by the (built) mix of scholarship and irreverence, the author lays out the shape of the world, its rigid and scripted sense of what the body philosophical underpinnings of feminism and how they have can do, and how it organizes space. “It’s the interaction between evolved through three waves: the first focused on female suf- the conditions of the body and the shapes of the world that frage, the second on political and legal goals, and the third make disability into a lived experience,” writes the author, “and on the intersection of sexism and injustices such as “racism, therefore a matter not only for individuals but also for societies.” classism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia.” Hay traces She dissects the prevalence of “average,” its physical and moral women’s oppression partly to the unequal results of Adam and qualities and its false projection of cultural worth. Hendren Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden: Adam simply “gets sees the world as it might flex and bend to better fit a variety kicked out of his parents’ basement and told he has to grow of interpretations of universal ideas. It’s about being adaptive, up and get a job” while Eve and her descendants were thrown acknowledging how environments can be built to compensate “under a bus.” The author also shows the clashing responses for our bodily limitations or to refine our capacities. The aim, that women’s predicaments have inspired in fervent theorists writes the author, is for “workhorse pragmatism” and “charis- and activists—e.g., Aristotle and John Stuart Mill, “Angry matic” presence. With intimacy, curiosity, and a bright sense Feminists” and “Girl Power Feminists,” “trans-inclusive femi- of possibility, Hendren investigates the creation of elegantly nists” and “trans-exclusionary radical feminists.” Hay doesn’t designed prostheses from low-cost, readily available materials, mention Gloria Steinem but sums up the impact of many devices whose social meaning does not preclude alternate pos- other signal figures, including Mary Wollstonecraft, Simone sibilities of individual experience. She also considers the three- de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Audre Lorde, Susan Brownmiller, dimensionality of sign language and its distinct sensory ecology. Shulamith Firestone, and Kimberlé Crenshaw. Hay’s approach Most pointedly, perhaps, the author investigates the concept of has its limits: Focused on theories born in capitalist econo- dependency. “Dependency and the care it requires,” she writes, mies, she takes too little note of the ideas of feminists out- “may be the most distilled definition of disability and also the side North America whose support for socialist programs has most universal. Some scholars claim that disability may well helped their democracies race past the U.S. and Canada in be ‘the fundamental of human embodiment.’ The fundamental achieving widely shared goals such as paid parental leave. Still, aspect? What a notion—that the universalizing experience of this book speaks to second- and third-wavers alike and could disability, states of dimensional dependence from our infancy build worthy intergenerational bridges. through the end of life, might be the central fact of having a A lively compendium of what Gloria Steinem didn’t tell body, or rather being a body.” you about feminist ideas and why they matter. A nimble exploration of the ways our diverse bodies interact with the world around us.

76 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 77 RAVENNA IRON EMPIRES Capital of Empire, Robber Barons, Railroads, Crucible of Europe and the Making of Modern Herrin, Judith America Princeton Univ. (528 pp.) Hiltzik, Michael $29.95 | Aug. 11, 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (448 pp.) 978-0-691-15343-8 $30.00 | Aug. 11, 2020 978-0-544-77031-7 The early life and times of an Italian city that sometimes threatened to over- A vigorously told history of the shadow Rome. transcontinental railroad barons and Ravenna, on the Adriatic coast the commercial and transportation near Venice and Bologna, served as an outpost in the days of empires they forged. the Roman Republic. When Visigoths and other outlanders Los Angeles Times columnist and reporter Hiltzik opens with descended on Rome, Ravenna seemed a promising strong- a westward-bound Scotsman named Robert Louis Stevenson, hold, “partly because it was considered impregnable and partly not yet famous for his adventure tales, who took careful note because of its large port,” as emerita professor of classics Her- of the emigrants aboard an early Union Pacific line and the con- rin writes. After the fall of Rome, it steadily gained importance, tempt with which the railroad workers treated them. The great first as a center of Gothic power and then as a tributary city empire-builders among the railroad entrepreneurs—Cornelius of Byzantium and an entrepôt with strong ties to the Eastern Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, and J. Pierpont Morgan among them— Roman empire. “This strength,” Herrin observes, “was rooted “formed a continuum that for more than four decades…trans- in its threefold combination of Roman law and military prow- formed America’s railroads from a patchwork of short lines ess, Greek education and culture and Christian belief and waging constant self-destructive war with one another into a morality.” She examines each of these pillars in turn. Roman titanic enterprise that could justly be considered America’s first power steadily declined over the centuries until Alaric stormed big business.” They also helped transform the U.S. into a conti- the gates in 410 C.E., but Ravenna remembered the lessons nent-spanning, and then international, power. Few were models of its rule, eventually establishing colonies of its own in many of ethical capitalism; as Hiltzik notes, Gould in particular was parts of the former empire, especially in Sicily. More powerful “a master of financial chicanery,” but at least he was an unosten- than any other institution was the church, so strong that rival- tatious and retiring sort, whereas others were flagrant in buy- ries with the papal headquarters in Rome were not uncommon. ing judges and politicians. The worse the capitalists became, Of particular interest to students of early Christian history is the greater the strength of labor activism arrayed against them. Ravenna’s emergence as a node of Arian worship—though, Her- However, as the author observes, “the desire to counter the rin writes, eventually that “heresy” would be suppressed at the policies of the tycoons was hamstrung by the absence of instru- order of Byzantine Emperor Justin, “a symptom of the much ments to do so”—until the crusading labor leader Eugene V. greater intolerance that would later result in outright persecu- Debs came along. No matter, for the very White House was tion of minorities.” The bonds with the Eastern Roman Empire in the railroad owners’ pockets—the attorney general in Gro- would eventually break, but the centuries of affiliation explain ver Cleveland’s Cabinet, who spent years as an executive with why even today so many people travel to Ravenna to see Byzan- different railroad corporations, was paid more on the side by tine art, so widely destroyed elsewhere. Even in later medieval them than in salary by the federal treasury—until Theodore times, adds the author, “the mosaicked churches of Ravenna… Roosevelt began his vigorous work on antitrust reforms. The continued to inspire transalpine visitors as they became monas- story will be well known to readers versed in late-19th-century tic centres, ensuring their preservation while all around the pal- American history, but the rest will benefit from Hiltzik’s clear aces of secular power crumbled.” exposition of key episodes and players. Aficionados of early medieval history—and of course Students of the Gilded Age and its unraveling will value Ravenna itself—will learn much from Herrin’s work. this survey. (27 b/w photos; 6 maps)

78 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | A gripping true-crime chronicle in which the justice is both righteous and agonizing. the arsonist

THE ARSONIST a method or motive proved to be difficult. Hooper fills in the A Mind on Fire other sections with the stories of stressed attorneys jockeying for Hooper, Chloe litigious positioning and dramatic courtroom scenes but also the Seven Stories (272 pp.) heartbreaking profiles of the fire victims. One recalls a truncated $18.95 paper | Aug. 11, 2020 phone conversation with his son, soon after which he received 978-1-64421-000-0 a text message that read, “Dad im dead I love u.” In addition, Hooper delivers an evenhanded psychological assessment of A tactical breakdown of Australia’s Sokaluk. Vulnerable, volatile, and seemingly misunderstood, he catastrophic Black Saturday bushfires endured a tortuous childhood and lived his life with undiagnosed and the arsonist behind them. and untreated autism. In the courtroom, the legal team struggled In early 2009, two wildfires engulfed with Sokaluk’s defense strategy amid damning evidence from more than 450,000 hectares in the state of neighbors who’d witnessed the accused burning a towering bon- Victoria, ultimately leading to 173 deaths. In an engrossing report fire in his backyard or sitting on his rooftop watching the flames brimming with urgent detail and palpable suspense, Hooper from the wildfires in awe. Both pensive and revelatory in the clos- diligently retraces the steps of those investigations. Dividing the ing pages, the narrative covers Sokaluk’s arson conviction, the book into three sections, the author brings together the findings community reaction, and the crime’s aftermath. Consistently riv- of crime scene experts, forensic fire scientists, and arson squad eting and never fuzzy on the details, Hooper’s book encompasses authorities, all of whom meticulously scrutinized every possible the specifics of the fire, its collateral damages, and the troubled clue left by a fire in which “burning birds fell from trees, igniting mind behind the mayhem. the ground where they landed.” A local suspect named Brendan A gripping true-crime chronicle in which the justice is

Sokaluk was detained as the “firebug” arsonist, but establishing both righteous and agonizing. young adult

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 79 WHO WE’RE READING WHEN Every historian hopes to stumble on records that alter WE’RE READING MURAKAMI understanding of the past. Through industry and luck, Kars, a Karashima, David historian of slavery, has done just that. Her discovery of never- Soft Skull Press (384 pp.) used Dutch archives informs this tale of a previously unknown $16.95 paper | Sep. 1, 2020 slave uprising on South America’s northern coast. Written in 978-1-59376-589-7 lively, detailed prose, the narrative offers fresh looks at slavery in the New World and, equally important, slaves’ efforts A lively account of the many people to free themselves from bondage. The “collective armed rebel- involved in bringing Haruki Murakami’s lion” along the Berbice River in today’s Guyana, then a Dutch writings to English-speaking readers. colony, started in 1763. Although it eventually failed, the violent Literature originates with an author’s insurrection drew in native tribes, Spanish and Dutch forces imagination, but the final product is the from Europe, and colonists from neighboring settlements. work of a team of professionals, from agents and editors to mar- The incident is historically significant because the slaves who keting staff and cover designers. The task of bringing the work took independence into their own hands controlled an entire of an author who writes in another language to English-speak- colony for over a year—something unprecedented until Haitian ing audiences is even more complex. In this admiring work, first slaves began freeing themselves in 1791 in a successful 13-year printed in Japanese in 2018, Karashima travels “back in time struggle. The novelty of this book is the author’s presentation to tell the stories of the colorful cast of characters who first of the rebellion’s records: an incredible 900 slave testimonies contributed to publishing Murakami’s work in English.” The previously unknown and unused until Kars unearthed them. vibrancy of those colors varies from person to person. Among They contain the words and voices of the mutinous slaves, the subjects are Murakami’s first translator, Alfred Birnbaum, voices rarely captured with such fidelity and in such numbers in an American who came to Japan with his family at age 5, got a job the archives of other insurrections. It’s these voices, and Kars’ translating for Kodansha International, “one of the leading pub- skill in bringing them to life, that keeps the text from being a lishers of Japanese literature in English translation,” and trans- dry academic study. So, too, does the story’s classic tragic arc: lated A Wild Sheep Chase in 1987, when Murakami was unknown dashes for freedom, alliances between slaves and Indigenous outside Japan; Elmer Luke, a Chinese American editor who, in tribes, in-fighting and betrayals, heroic leaders, barbarities on Murakami’s words, “started the engine” when he sold his work all sides, and deflating defeat. Though the rebellion failed, the to the American market; editors at the New Yorker, including Berbice colony never recovered from the costs of defeating the former editor-in-chief Robert Gottlieb, who, Karashima argues, uprising. It was a harbinger of things to come. “may have been pivotal to Murakami’s career” by publishing his A riveting addition to the history of the search for free- early stories; and later translators such as Jay Rubin and Philip dom in the Americas. Gabriel. Parts of the book are extraneous; there’s little point in quoting someone whose response to a question about the U.S. publication of A Wild Sheep Chase is to say he doesn’t recall any THE WARDIAN CASE details. But readers interested in Murakami will enjoy learn- Keogh, Luke ing about the challenges and trade-offs involved in translation, Univ. of Chicago (288 pp.) from the different styles of his translators to his philosophical $35.00 | Aug. 1, 2020 acceptance of the changes the New Yorker made to his work 978-0-226-71361-8 because that publication “has a large number of readers and they also pay really well.” Australian historian Keogh explores A fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of how a humble box made of wood and publishing. glass changed the course of world history. In 1829, British surgeon and amateur naturalist Nathaniel Ward designed a BLOOD ON THE RIVER case in which living plants could be kept A Chronicle of Mutiny and alive for months at a time with little or no human intervention Freedom on the Wild Coast while being transported from one continent to another. Over Kars, Marjoleine the next century, thousands of these boxes were crafted and sent The New Press (336 pp.) back and forth across the ocean many times, carrying plants for $27.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 agricultural purposes, scientific study, and personal enjoyment. 978-1-62097-459-9 Technologically, what came to be known as the Wardian case— though Ward never took out a patent or received any reimburse- A microhistory of scholarly signifi- ment for the invention, to his disgruntlement—was seemingly cance, this action-packed book enlarges unremarkable. A wooden bottom held soil in which plants understanding of the New World’s his- could be grown, and glass windows allowed in sunlight, pre- tory in the era of international conflict vented water loss through evaporation, and kept seawater from on the eve of transformative Western revolutions. entering what was basically a terrarium. In this well-balanced,

80 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | Richly researched, revelatory, disturbing, and essential to those wandering in the mists of American myth. break it up

thoughtful account, Keogh investigates both the positive and prayer in schools) to divide and conquer, the interference of negative impacts of the cases, which contributed to science and Russia in our elections (yes, the Russians benefit mightily from food production but also allowed for the spread of many inva- an America in disarray), and the behavior of Trump, who has sive species, including not just the desired plants themselves, “certainly made those [cultural/political] divisions far worse.” but species that hitched rides in the boxes. Ample illustrations, Richly researched, revelatory, disturbing, and essential including some in color, add visual appeal to the book. Though to those wandering in the mists of American myth. some may find it overly scholarly and wonder whether what is essentially a well-designed packing box deserves quite so many pages of study, the author carefully teases out the connections THE ERRATICS between this innovation and its multiple consequences. Along A Memoir the way, he introduces some colorful characters, not least the Laveau-Harvie, Vicki debonair homebody Ward himself, with his “pleasant and car- Knopf (224 pp.) ing disposition” and knack for networking and self-promotion. $25.95 | Aug. 20, 2020 Endnotes reveal the careful lengths to which Keogh has gone in 978-0-525-65861-0 his investigation and suggest many possible books for further information about the subjects he covers. A Canadian-born educator’s account An in-depth study that will suit detail-oriented gardeners of an unexpected homecoming that and natural history buffs. (color photos) forced her to come to terms with a dysfunctional family past. Laveau-Harvie returned to Alberta

BREAK IT UP from Australia after learning that a fall had landed her elderly, young adult Secession, Division, “mad as a meat-ax” mother in the hospital. The author’s concern and the Secret History was not so much for her mother, but more for her foggy-brained of America’s Imperfect Union father, whom her mother had starved and turned against his Kreitner, Richard daughters. Long disinherited by her parents, Laveau-Harvie Little, Brown (384 pp.) knew that keeping her mother confined was the only way to save $30.00 | Aug. 18, 2020 her father. As she began to assess the world her estranged par- 978-0-316-51060-8 ents inhabited in their filthy, isolated house on 20 acres, memories of her past life with them resurfaced. Most of the memories A contributor to the Nation revisits involved her mother. Though given to sometimes-outrageous American history, highlighting the many cri- exaggeration, she could make “anything sound reasonable. On ses that nearly caused permanent fracture. her urging, Mormons have been known to consume alcohol.” In his latest book, Kreitner effectively cleans the window She also seemed to take pleasure in making both her daughters that stands between us and our history—or what we have feel like “prey,” often repeating the refrain, “I’ll get you and you believed about our history. Beginning in 1620 with the arrival of won’t even know I’m doing it.” The author and her sister both the Pilgrims and ending with the election of Donald Trump— fled and made lives far away from home, but when her more “the 2016 presidential election set off a volcanic upheaval unlike conciliatory sister offered to move from her home in Vancouver, any since the one [Walt] Whitman welcomed in 1861. The next her mother suggested that “trespassing anywhere near them day, many Americans walked around as if in a daze, their faces would be answered with a Kalashnikov.” For 18 months, the sis- the portrait of a divided nation”—the text highlights those ters traveled back and forth to ensure that their mother would moments, some no doubt unfamiliar to many readers, when be ruled incompetent and to see that their father received colonies, territories, states, and groups within states considered proper care. The home care specialists they hired—such as the rebellion and secession. Although the author discusses the most “housekeeping slut,” the “gold digger,” and the “serial killer”— prominent of these, the Civil War, he focuses more on the lit- eventually made them realize that they would need to reforge tle-known. He reminds us that the 13 Colonies did not gleefully broken ties and bring their father back into their lives. This riv- unite against the British, that the Constitution did not arrive eting book explores family relationships—and the sometimes- to universal acclaim, that we did not all leap enthusiastically devastating pain they cause—with a darkly humorous ferocity into the War of 1812, that we have long feared and mistreated that is both remarkable and eloquent. immigrants, and that there were numerous instances when A poignant, unsparing, often poetic memoir. our country was close to falling apart. Oregon, Washington, Texas, California, the New England states—these and other states have considered secession; in some cases, these efforts have been quite recent. Throughout, the author does an admirable job suppressing his own political views—until near the end, when he expresses his horror about the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, the GOP’s intransigence with Barack Obama and its use of cultural issues (abortion, gay marriage,

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 81 TWO TREES MAKE A FOREST MONEY FOR NOTHING Travels Among Taiwan’s The Scientists, Mountains and Coasts in Fraudsters, and Search of My Family’s Past Corrupt Politicians Who Lee, Jessica J. Reinvented Money, Panicked Catapult (304 pp.) a Nation, and Made the $16.95 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 World Rich 978-1-64622-000-7 Levenson, Thomas Random House (400 pp.) A family memoir that incorporates $28.00 | Aug. 18, 2020 elements of environmental and colo- 978-0-8129-9846-7 nial history and celebrates the subtle- ties of language. The story of government debt finance, which sounds boring Lee, a Berlin-based British Canadian Taiwanese author, but definitely isn’t. began her journey and historical excavation after discovering Science writer and MIT professor Levenson reminds read- her grandfather’s attempts at an autobiography, “just a series ers that rulers throughout history have taxed citizens to pay of fragments, circled and repeated—pieces of his life told bills. During wars, this proved insufficient, so they borrowed to no one before, pressed to paper, and perhaps forgotten by from rich people and often didn’t pay it back. As a result, gov- him soon after writing.” The author grew up in Canada with ernments paid higher interest than private borrowers and some- her mother and grandparents, all of whom had relocated there times found no lenders. Alternatives such as seizing church from Taiwan. After she found her grandfather’s letters, written money created other difficulties, but unpaid soldiers wreaked when the “Chinese Communist Party was formed,” Lee became havoc. Britain solved this problem around 1700 when clever increasingly drawn to the island that she had visited as a baby men invented the joint-stock company, which would exchange but never considered a significant part of her identity. This ele- government bonds for stock in their business. The bonds were giac book, which smoothly incorporates historical and travel collateral for loans that the company would invest, make a threads, was born from the desire to embrace her heritage. profit, and pay dividends. What could go wrong? Succeeding With a doctorate in environmental history and an impressive in business takes time and expertise, but joint-stock shares had grasp of botany and geology, Lee takes readers on a fascinating value immediately. One could profit trading them, and savvy tour of the island and its past. Settled by the Dutch and Span- company owners, with insider knowledge (not then illegal) and ish, and then Chinese, in the 17th century, it was transferred a printing press, went to town. Levenson’s fascinating subject, to Japan in 1895 following the First Sino-Japanese War, and the South-Sea Company, was not the first but the most memo- then back to China after World Wari II. Chiang Kai-shek and rable. In 1711, Parliament approved a plan to trade its bonds for his Nationalist Party retreated there in 1949, and Lee’s grand- South-Sea stock, which they believed would skyrocket because parents arrived separately shortly thereafter. On the author’s the company possessed exclusive trade rights in South America. engrossing tour, we are introduced to a landscape that is filled This trade never amounted to much, but few paid attention. with colorful flora and fauna but is also subject to earthquakes, The company absorbed a great deal of government debt and mudslides, and typhoons, all of which Lee describes in often satisfied both owners and shareholders until 1720, when—for poetic language—e.g., “the otherworld of the earthquake lake reasons no one, including the author, can explain—stock prices is a blackened shroud, but the quarter-mooned sky stretches shot upward during a buying frenzy and then collapsed. While light forever.” Chronicling her adventures in the mountains and historians often portray this as a scam, Levenson points out that along the shores, she comments insightfully on contemporary it worked. Despite recriminations following the crash, British issues of politics, prejudice, and pollution as well as her efforts leaders understood that issuing bonds that buyers could trade to master the language and bond with long-lost relatives. or use as collateral was a superb way to borrow. Other nations A beautiful and personal view of an island—and an did not catch on for another century, during which time Brit- author—shaped by environment and history. ain’s ability to raise immense quantities of money allowed it to “punch above its weight class” in wars against far more populous and wealthy nations. An enthralling account of an economic revolution that emerged from a scandal.

82 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | Once he breaks his cartoonish character, Mania proves to be an impressive humorist with a voice all his own. born to be public

THE ABOLITIONIST AND writing about soul music treats the genre as if it were trapped in THE SPY amber. Though the music had a relatively brief moment of promi- A Father, a Son, and Their nence on the charts in the late 1960s and early ’70s, it speaks to Battle for the Union enduring elements of black experience that were often sup- Lizzio, Ken pressed. To that end, the author’s guiding lights aren’t James Countryman (256 pp.) Brown or Stax and Motown legends; rather, she spotlights the $16.95 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 likes of Nina Simone, Gladys Knight, and Minnie Riperton, 978-1-68268-471-9 less-appreciated artists for whom “stylization of survival is conditioned by pain, often led by women, and driven by imagi- The story of two Civil War–era anti- nation, innovation, and craft.” Lordi shows how this attitude slavery activists, father and son. manifests through the artists’ song choices (often reinterpreta- Spencer Kellogg Brown was just 19 tions of pop hits by white artists), live ad-libs and false endings, years old when he volunteered to become a spy for the Union, and falsetto singing, which explores “how vulnerable it is per- having already served in the Army and then enlisted in the missible to be—how sexy, how extravagant, how cool and effer- federal Navy patrolling the Mississippi River. Spencer, writes vescent.” The author’s use of jargon is sometimes overly thick, Lizzio, an anthropologist and popular historian, may have been especially when she tussles with the “post-soul” theorists who driven by ambition, a desire for adventure, and “an impassioned downplay the music’s themes of femininity and struggle. How- abolitionist’s abhorrence of slavery” all at once. Certainly a fac- ever, Lordi’s distinct takes on the genre are refreshing, built on tor, as well, was the example of his father, Orville, an earnest close listening to artists like Riperton and Donny Hathaway and Christian from the so-called Burned-Over District of western explorations of albums that reside outside the soul canon. (Isaac

New York, where religious fervor fueled sectarianism and abo- Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul and Aretha Frankin’s live gospel album young adult litionism. Orville tried his hand at this and that before moving Amazing Grace draw special attention.) The author’s argument the family to Kansas, where the issue of whether the territory for soul’s continuing relevance would be stronger with more would join the Union as a free or a slave state was being put contemporary examples, but she concludes with some brief but up to a vote that led supporters of both sides to stream in to thought-provoking commentaries on artists like Erykah Badu cast ballots. In the case of one key vote, nearly 5.5 out of 6 bal- and Janelle Monáe. They are, she writes, representative of what lots were for slavery, about which Lizzio observes, “since legal she calls “Afropresentism,” a mindset that is beholden neither pro-slavery voters greatly outnumbered free-soilers, Missouri to the past nor Afrofuturist fantasias but instead speaks to settlers would have prevailed easily in a free and fair election.” black struggles in the moment. The free-staters cried foul, and in no time the territory became A knotty but worthy attempt to stoke new conversations the “Bloody Kansas” of the history books, with militias led by about a genre sometimes dismissed as moribund. such firebrands as John Brown and his pro-slavery counterparts murdering opponents right and left. “John Brown has been described as a bit player in the Kansas conflict, yet the BORN TO BE PUBLIC old broadswords man was anything but,” writes the author. “His A Memoir massacre of innocent men on the Pottawatomie marked the Mania, Greg moment when what had thus far been largely a political conflict Clash Books (194 pp.) turned violent.” The violence mounted to the point of civil war, $26.95 | Aug. 25, 2020 whereupon Orville takes a back seat to Spencer in Lizzio’s fast- 978-1-94486-669-3 paced and lucid account. A sturdy contribution to the popular history of the Civil The coming-of-age story of a flam- War and especially its western theater. boyant social butterfly and talented writer. Writer, comedian, and screenwriter THE MEANING OF SOUL Mania is instantly recognizable, with a Black Music and Resilience towering, gilded mane of bright blond Since the 1960s hair and a biting, mischievous sense of humor. Behind the col- Lordi, Emily J. orful facade is a rather keen and sensitive young man who chan- Duke Univ. (224 pp.) neled his fierce ambition into a comedic niche and conspicuous $25.95 paper | Aug. 14, 2020 place in the public eye. True, he opens by characterizing the 978-1-4780-0959-7 book as a “200,000 character Tweet” and occasionally punctuates the narrative with trifles such as “25 Tweets That Underper- An outline for an alternative history of formed So I’m Immortalizing Them in This Book Out of Spite” soul music that emphasizes the intersec- or “Things I Was Advised Against Putting in My Book Proposal tion of blackness, struggle, and femininity. so I Put Them Here.” But for an ostentatious comedian with As Vanderbilt English professor Lordi underlying anxiety and depression, Mania tells a surprisingly argues in this academic but spirited book, too much recent relatable tale of grit, sacrifice, and, eventually, self-acceptance.

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 83 After relating the awkward story of losing his virginity, Mania the contributions of earlier generations of feminists or philoso- delves into the gay nightlife scene in New York City circa 2010, phers. Hopefully in her next book Manne will extend her range a raucous tale filled with drag queens, failed relationships, and and build on the potential she showed in Down Girl. the politics of being a go-go dancer. There are also run-ins A well-meaning but myopic view of sexual double stan- with minor celebrities, bitter reflections of what the author dards in the U.S. and how they hurt women. dubs “The Thankless Trifecta”—the universal misery of working menial jobs in restaurants, retail, and offices—and general thoughts on life in the big city, including dating tips and the MY CAPTAIN AMERICA many odd experiences that are part of daily life in NYC. Less A Memoir dramatic is Mania’s rise to success. He characterizes himself as Margulies, Megan an “Internet Spectacle,” with a public persona dying for atten- Pegasus (336 pp.) tion, but the truth is that he’s made it through hard work, writ- $27.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 ing mostly humorous essays and profiles for outlets like Vanity 978-1-64313-464-2 Fair and Electric Literature and now screenplays that include his award-winning debut, Deadman’s Barstool. Episodic memoir recounting the Once he breaks his cartoonish character, Mania proves to close relationship between grandfather be an impressive humorist with a voice all his own. and grandchild—and an unusual grandfather at that. Joe Simon, whom Margulies called ENTITLED “Daddy Joe,” was a legend in the comic-book industry; he created How Male Privilege Hurts Captain America and many other characters, including an early Women take on Spiderman, to say nothing of a Mad simulacrum called Manne, Kate Sick. For the author, Daddy Joe “was the man who loved to have Crown (288 pp.) a cigar every night, a fan blowing the smoke over a drawing table $26.00 | Aug. 11, 2020 spattered with ink and paint and out his studio apartment win- 978-1-984826-55-8 dow,” a man who could be counted on for both support and fun. As she recounts, this became ever more important as her ado- A Cornell University feminist philos- lescent scorn for her parents and their one-bedroom apartment opher takes aim at male privilege in the mounted and as her rebellion took a short-lived chemical turn age of #MeToo. (“I was already buzzed from the vodka, so the first two drags of Building on the ideas from her pre- the cigarette left me light-headed and queasy”)—though, as she vious book, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, Manne expands cheerfully confesses, “I was not built, genetically, to be a bad her critique of “himpathy,” her word for the sympathy given girl.” The emotion runs fast and thick in such moments. For his to “powerful and privileged boys and men who commit acts part, Simon was always ready for adventure, and he emerges as of sexual violence or engage in other misogynistic behavior.” quite a character. For students of pop culture, the best parts of She’s likely to make few converts, though, with a book that the book find Margulies recounting such things as the creation of preaches too heavily to the progressive choir. Manne draws on Simon’s first comic book (a Western) and the arrival of his best- decades of studies showing that Americans judge women more known character with a cover depicting the Captain punching harshly than similarly or less competent men, which may inter- Hitler square on the jaw, and this a year before America entered est Gen-Z readers more than their elders, most of whom will World War II. Margulies also has a nice take on Stan Lee’s appro- be familiar with much of the research. A larger problem is the priation of Simon’s creation to create his own Spiderman, a use- air of special pleading. Manne argues that many men have “an ful rejoinder to other accounts. There’s also a nice continuity in unwarranted sense of entitlement”—exemplified by mansplain- the author’s buying her daughter “an array of Captain America ing, male hostility in online “incel” (“involuntary celibate”) items” to connect her to her great-grandfather after he departed forums, and Brett Kavanaugh’s “aggrieved, belligerent, and, at for what he called “the Great Art Department in the Sky.” times, borderline unhinged conduct” at his Supreme Court Though sometimes overwrought, fans of comic book his- confirmation hearings—while women are often deprived of tory will enjoy this affectionate look backward. “their genuine entitlement” to things such as political clout and adequate pain relief from doctors. Without convincingly recon- ciling those two positions, the author’s polemical case also takes a shortsighted view of sexual double standards, genuflecting before recent feminist scholarship (from Patricia Hill Collins, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and others) and academic orthodoxies while ignoring landmarks like Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex and Shulamith Firestone’s The Dia lectic of Sex. It’s striking that this book—appearing just before the Aug. 26 centennial of women’s suffrage—says so little about

84 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | Fans of T.S.O.L., Fargo Rock City, Scratch Acid, and their like should rush to this invigorating history. we’re not here to entertain

TALKING UNTIL NIGHTFALL WE’RE NOT HERE Remembering Jewish TO ENTERTAIN Salonica, 1941-44 Punk Rock, Ronald Matarasso, Isaac Reagan, and the Real Trans. by Matarasso, Pauline Culture War of 1980s Bloomsbury Continuum (256 pp.) America $28.00 | Aug. 25, 2020 Mattson, Kevin 978-1-4729-7588-1 Oxford Univ. (352 pp.) $27.95 | Aug. 3, 2020 Three generations of a Jewish family 978-0-19-090823-2 centered in Salonica reveal their perspectives on the World War II German occupa- In which Ronnie Raygun and cor- tion, which decimated the religious enclave. porate entertainment come in for a slagging, courtesy of three The primary elements of this unusually constructed text, (distorted) chords and the truth. “the first account of the Shoah available in Greek,” appeared If you wanted to get beat up in high school in the early 1980s, in book form in 1948 in Athens, with the title translated into your best strategy would be to show up with your “hair cut into English as And Yet Not All Died. The author was Isaac Matarasso a spikey mess” and listening to punk rock—not the sellout punk (1892-1958), a doctor who survived the German death camps of the decade before but truly antinomian acts like Black Flag, through a variety of maneuvers, some of which he initiated, oth- Millions of Dead Cops, and Jodie Foster’s Army. That cohort ers of which can only be described as serendipity or blessed coin- of musicians and their fans, writes Mattson—now a professor

cidences. As did so many others, Matarasso experienced horrific of history at Ohio University, then a denizen of the mosh pit— young adult physical and psychological violence. According to his daughter- stood strongly against the prevailing politics of the time, with in-law, Pauline Matarasso (b. 1929)—the translator of the pres- a president who “lived in a bubble of entertainment, who refer- ent volume, which includes contributions from other members enced Hollywood films to justify his policies.” The DIY ethos of of the family as well as additional “more personal pieces” that second-generation punk extended beyond music to include film- Isaac wrote—he suffered in ways he almost certainly never fully making (Alex Cox’s Repo Man comes in for close analysis), pub- revealed. Isaac divides his detailed, searing account into three lishing (with mimeographed zines the coin of the realm), art, and chronological phases: the “partial toleration” of the Germans, other endeavors. This was all in protest against not just Reagan- aided by turncoat Greeks; the absolute oppression, marked by ism, but also a corporate culture that served up product instead forced labor and deprivation; and the deportation to the con- of music—and whose vision of what youth was supposed to be, centration camps: “The Jews were herded like cattle into a con- courtesy of the Republican-lite John Hughes, was an offense centration camp, where the full range of Nazi brutalities was to actual young people. “It was like People’s Park,” Mattson brought to bear, ending with the deportation of about 46,000 writes, “create something yourself, lay the sod, and then defend Jews out of the city’s population of 50,000, crammed into cattle it against those with power.” True, some of the leaders of second- trucks.” Isaac’s son Robert (1927-1982) experienced some of the wave punk found themselves being served up as product: Once nightmare as a teenager, and his memories are included here in Nirvana broke, for instance, MTV couldn’t find enough grunge the form of passages from an uncompleted memoir he worked bands to fill the hours. Still, writes the author in this consistently on decades after the invasion. Robert covers many of the same fascinating music history, we should remember the punk rock events as his father, but unlike Isaac, he wrote in a more inti- of the ’80s both for its creativity and “as a moment when kids mate first-person voice. Some readers may be distracted by the saw themselves as creating their own culture, prompting them fragmented nature of the narrative, but the resurrection and to think about the world differently”—not bad as aspirations go. enhancement of the 1948 manuscript is a triumph. Fans of T.S.O.L., Fargo Rock City, Scratch Acid, and their A unique Holocaust memoir. like should rush to this invigorating history.

FORGOTTEN PEOPLES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD Matyszak, Philip Thames & Hudson (288 pp.) $34.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 978-0-500-05215-0

Lightly worn but rich scholarship highlights this reader-friendly survey of the ancient past. We know the winners of history: the Romans, the Golden Horde, Alexander

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 85 the Great. However, as Matyszak asks at the outset of this Originally, mothers were not welcome in the workplace; they good-natured exploration of long-bygone times, “what do we were expected to maintain the home and raise the children. know of the Bactrians, apart from their two-humped camels? However, some were forced to work due to economic hard- Or of the Samaritans, other than that one of them was good?” ships or widowhood. During both world wars, when many men That’s a pointed question, for, as he goes on to note, historians were sent to the battlefield, women were needed to work. They and archaeologists are recasting our understanding of early civi- took over a variety of roles previously filled by men, excelled lizations, adjusting chronologies and interpretations with each in them, and enjoyed a newfound sense of independence and new discovery. A trustworthy general pattern emerges, however, financial freedom. This made it difficult for many to return to and that is that one group conquers another group and grows their household duties when the wars ended, circumstances in power until being conquered by a still more powerful neigh- that eventually led to greater acceptance of women joining the bor. Sargon the Great, for instance, ruled Mesopotamian tribes workforce for “personal autonomy, professional achievement, and made of them “rulers of an empire that stretched from the mental stimulation, friendship and sociability, or to set a good headwaters of the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf,” an empire example to sons and daughters,” which roughly represents the that would fall under the control of Amorites, people whom the situation today. Readers may skim some of the plodding histori- Akkadians considered inferior. (We know one of them, Ammu- cal reports, but the book is a worthy addition to the literature rapi, by his Akkadian name Hammurabi.) The Canaanites along on the social history of modern Britain. the Mediterranean coast were variously Hebrews, Philistines, An exacting, thorough tome for students of British his- and Phoenicians, while the so-called lost tribes of Israel may tory and women’s and labor studies. never turn up, though Matyszak gamely ventures that, given the patterns of other historical migrations, their descendants may be scattered throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Middle THREE RINGS East. The same holds for a people known to the Egyptians as A Tale of Exile, the Shekelesh, the Sicels, who moved on to southern Italy and Narrative, and Fate then conquered—without much violence, it appears—the next- Mendelsohn, Daniel door island that bears their name, Sicily. Each entry for peoples Univ. of Virginia (112 pp.) ranging in time from deep prehistory to the early Middle Ages $19.95 | Sep. 8, 2020 includes handsome illustrations and maps, and the author’s text 978-0-8139-4466-1 is accessible, sometimes playful, and never dumbed down. Just the thing for initiates into the early history of Eur- A father’s death inspires a son’s liter- asia and North Africa. (maps and illustrations) ary voyage. If Mendelsohn’s previously acclaimed books The Lost (2013), a personal mem- DOUBLE LIVES oir about the Holocaust, and An Odys A History of Working sey (2017), about his father’s joyous discovery of Homer’s book Motherhood and death, are two rings, this is the third and final ring that McCarthy, Helen interweaves and interlocks them together. Its “metamorphosis” Bloomsbury (560 pp.) began with lectures on the Odyssey at the author’s alma mater, $30.00 | Jun. 16, 2020 the University of Virginia. He was frustrated as he tried to 978-1-4088-7073-0 shape them into a book until a friend suggested he write it as a “ring composition… elaborate series of interlocked narratives, How the roles of mothers in the each nested within another in the manner of Chinese boxes or workplace have transformed from the Russian dolls.” In the first of three sections, “The Lycée Fran- mid-19th century to the present. çais,” Mendelsohn tells the story of Erich Auerbach, a German In this lengthy, meticulously Jew who secured a position at the University of Istanbul, where researched book, McCarthy examines the cultural, social, and he wrote the influential Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in economic roles played by British mothers both inside and out- Western Literature, a “paean to the civilization of the continent side the workforce, beginning in 1840. “For much of the nine- he has just fled,” a study in which the author “seeks to under- teenth and twentieth centuries,” writes the author, “women’s stand how literature makes reality feel real.” In “The Education worlds were shaped by a labour market founded on sexual dif- of Young Girls,” Mendelsohn discusses the massively popular ference, a welfare state which institutionalized the dependency The Adventures of Telemachus, an “imitative and inventive” narra- of wives, and a wider culture which prized devoted mothering tive about Odysseus’ son written in the 1690s by the theologian and housewifery as the apotheosis of femininity.” Her state- François Fenelón. Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Thomas Jefferson ment reflects the heart of this painstaking unveiling of each were huge fans. In “The Temple,” Mendelsohn examines The aspect of a mother’s life during the given time frame. Although Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald, whose literary “meanderings,” the women she profiles left few written records, McCar- just like Mendelsohn’s own book, “ultimately form a giant ring thy makes a valiant effort to show their feelings and desires that ties together many disparate tales and experiences.” This alongside the somewhat dry treatment of the relevant history. luminous narrative, in which the tales of each of Mendelsohn’s

86 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | The writing dazzles with the marvel of being fully alive. world of wonders

three chosen exiled writers appealingly intertwine, is about WORLD OF WONDERS many things—memory, literature, family, immigration, and reli- In Praise of Fireflies, gion—and it ends where it began, with a “wanderer” entering Whale Sharks, and “an unknown city after a long voyage.” Other Astonishments This slender, exquisite book rewards on many levels. Nezhukumatathil, Aimee Illus. by Nakamura, Fumi Mini Milkweed (184 pp.) HOW TO BE A FASCIST $25.00 | Aug. 11, 2020 A Manual 978-1-57131-365-2 Murgia, Michela Trans. by Valente, Alex A poet celebrates the wonders of Penguin (144 pp.) nature in a collection of essays that could $15.00 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 almost serve as a coming-of-age memoir. 978-0-14-313605-7 The daughter of an Indian father and Filipino mother, Nezhukumatathil was often the only brown face in her class- Italian novelist and politician Murgia rooms, and she sought lessons from nature on how to adapt, channels the spirit of her ancient Roman protect herself, and conform or fit in but still be able to stand compatriot Juvenal in this alternately strong on her own. She shares those lessons throughout these mordant and glib satire of contemporary frequently enchanting essays. Take the axolotl, from whom the far-right movements. author learned the “salamander smile”: “If a white girl tries to

The unnamed narrator is an overcon- tell you what your brown skin can and cannot wear for makeup, young adult fident, self-proclaimed fascist who aims to help others make just remember the smile of an axolotl. The best thing to do in converts to the cause—or to the “populism” that is “a cradle for that moment is to just smile and smile, even if your smile is fascism”—with the zeal of the senior devil who advises a junior thin. The tighter your smile, the tougher you become.” Nezhu- devil in C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Advising sympathiz- kumatathil’s investigations, enhanced by Nakamura’s vividly ers to learn from the Axis powers, “our historical role models,” rendered full-color illustrations, range across the world, from the author’s anti-feminist, gay-bashing, Islamophobic narrator a rapturous rendering of monsoon season in her father’s native begins by describing the defects of democracy, including that India to her formative years in Iowa, Kansas, and Arizona, where it tends to frown on torture: “It still insists on rejecting vio- she learned from the native flora and fauna that it was common lence as a way of doing politics, which makes as much sense as to be different. The corpse flower guided the author when she training tarantulas by only feeding them lettuce.” The narrator met her future husband, helping her to “clear out the sleaze, the goes on to suggest how to recruit fascists and understand their unsavory, the unpleasant—the weeds—of the dating world” and leaders before ending with facile clickbait: a pop quiz called the “find a man who’d be happy when I bloomed.” Nezhukumatathil “Fascistometer” that measures “your level of fascism.” Although isn’t only interested in nature as metaphor. She once devoted burgeoning far-right movements are fair game, Juvenal-ian or most of a year’s sabbatical to the study of whale sharks, and other satire requires worthy targets. While some of Murgia’s— she humanizes her experience of natural splendor to the point e.g., Holocaust deniers—deserve her barbs, others (people who where observation and memory merge, where she can’t see or think that “gender studies is ruining families”) lack a compa- smell something without remembering the details of her envi- rable moral weight and take throwaway jabs. A larger problem ronment when she first encountered it. Among other fascinat- is that political realities are outrunning satire, and the author ing species, the author enlightens readers on the vampire squid, too rarely makes the imaginative leaps needed to reinvigorate the bonnet macaque, and the red-spotted newt. them. Murgia can land a solid punch, as she does in a neo-Marx- The writing dazzles with the marvel of being fully alive. ist skewering of rich pseudo-populists: “A real populist deals with everyone according to their needs: the poor receive some free fish every year; the middle class receive a fridge to store THE ACCOUNTABLE what’s left over; and the upper classes receive the pond where The Rise of Citizen everyone will have to pay to fish.” Overall, though, she’s fighting Capitalism below her weight. O’Leary, Michael & Valdmanis, Warren A political satire that too often looks away from its wor- HarperCollins (336 pp.) thiest targets and toward less important ones. $29.99 | Aug. 18, 2020 978-0-06-297651-2

Insights about how to restructure American capitalism to better benefit society. O’Leary, a former economic policy adviser and founder of Bain Capital’s social impact fund, and

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 87 Valdmanis, the former managing director of that fund, join forces by law enforcement debacles like Waco and Ruby Ridge. Hor- to evaluate an economy that is distressingly dominated by cor- rifying events like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing are rare in porations “accountable to nothing but the bottom line.” Though part because extremist groups resist the kind of collaboration the authors celebrate the prosperity achieved by a capitalistic that produces large-scale terrorist acts, Perliger writes. How- economic system, they also note the downsides and present ever, his study of databases cataloging far-right violence shows achievable methods to alter corporations’ “explicit amorality” in that the small-scale acts have increased since the turn of the the interests of humanitarian efforts. After a short history of cap- century, particularly against racial minorities and LGBTQ+ italism and the greed-based concept of fiduciary absolutism, the people. They’re getting deadlier as well: Since 2007, the num- authors analyze the potential for corporations to channel their ber of casualties and injuries due to far-right violence has been power toward more philanthropic and ethical consumer con- on the upswing, as has the number of casualties per incident. cerns. It won’t be easy. As they note, this purposeful restructuring As an academic, the author covers this difficult territory from will require a high level of commitment to employees, customers, a certain remove; aside from chapter openings that depict the and the communities they serve. Indeed, the corporate balancing actions of the likes of Timothy McVeigh, he lets the data do act between profitability and humanitarianism has become one the work. But Perliger is impassioned and cleareyed about how of the greatest challenges for corporate strategists. The authors troubling the trends are, voicing concern that far-right ideology also skillfully appraise the worthiness of divestment strategies has infected mainstream politics, which in turn risks embolden- and the rise of lucrative impact investing, which “straddles the ing a new generation of radicals. He also seeks to challenge out- worlds of philanthropy and private equity.” We meet a variety of moded thinking that racists and other radicals are Deep South enterprising CEOs, academics, investors, and business leaders— products. The risk is wherever disillusionment and misinforma- from startups to Fortune 500 companies—eager to share their tion can take hold. blueprints for success. In the closing chapters, both persuasive A plainspoken and data-driven yet essential book for and enthusiastic, O’Leary and Valdmanis outline three propos- understanding the underpinnings of today’s domestic als for creating “corporations that reflect our values.” One of terrorists. their case studies is Etsy, a company in which accountability is the lynchpin in an endeavor the authors describe as a journey to “build an economy that generates prosperity without peril.” REAGANLAND An illuminating teaching tool for readers new to the nuances of America’s Right Turn the American economic climate, as well as seasoned economists 1976-1980 eager for an update, this is a trenchant text on how capitalism has Perlstein, Rick warped over time—and why it is time for a much-needed struc- Simon & Schuster (1,040 pp.) tural change. $37.50 | Aug. 18, 2020 A sharp, ethically sound endorsement for capitalist 978-1-4767-9305-4 reformation. Following The Invisible Bridge (2014), Perlstein takes Ronald Reagan to the AMERICAN ZEALOTS doors of the White House. Inside Right-Wing Domestic “Ronald Reagan insisted that it wasn’t Terrorism his fault,” writes the author, the “it” in question being Ger- Perliger, Arie ald Ford’s loss to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election. That vic- Columbia Univ. (248 pp.) tory had been a squeaker: Carter came out of the Democratic $28.00 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 National Convention 33 points ahead of Ford but wound up 978-0-231-16711-6 with only 50.08% of the popular vote in the end. Carter was well-meaning but hapless—and sometimes even arrogant in A scholarly exploration, bolstered by his apparent refusal to tone down his moralizing in favor of some original number crunching, of how the sunny optimism that Reagan radiated. Yet, as Perlstein the American far right gained a toehold closely documents, Reagan’s every move was scripted, vetted in the mainstream. by a powerful political machine. He knew exactly what he was The election of a full-throated xenophobe to the presidency, doing when he gave Ford the most lukewarm of endorsements. paired with news stories about the rise of the “alt-right,” have The author clearly charts political trends that began with the given the impression that violence from separatist groups in the 1976 election and carried through to Reagan’s election in 1980, U.S. is increasing. While that is true, notes Perliger, a professor among them the rise of technocrats such as Donald Rumsfeld who studies extremism and criminology, America’s history has and the comparative decline of realpolitik practitioners such as long been littered with racist and separatist groups whose ranks Henry Kissinger. We are living with still other trends today— swell or contract depending on the national political mood. A and a young but staggeringly mendacious Donald Trump figures quick history lesson shows that groups like the Ku Klux Klan in Perlstein’s pages—including the rise of the religious right and tended to garner more followers as more inclusive leaders and white nationalism and a replay of the culture wars of the 1960s, laws were enacted, and nativist groups have been emboldened with Pat Buchanan calling Watergate “the climactic battle in a

88 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | political civil war that raged in this country for ten years” and WHAT GIRLS NEED a host of other Republican players devoted to crushing the How To Raise Bold, rights of gay people and women. In fact, in this long but never- Courageous, and Resilient a-wasted-word account, much is depressingly familiar, including Women tax giveaways to the very rich and the political exploitation of Porges, Marisa what a Reagan aide called middle-class “discontent, frustration Viking (304 pp.) + anger.” Other moments seem at once distant and contempora- $28.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 neous, from confrontations with Iran and North Korea to epi- 978-1-984879-14-1 sodes such as Jonestown and the murder of Harvey Milk. A valuable road map that charts how events from 40 years How to raise girls so they have the ago helped lead us to where we are now. best chance of achieving their “own success.” Porges has experienced unquestionable success in her CRASH COURSE life: She flew missions for the Navy as a senior officer and If You Want To Get Away “navigate[d] the politics of the White House and the drama of With Murder Buy a Car the Pentagon [to shape] U.S. counterterrorism and cyberse- Phoenix, Woodrow curity efforts under two presidents,” and she is now the head Illus. by the author of an all-girls school outside of Philadelphia. In each of her Street Noise Books (208 pp.) many roles, she has encountered the discrimination so many $16.99 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 women face when they interact with their male counterparts 978-1-951491-01-7 in the workplace and elsewhere. Here, the author gathers her hard-won tactics to help parents educate their girls about these A British graphic novelist offers a depressingly timeless problems. “Every girl,” she writes, “should highly stylized critique of driving and its learn skills early on that empower her to be her best self…so tragic consequences. that [they] grow into women able to apply grit, confidence, and In this “extensively revised and updated version of Rumble bravery in real-world situations and effectively advocate for Strip, Phoenix’s 2009 book, he delivers a painfully shock- themselves wherever they may find themselves.” Combining ing indictment of driving. While not the most conventional case studies with her own experiences, Porges identifies core medium for this kind of societal condemnation, the graphic nar- character traits that should be nurtured so that girls develop rative is undoubtedly thought-provoking. Phoenix opens with crucial skills for the modern, global world. Girls must stand up a frightening analogy positing that anytime you go anywhere, for themselves and ask for what they need and want; they must there’s a grand piano dangling from a flimsy fixture above your realize that competition can be a healthy endeavor and to not head. Sure, the point is that driving presents a danger to almost belittle their own skills for fear of upsetting others; they should everyone, but despite its minimalist aesthetic, it’s a powerful be encouraged to use and expand their natural collaborative image. The author delivers on the subtitle’s promise with real- problem-solving abilities and be aware of the value of empa- world examples of people who were run down, either by acci- thy, a good and oftentimes overlooked trait; they must be able dent or on purpose, and the perpetrators went free. Along the to adapt to a wide variety of rapidly changing circumstances. way, Phoenix explores the psychology of driving, institutional Although the book contains few groundbreaking insights, the racism, and road rage, “an indulgent, doting term, dignifying author’s credentials are impressive, and she presents her argu- and excusing behavior that has no dignity and no excuse.” The ments and tactics to teaching them in a conversational tone that author also examines many of the absurd rules that govern driv- allows readers fresh insights into deep-rooted issues that have ing worldwide as well as specific, avoidable deaths, like that of plagued women for years. activist Heather Heyer, who was struck by a car and killed dur- Practical, persuasive advice for raising confident, ing the 2017 white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville. Phoe- dynamic girls prepared to tackle any challenge. nix’s ruminations on the inherent human behaviors behind driving—that primal need to be first, to be in front, to be the fastest, etc.—are among the book’s most searing insights and should drive readers to analyze their own conduct behind the wheel. The author also describes his own near-death experience during what should have been a simple drive from London to Brighton. The author’s probing commentary, combined with its stark visuals, effectively stokes the complicated emotions its author intended to instill in his readers: “I wrote this book to make you mad.” Mission accomplished. A keen and unapologetic consideration of how driving often brings out the worst in us.

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 89 As panoptic and sparkling as the crystals contained in many of the author’s objects of study. the book of unconformities

SIGN HERE IF YOU EXIST In geology, an unconformity is “a discontinuity in the depo- And Other Essays sition of sediment.” In his latest book, the author examines Quinn, Jill Sisson rock associated with specific places—e.g., the friable marble Ohio State Univ. Press (184 pp.) at the northern tip of Manhattan or the glittery gneiss of the $19.95 paper | Aug. 28, 2020 Outer Hebrides in Scotland—as part of a quest to acknowledge 978-0-8142-5592-6 that “even the most solid, ancient, and elemental materials are as lively, capricious, willful, and indifferent as time itself; and A nature writer reflects on existential that life is filled with uncomformities—revealing holes in time ideas while exploring backwoods land- that are also fissures in feeling, knowledge, and understand- scapes near her Wisconsin home. ing.” That marble in New York City changed the lives of the In this deeply introspective collec- peoples—from Lenape to Manhattanite—who have lived there tion of essays, Quinn applies her scien- as well as the topography of the island. Raffles delves into the tific knowledge to local wildlife phenomena that have inspired history of the neighborhood to fashion a multihued story, but her to reflect on spiritual and evolutionary questions. In the he always returns to the rocks. The author also explores the title essay, one of the standouts, the author investigates the life sandstone prevalent in the U.K.; magnetite in Iceland; the iron cycle of giant ichneumon (parasitic) wasps while pondering the of a meteorite in Greenland; muscovite from many sources; and, existence of God in relation to evolution and natural selection, in the Svalbard archipelago, “concreted blubber, a product of questioning how either may serve the possibility or assurance human geology, the residue of thousands of whales boiled in of an afterlife. In “Enskyment” she focuses on the vultures three-meter-wide copper cauldrons, the spilled oil congealing that roost near her church while considering the relevancy of with sand, gravel, and coal in a rocky mass.” Each section is religious teachings and practices. Throughout, Quinn’s paral- packed with vivid, entertaining tales, whether Raffles is discuss- lel explorations are uniformly thought-provoking, effectively ing the enigmatic objects, obscure rites, the Scandinavian occu- connecting often unrelated themes—though “Metamorphic,” pation of the Orkney Islands, or the geopoetics of megaliths. her study of rock formations in relation to the expansiveness Throughout, the author is “alive to the deeply archaic currents of human sexuality, doesn’t quite hold up to the rest. Though moving through and around me.” The text shimmers with rangy not interconnected initially, the final few essays loosely track curiosity, precise pictorial descriptions, well-narrated history, a the author’s experiences leading up to the adoption of her son, sympathetic eye for the natural world, and a deft, light scholarly a process that “seemed at times rather cold-blooded. Mechani- touch. The mood is as unpredictable as next week’s weather, as cal. Deliberate. Too conscious.” Quinn demonstrates a graceful Raffles remains keenly attuned to the politics and personalities prose style, and her lyrical sense of discovery and wonder may that move the action along. draw comparison to writers like Annie Dillard. “There is much As panoptic and sparkling as the crystals contained in we cannot see, in the ecosystem and in ourselves,” she writes. many of the author’s objects of study. “Perhaps when we look both outward and inward, we need to use only the coarse focus and increase our field of view, because what at first appears blurry may be actually the truest version of MY LIFE IN 100 OBJECTS a thing. We are more than the amalgam of genes and memes we Randall, Margaret imagine ourselves to be; we have pigeonholed the soldiers in the New Village Press (250 pp.) nature-nurture squabble too narrowly….We have been thinking $24.00 paper | Sep. 15, 2020 of ourselves as persons, when we are more like the land. I see 978-1-61332-114-0 the pond; therefore, I see the muskrat. And the snapping turtle. And me.” The poet, feminist, and activist Engaging, insightful musings at the intersection of natu- reflects on the objects that have shaped ral science and spiritual exploration. her life. Inspired by Neil MacGregor’s A His tory of the World in 100 Objects, Randall (b. THE BOOK OF 1936) began looking at her life in terms UNCONFORMITIES of the objects that have shaped it. Often Speculations on involved in struggles for social justice, she has lived a “turbulent, Lost Time sometimes endangered” life. This thought made her realize that Raffles, Hugh places, as well as objects, have made her who she is today. A pro- Pantheon (400 pp.) lific writer, Randall’s aim for this book is to journal her “life to $30.00 | Aug. 25, 2020 date, through objects, places, and the moments in which these 978-0-8041-9799-1 converge.” She continues, “objects and places come with their histories. Together they give tangible form to mine. And as they Raffles uses stones as jumping-off have done so, that task has superimposed itself upon each indi- points to create poetic portraits of vari- vidual item, imbuing it with a collective power that references ous times and places. identity, time, and place.” Her collection includes poignant

90 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | reflections on her father’s metronome; a portable typewriter outstanding memoir more than half a century after his death in in “a pre-digital era. We, not our phones, were expected to be a plane crash out in the field. This book sits well alongside The smart”; her fake Mexican passport, which she purchased in 1969 Mark, Street Without Joy, and other essential frontline reports. while trying to make her way out of the country to Cuba; her Readers will feel as if they’ve been in the firefights Rose Sandinista certificate; papers related to her 1984 U.S. deporta- describes, an immediacy both thrilling and frightening. tion hearing; a Pentax camera and photographs she captured during her extensive travels around the world; a faded pair of Levi’s and turquoise earrings, which have “become part of my GRASP everyday uniform” at home in Albuquerque; and the gold wed- The Science ding bands she and her wife gave to each other when they were Transforming How We able to legally marry after living together for 28 years. Each Learn entry begins with a full-color photo, and interspersed through- Sarma, Sanjay with Yoquinto, Luke out the collection are poems written to commemorate certain Doubleday (352 pp.) objects. Randall’s hope was to show us “how the objects and $28.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 places that move us breathe their life into ours.” In this, she 978-0-385-54182-4 certainly succeeds. A heartwarming celebration of the author’s compelling Compelling advice on how to life. improve education. Now centuries old, the complaint that schools are factories, taking in students as raw material and THE JOURNALIST churning out a standardized product, no longer serves, accord- Life and Loss in ing to MIT professor Sarma, who prefers the term winnowing. America’s Secret War A winnower blows air through unrefined matter, eliminating Rose, Jerry A. & Fischer, Lucy Rose chaff, debris, and waste but also valuable material, producing SparkPress (350 pp.) a more homogenous end product. This baleful process began $16.95 paper | Aug. 11, 2020 around 1900, when education theory and quasi-scientific meth- 978-1-68463-065-3 ods ran off the track. The first intelligence tests were better at winnowing a subset of good learners than the previous methods A thoughtful, revealing look at the (teachers’ opinions, personal connections), but they were based early years of the war in Vietnam from on the flawed notion that intelligence is fixed at birth, so “the one of the first reporters to cover it. main challenge facing schools was not to improve intelligence, “Be careful….This can be a dangerous but to separate the apt from the inept.” Tests also favored the place for someone with an artist’s soul.” So a colleague warned privileged—e.g., “define regatta.” Sarma devotes parts of the Rose when he arrived in Hue in 1959 to teach English. The war book to the neuroscience of how the brain processes informa- between France and the Viet Minh was long over, and foreign- tion and to psychology research that provides a solid basis for ers assumed the peace would hold between North and South. some educational strategies but has shot down more than one. Two years in, Rose was recruited as a stringer and discovered Describing education today, the author does not take sides in the that his artist’s soul came in handy as he crafted tightly com- interminable debate over whether students should “follow their posed stories for publications including Time and the Saturday own impulses in determining what to learn, or…stick to topics Evening Post. Early in the narrative, a bête noire emerges in the their instructors deem important.” Rather, Sarma identifies what well-known journalist Stanley Karnow, who comes off none doesn’t work (the idea “that most students require specialized too well: “round-faced and pudgy…[with] the smooth, slicked- education media depending on their supposed brain makeup,” a back look of a used-car salesman.” Another bête noire was the theory that “lingers zombie-like in education culture despite a South Vietnamese government, corrupt and repressive. It didn’t wealth of evidence against it”), hopeful dead ends, and the best take long before secret police agents were following Rose. He of current techniques. The author is most partial to Montes- became a model of levelheaded analysis and taut prose as he sori schools—though he notes that “the name ‘Montessori” is traveled across Southeast Asia, moving throughout the region untrademarkable, and the degree to which schools stick to Maria before returning to Saigon as an adviser to the South Vietnam- Montessori’s time-honed methods varies wildly”—and high- ese government. His stories were among the most important in tech, online programs, which are expensive and effective when a their time and remain so today in explaining America’s involve- teacher is involved but cheap and ineffective without one. ment in a war that, when he arrived, supposedly had nothing Delightful as well as convincing in its plea that educators to do with the U.S. His easy familiarity with Vietnamese peo- place learning over winnowing and access over exclusivity. ple, Green Berets, and American pilots led to one scoop after another. He was also astonishingly prolific, leaving “hundreds of pages in journal entries, letters, articles, stories, a partially completed novel, and miscellaneous notes, much of it exquisitely written,” that his sister, Fischer, used to weave together this

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 91 Bravely exposes the human cost of public and political indifference toward pedestrian safety. right of way

RIGHT OF WAY Scholar, a professor of French who has written a book on Race, Class, and the Silent Montaigne, among other subjects, returns with a brief, focused Epidemic of Pedestrian account of some specific changes and adaptations in English. Deaths in America For the author, a key text is Marriage Á-la-Mode, a 1673 play Schmitt, Angie by John Dryden that contains numerous instances of charac- Island Press (200 pp.) ters employing French and effectively “satirized French with $28.00 paper | Aug. 27, 2020 a forked tongue.” Although Scholar acknowledges that the 978-1-64283-083-5 Norman invasion of 1066 certainly began the transformation process, it is Dryden’s play, he believes, that accelerated the A surprising study of anti-pedestrian move and made many aware of the various social, cultural, and urban planning in America. class meanings of French-into-English words. Throughout, the Most readers will be unaware that author notes the ambivalence of English speakers about French. pedestrian deaths have skyrocketed since the 1970s; in 2018 Does employing French indicate class, cultivation, and edu- alone, 6,283 pedestrians were killed trying to cross the street. cation? Or elitism? All of the above, argues Scholar, who also Former Streetsblog editor Schmitt takes us for an uncomfort- shows how the transference has affected art, music, and lit- able ride into the hard realities of why pedestrians are more erature (he includes some reproductions of relevant paintings, unsafe now than they’ve been in decades. In a book that will sit such as Walter Richard Sickert’s Ennui (1917-1918). The latter comfortably on the shelf next to Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any half of the text illustrates the general pattern by examining Speed, Schmitt provides an exhaustively researched study of the three specific words: “naïveté,” “ennui,” and “caprice.” Scholar intersection of automobiles and pedestrians. The author uncov- explores the history of each word—sometimes displaying a ers a car-obsessed America whose civic planning is designed to denseness and academic specificity that will dissuade general discriminate against walkers while accommodating motorists. readers—and describes how it first arrived and how writers and Unlike, for example, many European countries, the motorist other artists have employed it, from earlier centuries to the has more rights than the pedestrian in the U.S. Even worse, as present. For the most part, the author alludes to writers and Schmitt explains, thinly veiled racism and classism are at the other artists whose names are generally well known, including heart of many of the traffic laws that essentially treat pedestri- John Le Carré, Virginia Woolf, William Shakespeare, and Rich- ans as second-class citizens. Pedestrians hurt or killed by cars ard Strauss. But others will ring bells only with the cognoscenti. are often blamed for being in the wrong place at the wrong The author ends his volume with some reflections on emigra- time. Yet the problem, Schmitt shows convincingly, is often the tion and immigration, discussing Donald Trump, Brexit, and flawed road systems themselves. And it’s not just the engineers the current hostile and divided political climate. who design these systems, but also the politicians who allow A well-researched, convincing account of how our lan- poor urban planning to go unchecked. The narrative is a deft guage has welcomed foreign words—but not always their balance of anecdotal and informational content, emphasizing native speakers. the real-life human tragedies caused by anti-pedestrian bias but also backing it up with statistical research. Most importantly, Schmitt debunks common assumptions that pedestrian deaths HENRY KISSINGER AND are either blameless random accidents or, more often, the AMERICAN POWER result of laziness or inattentiveness on the part of the walker. In A Political Biography reality, the culprit is a sometimes-lethal combination of badly Schwartz, Thomas A. designed streets, increasingly larger vehicles on the road, poorly Hill and Wang/Farrar, Straus and Giroux estimated speed limits, and a lack of crosswalks, among other (560 pp.) infrastructural failures. $35.00 | Aug. 18, 2020 Bravely exposes the human cost of public and political 978-0-8090-9537-7 indifference toward pedestrian safety. A foreign relations expert reassesses Henry Kissinger’s central role in Ameri- ÉMIGRÉS can foreign policy. French Words That Turned Overall, Schwartz, a professor of history at Vanderbilt, aims English to remain “dispassionate” in his account of Kissinger during his Scholar, Richard years of real power under Presidents Richard Nixon and Ger- Princeton Univ. (224 pp.) ald Ford. The author downplays some of the more “thundering $29.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 moral pronouncements of condemnations” leveled at Kissinger 978-0-691-19032-7 over the years, such as his role in widening the Vietnam War into Cambodia and Laos, among others. Seeking to “reintro- A scholarly account of the numer- duce…Kissinger to the American people and to an international ous French words that have entered and audience,” Schwartz is particularly fascinated by his subject’s remained in the English language. courtly personality, his “intellectual brilliance, skill as a courtier,

92 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | and Machiavellian maneuvering within and against the bureau- regarding Hurricane Katrina was that “the optics were bad.” cracy.” As a Harvard professor, Kissinger was chosen to serve as The author writes about the Barack Obama victories, charting Nixon’s national security adviser, a position that Kissinger him- the subsequent rise of the tea party, a force that made the GOP self had helped devise as a way to bring “a more centralized and increasingly angry and populist. Although the author mentions secretive approach to foreign policy…into the White House, race as a factor a few times, he does not pursue it thoroughly. something both [John] Kennedy and [Lyndon] Johnson had The final chapters deal with the rise of Trump and the accom- also sought to do.” Eventually, this “odd couple” complemented modations many in the GOP made. Seib also discusses those each other in setting policy: aiming to end the Vietnam War, who abandoned him (George Will among them). The author navigate arms control with the Soviet Union, achieve détente chronicles Trump’s political and personal failures but recog- with China as well as peace between Israel and the Arabs. As nizes that he has radically altered American politics. the author shows, all of these diplomatic projects were guided Generously conceived, thoroughly researched, and guar- by “new realism” rather than ideology. Kissinger was Nixon’s anteed to please no one at the political extremes. “secret agent,” undermining Secretary of State William Rogers. As Watergate hearings heated up in the summer of 1973, Nixon felt compelled to replace Rogers with Kissinger (“Nixon’s own STRANGER FACES Frankenstein monster”) in hopes of maintaining the focus on Serpell, Namwali the president’s largely successful foreign policy. Using the era’s Transit Books (140 pp.) ample TV record as part of his presentation, Schwartz asserts $15.95 paper | Sep. 29, 2020 that “it is not necessary to render a moral judgment on Henry 978-1-945492-43-3 Kissinger in order to learn from his career.” Many readers and historians will disagree, but the author provides a useful politi- A set of essays reconsidering how we cal biography for those interested in modern American history. think about faces through the lens of An elucidating, stick-to-the-record study for students of films, books, emoji, and more. foreign policy. Serpell is one of our brightest new fiction writers and essayists. Her 2019 novel, The Old Drift, which won both WE SHOULD HAVE SEEN the Windham-Campbell Prize and Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, IT COMING addresses colonialism with rare intelligence and sweep while From Reagan to Trump— her work for the New York Review of Books makes her a com- A Front-Row Seat to a pelling voice on race and Africa in culture. This short book, Political Revolution based on her research, isn’t the easiest place to get to know Seib, Gerald her, but it’s rich with thoughtful considerations of the human Random House (304 pp.) face and how we look at it. In the case of Joseph Merrick, aka $28.00 | Aug. 25, 2020 the Elephant Man, Serpell is intrigued at how his deformities 978-0-593-13515-0 inspire a host of metaphors, not all involving ugliness and horror. In Hannah Crafts, the cryptic author of the slave narrative The executive Washington editor for The Bondwoman’s Narrative, Serpell finds a trove of subversions the Wall Street Journal offers a recent his- of expectations of black and white “faces,” from the narrator’s tory of the GOP and of Donald Trump. light skin and author’s plagiarism onward. In a concluding chap- Seib, who has an earlier work on the D.C. establishment, ter, the author reconsiders the emoji’s role in culture and how Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power (2008), looks the lack of common interpretations opens up the images to favorably on Ronald Reagan and describes the forces that playful and nuanced interpretations. That plus two more essays helped him achieve the presidency, which include the forma- on Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man tion of the Heritage Foundation and the influences of Grover doesn’t add up to a cohesive thesis on faces. Serpell writes that Norquist and Ayn Rand. The author praises Reagan for numer- she wishes to “shatter” conventional interpretations of the face, ous accomplishments before moving on to the administration but she isn’t moved to assemble a new one from the pieces. Her of his successor, George H.W. Bush. Seib sees both of these discussion of fetishes drifts into academic jargon, and she is, by presidents as admirable men who did good deeds but had a few her own admission, overly obsessed with the role of a mop in problems, not always of their own making. Next, the author Hitchcock’s classic. But in recasting the Elephant Man’s face charts the rise of Newt Gingrich, crediting his astute use and as a thing of beauty (or at least one with its own aesthetics) and manipulation of media. Likewise, we see the emerging power studying digital avatars for multitudes of expression (including of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and other conservative media blackface), she’s broken ground for further commentary. commentators and outlets. The author also has numerous kind A scholarly but engrossing meditation that challenges things to say about George W. Bush (“an instantly likable man what we see in portraits—and in our mirrors. with a quick mind and an air of self-assurance”), words that will no doubt surprise some readers. Seib calls the Iraq War a “misadventure” and argues that the primary problem for Bush

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 93 A book of justifiably righteous indignation at— and condemnation of—a monstrous program. separated

SEPARATED This is a story about writing a book and the steps that Som Inside an American Tragedy took along the way in her transition from architect to hopeful Soboroff, Jacob author/illustrator. However, that wasn’t the most significant Custom House/Morrow (400 pp.) change the author experienced, as she details from an oblique $27.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 perspective how she became a transgender artist. “Loath to 978-0-06-299219-2 draw myself,” she writes, “…I substituted Anjali, a cisgender Bengali-American woman in place of yours truly into these NBC News and MSNBC correspon- recollections.” The author proceeds to chronicle her life story dent Soboroff takes a piercing look at a through the voice of Anjali. Throughout, Anjali struggles with controversial immigration policy. issues of both identity and gender confusion—e.g., being mis- Separating migrant minors from taken for a boy during an adolescent goth phase, she wonders, their families has been a hallmark of the “What was I supposed to do? I wasn’t a gay boy but I didn’t feel current administration—and, writes the author, “an unparal- quite straight either.” She earned a master’s degree in archi- leled abuse of the human rights of children.” His narrative tecture from Harvard, left her job over a dispute about health begins in June 2018 in Brownsville, Texas, where he toured a insurance, and devoted herself to her vocation of comics while former Walmart that had been converted into a “shelter” to occasionally supporting herself with architectural drawings. house some 1,500 migrant boys, many of them caught with their She traveled with her parents to India and, later, endured the families trying to enter the U.S. By virtue of the administration’s deaths of her mother and then father. All the while, she was vaunted “zero tolerance” policy, these children represent what badgered by relatives to “find a nice Indian boy and get- mar Soboroff calls “an avoidable catastrophe.” His sketches of the ried.” Eventually, Anjali encountered a trans woman whose detention centers are consistently affecting and haunting. As experience influenced her own, and she explored same-sex rela- he noted at the time, “this place is called a shelter, but effec- tionships without feeling the need to define herself as one way tively these kids are incarcerated.” The policy of separation or the other. With a mixture of cartoon-bubble dialogue, boxed was foreshadowed in Trump’s blustery rhetoric during the 2016 passages of narration, and full-color illustrations that show the campaign—but more by his lieutenant Stephen Miller, who precision of the drafting table and the meticulous approach loudly voiced “vitriol for undocumented immigrants.” It was up of the author, Som and her creation seem to merge at the end, to Homeland Security head Kirstjen Nielsen to enact it, even with the declaration, “after half a century…being at sea, I finally after she was warned that family separations would constitute a kind of know who I am.” violation of the constitutional principle of fair treatment. Mill- A rewarding narrative that presents identity as a puzzle er’s faction won the day, and family separation became policy. for everyone to solve. Startlingly, when a federal judge ruled against the policy and ordered the government to reunite detained families, Customs and Border Patrol admitted that it had planned to separate THE GOLDEN THREAD “more than 26,000 children between May and September 2018” The Cold War Mystery alone. Naturally, the administration has denied the policy even Surrounding the Death of as, Soboroff notes, the principals involved who remain in the Dag Hammarskjöld administration are now the very people who are coordinating Somaiya, Ravi the government’s bungled response to COVID-19. And even Grand Central Publishing (320 pp.) though the policy has theoretically been terminated by execu- $28.00 | Jul. 7, 2020 tive order, thousands of migrant children are still detained in 978-1-4555-3654-2 tent cities and other facilities across the border, in some cases without their families for years. A web of intrigue surrounds a mys- A book of justifiably righteous indignation at—and con- terious plane crash that killed the U.N. demnation of—a monstrous program. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961. On Sept. 18, 1961, Hammarskjöld died in a crash during a SPELLBOUND mission to the Congo to mediate a vicious war that had inten- A Graphic Memoir sified since 1960. Journalist Somaiya, a former correspondent Som, Bishakh for the New York Times and contributor to the Guardian, among Illus. by the author other venues, draws on interviews and government archives to Street Noise Books (160 pp.) create a tense narrative that reveals the “web of seasoned, brutal $18.99 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 spies and assassins,” dirty deals, and ferocious hatreds that, he 978-1-951491-03-1 argues compellingly, led to the downing of the plane. Hammar- skjöld, the author discovered, was caught in the crosshairs of A tricky graphic meta-memoir about geopolitical conflict. Russia hated him “as an agent of the West,” levels of profound transition—personal, and the West hated him for “opening the door to Russia in the professional, and creative. Congo.” The Congolese blamed him for the death of Patrice

94 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | Lumumba, the Congo’s first prime minister, whom Ham- writing and come to the realization that happily-ever-after marskjöld had tried to protect. The Belgians, who since the “wasn’t about being free from pain, but free enough to see more time of King Leopold had ruthlessly exploited the Congo and than pain.” In this sharp book, the author examines the history oppressed its populace, hated Hammarskjöld, as well, because and culture of contemporary romance novels while grappling he opposed the secession of a mineral-rich region from the rest with the “thorny and perennially troubling relationship” fans of the country. After the crash, the wreckage was examined and practitioners have with this lively genre. by Rhodesians, who hated the U.N. Although the official ver- A quirky and informative memoir. dict maintained that the crash had been an accident, over the years, “a band of ingenious devotees” disputed that conclusion. Theories abounded: that there had been a hijacker aboard, that THE ACT OF LIVING a mercenary plane had attacked it, even that Hammarskjöld What the Great Psychologists caused the crash in order to commit suicide. Finally, in 2014, the Can Teach Us About Finding U.N. appointed Mohamed Chaude Othman, a Tanzanian judge, Fulfillment to reexamine the case, and although logs—and the airport man- Tallis, Frank ager—had conveniently disappeared, his evidence, added to Basic (336 pp.) Somaiya’s research, led the author to conclude that the plane $28.00 | Jul. 7, 2020 did succumb to an aerial attack, orchestrated by one or many of 978-1-5416-7303-8 the parties that desperately wanted Hammarskjöld gone. A vivid recounting of an international tragedy. An earnest attempt to expand psychoanalysis from an approach to mental illness to an explanation of the human condition. THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER Clinical psychologist Tallis writes that during the 1920s, A Memoir of an Unlikely Freud himself asserted that psychoanalysis was more than a Romance Novelist medical specialty. He maintained that, besides treating psy- Steinberg, Avi chiatric disorders, its ideas could “show how the mind func- Nan A. Talese (272 pp.) tions, how minds relate to each other, and how minds operate $26.95 | Aug. 11, 2020 within cultures. They can also…answer questions concerning 978-0-385-54025-4 ideal ways to live…that have been debated since ancient times.” Freud was more prescient than he realized. The 20th-century A journalist offers insight into the psychoanalytic doctrines of Freud, Jung, and others, which romance genre while recounting his emphasize the recovery of unconscious memories and primi- own unexpected transformation into a tive desires, have proven to have few practical insights regard- romance novelist. ing the treatment of severe mental illnesses, but they remain a Before New York Times Magazine contributor Steinberg major influence in literature and the arts. Tallis works hard to began writing romantic suspense, he believed that only liter- give them the benefit of the doubt and shows equal confidence ary romances offered realistic “mirror[s] to society.” But nei- in the two other major psychoanalytic schools: the humanistic- ther Anna Karenina nor Madame Bovary could compete with the existential, which stresses autonomy, authenticity, and achiev- billion-dollar popularity of contemporary romance. Intrigued ing personal growth; and the cognitive-behavioral, which aims by the romance genre, Steinberg investigated Romancelandia. to correct harmful learning experiences and dysfunctional He attended a genre conference and met colorful writers and beliefs. In a dozen lucid chapters, the author discusses human hunky cover-art models like C.J. Hollenbach that made literary needs (security, acceptance, identity, sex) and the consequences publishing seem funereal by contrast. Later, he learned about when they are not met (adversity, inferiority, narcissism). The the Romance Writers of America “laws” that made the hap- result is less a work of philosophy than a vivid history of the pily-ever-after ending “an inalienable right” for contemporary psychoanalytic schools, their often equally colorful founders romance readers. Inevitably, Steinberg began reflecting on the (“they tested their theories by experimenting with alternative way his skepticism about romance novels reflected his habit of lifestyles and altered states of consciousness; they followed “never taking love or happiness seriously.” Divorced and single, their patients into madness; they were like explorers, ventur- the author not only failed to understand women and relation- ing into the unknown. And inevitably, some of them paid a very ships; he also had a distinct “aversion to intimacy.” Inspired by high price”), and their conclusions. Many have proven useful; his conference experiences, Steinberg decided to pen his own others owe more to fashion than efficacy. Although not averse romance novel and became an active member of a romance to research and amenable to the insights of neuroscience, Tallis writing group. As he worked toward a commitment to writing accepts the tenets of psychoanalysis, such as the malign effect Gothic-style Amish romances, he faced a commitment crisis in of modern life on mental health. his personal life. An unexpected pregnancy forced him to con- Less self-help than a lively and penetrating history of front his feelings and those of the woman he loved. The crisis psychoanalysis. strengthened their relationship and helped Steinberg find the “beating heart” of love that had been missing from his romance

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 95 A cleareyed, smart account that merits high rank in the library of computer crime. flash crash

SITTING PRETTY FLASH CRASH The View From My A Trading Savant, a Ordinary Resilient Global Manhunt, and Disabled Body the Most Mysterious Market Taussig, Rebekah Crash in History HarperOne (256 pp.) Vaughan, Liam $25.99 | Aug. 25, 2020 Doubleday (272 pp.) 978-0-06-293679-0 $26.95 | May 12, 2020 978-0-385-54365-1 A disability advocate debuts with a collection offering potent rejoinders to That bit about hackers living in their ableism. parents’ basements? In the case of this Tracing memories from childhood to the present, Taussig, fast-moving work of financial reportage, it just about fits. who has a doctorate in disability studies, explores her life story When the FBI caught up with him five years ago, Navinder and relationship with her body as well as attendant concerns of Singh Sarao, a veteran of boardrooms and trading pits, was liv- confidence, belief, and hope. Even though she grew up “after ing with his parents near Heathrow Airport. As then–London- the passage of the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act,” the based Bloomberg reporter Vaughan writes, Sarao had chalked up author, who was paralyzed at age 3 following a lengthy, deleteri- quite a career in just a few years, having made $70 million by ous cancer-treatment regimen, faced many difficult situations gaming the futures market and helping precipitate “the most related to her disability, from confronting lowered expecta- dramatic market collapse in recent history,” the Flash Crash of tions at a youth camp to navigating awkward moments with 2010. Sarao built a system of automated trading that requires friends and acquaintances. She investigates what accessibility some careful unpacking—a job that Vaughan does well, explain- really means and how it relates to housing, employment, and ing the technique of “spoofing,” sending false signals for orders health care—“The older I got,” she writes, “the more I cringed that are then canceled before they’re fully executed, leading at the bills my body created”—and she looks at dating chal- other traders to follow as a herd and drive the market up or lenges and the difference between finding marriage and finding down. In a world of trading systems that are programmed to love, exposing many of the mechanics behind traditional social jump on the slightest market movement and to monitor and scripts. Constantly questioning the damaging illogic of nonac- anticipate moves by other traders, spoofing has been defended cessible public spaces, Taussig confronts the insidious nature of as the modern equivalent of the “misdirection and gamesman- “stigma, isolation, erasure, misunderstanding, skepticism, and ship [that] had been considered part of the cut and thrust of ubiquitous inaccessibility.” Introducing many key themes of dis- financial markets” back in the days of open-floor trading. High- ability studies throughout the narrative, the author pushes for frequency trading verges on the same territory, and it’s this nuanced awareness and understanding of fluid rather than fixed generally secretive, technology-driven approach that domi- needs, essential for a more effective intersectional approach to nates a big chunk of the futures market. Still, as Vaughan writes, social solutions. Taussig goes beyond empty inspirational jargon, spoofing was harder to pull off in the old-school pits—where forcing readers to consider the value of the real-world improve- “serial offenders were liable to be taken outside and made to ments that can emerge from centering underrepresented voices. understand the error of their ways”—than it is on the com- An engaging, up-close view of the need for structural change puter screen. Sarao, a public enemy to the feds, turns out to be regarding disabilities in this country, the text is a solid com- a verging-on-sympathetic character while the computer-driven bination of theory and personal experience. “We should bring market, where “trade speeds were now measured in nanosec- disabled perspectives to the center,” she writes, “because such onds,” comes in for thorough examination and is found wanting. perspectives create a world that is more imaginative, more flex- A cleareyed, smart account that merits high rank in the ible, more sustainable, more dynamic and vibrant for everyone library of computer crime. who lives in a body.” A fierce and fabulous revision to entrenched ableist scripts.

96 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | CONSPIRACY TO RIOT over American’s intelligence establishment. He explains that The Life and Times of One of the CIA mainly consists of “two camps.” Analysts gather infor- the Chicago 7 mation on other nations, sometimes through spies but often by Weiner, Lee simply reading their newspapers. Their information is usually Belt Publishing (208 pp.) accurate, if often ignored; pressed to “predict the future,” they $26.00 | Aug. 4, 2020 obey, but, of course, they “aren’t perfect and they often pay the 978-1-948742-68-9 price.” In the second camp are operatives, who “practice decep- tion and seduction, enticing strangers to betray their countries.” A defendant in the notorious Chi- Whipple emphasizes that the CIA serves presidents who may cago Seven trial offers a candid view of ask for the impossible or the illegal, take credit for successes, the times—and the embattled present. and shift blame for failures. Thus, it’s accepted that 9/11 took “We were about as famous as you the agency by surprise, although the author rightly points out could be before the internet, Twitter, Facebook, and Insta- that administration officials repeatedly ignored warnings of gram,” writes now-retired political consultant Weiner. The “we” an imminent attack. Directors range from experienced intel- in question included Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, and Bobby ligence officers to clueless politicos, technocrats, and ruthless Seale, among others. Weiner traces the path that led him onto zealots. Richard Helms spoke truth to power, warning Lyndon the Chicago streets in 1968, protesting at the Democratic Johnson and Richard Nixon that North Vietnam wasn’t weak- National Convention and facing down police and National ening, and then blotted his escutcheon by agreeing to spy on Guard troops. That path included a memorable time in Israel, anti-war protesters. Allen Dulles thrilled Dwight Eisenhower where he “studied political philosophy, met Jewish and Arab by overthrowing supposedly hostile governments in Iran and members of their Communist Party, visited kibbutzim and Arab Guatemala but then oversaw the disastrous invasion of Castro’s villages, and talked politics endlessly,” along with radicalization Cuba. William Casey greased the wheels of the Iran-Contra wrought by the Vietnam War. The trial clearly wasn’t meant to affair, which “almost sank Ronald Reagan’s presidency.” The go their way: “The judge…was small, old, crinkled, bald, and best—according to Whipple: Leon Panetta, William Webster, absurdly supportive of the prosecution.” Given the likely out- Robert Gates, John Brennan—have been close to presidents come, the Seven were determined to turn the trial into a noisy but never partisan. Tim Weiner’s Legacy of Ashes remains the critique that would in itself protest the war and celebrate the best book about the CIA, but readers will not regret time spent First Amendment. The judge, writes the author, clearly wasn’t on this readable journalistic account, which relies heavily on amused. At the end of a trial that included visits by Dustin Hoff- interviews with living directors and a surprisingly large number man and Nicholas Ray (who got Groucho Marx’s number to the of surviving spouses, children, and associates. defendants in the hope that he could be recruited to testify This lively, opinionated history makes it clear that presi- about satire), he threw the lot into jail for their endless acts of dents and CIA directors sometimes deserve each other. contempt. The denouement of the story is anticlimactic: family issues, job changes, an accommodation to the straight life. Still, in a book that should be shelved alongside Mark Rudd’s Under SEARCHING FOR ground and Pat Thomas’ Did It! Weiner closes with a stirring THE MESSIAH paean to activism. “While a political life isn’t easy,” he writes, Unlocking the “Psalms of “and while frustration, anger, disappointment, fear, and confu- Solomon” and Humanity’s sion are sometimes pieces of it, I believe there is no more self- Quest for a Savior respecting, fulfilling life to try to lead.” Wilson, Barrie A welcome addition to the library of the countercultural Pegasus (400 pp.) 1960s left. $29.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 978-1-64313-450-5

THE SPYMASTERS An emeritus professor of religious How the CIA Directors Shape studies presents a treatise about—and History and the Future apparently against—society’s concept of “messiah.” Whipple, Chris Wilson devotes a large part of his latest book to debunking Scribner (416 pp.) the idea that Jesus was a messiah, but he goes further by ques- $30.00 | Sep. 15, 2020 tioning the concept of any leader, real or fictional, as deserving 978-1-982106-40-9 of the title. The author does not offer a thesis for his work; he dives right into the life of Jesus, pointing out that he did not call An expert chronicle of the CIA himself a messiah and was not viewed as such by his contempo- through the actions of its directors. rary followers. Only after declaring that Jesus was not a messiah Focusing on individual personalities does Wilson investigate the definition of the term. Using the allows Whipple, a Peabody- and Emmy- Hebrew Bible, he admits that a clear definition of messiah is winning TV producer, to describe the influence they exerted difficult to find; he settles on “a divinely designated leader who

| kirkus.com | nonfiction | 1 june 2020 | 97 A fifth-row center seat for a perceptive look at a vital time on the Broadway boards. magic time

has been anointed—smeared with oil and singled out to per- Music, A Chorus Line, and many more. Now in his 90s, the author form a task, typically that of being a ruler or priest.” Seeking laments Broadway’s current state, with theatregoers “dressed as a more formidable definition against which to measure Jesus, if they were about to go into a picnic” while herded “like refu- the author turns to an obscure first-century B.C.E. Jewish text gees” to see jukebox musicals and Disney spectacles. Magic called “The Psalms of Solomon.” Interpreting this text quite time in American theater, it seems, has vanished. literally, Wilson then develops a “job description” of a messiah, A fifth-row center seat for a perceptive look at a vital time which is not applicable to Jesus in a significant way: He is not a on the Broadway boards. literal king over a Jewish kingdom. After dismissing the Gospel writers as mythmakers, the author then explains how—but not why—Paul created a new religion about Jesus that ignored the teachings of Jesus. Wilson goes on to argue that modernity has looked for messiah figures in political leaders—his examples include Woodrow Wilson and Hitler—and in fictional characters like Batman. He concludes that we should each be our own messiah. Though not as sensationalist as Wilson’s How Jesus Became Christian (2008) or as melodramatic as The Lost Gospel (2014), this work is nevertheless insubstantial. A poorly executed religious study.

MAGIC TIME A Memoir—Notes on Theater & Other Entertainments Wilson, Edwin Smith & Kraus (312 pp.) $34.95 | $19.95 paper | Aug. 25, 2020 978-1-57525-947-5 978-1-57525-942-0 paper

A critic’s expansive take on modern American theater. From more than 50 years of experience as a playwright, teacher, director, and critic, Wilson has much to offer readers who care about the theater in the U.S. As a young man in the early 1950s, the author appeared headed to a career with a small coffee company in Nashville. But New York theater junkets with his parents to see landmark plays—e.g., Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, Oklahoma!—had planted the idea of becoming a playwright. In 1954, that pursuit sent him to the Yale School of Drama, where, eventually, he earned a doctorate. George Bernard Shaw’s essays on Shake- speare, which Wilson researched for his dissertation, shaped his straightforward, lucid prose style, much in evidence here. After graduation, the author taught at Hofstra while also assisting a Broadway producer. The latter work found him working for British stage director Peter Brook in helming a film adaptation of Lord of the Flies. The film’s failure prompts Wilson’s illuminating observations on fundamental differences between film and theater, which he feels Brook couldn’t bridge. A brief stint teaching playwriting at Yale followed by a long tenure at Hunter College teaching theater yielded a text, The Theatre Experience (1976), that remains in print today. A golf outing with a Wall Street Journal writer eventually led to Wilson’s 23-year career as the paper’s theater critic. The assignment afforded him a look at what may have been the modern American theater’s final flowering, as evoked in Wilson’s articulate, entertaining reviews of stellar productions such as The Elephant Man, A Little Night

98 | 1 june 2020 | nonfiction | kirkus.com | children’s THE GIRL AND These titles earned the Kirkus Star: THE GHOST Alkaf, Hanna THE GIRL AND THE GHOST by Hanna Alkaf...... 99 Harper/HarperCollins (288 pp.) THE CANYON’S EDGE $16.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 by Dusti Bowling...... 102 978-0-06-294095-7 THE SISTERS OF STRAYGARDEN PLACE by Hayley Chewins...... 103 After the death of the village witch, FLIBBERTIGIBBETY WORDS by Donna Guthrie; her pelesit, a cricketlike trickster ghost- illus. by Åsa Gilland...... 112 familiar, must seek a new master who HIDE AND SEEKER by Daka Hermon...... 112 shares the witch’s bloodline. Suraya, a lonely, impoverished child HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

by Heinz Janisch; who is shunned by the local children and held at an emotional young adult illus. by Maja Kastelic; trans. by David Henry Wilson...... 114 distance by her mother, embraces her pelesit inheritance, lovingly naming him Pink. Pink serves as Suraya’s friend and THE FOREST OF STARS by Heather Kassner; illus. by Iz Ptica...... 114 protector, but his retribution against those he believes have PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS slighted Suraya is impulsive and malicious. Disturbed, Suraya by Tehlor Kay Mejia...... 122 extracts a promise from Pink not to hurt others, ever, unless THE RADIUM GIRLS she is in absolute danger. Pink soon breaks his promise when by Kate Moore...... 122 Suraya is bullied by other girls, but when she finally makes BIRRARUNG WILAM by Aunty Joy Murphy & Andrew Kelly; her first human friend, Jing Wei, Pink’s protectiveness takes a illus. by Lisa Kennedy...... 122 dangerously jealous turn. As Suraya struggles with the decision to cut Pink loose, darker forces remind them that Pink is not THE MISSING by Michael Rosen...... 126 the only malevolent being around. Alkaf’s middle-grade debut immerses readers in Malaysian culture and food as well as weav- SHE WAS THE FIRST! by Katheryn Russell-Brown; illus. by Eric Velasquez...... 126 ing in both Islamic elements and pre-Islamic views of ghosts and death. Though aspects of the novel embrace the disturbing THE LAND OF THE CRANES by Aida Salazar...... 126 and grotesque (which will delight many readers), its conclusion is grippingly heart-wrenching and speaks to deeper themes of THE EGG by Geraldo Valério...... 130 family, trauma, and friendship. Suraya and her family are Malay GIRL ON FIRE by Jeremy Whitley; illus. by Jamie Noguchi...... 131 Muslims while Jing Wei is Chinese Malaysian. A fascinating, page-turning tale. (Supernatural adventure. THREE KEYS by Kelly Yang...... 132 9-14) OUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR by A.E. Ali; illus. by Rahele Jomepour Bell...... 134 I’LL BE THE WATER THE WORD FOR FRIEND by Aidan Cassie...... 135 A Story of Loss, Grief, and a WE WILL ROCK OUR CLASSMATES by Ryan T. Higgins...... 138 Grandparent’s Love Aspinwall, Alec DANBI LEADS THE SCHOOL PARADE by Anna Kim...... 138 Illus. by Wong, Nicole KINDERGARTEN HAT Tilbury House (36 pp.) by Janet Lawler; $17.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 illus. by Geraldine Rodriguez...... 138 978-0-88448-776-0 I GOT THE SCHOOL SPIRIT by Connie Schofield-Morrison; illus. by Frank Morrison...... 143 A boy loses his grandfather but comes to realize his grandfather’s love never ends. NANA AKUA GOES TO SCHOOL by Patricia Elam Walker; Joshua’s grandfather fills his life with wonder. Whether illus. by April Harrison...... 144 they’re digging in the dirt or eating ice cream, it’s always an adventure. But when Grandpa is admitted to the hospital,

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 99 2020: a weird year for back-to-school books

Leah Overstreet The calendar year may official- with an anteater named ly turn over on Jan. 1, but for chil- Ana. Cassie’s animals are dren and those who live and work perfectly adorable, but with them, “last year” is the school what’s really brilliant year that just ended, “next year” is is her use of Esperanto the one that will begin in the fall, as the language of Ke- and summer is that halcyon time mala’s new homeland, a in between. It’s always felt odd to strategy that puts most be covering back-to-school in late readers in the position spring, even before school is out of being new kids in Ke- in much of the United States. But mala’s class. that’s when the books come out, so that they will be or- Patricia Elam Walker and April Harrison tell a differ- dered and in place when families start thinking about it, ent kind of immigrant story in Nana Akua Goes To School so that’s when we review them. (Schwartz & Wade/Random, June 16). In this sweet tale, If it seems kind of out of sync in regular years, it Zura is a little apprehensive about Grandparents Day seems just bizarre this year, as school years peter out at school, worrying that her American classmates will with distance learning and home schooling, and dis- react badly to Nana Akua’s facial markings, not under- tricts work to anticipate any number of alternative standing their significance to the Akan people of Gha- models for fall based on far too many unknowables. na. Together, Zura and And in between the unsatisfying end of this year and Nana Akua plan an intro- the who-knows-what beginning of next year is a sum- duction to their customs, mer possibly spent still pent up in the same spaces kids using Zura’s quilt and its have been in since March. Adinkra symbols as a ve- In this context, a bevy of back-to-school books full hicle. Harrison’s lovingly of unmasked children and adults sitting together at ta- rendered collage art puls- bles and scrunched up in tight groups on the storytime es with life and love. rugs seems like science fiction, or maybe like those old- In Kindergarten Hat, time–y books that show kids bouncing in the backs of by Janet Lawler and illus- pickups or riding bikes without helmets. For kids who trated by Geraldine Ro- ache for lost routines and distanced friends, they could driguez (Little Bee, June be a soothing reminder of a reality they eagerly hope 9), Carlos, an enthusi- will return. I rather wonder if back-to-school books astic young gardener, is in the summer mightn’t be a good thing this year. For worried about starting those kids, here are some of our favorites. (You’ll find school. A well-timed letter from his teacher gives him a reviews of these books and more on p. 132.) way to prepare, and he happily heads off to school with In The Word for Friend, by Aidan Cassie (Farrar, one of his daisies for her hat. When calamity strikes, Straus & Giroux, June 16), pan- her flexibility helps him over his distress. Carlos’- ear golin Kemala and her mama nestness and anxiety are depicted with warmth and un- have just arrived in a new coun- derstanding, wrapping both him and readers in a big re- try. Kemala is eager to start assuring hug. school until she walks into the Share them as nostalgia or as aspiration. And here’s classroom to hear everyone hoping that the 2021 back-to-school books can resume speaking a language she doesn’t their usual duty: marking the turn of the year with reas- understand. Kemala promptly surance of routine. rolls into a ball, gradually opening up when she makes friends Vicky Smith is a young readers’ editor.

100 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | The sheer energy contained in these images guarantees that children will be as floored by the artwork as they are by the sweet rides. go, go, go!

Joshua begins to understand the frailty of life. Happily, Grandpa GO, GO, GO! is released, and once again the two are able to fish together. Barner, Bob Only this time, Joshua finds he must ask the question perco- Illus. bythe author lating in his mind: whether Grandpa fears dying. In Grandpa’s Holiday House (32 pp.) response, Aspinwall offers a series of beautiful similes, allowing $15.99 | Oct. 6, 2020 even young readers to understand how love can continue even 978-0-8234-4643-8 after a person has passed. While feelings of pain, betrayal, and Series: I Like To Read anger are acknowledged, it is a warm, embracing, and unbroken love that remains. As Grandpa likens Joshua and himself to two A rainbow of brightly colored vehi- fishes in the lake, he explains that when he passes he will then cles brings this newest entry in the I Like become the water that surrounds the fish with love, always pres- To Read series to Technicolor life. ent if Joshua just looks with his heart. Delicate pen lines, light Cars, trucks, boats, buses, and more are on wild display in shades, and subtle watercolor washes lend to the text’s gentle this peppy, easy book. In each double-page spread, one type of approach to a difficult topic. transportation presents itself in wild array. The “Cars go” page, A comforting and meaningful addition to stories about for example, yields one finned roadster with a Starry Night– loss and grieving. (Picture book. 6-8) esque paint job, some that seem dipped in every possible hue, and a couple on the subtler end that just sport a single color. The art shows swirls, spots, splats, patterns, and gentle color TOM BITES BACK gradations. The same treatment is applied to the other vehicles, Banks, Steven most driven by dogs (the fire engines have all-Dalmatian crews,

Illus. by Fearing, Mark natch) in various attitudes of glee that communicate easily young adult Holiday House (360 pp.) despite the cartoon simplicity of their renderings. In one dou- $13.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 ble-page wordless display, all of the vehicles come to a screech- 978-0-8234-4615-5 ing “Stop” (signaled on the page before) when a family of Series: Middle School Bites, 2 ducklings crosses with mama in the lead. Everyone safe? Then “Go. Go. Go.” The sheer energy contained in these images guar- Life goes on as usual—even when it’s antees that children just starting to read will be as floored by anything but. the artwork as they are by the sweet rides. Though ideal for the On the day before the start of middle earliest of readers, the subject material found here is bound to school, Tom Marks was bitten by a vam- appeal to pre-reading vehicular enthusiasts as well. pire bat, a werewolf, and a zombie and had to adjust to a drasti- Go, dogs! Go? This book kicks it up a notch. Drive, dogs! cally altered reality: that of a Vam-Wolf-Zom, as related in series Drive! (Picture book. 2-6) opener Middle School Bites (2020). But within the week, Tom must return to life as usual. The world of a middle schooler is rich and mercilessly tumultuous, rife with burgeoning crushes, BESS THE BARN Halloween protests, school-bus bullies, failed band practices, STANDS STRONG dances, and sibling rivalries—and, of course, mad scientists, Bedia, Elizabeth Gilbert moonlit transformations, and mysterious, centuries-old vam- Illus. by Hickey, Katie pire girls guarding the secrets to your survival. With friends old, Page Street (32 pp.) unexpected, and new by his side, Tom gears up to tackle chal- $17.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 lenges both banal and bizarre as they come flying (sometimes 978-1-62414-980-1 quite literally) at him. This sequel takes a more slice-of-life approach than its action-packed predecessor. The slower pace A friendly barn on a family farm weathers weather, time, and almost episodic nature take some getting used to, especially and change. in the first third, where exposition must balance the introduc- Pencil and crayons lovingly illustrate the story of Bess, a tion of new characters and plot elements. Once the story hits its family barn raised “Beam by beam and board by board” by a stride, however, it becomes not only enjoyable, but engrossing, farming family. Bess exudes comfort and stability to all the ani- adroitly juggling a larger cast and deeper dives into side char- mals that take shelter beneath her roof, and she loves observing acters’ psyches. The witty frankness of Tom’s narration consis- the cycle of life and its celebrations. But when the old farmer tently amuses, keeping readers firmly on his side as he grows as dies, a new owner raises a different barn made of corrugated a person and in his powers. steel and filled with “new-fangled machines.” Forgotten, Bess Bloody good. (Fantasy. 8-12) weathers quietly until the timely appearance of a savage storm gives her the chance to be a hero. There’s a marvelous mix of peppy text and bone-deep comfort at work within the language of this story. Paying homage to such classics as Virginia Lee Burton’s The Little House (1942) as well as more recent titles like School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex and illustrated by

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 101 Elements of the survival story and psychological thriller combine with strong symbolism to weave a winding, focused, stunning narrative. the canyon’s edge

Christian Robinson (2016), Bess’ physical anthropomorphiza- THE CANYON’S EDGE tion is limited to little details, as when boards fall askew to Bowling, Dusti resemble eyebrows. Visual treasures abound in the corners of Little, Brown (240 pp.) the art, and children may enjoy figuring out which characters $16.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 from the beginning of the book (most white, some people of 978-0-316-49469-4 color) change and grow by the story’s end. Seasons come and seasons go, but cozy concepts like A girl’s birthdays mark parallel trag- barns on farms will never ever die. (Picture book. 3-6) edies for her broken family unit. Last year’s celebration at a restaurant ended in an unexplained public IN THE DARK shooting, and Nora’s mother died. She The Science of What and her father are still wrestling with Happens at Night their trauma, Nora with a confirmed diagnosis of PTSD. For Betik, Lisa Deresti this year’s outing, Nora and her father head into the deserts of Illus. by Holinaty, Josh the Southwest on a rock-climbing expedition. They descend Kids Can (48 pp.) into a 40-foot deep slot canyon, then hike along inside until a $18.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 flash flood barrels through the canyon, washing away all their 978-1-5253-0109-4 supplies…and Nora’s father. She’s left to survive this symbolic and living nightmare on her own. Thankfully, she can make A quick survey picks out “wild and continuous use of her parents’ thorough training in desert wonderful things that happen while you knowledge. Brief sections of prose bracket the meat of the sleep.” story, which is in verse, a choice highly effective in setting tone Betik opens in the bedroom, with explanations of circadian and emotional resonance for the heightened situation. Bowl- rhythms, REM and non-REM sleep cycles, and current theories ing’s poems run a gamut of forms, transforming the literal about why we dream. She then ventures outside for looks at the shape of the text just as the canyon walls surrounding Nora eyes of cats, owls, and tarsiers; shows how certain creatures use shape her trek. The voice of Nora’s therapist breaks through tongues, whiskers, and other organs to compensate for the lack occasionally, providing a counterpoint perspective. Nora of light; and describes how plant metabolism changes when the is white while two characters seen in memories have brown sun goes down. Then it’s time to look up: at auroras and lunar skin. The narrative also names local Native peoples. Elements phases; at planets and twinkling stars; at constellations, com- of the survival story and psychological thriller combine with ets, and meteor showers. On every page, limited applications strong symbolism to weave a winding, focused, stunning nar- of color serve to illuminate the accurately rendered plants, ani- rative ultimately about the search for healing. mals, and astronomical phenomena in Holinaty’s squared-off An edge-of-your-seat read. (Adventure. 8-12) panels and insets. His creatures are drawn in expressive poses, and human figures, though stylized, show a diverse range of skin hues. Readers may need to stretch to see the way plants HAUNTED HOSPITAL allocate stored energy to get them through each night as “plant Chan, Marty math,” but overall the author’s facts are straight as well as flashy Orca (144 pp.) enough to stick. Young STEM-winders may be more com- $10.95 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 fortable with this than Lena Sjöberg’s equally broad but more 978-1-4598-2620-5 atmospheric Bright in the Night (2019). Specialized vocabulary is Series: Orca Currents identified in boldface, spelled phonetically, and contextualized within the narrative, and a glossary in the backmatter pulls it all A game of pretend ghost-hunting together for easy reference and review. (This book was reviewed goes awry when four Canadian teens digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 56.5% of sneak into an old, shut-down hospital actual size.) with a haunted past. Illuminating insights for nocturnal naturalists. (sources, Xander and his friends Li, Omar, index) (Nonfiction. -8 10) and Priya always play Spirits and Specters in the cemetery. As the Crypt Keeper, Priya creates missions, enhanced by spooky special effects, for the players, who hunt for evidence of the supernatural in exchange for experience points. However, the familiar setting no longer holds the thrill it used to for the group. Eager to up the intensity, Xander designs a new adventure for his friends at the abandoned George Wickerman Hos- pital. Rumors say that the ghosts of tuberculosis patients who died from medical experimentation still haunt the building. The story starts in the thick of action and maintains a steady

102 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | pace. Chan provides enough details about the setting to create ONCE UPON AN HOUR a chilling atmosphere without halting the momentum. More Choi, Ann Yu-Kyung than one source of suspense builds tension as the narrative pro- Illus. by Kim, Soyeon gresses. Not only does the building hold mysteries and poten- Orca (32 pp.) tial danger, but one of the characters also hints that she has a $19.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 secret connection to the hospital too. Within this paranormal 978-1-4598-2127-9 mystery, Chan explores the topics of homelessness and bias against homeless people. Although the characters receive little Learning the order of the Korean physical description, their names indicate cultural diversity, and zodiac signs becomes a bedtime story to dialogue reveals that Omar emigrated from Egypt. help a little girl learn how to tell time. An immersive, page-turning ghost hunt. (Horror. 9-14) Yu-Rhee, a young Korean girl, looks at the puzzling, round clock face, wondering how her mother knows it is time for bed. Mother tells her a story about a special group of animals and a THE SISTERS OF compassionate mountain who plays an active role. The animals STRAYGARDEN PLACE represent the 12 symbols of the zodiac. As the tale begins, an Chewins, Hayley unnamed child struggles up a steep trail in search of the doraji Candlewick (208 pp.) plant to make a healing tea for their ill mother. Mountain takes $16.99 | Sep. 15, 2020 pity on the child and asks the animals to help her. One by one, 978-1-5362-1227-3 the animals give time-related excuses instead of providing assistance. “When the sun climbs the morning sky, I need to bask

In an enchanted house, three sisters young adult face confusing dangers. Years ago, Mamma and Pappa silently walked out of the large, formal, and daunting Straygarden Place, leaving their daughters a cryptic note: “Do not leave the house. / Do not go into the grass. / Wait for us. / Sleep darkly.” The silver grass outside looms taller than the house itself; always aggressive, it plugs the keyholes, blocks the windows, shakes the walls, and hisses words. It tries to get in. One day, eldest sister Winnow goes outdoors—and when she returns, nothing is the same. The house still nurturingly feeds and clothes the girls using magic, but Win- now sickens and begins to turn silver. Unable to talk, Winnow rages incoherently at middle sister and third-person protagonist Mayhap. The relationships among Mayhap, Winnow, and youngest sister Pavonine tip sideways with anger, bafflement, and terror. Even each girl’s personally bonded droomhund— a small black dog who squeezes physically into its girl’s brain when she needs darkness for sleeping—can’t provide comfort, and Winnow’s droomhund is impossibly missing. Why does the aroma of coffee make Mayhap feel like she’s smothering? Who’s the sudden fourth girl in the house, and what has she woven out of “dirt and bats’ lungs…the darkness of the sky and the silk of the moon…[and]…coffee”? Chewins’ prose is exquisite, her eerie concepts heart-wrenching. All characters are white. Superb, spooky, and unforgettable. (Fantasy/horror. 10-14)

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 103 in its bright rays,” says Snake. Finally the animals do help, and KENNY & THE BOOK the child achieves their goal. Each illustration is built from cut- OF BEASTS out drawings and pieces of tissue paper that have been placed DiTerlizzi, Tony into dioramas for a striking, three-dimensional effect. Natural Illus. by the author shadows and the lines that support each element provide tex- Simon & Schuster (224 pp.) ture and perspective. The link between each animal and their $17.99 | Sep. 22, 2020 associated time is tenuous, however, needing stronger visual 978-1-4169-8316-3 cues to help young readers learn timekeeping. Unfortunately, as Series: Kenny & the Dragon the journey plays out, the child is not as active a character as the animals, and the pacing plods up and down the mountain. A long-eared young hero takes on a A curious premise with captivating illustrations that witch bent on trapping rare legendary unfortunately lacks excitement. (Picture book. 3-5) creatures in a magical book. Not so much a pastiche of E. Nesbit’s short story “Book of Beasts” as an original novel with cribbed elements, this LET’S GET SLEEPY! adventuresome outing regathers and expands the animal cast Cliff, Tony of DiTerlizzi’s 2008 reworking of The Reluctant Dragon (titled Illus. by the author Kenny & the Dragon) for a fresh challenge. As if coping with a Imprint (32 pp.) dozen baby sisters and tending the bookshop of his questing $17.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 mentor, Sir George E. Badger, aren’t hard enough, Kenny Rab- 978-1-250-30784-2 bit feels abandoned by his best friend, dessert-loving dragon Grahame—who happily recognizes the supposedly mythi- A marmalade kitten and friends search a crowded cat world cal manticore that springs from the pages of a grimoire as an for a mouse named Sleepy. acquaintance from olden days. Avid to collect magical creatures When Mom cat asks what happened to Sleepy, this kitten of all sorts, the book’s owner, sinister opossum Eldritch Nesbit, knows she means the crowned mouse known as “Prince of the tempts Kenny into an ill-considered bargain. But once he sees Night” and “Master of Dreams.” The kitten continues, “But not only the manticore, but Grahame too snapped up, Kenny where is he now? Where could Sleepy be? / Not here around joins allies, notably his redoubtable crush Charlotte the squir- us. He’s run away, free!” With a spread-spanning cry of “LET’S rel, in a rumbustious rescue that also frees a host of unicorns GET SLEEPY!!!” a bevy of kittens bursts out of the house to and other long-vanished marvels. Aside from the odd griffin look, at first just around the neighborhood. Nope. There’s a or al-mi’raj (a horned rabbit from Persian lore and an outlier in parade going on in town, but the kittens don’t find Sleepy. The an otherwise Eurocentric cast), everyone in the lively, accom- next “LET’S GET SLEEPY!!!!” hies the friends to “Sunny Sands plished illustrations, from Kenny’s impossibly adorable sibs on, Beach! Is this where he’ll be? / We’ll search and we’ll seek and sports amusingly anthropomorphic dress and body language. ask friends that we meet.” The kittens’ search takes them to the This oblique homage to a now-creaky classic is lit by mountains, a swamp, a cave, and even the moon…but they never friendships, heroic feats, and exceptional art. (Fantasy. 9-11) find Sleepy. Readers will understand why, as each location presents a bustling scene in which Sleepy figures as a tiny Where’s Waldo–esque target amid teeming masses of bright-eyed, round- FARM CRIMES! headed anthropomorphic kitties (and the occasional dog, ele- Cracking the Case of the phant, or pterodactyl). Each landscape is rendered in a muted Missing Egg palette dominated by ochre and gold, upping the difficulty. All Dumais, Sandra the figures in each scene appear to have their own backstories, Illus. by the author allowing young readers searching for Sleepy to make up any Trans. by the author number of additional tales. Owlkids Books (48 pp.) Only confirmed ailurophobes will fail to enjoy sharing $16.95 | Sep. 15, 2020 these kitties’ day. (Picture book. 2-7) 978-1-77147-415-3 Series: Farm Crimes

This graphic novel is precisely as obtuse as it should be. The most famous—and possibly the dumbest—chicken joke of all time is, “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.” It follows a classic formula. It treats something ridiculously obvious as a huge surprise. This chicken story adopts the same structure. A hen lays an egg and can’t figure out why it’s suddenly vanished, even though one of the clues is a broken eggshell. She even brings in “the world’s #1 goat detective,” Billiam Van Hoof, who takes a plane to reach the other

104 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | The omniscient narrator uses snark, humor, and short chapters to keep this fun, enlightening adventure moving. the bickery twins and the phoenix tear

end of the farm. Some readers will lose patience once they real- THE BICKERY TWINS AND THE ize the egg has simply hatched. Others will want to see how PHOENIX TEAR Dumais maintains the suspense. Arguably, she doesn’t. She just Elphinstone, Abi keeps adding more clues (a feather, teeny little footprints) until Aladdin (336 pp.) the pages run out. But the details along the way are hilariously $17.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 confused: a signpost pointing to “unknown,” a map that’s acci- 978-1-5344-4310-5 dentally drawn upside down. And the childlike illustrations are, Series: Unmapped Chronicles, 2 for the most part, sweetly minimalist. One sequence consists of nothing but eyes glancing suspiciously at each other. But Rude twins learn respect and how to because every character is an extremely anthropomorphized be heroes. animal, readers are treated to absurd touches like a cow wearing Seventy years after the events of a black-and-white spotted dress. And many readers will enjoy Casper Tock and the Everdark Wings (2019), feeling ahead of the game. readers are welcomed back to the alternate Earth known as the A shaggy dog story with chickens. What’s not to like? Faraway and the Unmapped Kingdoms that are the source of (Graphic mystery. 5-10) the Faraway’s weather. Twins Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble, 11, have been rivals from birth, to the delight of their parents—the family motto is “do not be afraid to stamp all over other people’s feelings.” This comes to a head after the Petty-Squabble parents force the pair to present brilliant business plans to save the family fortune or be exiled to Antarctica. Fox, feeling the pressure, young adult

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 105 INTERVIEWS & PROFILES Lindsay Leslie & Ellen Rooney

THE CREATORS OF DUSK EXPLORERS OFFER AN ODE TO TWILIT NEIGHBORHOODS AND CHILDHOOD PLAY By Vicky Smith

Mary Beth Huerta at Heart & Home Photography Huerta atMary Beth Heart How about you, Ellen? What did you feel when you got the manuscript? Ellen Rooney: I connected with it for that reason. I was in a big family, so for me, it was usually my siblings and my cousins. I was the youngest of 20-some cousins. I think it was maybe extra magical for me because I was younger, and I could go out with the older kids. That’s what I tried to think about when I was putting together illustrations for the book.

Is this a specific neighborhood that you created, Ellen? ER: I drew from my own neighborhood here in British Co- lumbia. It’s a pretty working-class neighborhood. So I just did a lot of walking around with my sketchbook. [I also wanted it to feel like] it could span a range of times too, since we’re Lindsay Leslie calling back to our childhoods. It was a push and pull between trying to ground it in something specific and also have it be In their picture-book collaboration, Dusk Explorers recognizable to people from everywhere. I’m pretty far north. (Page Street, June 2), author Lindsay Leslie and illustrator El- So I was doing all this looking at the skies and how the sky len Rooney beckon readers to join a multiracial cast of kids Gary SeronikGary Marcos Galvany as they romp through their neighborhood at twilight, catching frogs and fireflies, playing kick-the-can and hide-and-seek, “and pretend[ing] not to hear their parents’ the-sun-is-gone yell: ‘TIME TO COME HOME!’ ” Leslie’s rhythmic, propulsive text and Rooney’s vibrant mixed-media collages capture a magic that’s increasingly rare for today’s kids. Kirkus spoke with them both by Zoom, Leslie joining from Austin, Texas, and Rooney from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell us about your book. Lindsay Leslie: Oh my gosh, this book is the book of my childhood. It’s a tribute to it, but it’s also a call to action for the children of today. So I had my feet planted in both those worlds when I wrote it. The strongest memories [from my childhood are of] when, after dinner in the summertime, I would run out the door and hope my neighborhood friends were out there to play with. And to just let our imaginations go and see where the evening took us. It was so magical to me. Ellen Rooney

106 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | changes, and then I realized “Oh, that’s actually quite different for different people.”

One of the book’s strengths is how racially diverse it is. I’d love to hear both of you talk about that. LL: I had an idea in my mind, and I didn’t share it with Ellen until after [the book was finished], but I saw all kinds of kids. I was so, so glad when Ellen took it the way that she did. I was more than happy. snatches Fibber’s briefcase and makes a run for an antiques ER: It was such an interesting project that way, right? Be- shop, where a familiar face tells the twins that they’re meant to save the world from the inexplicable water crisis and defeat cause the text is so open. I did talk to [our publisher] about Morg, the evil harpy. The twins arrive in the Unmapped King- it, and I think everybody was jelling on the same thing. dom of Jungledrop on a magical train (powered by junglespit) to learn they must find the elusive Forever Fern—a plant that can grant immortality or save an entire kingdom. An adven- Lindsay, how long did it take you to get the text just ture that starts as a selfish race to make millions just may be right? the thing these siblings (who both appear white) need to heal LL: This came flowing out of me, like gangbusters. I couldn’t their relationship and learn it’s OK to help others. The omni- stop myself. I just felt like, from the get-go, it had its inten- scient narrator uses snark, humor, and short chapters to keep this fun, enlightening adventure moving. Themes of respect tion and it kept it. It’s like a movie in my head, that’s how for other humans and for nature are explained clearly and cre- strong this memory is. And I was in it. I mean, I was so in it. atively, never condescendingly. A satisfying second installment. (Fantasy. 8-13) Does either one of you have a favorite spread? LL: This one just kills me [holding up scene of children WITCHES OF BROOKLYN catching fireflies]. Escabasse, Sophie ER: I think that was maybe the first one that I did in color. Random House (240 pp.)

$20.99 | $12.99 paper | $23.99 PLB young adult LL: When I saw this one I just went, “Ohhhhhhh.” Sep. 1, 2020 ER: I just always liked that one [holding up the first full 978-0-593-12528-1 spread]. When you’re at the beginning of the adventure. 978-0-593-11927-3 paper 978-0-593-11928-0 PLB Series: Witches of Brooklyn, 1 Lindsay, are you hoping to persuade some parents to let their children roam a bit more? When a young girl comes to a new LL: Yes, actually, I have a whole list of reasons why they should home, her family’s magical secrets are unveiled in this graphic-novel series opener. let their kids go outside, having been through those feelings When 11-year-old Effie’s mother dies, she is taken to live of being scared as a parent to let your kids out. You kind of with her elderly, snarky, fashion-forward aunt, Selimene, and have to check yourself and trust your children. Because how her partner, Carlota, in Brooklyn. Until Effie’s music idol, Tily Shoo, arrives with an incurable curse, Effie thinks her aunts are will they learn what’s good in the gut when their parents are herbalists and acupuncturists. Secretly, they’re also witches! always telling them what their gut reaction should be? Is Effie a witch too? Magic or no magic, Effie learns there’s power in finding one’s true self and that the path to happiness comes from serving others. The full-color illustrations Dusk Explorers received a starred review in the March 15, 2020, mix warm earth tones and enticing pastels to create a realistic, issue. comforting world. Clever embellishments, such as floor plans detailing the nooks and crannies of Selimene and Carlota’s house, expand the setting and encourage readers to linger. Leaning heavily on speech-bubbled dialogue and avoiding narration, the text uses an assortment of fonts and line weights to convey emotion and develop characters in tandem with the illustrations. The relationships among Effie and her aunts are nuanced and distinct, with humor to spare. Effie’s backstory is vaguely constructed, but the specificity of her current story compensates for this minor flaw. Visual elements hint at Effie’s probably mixed (Asian/white) heritage; both aunts have gray hair and fair complexions. Supporting characters are depicted with a variety of skin tones and hair colors/textures, although specific cultural markers are seldom provided. A mixture of everyday adventures and enchanting fantasy, this lighthearted story will delight readers. (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 107 Challenging the status quo can be intimidating but, as Nye proves, well worth the effort. nye, sand and stones

WEIRD, WILD, AMAZING! an episodic narrative that highlights poignant moments and Exploring the Incredible delves into characters’ thoughts. All the characters are pre- World of Animals sumed white. However artful, the book is not without flaws. Flannery, Tim Characters repeatedly suggest that Henry’s institutionalization Illus. by Caldwell, Sam is particularly unjust because he is “smart,” an implicit com- Norton Young Readers (256 pp.) ment on intellectual disabilities that is not adequately explored. $19.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 The author’s note detracts from the story itself, raising ques- 978-1-324-01543-7 tions that wouldn’t need to be asked otherwise, such as why the author gave Henry the ability to speak when the man he The popular naturalist reaches for a is based on could not. A sequence of poems by the author’s younger audience with a mix of basic and mother-in-law that inspired the novel are included and contain oddball facts about more than 50 wild creatures. an outdated portrayal of disability that is presented without With much reference to “poo and goo,” Flannery, whose context or commentary for readers. books for adults include Europe: A Natural History (2019), ratch- An engaging, emotional read that tells an important ets down his usual level of discourse to focus on essentials: the story—with caveats. (notes on form and characters, acknowl- “weaponized vomit” of turkey vultures, for instance, “Snot Stud- edgements) (Verse historical fiction. 10-14) ies,” and anatomical insights such as the special help that tree kangaroos get from masses of stomach worms in digesting their food. The entries, loosely organized by habitat, each also offer NYE, SAND AND STONES standard-issue observations on geographical range, typical diet, Galbraith, Bree distinctive physical features, and, often, challenges posed by cli- Illus. by Arbona, Marion mate or environmental change. Along with an autobiographical Orca (32 pp.) introduction and personal notes about encounters with some $19.95 | Sep. 15, 2020 of his wild subjects, the author tucks in glances at broad top- 978-1-4598-2032-6 ics such as evolution, extinction, and scientific nomenclature too. Caldwell goes mostly for splashes of bright color and silly A young tot learns the importance of riffs in his illustrations, so naturalistic detail takes a back seat to speaking out. a male blue whale in a lounge singer’s dress, courting scorpion Two small islands exist side by side. and seahorse couples in ballroom garb, and like follies. Some One is made of sand, the other of stones. readers may find this a bit long for a cover-to-cover read, but On the Isle of Sand, children scurry around constructing mag- any who relish learning about a tree-climbing turtle or how nificent sand castles. The Isle of Stones, however, has elaborate moths “love pretending to be things they’re not, like hornets or catapults, ready to launch rocks at a moment’s notice. Every day, eyeballs or lumps of poop,” will be well rewarded. after the warning bell rings, the rocks fly toward the Isle of Sand Better suited to dipping than diving, but a “fun book,” as and destroy the castle creations. The children on the Isle of Sand promised. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13) know to run when they hear the bell, so no one ever gets hurt. And after each barrage, they dutifully roll the rocks back to be returned to the Isle of Stones, singing, “On the Isle of Sand, we ALL HE KNEW build to the sky. / When the stones crash down, we never ask why.” Frost, Helen But one young child, Nye, does question the frustrating state of Farrar, Straus and Giroux (272 pp.) affairs. Adults can only murmur, “It’s just the way it is.” Nye has $17.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 had enough! With eyes scrunched and hair in two puffballs that 978-0-374-31299-2 seem to explode off her head—mirroring her strong will—she gives the Isle of Stones an ultimatum (along with some helpful A young deaf boy faces the horror of advice). Challenging the status quo can be intimidating but, as institutionalization in the late 1930s and Nye proves, well worth the effort. People on the Isle of Sand have ’40s. bright russet skin, and people on the Isle of Stones have yellow This verse novel tells the story of skin with blocklike features. A French edition with translation by Henry, who is born hearing and becomes Rachel Martinez publishes simultaneously. deaf due to a fever at age 4. The school A must for all budding nonconformists who wish for the deaf erroneously labels him “unteachable,” and he is to activate change. (Picture book. 5-8) (Nye de l’île de sable: sent to an institution for the “feebleminded,” where the chil- 978-1-4598-2472-0) dren face abuse and neglect. Henry’s story merges with that of Victor, a conscientious objector who works at the institution. Frost depicts one grim reality of deaf/Deaf life in mid-20th- century America in a way that is approachable for readers as she explores the rarely discussed story of conscientious objectors in World War II. The story is told in discrete poems, creating

108 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 109 NAME TAGS AND OTHER of a small set of rhymes—“bear,” “hare,” “pear,” “chair,” “fair,” SIXTH-GRADE DISASTERS “spare,” “share”—begs for textual rhythm, which is largely miss- Garrett, Ginger ing. The text sometimes has a forced quality (“I see lots of pears Carolrhoda (280 pp.) for me”) or an off-kilter casualness (“PICK went Bear”). The art $17.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 highlights red, dark yellow, and olive green, making the setting 978-1-5415-9613-9 autumnal. Bear’s and Hare’s bodies are filled in with nonspecific lines and shadings that are too vertical and horizontal to read While coping with her parents’ as organic fur. divorce, a sixth grader inadvertently A crucial message awkwardly executed. (Picture book. 4-7) helps save her school’s art program and stands up to bullies. Although forced to move across THE WRENCH Atlanta and finish sixth grade in a new school because of her Gravel, Elise parents’ divorce, Lizbeth has a plan to become popular and Illus. by the author break up her dad and his new girlfriend, Claire. Having to wear a Trans. by Simard, Charles nametag on her first day and being seated in a pod with the Weir- Orca (32 pp.) dos are just the start of her plan’s unraveling. Lively episodes $19.95 | Sep. 15, 2020 involving cheese, a SuperChicken graphic novel, an automatic- 978-1-4598-2449-2 flush toilet, and more help the lactose-intolerant, cosplay- loving preteen recognize the mean-girl spirit in her class, that Bob—a cartoon character with a her podmates are genuine friends, and that Claire is as fierce as human body and a large, pink face that she is. They also balance the real-life anger and trauma Lizbeth seems to merge a rabbit, a pig, and a badger—is repeatedly dis- experiences from the divorce. Seamlessly woven into the sixth tracted from buying a wrench to fix his tricycle. grader’s woes are the bullying of Joseph, one of her new friends, When a short bout of searching turns up no wrench, Bob and the potential loss of the arts program in her underfunded goes to “Megamart, the ultra-giant, supersized megastore where school. The author also smoothly depicts bullying differences you can find ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.” There, Mr. between genders. A satisfying, climactic twist begins resolu- Mart, a blue-faced, mustachioed figure in a cowboy hat,- per tion to all of these problems while the linked storylines work suades Bob to buy an absurd contraption called a “fridge-hat” together to keep any one dilemma from turning the book into instead. When Bob shows off his purchase to friends Pedro and an “issue” novel. Lizbeth presents white on the cover, and the Lucien, they ridicule him. A third friend, Paulette—whose pink book seems to assume a white default despite its Atlanta setting. tail pokes out from a green dress—reminds Bob about his mis- Disasters averted in this realistic yet amusing take on sion to buy a wrench. (Like Bob, his friends are brightly colored sixth grade life. (recipes) (Fiction. 9-12) anthropomorphic creatures.) Twice more, Bob goes wrench shopping, and twice more, similar episodes ensue, as gullible Bob buys musical pajamas and then a screaming machine. Each FAIR SHARES time he is confronted with his mistake, Bob stuffs his new pur- Goodhart, Pippa chase into his closet. The punchline wraps up a simple, silly tale Illus. by Doherty, Anna that warns against the dangers of sales persuasion and conspicu- Kane Miller (32 pp.) ous consumption. The writing is made for reading aloud with $12.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 different voices, and the silliness and repetition will keep the 978-1-68464-048-5 youngest viewers entertained. Unfortunately, each time Pedro, Lucien, and Paulette react to Bob’s foolish behavior, the crea- Animals learn about true fairness. tures’ reactions are both unkind and gender-stereotyped, the A tree sports bountiful pears, and two male-presenting characters jeering and the female-present- Hare wants to partake. Surely Hare can ing one demonstrating practicality. The illustrations are color- jump high enough to reach them? Alas, no—Hare leaps but ful and comical, in an offbeat palette. comes down with nothing to show for it. Along comes Bear, but Imaginative—but lacking heart. (Picture book. 3-5) she can’t reach them either. Chairs are proposed, opening up the key philosophical question: Bear says it’s unfair if she herself gets only one chair while Hare gets two, but Bear only needs one chair to reach the fruit while Hare really does need two. Giving each animal one chair while leaving one spare (unused) is math- ematically equal—thus satisfying Bear—but Hare, alone in not being able to reach pears, objects: “This doesn’t FEEL fair.” Goodhart’s distinction between equality and equity is politically essential in myriad areas of life: “Giving everybody the same thing isn’t always fair” (spoken by a beetle). The repetition

110 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | Madden’s mountain scenes feature broad lakes and rivers, wide blue skies, and precisely detailed flora and fauna. mountains

ALWAYS SO GRUMPY unidentified, and conversely, the rare and large Titicaca water frog Guendelsberger, Erin and some other creatures mentioned in the text are nowhere to Illus. by AndoTwin be seen. Still, a sailboat beneath Fuji being the only sign of human Sourcebooks Wonderland (40 pp.) occupation, readers are left to appreciate the natural wonders on $10.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 display undistracted and to join the author in expressing, as she 978-1-7282-1620-1 does at the close, a fervent desire to preserve them. Quick but horizon-broadening flyovers, just the ticket for A surly, big-eyed hedgehog is having a budding naturalists. (map, index, print and web resources) bad day, and it’s up to readers to cheer them up. (Informational picture book. 7-9) The prickly hedgehog opens with the warning: “I am grumpy. I am crabby. I am not having a good day.” The hedgehog then suggests that readers tell a joke or make a silly noise, which elicits a smirk from the hedgehog but doesn’t work to chase away the sour mood. Each double-page spread includes a new demand that is generally unrelated to the previous one and, predictably, can’t improve their temper. Switching back and forth between actions that readers take independently of the book, like making a funny noise, or things readers should perform on the book, like shaking it, lends an inconsistent and awkward feel to the progression of the story. The interactive elements

lack the engagement and cohesion of Hervé Tullet’s Press Here young adult (2011) and other books in this style, reading like half-hearted suggestions from a character with no clear motivation other than being grouchy. The hedgehog finally requests a hug and an “I love you,” which seems to turn the bad mood around. The hedgehog exclaims, “Thanks for sticking with me, even when I wasn’t very much fun to be around.” This reminds readers that we all have bad days, but it might not be enough to make this book a pleasant experience. Grumpy animals are sometimes better left alone. (Picture book. 3-6)

MOUNTAINS Guillain, Charlotte Illus. by Madden, Chris Words & Pictures (64 pp.) $18.95 | Jul. 21, 2020 978-0-7112-4354-5 Series: World of Wonder

A select world tour of major mountains and mountain ranges, with stops to marvel at distinctive formations and wildlife. Guillain begins at the top—of Mount Everest, that is—with an explanation of how mountains are formed, then moves down its slopes, pausing for closer looks at a small, high-altitude spider, the “icefall” of Khumbu, a snow leopard on the prowl, and finally four types of butterflies found in Himalayan meadows. From then it’s on, in a mix of similar slow descents and quicker whistle-stops, to volcanoes in Iceland, the Alps, Mauna Kea (which is higher than Everest, counting the part underwater), the Andes, Mount Fuji, the Rockies, and finally the dazzlingly layered Rainbow Moun- tains in northwestern China. Along with distant but properly majestic views of snowy, rugged peaks, Madden’s mountain scenes feature broad lakes and rivers, wide blue skies, and, in most fore- grounds, precisely detailed flora and fauna. Some of the latter go

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 111 This dark nail-biter weaves a creepy spin on a childhood game that quickly slips into a Stephen King–esque tale of horror. hide and seeker

FLIBBERTIGIBBETY of paranormal page-turners. Characters default to white. Four of WORDS the tales were previously published in 1990s-era anthologies. In an Young Shakespeare afterword, Hahn explains why she writes ghost stories and includes Chases Inspiration one she wrote as a high school senior (reworked as “Trouble Afoot” Guthrie, Donna for Bruce Coville’s Book of Monsters, II, 1996, and also reprinted here). Illus. by Gilland, Åsa Unearthly tales sure to tingle the spines of fans new and Page Street (40 pp.) old. (Horror/short stories. 8-14) $18.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 978-1-64567-062-9 FASHION RULES! “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.” A Closer Look at Clothing in Literally chasing inspiration, young William runs through the Middle Ages the streets, gardens, waters, and woods of Elizabethan England, Hennessey, Gail Skroback in search of the flibbertigibbety words that flew in through his Illus. by Sabin, Tracy window one day and then escaped, in this whimsical, metaphori- Red Chair Press (40 pp.) cal ode to the language and plays of Shakespeare. Each spread $18.99 | Aug. 1, 2020 features well-known phrases from a play, as the lad’s future char- 978-1-63440-905-6 acters—a multiracial group, in a nod to diversity in modern cast- ing—stand on a balcony, ride in a carriage, or stir a boiling pot, as A clueless itinerant jester becomes a device for communi- appropriate to their roles. Playful and idiosyncratic illustrations cating medieval fashion. are full of action and energy and evoke the sense of a European After getting fired from his job as a jester for the king, trav- fairy tale as they portray the determined boy’s seemingly unsuc- eling entertainer Bickford arrives in a new village hoping to find cessful search. At a loss for words, William finally returns home work. There, Bickford bumps into Trowbridge, a local, who and reveals his plight to a local peddler he passed earlier—who, takes the jester on a tour, pointing out the class differences in addition to pretty ribbons, also happens to sell paper and pens, and social roles to be discerned based on people’s attire, tak- which might be just what young William needs to capture his elu- ing care to articulate the potential consequences of breaking sive target. This cheeky, kid-friendly tale is full of creativity and the rules. “Those two women are wearing a conical hat called a humor and will work for many age groups on many levels—and henin…they are showing that they are very important women it answers the age-old question of where authors find ideas (and by the height of their hats,” Trowbridge lectures, and “It can words). Both William and the peddler present white. mean death to anyone outside the royal class who dares to wear A comic introduction to the plays and words of Shake- purple cloth.” The dialogue throughout is so expository as to speare that’s lighthearted and sure to please. (author’s note, feel hopelessly stiff, and the illustrations are likewise bland and quotations with sources, bibliography) (Picture book. 5-10) posed. Very occasional insets offer further exposition. From a plot standpoint, it is mystifying that Bickford, traveling on foot even “for days,” should be so thoroughly unfamiliar with THE PUPPET’S PAYBACK AND the mores in a community close enough to his place of origin to OTHER CHILLING TALES share his language. The title of the book is a bit of a misnomer, Hahn, Mary Downing as well, as the serfs’ tatters would hardly have been considered Clarion (192 pp.) “fashion.” Bickford and Trowbridge both present white; occa- $16.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 sional figures in the background appear to be people of color. 978-0-358-06732-0 The information is not uninteresting, but its delivery is far from compelling. (Informational picture book. 6-8) Twelve chilling tales from the grande dame of the ghost story. A goodly number of Hahn’s 20-odd HIDE AND SEEKER novels deal with the supernatural, espe- Hermon, Daka cially spirits, and here she collects some of Scholastic (320 pp.) her shorter tales. Matthew skips school to enjoy the spring weather, $17.99 | Sep. 15, 2020 which turns on him. Killing time in an arcade until he can go home, 978-1-338-58362-5 he sees a sinister stranger who then gets on the bus Matthew must ride home. Meeting Vince that dark night changes Mathew’s life Justin and his friends play their last forever (and he may well “live” that long). Jenny buys a haunted game of hide-and-seek at their friend dress and solves a murder from the 1920s. In the title story, Jeremy, Zee’s not-so-welcome–home party. bullied by students and a particularly mean teacher, has the bad Zee had gone missing one week after luck to end up with a cursed puppet…but even curses sometimes Justin’s mother passed away just one turn out to be beneficial. Two of the tales have sports themes, and year ago, and the party is celebrating his others are historical spookers, so there is something for every fan return. But the emaciated Zee is acting strangely, mumbling

112 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | rhymes about a Seeker that will take them all. Shortly after the REVENGE OF THE LIVING TED party, one by one, Justin’s other friends begin to disappear. It Hutchison, Barry doesn’t take long for the remaining members of the crew to fig- Illus. by Cosgrove, Lee ure out that Zee’s strange behavior may be connected to the dis- Delacorte (208 pp.) appearances. Justin, Nia, and Lyric set out on a trail of clues and $9.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 possible suspects, hoping to find their missing peers. No sooner 978-0-593-17430-2 do the details of the mystery begin to come to light than Justin, Series: Living Ted, 2 the last of the group, is unwillingly transported into the realm of Nowhere. In this parallel universe, the Seeker keeps children Lisa Marie and Vernon meet the hostage, feeding off of their fears. This dark nail-biter, set in mind behind the teddy-bear–animating a small Tennessee town and featuring a largely African Ameri- contraption from Night of the Living Ted can cast (Lyric is the only white kid), weaves a creepy spin on a (2020). childhood game that quickly slips into a Stephen King–esque The morning after the teddy-bear takeover, Lisa Marie and tale of horror. Can the children trapped in Nowhere gather as Vernon wake up to a world in which, aside from them, no one allies to evade the Seeker and get home? has any recollection of it. While they try to puzzle out why (and A chilling debut—like the Seeker, a tale that doesn’t let find a new birthday gift for Lisa Marie’s dad, since they’re too you go. (Horror. 10-12) attached to Bearvis to give him up after their shared adventure), they are abducted by the exceptionally hairy inventor of the Stuff-U-Lator. Ursine Kodiak is a self-declared genius whose ANIMAL HOMES “mother was a Nobel Prize–winning physicist” and whose

Holland, Mary “father was a he-witch.” With his army of bears (and tanks and young adult Photos by author jets), he clearly wants to take over the world—though when he Arbordale (32 pp.) remembers to, he claims he wants to save it. Like all good mad $17.95 | Sep. 10, 2020 scientists, Kodiak suffers from hubris, and he re-creates the 978-1-64351-750-6 brainwaves of the exceptional evil teddy, Grizz, as an artificial Series: Animal Anatomy and Adaptations intelligence. Grizz, of course, quickly breaks free to become the main antagonist again. While there are definitely giggles, Children know that wild animals live this sequel doesn’t maintain the joke density of its predeces- outside, and this book offers them the sor. Taking place almost entirely in Kodiak’s secret factory, it opportunity to see where and learn how they live. doesn’t have as much tension, either. However, the kids’ solu- In Holland’s crisp photographs, readers will see animals tions—which include using Kodiak’s video-gaming bully bears and their habitats up close and in detail. Each image is bright against him and copious poop emojis—will amuse the audience. and clear, revealing impressive amounts of texture. One can Human characters are illustrated white; the epilogue sets up a imagine the slick foam of the spittle bug’s home, the smooth third installment. coat of a black bear, or the coarse nubbling of bark. The very A middle-book step down; best seen as a bridge to the first spread presents a picture of a beaver with webbed feet and next book. (Science fantasy. 8-12) remarkably interesting claws that look like human fingernails; it appears as an inset over a full-bleed, spread-spanning photo of a beaver lodge in an autumn landscape. A few pages in, there NICE TRY CHARLIE! is an equally striking shot of a bald-faced hornet and another James, Matt of an army of tent caterpillars building silk. In total, the book Illus. by the author covers 12 animals and insects and would be useful to bring along Groundwood (48 pp.) during a camping trip, a walk through a local park, or even a $18.95 | Sep. 1, 2020 walk to a favorite neighborhood tree, so that children will have 978-1-77306-180-1 the opportunity to see and perhaps interact with some of the habitats of the animals around them. Four pages of backmat- Repeated attempts yield enjoyable ter encourage further engagement with the topic. Holland also rewards. carefully introduces new vocabulary to children, folding in such That’s apparently the moral of this words as “burrow,” “drey,” and “snag” throughout, with explana- Canadian import, in which Charlie, an tions within the text. itinerant collector, gathers stuff into his cart in his urban neigh- This picture book is a pleasure to read and is sure to borhood and tries to reuse it. From her window, Aunt Myrtle become the favorite of some future naturalist. (Informational spots a pie in a box on the sidewalk. Charlie wants to eat it but, picture book. 4-8) reminded by Aunt Myrtle the pie’s not his, instead attempts to find the owner on his rounds. Charlie tries to help a girl retrieve her ball; he can’t, though he learns the pie isn’t hers. He fashions a birdbath from a tire—but the pie doesn’t belong to the birds nor to a kid who plays the tuba badly. Having failed to locate

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 113 the pie’s owner, Charlie returns home. In a pat conclusion, Aunt JELLY ROLL Myrtle invites the community to gather for a pastry feast. This Joyce, Mere tale, narrated in present tense, meanders with Charlie; seem- Orca (120 pp.) ingly, its point is to keep trying. Fair enough, but some may feel $10.95 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 it should also have strongly tried to dissuade readers from eat- 978-1-4598-2629-8 ing food found on streets, boxed or not. Loose, quirky, color- Series: Orca Currents ful illustrations, some in panels, depict broad overviews of a city; some are superimposed on photos of urban backgrounds. A girl forced together with a long- Dialogue is often set in colored boxes. Brown-bearded Charlie standing bully refuses to let him see her presents white and is casually attired in a green ten-gallon hat c r y. and yellow boots; other characters are racially diverse. Aunt Jenny is excited to attend a weeklong Myrtle is a black woman who uses a motorized wheelchair. (This leadership camp for eighth and ninth book was reviewed digitally with 12-by-17.6-inch double-page spreads graders. As their culminating project, each group of four camp- viewed at 75% of actual size.) ers will present a “locally grown” stall at a farmers market. Jenny Nice try, but there’s not much here to encourage repeat is intrigued by the theme since cooking is a passion of hers, bol- reads, even with pie. (Picture book. 4-7) stered by her father’s food-truck business. She feels “it would be too easy to make fun of the big girl who feels most at home in the kitchen,” so she keeps her love secret despite her healthy HANS CHRISTIAN embrace of her size. When Jenny’s about to board the camp ANDERSEN bus, she discovers that the boy who makes her life difficult at The Journey of His Life school, Austin, is also attending the camp. Years ago, he coined Janisch, Heinz a rude nickname for her and continues to ridicule her. When it’s Illus. by Kastelic, Maja revealed that Austin is also in her project group, Jenny fears this Trans. by Wilson, David Henry week will be both miserable and fruitless. The narration makes NorthSouth (48 pp.) clear the emotional and physical results of bullying, for both $18.95 | Sep. 1, 2020 the targeted victims and those within the sphere of influence. 978-0-7358-4388-2 Working within a low page count, Joyce deftly endows each character (presumed white) with a rich inner life, even Austin. Traveling by coach across Denmark, As with other Orca Current titles, it requires only low-level an elderly Hans Christian Andersen recounts the story of his mastery to decode, so struggling readers can easily access the life to an inquisitive child, couching it as a fairy tale in which he mindful, satisfying tale. learns to fly and inherits “the kingdom of letters.” A sweet success. (Fiction. 9-14) In this smoothly translated blend of biography and storytelling, Janisch uses Andersen’s own metaphor: The Danish writer called his memoir The Fairy Tale of My Life. Without weighting THE FOREST OF STARS his story with specific detail (available in the author’s note), the Kassner, Heather author conveys a compelling sense of the man whose stories Illus. by Ptica, Iz have been loved around the world and across centuries. Kaste- Henry Holt (288 pp.) lic uses a variety of palettes and page designs to give this tale its $16.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 wings. Both the journey and Andersen’s narrative are depicted 978-1-250-29700-6 mostly in panels—the present of the journey in light colors, the past in sepia tones. But the tales Andersen’s father reads to him A homeless girl’s arrival at a carnival as a boy and the stories the adult Andersen tells are brighter and triggers a series of suspicious mishaps. shown in full pages. Repeated images of flight suggest that the Since her father “lost his grasp on writer-to-be escaped from a difficult childhood by immersing the world” just before she was born and himself in the imagined world. In one striking spread the colors floated away out the window, 12-year-old of the imagined world slightly bleed into young Hans’ arrival Louisa has been protected by her ailing, heartbroken mother. in Copenhagen. In another, storybook characters and even an Like her missing father, Louisa’s “made of hollow bones and elderly Andersen appear in a crowd scene of “The Emperor’s too much air,” causing her to float “like there were marshmal- New Clothes.” Early on, readers see the shadow of Andersen’s lows under her soles.” Louisa worries people will discover she’s wings, and, in a surprise conclusion, he shows he can still make different and fears the wind will sweep her away. Alone and his audience fly. bereft following her mother’s death, Louisa flees to the Carni- “A very special fairy story,” indeed. (Picture book/biography. val Beneath the Stars, where being different is an asset. Quickly 4-8) adopted by other runaway kids with magical talents who invite her to join them, Louisa reluctantly agrees to develop her own soaring act, hoping to attract her missing father. When a fierce storm and injuries plague the carnival, Louisa and her new

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| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 115 This sweet volume is sure to bounce off the shelves. bunbun & bonbon

friends realize someone’s stealing the performers’ magic and set THE CONSTITUTION DECODED out to trap the culprit, with perilous consequences. Cast in lush, A Guide to the Document sensory language with recurring images of love bugs that feed That Shapes Our Nation on grief, dark shadows that obscure, and evil threads that bind, Kennedy, Katie and populated by wildly imaginative characters, Louisa’s tale Illus. by Kirchner, Ben of loss and discovery proves irresistible. Black-and-white line Workman (208 pp.) drawings capture key scenes and depict Louisa as white. $16.95 paper | Sep. 15, 2020 Set in an unusual carnival, this original fantasy is a darkly 978-1-5235-1044-3 engaging one. (Fantasy. 8-12) Kennedy and Kirchner present young readers with an introduction to the U.S. BUNBUN & BONBON Constitution and its amendments, offering a direct, simple Fancy Friends “translation” of the original text. Keating, Jess An introduction explains why the Constitution is impor- Illus. by the author tant before Kennedy launches into her project of presenting Graphix/Scholastic (64 pp.) the Constitution in its original language and her accompany- $22.99 | $7.99 paper | Sep. 1, 2020 ing paraphrasing and examples, organized by articles, sections, 978-1-338-64683-2 and amendments. Vocabulary words are identified in bold and 978-1-338-64682-5 paper defined at the bottom of each page and in a glossary. Boxes labeled “Did You Know?” and “Look Back” offer limited fac- A perky rabbit and a fancy candy tual backstory about how or why a specific part of the docu- become best friends in this cheerful ment was created. “Constitution in Action” boxes explain how graphic novel. the document is used in practice and further explore how the Bunbun, an all-white rabbit, has almost everything: “a government works. No overarching narrative ties all the text delightful Bunbun nose, a winning Bunbun smile, a ridiculously together. The complete texts of the Declaration of Indepen- cute Bunbun tail,” and so on. But the one thing Bunbun does dence and the Articles of Confederation are included as further not have is a friend! Enter Bonbon. Initially mistaken for a reading but without accompanying simplified versions. Contex- talking rock, Bonbon is a bouncy, purple, and effervescently tual explanations are often vague, the two sentences discussing cheerful anthropomorphic piece of candy. The pair immedi- the freedom of speech not including any of its limitations, for ately becomes fast friends as they discover mutual passions for instance. There is no explanation of how the Constitutional bouncing and for all things fancy: fancy vocabulary whether Convention was organized or of who participated. The cartoon or not they know the meaning (“like croissant”), music, food illustrations depicting diverse but generic-looking figures wear- (“fancy french fries and fancy ketchup!”). This all leads them ing contemporary and historical garb and a sprinkling of anthro- to co-plan a fancy party! The story is virtually conflict-free; the pomorphized states are oddly incongruous with the seriously most tension-filled moment is when the duo comes across a toned, straightforward text. (This book was reviewed digitally snake whom they assume to be a predator but who in fact is just with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 83% of actual size.) looking for friendship too and ultimately joins their party. Both This effort will leave readers aware of the document but Bunbun and Bonbon remain ungendered throughout; neither with little understanding of it. (glossary, further reading, is referred to with pronouns. Thick lines, clear borders, bright index) (Nonfiction. -8 12) colors, and a bold, highly readable san serif type make this title ideal for newly independent readers or younger children looking for a first graphic novel to share with a grown-up. The mul- ROSIE THE DRAGON AND titalented Keating’s debut graphic novel is perfect for fans of CHARLIE SAY GOOD NIGHT Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly and Heather Ayris Burnell and Kerstein, Lauren H. Hazel Quintanilla’s Unicorn and Yeti. Illus. by Wragg, Nate This sweet volume is sure to bounce off the shelves. Two Lions (40 pp.) (Graphic early reader. 5-8) $17.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 978-1-5420-1848-7 Series: Rosie the Dragon and Charlie

Charlie plans, prepares, and completes the steps to put pet dragon Rosie to bed. Charlie, a black child with a high-top fade, has had challenges putting Rosie to bed, so tonight Charlie is prepared with a plan—a long, intricate plan. First, there are supplies to gather: a drink of water (no sneaking juice into it, Rosie), a stuffed

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| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 117 horsie (if they can find it), and a fire extinguisher, because—well, Though well-meaning, this vague profile doesn’t quite because dragons. Bathtime is a mess, but Charlie is at the ready capture either Hawking’s groundbreaking career or his full with a towel. Rosie insists on wearing footie pajamas, which humanity. (author’s note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. cause a dramatic overheating issue, so when the fan Charlie has 6-8) set up doesn’t work, it’s time for that fire extinguisher. Char- lie must wear a raincoat for protection when Rosie brushes her teeth. Finally, after a story, it’s time for Rosie to snuggle into bed PIA’S PLANS while Charlie takes a relaxing bath to unwind—but of course, Kuipers, Alice a post-bedtime emergency is inevitable. Rosie is a round-bel- Orca (112 pp.) lied, buck-toothed, bright pink dragon whose goofy looks are $10.95 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 endearing; the cartoonish illustrations are busy, dramatizing 978-1-4598-2378-5 the chaos that Rosie brings wherever she goes. Though it drags Series: Orca Currents on a little longer than necessary, this humorous story is a sweet representation of caretaking and patience, with a parallel that Pia strives to be the perfect stu- can extend to older and younger siblings as well as to parent- dent, sister, daughter, friend, and track child relationships, perhaps making young readers a bit more star, but when Pia’s plans come crashing self-reflective and empathetic. down, she is forced to learn a tough les- This dramatic bedtime tale is not for everyone but will son in humility. satisfy many. (Picture book. 4-8) Pia carries the world on her shoulders, trying to hold everything together for her family while being a high achiever in school and extracurriculars. Ambition combined with strong STAY CURIOUS! perfectionist and control streaks have also left Pia incredibly A Brief History of anxious. It all comes to a head one fateful day. Seemingly every- Stephen Hawking thing that can go wrong does, starting with a tumble down the Krull, Kathleen & Brewer, Paul stairs and a probably sprained ankle. It is all downhill from there, Illus. by Kulikov, Boris as a longtime friendship teeters, an embarrassing accident leads Crown (40 pp.) to detention, and her aching ankle threatens to rob her of a win $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Sep. 22, 2020 in her signature race, the 400 meters. Amid it all Pia grasps for 978-0-399-55028-7 control and anxiety soars, but a strong support system and sage 978-0-399-55029-4 PLB advice help her to find balance. Simple vocabulary, short chapters, and quick pacing make this slice-of-life story a great high- A glance at the life of English theo- interest, low–reading level option for struggling readers. The retical physicist Stephen Hawking frank discussion of mental health and how the need for perfec- Growing up in a bookish family, Stephen was always asking tion and control can contribute to anxiety ring true while the questions. At 12, he pondered the origin of the universe. At 17, advice of adults within the text is encouraging without being he attended Oxford University, where he began losing control too preachy. Pia is depicted on the cover with pale skin, straight of his body. At 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral brown hair, and brown eyes. sclerosis, a progressive neuromuscular disease, and given two A fast-paced, hi-lo tale sure to ring true for many. (Fiction. years to live. Though his condition deteriorated, eventually 9-14) requiring him to use a wheelchair and an augmentative com- munication device, he defied his grim prognosis by decades. In 1974, his discovery that black holes leaked radiation earned WHISPERING PINES him international acclaim and led him to write the bestselling Lang, Heidi & Bartkowski, Kati A Brief History of Time. Active and inquisitive until his death at Aladdin (320 pp.) 76, he researched life on other planets and advocated for disabil- $17.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 ity rights. Kulikov’s scratchy illustrations cleverly acknowledge 978-1-5344-6047-8 Hawking’s research, turning such everyday objects as a spinning LP and spilled tea into eye-catching black holes. However, the An unearthly, eyeball-stealing cosmic authors’ lack of specificity blurs Hawking’s accomplishments; horror stalks kids. for instance, his “important university job once held by genius Whispering Pines, Connecticut, is a scientist Isaac Newton”—Cambridge University’s prestigious strange town where the speed limit has Lucasian Professor of Mathematics position—is unnamed. a decimal point and school rules include Such down-to-earth details as Hawking’s family, humor, and bans on both chalk and the wearing of penchant for parties are unfortunately eclipsed by cloying dis- garlic. New-kid Rae wants a fresh start—a year ago, the middle ability clichés declaring him “a triumphant life force, almost schooler had confided in her best friend that Rae’s father was otherworldly,” whose brilliant mind was “trapped within his abducted by the government to cover up alien existence, only powerless body.” Kulikov depicts a seemingly all-white cast. to be betrayed when her secrets were spread, leading to ridicule

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| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 119 Bold, bright colors, dynamic illustrations, repetitive refrains, and catchy, well-paced text make this book utterly rereadable. every night is pizza night

and ostracization. Her neighbor Caden is the school weirdo: FISH OUT OF WATER His mother’s a ghost hunter, and his gift of paranormal empathy Levy, Joanne landed him in trouble in his younger years. Moreover, his brother Orca (144 pp.) has disappeared, and he’s responsible. While both kids navigate $10.95 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 desire for friendship and connection as well as their places in 978-1-4598-2659-5 complicated family dynamics, what brings them together is a Series: Orca Currents mystery about something hunting kids and stealing their eyes— and its possible connection to a terrible adjacent dimension A slim hi-lo tackles toxic masculinity. packed with horrors. The scary parts (aside from eyeballs, bodies, Fishel “Fish” Rosner doesn’t want abominations, and the like) capitalize on sensations of wrongness, to play water polo. Nor does he want to primal fears, being watched, and twisted games of hide-and-seek. collect used sports equipment for his bar The third-person narration alternates between the two charac- mitzvah project. What Fish really wants ters, and in addition to their plots (both the realistically nuanced to do is learn to knit, but his grandmother won’t teach him, just family-and-friend storylines and the genre-specific pulpy thread), as his mother and stepfather, Darren, won’t let him wiggle out the town’s overflowing with red herrings to complicate the mys- of playing team sports at the Jewish Community Center when tery and seed future Whispering Pines stories. One side charac- Fish would rather do Zumba. And when Fish tells his best friend, ter has a Japanese surname; otherwise characters default to white. Seth, that he is joining the school knitting club, Seth responds Perfect for reading under a blanket with a flashlight.(Hor by telling Fish that his interests are “weird” and “girly,” embark- ror. 8-13) ing on a campaign of relational aggression. Fish still desperately wants to incorporate knitting into his bar mitzvah project, and both his rabbi and a math teacher become his champions, I DO NOT LIKE STORIES affirming that all people may participate in all activities, regard- Larsen, Andrew less of gender identity. Fish is assertive and brave, outspoken Illus. by Sookocheff, Carey in his critique of rigid gender norms. Readers will rejoice as he Owlkids Books (32 pp.) stands up to other boys and to his stepfather, contesting Dar- $17.95 | Sep. 15, 2020 ren’s shallow exhortation that “boys don’t cry” with tearful 978-1-77147-378-1 truth. He is a formidable ally to girls and women. Though brief, this text masterfully connects the toxic masculinity to its roots A grouchy reader finally finds an in deep misogyny, making Fish a hero people of all genders can appealing topic. stand up and cheer for. “I do not like stories about waking up All readers will appreciate this book’s nuanced messaging in the morning,” begins the light-skinned, dark-haired grump. around gender roles and trusting yourself. (Fiction. 9-12) Once off to school, the child continues to enumerate every single kind of disliked story on the left side of the double-page spreads while the right-hand page shows the family’s cat hav- EVERY NIGHT IS PIZZA NIGHT ing parallel experiences: upsetting a fruit cart when the child López-Alt, J. Kenji expresses disdain for stories about fruit, climbing a tree when Illus. by Ruggiero, Gianna the kid says, “I do not like stories about deep dark forests,” and Norton Young Readers (48 pp.) reentering the apartment through a window as the child reviles $17.95 | Sep. 1, 2020 “stories about going home.” Comic-book–style panels divide the 978-1-324-00525-4 action while the muted, blue-dominated palette and simple lines of the illustrations match the downcast tone of the story. The A pizza-loving girl pits her favorite food against other mul- only break in the repetitive structure is when the kid says, “I do ticultural offerings in her neighborhood to determine the best not like stories about monsters that hide behind closed doors,” food ever! and then, after a bewhiskered, spread-spanning “BOO,” says, At Pipo’s house, every night is pizza night. “Pizza. Is. The. “Just kidding! That’s no monster. That’s my cat.” The kid only BEST,” she says. “Peking duck?” her mother suggests, but: concedes, at the end, the possibility of “lik[ing] a story about “Peking yuck,” Pipo avers. “French onion soup?” No! “French a cat.” The story has a pleasant, soothing rhythm, but it never onion p….” Then her parents challenge her to try different manages to get anywhere interesting. There’s no insight into foods, approaching the question scientifically. “I do not need why the antihero is so pessimistic, and the cat’s side-plot adven- to. I do not want to, but I will try other foods. I will do it for tures are too mundane to entertain or offer a counternarrative. science,” she proclaims. Pipo visits her neighbors to gather Anti-book books are tricky, and this one doesn’t quite “data.” First, she visits Eugene and tries Korean bibimbap. It pull it off. (Picture book. 4-7) smells stinky, and it tastes spicy! She loves it—but “is [it] better than pizza?” she wonders. Pipo goes on to sample Farah’s Moroccan tagine, red beans and rice in Dakota’s kitchen, and hot, juicy dumplings from Ronnie and Donnie’s food truck. All these foods are new to her and very tasty! Through this

120 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | around-the-world culinary journey in her own neighborhood, stranger, it’s only a matter of time before he opens it and discov- Pipo discovers that while pizza is best, “it’s not the only best.” ers the grisly contents: a severed finger. And this isn’t just any (Her recipe is appended.) Bold, bright colors, dynamic illus- severed finger—this is the severed finger of a dark being intent trations, repetitive refrains, and catchy, well-paced text make on rebuilding himself and reclaiming the world for the forces of this book utterly rereadable. And while the theme is a little darkness. Suddenly, Jake finds himself up to his elbows in ghosts obvious, it may still help convince picky eaters to try new and ghouls. It’s a good thing he is one of the few who have the foods. Pipo has pale skin and straight black hair, and the cast special ability to commune with the dead. With the help of Cora, is appropriately, robustly diverse. a somewhat recently deceased spirit, and the long-dead under- A delightful culinary ode to the multicultural world we taker Stiffkey, Jake does his best to outrun evil’s clutches and set live in. (Picture book. 4-8) things right. This series opener is delightfully spooky, complemented by scratchy black-and-white illustrations. Squeamish readers may not be up for this one: Each chapter heading boasts THE POWER OF ONE an image of a dead hand missing its pointer finger, for one thing. Every Act of Kindness Counts But for readers itching for some adventure and some scares, Ludwig, Trudy this will certainly do the trick. They won’t be troubled by the Illus. by Curato, Mike slightly uneven pace and the serviceable but hardly revelatory Knopf (40 pp.) subplot about Jake’s parents’ divorce. Jake, Cora, and Stiffkey $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Aug. 25, 2020 are all rendered white—or livid, as the case may be. 978-1-5247-7158-4 A creepy romp. (Horror. 9-12) 978-1-5247-7159-1 PLB young adult Words and pictures work together to show how, one by one, STINK AND THE HAIRY we can make a difference. SCARY SPIDER Ludwig’s text doesn’t tell a story so much as it delivers the McDonald, Megan straightforward message that even small acts of kindness can Illus. by Reynolds, Peter H. have a big impact. The narrative takes root in Curato’s illustra- Candlewick (160 pp.) tions, which expand on the text to depict a diverse group of $14.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 children and their interactions. An opening frontmatter scene 978-1-5362-0920-4 shows a white-appearing child with blond hair and blue eyes Series: Stink shouting at another person (words are represented by scribbles in a speech balloon), who appears to be a child of color. On the Stink returns to battle arachnophobia. facing page, a crowd of kids rendered in grayscale are oblivious Judy Moody’s little brother, Stink, to the interaction, with the exception of one child with East returns for another scientific adventure, Asian features who stands out in full color. On ensuing pages, this time battling his long-held fear of spiders. After crafting a the child who was shouted at cries while the tormentor stalks jumping origami frog, Stink brings his project to the backyard away and the bystanding child offers comfort. This act of kind- to give it a test hop. Stink’s frog leaps out of sight, and while ness spurs others that eventually include all of the children looking for it, Stink comes across a hairy, pink-toed spider. A coming together in full color to create a garden. Even the first, timorous Stink seeks out Judy’s help to find his origami frog, shouting kid from the frontmatter reappears with a flower to and Judy does him one better: The siblings put in the work to apologize. The garden prompts interpretations both literal and cure Stink of his fear. Those familiar with the Judy Moody and metaphorical as the children sit down at a table shaped like the Stink books will find more of the same here, with Reynolds’ numeral one to feast. broad, round illustrations accompanying McDonald’s charm- A good pick about caring for sharing. (Picture book. 4-7) ingly optimistic characters. Newcomers will be able to slide in with ease; there’s no extensive backstory here to wade through— just some quirky kids dealing with a common fear. The reading EMBASSY OF THE DEAD level is pitched to those just beginning to dip their toes in the Mabbitt, Will chapter-book pool. Judy and Stink are white, but there’s a bit Illus. by Knight, Taryn of diversity in the supporting cast. The book includes origami Walker US/Candlewick (272 pp.) instructions in its end pages. $16.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 More of the same, but here that’s a good thing. (Fiction. 978-1-5362-1047-7 7-11) Series: Embassy of the Dead, 1

A case of mistaken identity leads to the summoning of a grim reaper. When Jake Green is given a mysterious package by a tall, distinctly odd

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 121 PAOLA SANTIAGO AND suffering as the radium loosened their teeth, destroyed their THE RIVER OF TEARS jaws, ate away their bones, and caused lethal tumors. Even after Mejia, Tehlor Kay the deadly aftereffects were documented, another company Rick Riordan Presents/Disney (368 pp.) opened a dial-painting studio in Illinois with a similar outcome. $16.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 Although these young women’s lives often ended tragically early, 978-1-368-04917-7 their determination to achieve a legal victory against the neg- ligent companies had lasting consequences: Both important A 12-year-old girl must leave behind laws that would protect future workers from unsafe employ- her preconceived notions of what is real ment practices and improve workers’ compensation laws and a if she wants to save her missing friend. better understanding of the medical outcomes of radioactivity Paola Santiago looks forward to exposure, which also helped end nuclear tests, resulted. The summer days filled with daydreaming only discordant note in this sensitive presentation is a single and “ponder[ing] algae or other fuel experiments” with her best unnecessary, pandering sentence: “Grace recalled that even her friends, Dante and Emma, down at the riverbanks. Her mother boogers became luminously green!” has forbidden Pao from hanging out down at the Gila River, A fine, moving, important work for young readers. (time- but Pao disregards her advice, as most of her mom’s warnings line, end notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-18) include folkloric elements, like the fabled La Llorona. Pao, a self-professed scientist, cannot fathom believing in things like ghosts that have “no scientific basis to them.” That is, until Pao BIRRARUNG WILAM and Dante wait in vain for Emma to show up at the river. Emma’s A Story From disappearance, along with those of many other young people in Aboriginal Australia the area, leads Pao and Dante on a journey that will shatter the Murphy, Aunty Joy & Kelly, Andrew laws of physics and other scientific truths Pao holds dear. As the Illus. by Kennedy, Lisa duo searches for Emma, they will encounter lands and creatures Candlewick (40 pp.) that Pao held to be fictitious, along with her mother’s beliefs, $17.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 which Pao has often pushed away along with the connection to 978-1-5362-0942-6 her Mexican ancestry. Mejia’s writing is fast-paced and engaging, as the colorful imagery places readers in Southwestern cacti A gentle, descriptive portrait of a lush and well-loved land. fields and in the tumultuous mindset of an insecure 12-year-old. Created by Joy Murphy Wandin Ao, Senior Aboriginal Elder For all its exploration of Pao’s internal landscape, there is action of the Wurundjeri people of the Melbourne area, in collabora- aplenty. Dante is Latinx, like Pao; Emma is white. tion with Kelly and Kennedy, also of the area, this #ownvoices A new hero’s fantastic and fantastical debut—her next picture book is one of a kind. Beginning with carefully painted appearance can’t come soon enough. (Fantasy. 8-13) endpapers that feature patterned stones and platypuses at the front and fish in waves at the back, the story follows the Birra- rung (Yarra River) as it weaves its way from creeks to rivers, THE RADIUM GIRLS verdant bush undergrowth to valley pines beneath a pale blue Young Readers’ Edition: sky, farmland to city. Animals identified with their Woiwurrung The Scary but True names are described in their various habitats: warin (wombat), Story of the Poison That marram (gray kangaroo), wallert (possum), waa (raven), and Made People Glow in the many others. Each layered spread features life of all forms— Dark human, flora, and fauna—portrayed in a dynamic, vivid style. Moore, Kate Intricate dot- and line-based art punctuates the lush illustra- Sourcebooks eXplore (352 pp.) tions drenched in vibrant greens, earthy browns, and watery $17.99 | Sep. 1, 2020 blues, immersing readers in Aboriginal art. Extensive backmat- 978-1-7282-1034-6 ter features a spread-by-spread glossary of Woiwurrung words used in the book accompanied by a reminder that “The Woi- Starting in 1916, young women in wurrung language does not translate directly into English.” This New Jersey were hired to paint the luminous dials of watches— text perfectly captures the intersection of culture and science, with lethal consequences. making this an excellent text for an elementary-level unit on The young readers’ edition of The Radium Girls (2017) pulls animal habitats, artistic portrayals, and cultural depictions of no punches. As in the adult version, it describes in agonizing ecology. detail the diseases that destroyed the lives of young dial paint- Wilam, home, takes many forms for a plethora of animals ers who were instructed to “lip point” their brushes with each in this striking Aboriginal story. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8) dip of radium paint. They’d leave work literally glowing, having absorbed such a large quantity of the dangerous radioactive element that they’d been told was good for their health. Moore tracks more than a dozen of the girls through their extreme

122 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | Mid le Grade B New ooks young adult

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 123 Knowing what will likely fascinate their audience, the authors adopt an engaging and casual tone but never sacrifice information for a joke. the screaming hairy armadillo

THE SCREAMING HAIRY opens the bottle, she unwittingly releases a genie, Zayn. Kiara ARMADILLO is initially excited, as she hopes Zayn can help her take care of And 76 Other Animals With Matt, but the genie claims to be on vacation and refuses to grant Wild, Wacky Names her any wishes. Without the promise of magic, Kiara must sum- Murrie, Matthew & Murrie, Steve mon the courage to stand up to Matt’s bullying once and for all. Illus. by Benbassat, Julie Most of the characters are people of color: The protagonist and Workman (176 pp.) her family are Indian, Zayn is presumably Muslim, and Bai is $14.95 paper | Sep. 15, 2020 Chinese; Matt is white. While Narsimhan’s dialogue does not 978-1-5235-0811-2 always sound authentically childlike, the issue of bullying is portrayed realistically though resolved easily. Simpson’s cute Would a rose by any other name taste as delicious as a choc- cartoons in black and white are interspersed throughout the olate dip damselfish sounds? narrative, supporting the text and providing readers with some The sparklemuffin peacock spider, the headless chicken visual humor. monster, the fried egg jellyfish, and the bone-eating snot An important story about bullying despite the relatively flower worm are just a few of the distinctively named crea- simple resolution. (Fantasy. 6-8) tures explored in this informative, fun, and funny look at animal names. Through the lens of how and why animal species get their names—whether funny, fierce, magical, delicious- GOODNIGHT MERMAID sounding, or just plain weird—it highlights the features Oceanak, Karla leading to these names while explaining the common and Illus. by Ogg, Allie scientific naming process and exploring animal taxonomy. Bailiwick Press (32 pp.) In catalog style, each featured animal’s description ties its $17.95 | Sep. 1, 2020 defining features to its common name with illustrations and 978-1-934649-80-0 photos. Text sidebars include scientific name, habitat, and a particular fact for each creature. Knowing what will likely A glimpse under the sea at mermaid life and lore. fascinate their audience, like yeti crabs eating the bacteria While the rhyming text does ultimately conclude with that grows on their hairlike spines or unicorn fish eating the mermaids all going to sleep, this picture book functions other animals’ poop (not as magical a behavior as the name less as a goodnight book and more as a survey of mermaid sounds), the authors adopt an engaging and casual tone, filled life. Crisp-edged, unremarkable illustrations depict many with humor that matches the book’s focus, but never sacri- mermaids (not just one as the title suggests, and also selk- fice information for a joke. Included are extension activities ies and nymphs) with varied skin, hair, and fin colors cavort - on how readers might go about discovering a new animal spe- ing underwater. “Her Majesty the Merqueen reign[s] over cies, a name generator that could keep one busy for hours, the deep,” and once she is introduced, the text shifts to say and resources focused on conservation. goodnight to all of the mermaids and their sea-life compan- Like its title, this is sure to be a scream. (glossary, further ions, concluding with the line “Goodnight blue wonder that reading) (Nonfiction. 9-13) gives life to our world.” This closing spread of the narrative shows an illustration of the Earth with its blue oceans from outer space, a smiling pearl of a moon to its left in the starry, GENIE MEANIE black sky. Following this are backmatter pages, which are Narsimhan, Mahtab the highlight of the book. Under the heading “Mermaidol- Illus. by Simpson, Michelle ogy: Magical Facts Mermaid Lovers Love To Know” appear Orca (96 pp.) bits of information about these fantastic creatures. The last $7.95 paper | Sep. 15, 2020 “fact” reads, “Mermaids take care of our miraculous oceans, 978-1-4598-2398-3 but they need our help.” A concluding page delivers “The Series: Orca Echoes Mermaid’s Pledge,” which readers are invited to take themselves, “both hands over merheart.” When 8-year-old Kiara Prasad finds Sure to be a hit with mermaid fans. (Picture book. 3-6) a genie trapped in a bottle, she looks forward to wishing away her big problem at school: Matt, the bully. Kiara recently lost her grandmother, and no one—including her grandfather visiting from India, her parents, and her best friend, Bai Leng—can ease her pain. To make matters worse, Kiara’s grandmother was the only one who truly understood how mean some of the other kids at school could be. While going through some of the odds and ends her grandmother left her, Kiara finds a bottle labeled Zayn Garam Masala; when she

124 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | MAUD AND GRAND-MAUD actually survived their journeys, even a pair of steppe tortoises O’Leary, Sara looped around the moon and Enos (a chimp who, no doubt Illus. by Pak, Kenard to the envy of many fellow astronauts, got away with throw- Random House (40 pp.) ing feces at a visiting politician because “he was a hotshot and $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Aug. 18, 2020 good at his job”), whose 1961 Mercury capsule suffered multi- 978-0-399-55458-2 ple failures in orbit. Each visually crowded entry squeezes in a 978-0-399-55459-9 PLB boxed mission profile and one or, usually, more period photos. Resource lists at the end supplement frequent leads through- During sleepovers with her grand- out to online research reports or videos. Human figures are, mother, a young girl imagines she’ll be with rare exceptions, white. just like her grandmother one day. Laika’s tragic fate notwithstanding, a generally trium- On special weekends, Maud spends the night at her grand- phant tally of liftoffs, landings, and scientific insights. (glos- mother’s house, watching black-and-white movies, eating sary, websites) (Nonfiction. 9-11) breakfast for dinner, and telling stories. Maud loves imagining the past, when Grand-Maud was a little girl, as well as the future, when Maud will become a Grand-Maud herself with a grand- PICTURE BOOK BY DOG daughter to love. An ode to intergenerational relationships, Relth, Michael O’Leary’s story unfolds in a series of short vignettes. The con- Illus. by the author nections between past and present are strengthened as the two Little, Brown (40 pp.) characters ask each other questions and explore the answers. $17.99 | Sep. 29, 2020

Maud’s love and adoration for her grandmother make up the 978-0-316-45886-3 young adult backbone of this comforting book, perfect for a snuggly, bedtime read. Textured, sepia-toned backgrounds set off characters With crayons and paper, Dog cre- rendered in saturated colors. As the story drifts backward and ates a book to show appreciation for the forward in time, Pak’s illustrations provide a strong framework home and best friend that are finally in to help readers keep their footing. Grand-Maud is depicted its life. with white hair and pale skin; in a photograph of her as a child, In the illustrations, readers see Dog’s dangerous early life she has blond hair. Maud has straight black hair and presents on the streets, the loneliness of the shelter, and the joy of Asian. When Maud speaks of the seven children she might have finally having a friend and a home. There are several humorous one day, she imagines them to have many different combina- moments in the story, as when Dog learns what “NOT to chew” tions of her and Grand-Maud’s physical traits. and where “NOT to poo,” the latter complete with a hand- This cozy book is as comforting as a warm quilt and a cup drawn map indicating locations both in and outside the house. of hot chocolate on a cold night. (Picture book. 4-8) However charming the story might be, though, the opening language poses a logical conundrum. Dog introduces itself and addresses readers in second person, saying: “and I made you 50 ANIMALS THAT HAVE BEEN this book.” From this beginning, the reasonable assumption is TO SPACE that the rest of the book will be directed to readers, as obviously Read, Jennifer & Read, John A. the child who rescued Dog needs no introductions, but things Formac (90 pp.) change on the following page. Still in second person, Dog says: $19.99 | Aug. 1, 2020 “I was lost before we met,” which is clearly Dog speaking to the 978-1-4595-0602-2 child who found it at the shelter and took it home to become Series: Beginner’s Guide to Space a part of their family. Readers will appreciate the sentiment but wonder just exactly how that “you” happened to shift. The Two Canadian authors take an unusual angle on an interna- illustrations vary the childlike style of Dog’s illustrations and tional history of space travel. a glossier look for life outside the book. The lucky child has What may stick with readers south of the border—aside brown skin and brown curly hair; Dog is a genial brown mutt. from a jaundiced view of two Cold War powers “racing to get A sweet story with a rather confused narrator. (Picture the first soldiers into space” and using animals in “sacrificial” book. 4-7) roles to advance that agenda—is the sheer variety of animal astronauts. Following nods to the Montgolfier brothers and other pioneers, the authors go on in one- or two-page entries to chronicle purposes, courses, and outcomes for 50 missions, mostly from the space programs’ earlier days, in which monkeys and chimps flew for the U.S., Laika and other dogs for the USSR, cats (inexplicably) for France, and later on a great range of birds, bugs, fish, spiders, “ant-stronauts,” mice, and more…with and without human accompaniment. Most

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 125 THE MISSING Shirley ultimately excelled in school, completing college and The True Story of My going on to become a schoolteacher before her work with com- Family in World War II munity groups led her into politics. Approximately half of the Rosen, Michael story details Shirley’s childhood and youth, and the other half Candlewick (128 pp.) shows Chisholm’s transition from teaching into politics, focus- $16.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 ing on how she gave a voice to the powerless. Russell-Brown’s 978-1-5362-1289-1 text does a remarkable job of pulling together the threads of Shirley’s life to show how her experiences informed her life tra- Born in England just after World War jectory, ending on a note of triumph even though she does not II, young Rosen grew up hearing references win the presidential nomination. Velasquez’s watercolor illus- about relatives who existed before the war trations are full of life, using texture and light to capture vivid but had disappeared by the time it ended. and varied scenery, personalities, and emotion. An extensive There were great-aunts and great-uncles and their families afterword expounds upon Chisholm’s continuing legacy. (This who had lived in France and Poland. His dad knew their names book was reviewed digitally with 10.8-by-17-inch double-page spreads and a bit about them. He assumed they died “in the camps.” At viewed at 61.2% of actual size.) first the child Michael didn’t understand what that meant. As Important history made beautiful and engaging. (sources, he learned more about the Holocaust, he became determined credits) (Picture book/biography. 5-10) to find out about his lost relatives. He did extensive research, gathered small clues, and began to dig deeper, becoming con- sumed by the quest throughout his life. His account includes THE LAND OF lots of disappointments and dead ends as well as some remark- THE CRANES able finds that led to information and some answers about miss- Salazar, Aida ing relatives from both France and Poland. He provides photos Scholastic (272 pp.) and letters that bring these lost souls to life. Speaking in the $17.99 | Sep. 15, 2020 first person, directly to readers, Rosen explains the unexplain- 978-1-338-34380-9 able in simple but not simplistic language, presenting facts without sugarcoating them or underestimating children’s abil- A fourth grader navigates the compli- ity to comprehend. He includes poems, some written over many cated world of immigration. years and some written for this book, expressing his deeper feel- Betita Quintero loves the stories her ings regarding his long search and its mostly devastating results. father tells about the Aztlán (the titular He links history to modern-day hatreds and reminds his readers land of cranes), how their people emigrated south but were of the exhortation “Never again.” “Today; One Day,” a poem of fabled to return. Betita also loves to write. She considers words pain and hope, makes a poignant close. like “intonation,” “alchemy,” and “freedom” to be almost magic, An important work that is immensely personal, powerful, using those and other words to create picture poems to paint and heart-wrenching. (foreword, family tree, photos, docu- her feelings, just like her fourth grade teacher, Ms. Martinez, ments, bibliography, index, acknowledgements) (Memoir/his taught her. But there are also words that are scary, like “cartel,” tory. 10-adult) a word that holds the reason why her family had to emigrate from México to the United States. Even though Betita and her parents live in California, a “sanctuary state,” the seemingly SHE WAS THE FIRST! constant raids and deportations are getting to be more frequent The Trailblazing Life of under the current (unnamed) administration. Thinking her Shirley Chisholm family is safe because they have a “petition…to fly free,” Betita Russell-Brown, Katheryn is devastated when her dad is taken away by ICE. Without their Illus. by Velasquez, Eric father, the lives of the Quinteros, already full of fear and uncer- Lee & Low Books (40 pp.) tainty, are further derailed when they make the small mistake $18.95 | Aug. 4, 2020 of missing a highway exit. Salazar’s verse novel presents con- 978-1-62014-346-9 temporary issues such as “zero tolerance” policies, internalized racism, and mass deportations through Betita’s innocent and This picture-book biography shows hopeful eyes, making the complex topics easy to understand how Shirley Chisolm’s upbringing and talents led to her career through passionate, lyrical verses. in politics and her historic run for the U.S. presidency. An emotional and powerful story with soaring poetry. By the age of 3, Shirley was leading children twice her age (Verse fiction. -8 12) in play. When finances were difficult at home in Brooklyn, her parents brought her and her sister to live with her grandmother in Barbados, where she experienced farm life and beaches and saw black people in all sorts of positions. Readjusting to New York at age 10 during the Great Depression was difficult, but

126 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | Young Dedalus 2020 young adult

Contemporary and Classic titles for Young Readers

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 127 Every element of the story is hilariously mundane. trouble in pizza paradise

OF SALT AND SHORE superhero outfit. Every element of the story is hilariously mun- Schaap, Annet dane. The town motto of Deerburbia, USA, is “a place to live,” Illus. by the author and the cartoon sound effects are often absurdly on the nose: Trans. by Watkinson, Laura “scary music” and “dolphin call.” The drawing style is so simple Charlesbridge (336 pp.) and stylized that, from a distance, some of the pictures might $16.99 | Oct. 13, 2020 be confused for diagrams of single-celled organisms. Many of 978-1-62354-230-6 the main characters are white, but Deerburbia as a whole is more diverse, and Dolphin Girl’s sidekick and co-worker, Otter A young girl uncovers an incred- Boy/Keith, is black. The stakes are rarely higher than the fate of ible, terrifying secret inside a forbidding, the titular pizza place. These superheroes are never epic. If the ominous house perched on the edge of plot sometimes feels unfocused, that’s kind of the point. the sea. Both underachievers and overachievers will be pleas- Ever since Lampie’s mother died, lighthouse keeper Augus- antly bemused and amused in equal measure by this low-key tus has drunk himself into debt and hurls his anger at Lampie. adventure. (Graphic fiction. -8 12) When a ship is wrecked, father and daughter are blamed for carelessly running out of matches to light the lamp. Augustus is imprisoned in his lighthouse, and illiterate Lampie must be ABSOLUTE HERO a servant for seven years in the sinister Black House, rumored Tripp, Valerie to harbor a monster. What Lampie discovers in the high tower Illus. by Bowers, Geneva room is not what she expects, but Lampie is her mother’s daugh- Under the Stars (192 pp.) ter, with resiliency to survive in the face of relentless cruelty and $12.99 | Sep. 8, 2020 despair. The story is billed as a sequel to “The Little Mermaid,” 978-1-4263-3869-4 but the ties to Han Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale are Series: Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. not apparent until well into it. However, elements of The Secret Squad, 1 Garden and “Beauty and the Beast” are evident throughout, enticing readers hungry for new yet classic-feeling books. Trans- Izzy Newton is anxious about starting lated from Dutch, the third-person narration moves seamlessly, middle school, but with a little help from transitioning from character to character, drawing parallels, and her good friends, she conquers her fears. setting up juxtapositions that further illuminate the characters’ Izzy’s best friends, pretty Charlie Darwin and adventurous motivations and growth. Many of the adults in this book are Allie Einstein, are loyal and supportive, but Izzy doesn’t know damaged, mentally and physically, and this affects most cruelly what to think when she learns that Marie Curie, a former mem- the children in their lives. Characters seem to be assumed white. ber of the trio’s circle of friends, is back from a year in Paris Gritty and suspenseful, this atmospheric fairy tale will during which they fell out of touch. Izzy hopes to win Marie’s capture the hearts of sturdy middle-grade readers. (Historical friendship back, but Marie is cold to them on the first day of suspense. 11-14) school. The school building is cold too—the air-conditioning system is malfunctioning, making the school like a refrigera- tor inside. Izzy convinces her friends to help solve the mystery TROUBLE IN PIZZA PARADISE behind this, partly hoping that if the STEM club she’s pro- Smith, Zach posed doesn’t draw Marie to them, this will. They are all pas- Illus. by the author sionate about science, and they form several hypotheses and do Pixel+Ink (144 pp.) observations, but it isn’t until they resolve things with Marie $22.99 | $12.99 paper | Oct. 6, 2020 that their efforts are successful. This series opener highlights 978-1-64595-017-2 diverse, sympathetic characters using their smarts and their 978-1-64595-018-9 paper emotional intelligence to solve scientific and social challenges. Series: Dolphin Girl, 1 Charlie has light-brown skin and speaks Spanish with her two moms, Allie presents white, Marie presents Asian, and new girl This graphic novel tries very hard not Gina Carver is black; Izzy is a winning black protagonist who to be a superhero story. steadily challenges herself and nurtures her friendships. Bowers’ There are at least nine flavors of Sea half- and full-page grayscale illustrations add personality to the Cow–brand diet shakes, including B.L.T. and Cottage Cheese. characters. Backmatter offers further information on the char- They are terrible, and they may cause “sweating, nightmares, or acters’ real-life inspirations and women scientists. restless leg syndrome.” But Sea Cow, a supervillain who dresses Wholesome entertainment for preteens, offering posi- in an animal costume, has a zombification weapon and plans to tivity without didacticism. (glossary) (Fiction. 9-12) force people to buy her drinks. This makes her more ambitious than her opponent, Captain Dugong, who would rather watch cable golf than fight crime. Even the most heroic character, his daughter, Dolphin Girl, never bothers to change out of her

128 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | Distributed by www.crwth.ca UTP Distribution @crwthpress

$8.95 Ages 7-9

978-1-989724-07-1 young adult $9.95 Ages 11-13 $9.95 Ages 9-12 978-1-989724-05-7 978-1-989724-03-3 BECAUSE BOOKS MAKE US BETTER Holland Holland Can Sophie win over the not-shy-not-scared new girl at school? Sophie There’s a new girl in Sophie’s Grade 3 class. Her Sophie name is Hailey, and she seems confident and fun. Sophie is certain they should be friends. Trophy Too But every time Sophie tries to be nice to Hailey, disaster strikes. To make matters worse, Hailey Eileen Holland Trophy makes friends easily with Sophie’s pals, Enoli and

Sophie Trophy Brayden. Sophie feels left out, but does she give

up? No! Sophie is determined to find a way to Sophie Trophy Too make Hailey her friend.

Eileen CAN $8.95 / U.S. $7.95 Holland www.crwth.ca Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan $7.95 Ages 7-9 Sophie_Trophy_Too_Cover_Final_Jan21.indd 1 $7.95 Ages 7-9 2020-01-24 11:35 AM $7.95 Ages 7-9 978-1-7753319-3-3 978-1-7753515-7-3 978-1-7753319-6-4

I wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet. Our plan should have MCCANN worked. We shouldn’t be in this mess, under attack from all sides. Had the Oracle lied to us? No. The unthinkable was true. There had been a traitor in our midst all along.

THAN THAN Twelve-year-old Arthur and his best friend, Lea, declare war on Zeke and the Immortals, the swim team kids who torment all the other kids in Birch Bay. Using their video game network, Art and Lea gather a small crew of kids armed with paintball guns and shields made of trash can lids. THE THREE SPARTANS Their mission is to maintain control of a fort in the woods. But the real prize is freedom from bullying and the knowledge they stood up for themselves — and their friends.

This is a smart, funny story that cleverly sneaks in a history lesson. The action scenes are epic and the characters really shine. — Arthur Slade

A great read! You’ll feel like you’re with them in the battle. Go, Spartans, go! — Eric Walters

$9.95 CAN / $8.95 US

ISBN: 978-17753515-4-2

$11.95 Ages 13-16 $8.95 Ages 13-15 The Three Spartans.indd All Pages $8.95 Ages 9-12 2019-08-09 9:08:32 PM 978-1-7753515-8-0 978-1-7753515-1-1 978-1-7753515-4-2

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 129 THE EGG as she is, and in a particularly charming and satisfying moment, Valério, Geraldo the two share their feelings and together enjoy the festival with- Illus. by the author out stress. A secondary plot in which Thistle and his fairy com- Owlkids Books (40 pp.) munity reconcile their different approaches to productivity ties $18.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 in nicely with the book’s themes of emotional intelligence and 978-1-77147-374-3 community. The artwork is soft, friendly, and cheerful, with a candy-colored palette and aesthetic not far from the work of A crane’s search for a missing egg is Rebecca Sugar’s, although with sketchier lines. unsuccessful—or is it? Readers will be delighted to pick up this sweet treat. In the opening scene, Valério’s signature cut-paper collage (Graphic fantasy. 5-8) features a nest built of strips of different shades of brown, textured paper. Filling a double-page spread, the thin rectangles encircle the crane’s red legs, which, in turn, frame a pink, polka- dot oval. The wordless story continues with the bird flying CATTYWAMPUS away just as a storm rolls in, the egg eventually spilling into the Van Otterloo, Ash moving water below. A tearful quest does not yield the original Scholastic (288 pp.) specimen, but the parent finds another egg-shaped bundle and $17.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 scoops it up with care. Back at the nest, a rosy-faced human 978-1-338-56159-3 baby emerges from the swaddling. Cherries and rocking lead to smiles, and when the graceful creature soars into the sky, child Two preadolescent witches from in tow, it joins a flock of other types of birds: One bears a pig, rival magical families work together to another totes a goldfish bowl. Still others carry children created reverse a hex gone haywire. from brown paper. They all thrill to acrobatics until evening Magic is not to be performed in the descends and cuddling begins. This cheerful portrait of adop- McGill household, but when Delpha tive families is not weighed down with any pedantry. It simply McGill finds the family spellbook hidden shows that nurturing hearts expand with love when presented in a closet, she sets out to learn magic to pull herself and Mama with opportunity. The artist’s bold palette, striking patterns, out of poverty. Conversely, Katybird Hearn’s family secretly and humorous poses will provoke commentary about colors, practices magic, but Katy’s own “conjure gift”—passed from shapes, and design as well. mother to daughter—seems stuck. Born with XY chromosomes Valério’s visual storytelling will excite the eyes and warm and androgen insensitivity, Katy is intersex; Katy knows she’s a the hearts of viewers young and old. (Picture book. 2-6) daughter but worries that her ability might not fully develop. The feud between the two families—the cause of which no one remembers—ended years ago, but the families, and the girls, CRABAPPLE TROUBLE maintain a polite distance. Everything goes cattywampus when Vandorn, Kaeti an argument over a runaway outhouse(?!) leads to the resurrec- Illus. by the author tion of angry McGill and Hearn ancestors—warring as though Random House (176 pp.) they never stopped. The girls have to put aside their differ- $12.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 ences to make things right, or it will be the end of both fami- 978-1-9848-9680-3 lies forever. The even, third-person narration switches between impulsive Delpha and levelheaded Katy, giving voice to each Anthropomorphized-produce peo- girl’s insecurities and triumphs as she tries to quell her doubts ple prepare for a fairy food festival in this about her place in her family, and in magic. Colloquialisms and transitional graphic novel. vernacular bring the Appalachian North Carolina setting to life. Callaway, an overalls-clad girl with Assume whiteness for most characters; classmate Tyler (who a crabapple head that floats above her body, is nervous about has a magical ability of his own) has two mothers, one of whom the Forest Fairy Kingdom’s upcoming Summertime Fair. All wears box braids. Katy’s 6-year-old brother is deaf, and the fam- her friends are great at creating tasty treats from their produce, ily uses ASL. but Calla catastrophizes about her potential contribution to A spirited debut. (Fantasy. 8-13) the fair, to the point of literally losing her head from worry—it abruptly disassociates from her and rolls away! It’s not painful, but it is disorienting, and Calla is lucky to get help from a new fairy friend named Thistle, who helps her practice managing her anxiety. In order to distract herself from her worries, Calla practices keeping busy by helping her community and, in doing so, finds self-worth in ways beyond traditional productivity. When the day of the festival arrives, Calla realizes that Clem- entine, another farmer she admires, is feeling just as insecure

130 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | Exploring racism, bias, and belonging, Whitley and Noguchi’s delightful, full-color graphic novel is almost exclusively female. girl on fire

THE KING OF JAM together. All the while, Jeremiah accumulates these experiences SANDWICHES until he finally exclaims: “I’m tired of people hurting each other! Walters, Eric I’m tired of people shooting each other!” His parents recognize Orca (320 pp.) his deep frustration and encourage him to channel the energy, as $12.95 paper | Sep. 15, 2020 they do, into actions that combine to create new realities: voting, 978-1-4598-2556-7 marching, praying, organizing, and educating. For them, all these strategies show that change is possible and will come one day if Two teen survivors of dysfunctional we commit to them en masse. However, Waters conflates police parenting build a supportive friendship. violence, white-supremacist violence, and neighborhood vio- Robert, 13, who’s endured his wid- lence into one simplified linear narrative. Although they all affect ower father’s violent mood swings and communities like Jeremiah’s, they demand different remedies, a erratic behavior for years, barely remem- critical understanding that’s not made explicit for young readers. bers his mother. Robert’s dog is his companion and protector. Morris’ simple, heartfelt illustrations reflect the book’s emotions. Robert likens his dad’s temperament to an elevator that rises Encouraging but simplistic, the book strives to offer dig- high and drops low, with intermittent bouts of normalcy. He nity, agency, and hope for a new generation of black youth either ignores Robert or demands perfection. Robert’s mea- but doesn’t quite manage. (author’s note, discussion guide) ger lunches are jam sandwiches; his father’s hoard of nonper- (Picture book. 6-10) ishable foods is off-limits. When new student Harmony, 14, in foster care while her alcoholic mother’s in rehab, lashes out at Robert, he wins her trust by covering for her. As their friend- GIRL ON FIRE

ship progresses, Robert repeatedly rescues Harmony from Whitley, Jeremy young adult sabotaging her chances for a stable, successful future. Robert Illus. by Noguchi, Jamie himself, a top student who’s skipped a grade, is well liked and Papercutz (128 pp.) athletic. Recruited for the basketball team, Robert’s so valuable $19.99 | $12.99 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 he’s allowed to miss practices and keep his part-time job. He 978-1-5458-0492-6 feeds and cares for his father, whose severe mental illness (read- 978-1-5458-0493-3 paper ers may identify bipolar disorder) goes unnamed and appar- Series: School for Extraterrestrial Girls, 1 ently untreated. While Harmony bears psychic scars from her upbringing, accomplished, self-reliant Robert’s already a win- A studious girl’s regimented life is ner; readers’ sympathies are wasted on him. Robert’s narration turned upside down when she learns she unfolds with wry, self-deprecating humor, showcasing his stoic isn’t human. patience (though little emotion) and masterful achievements. Fifteen-year-old Tara Smith has always carefully followed her What readers don’t see is the struggle to achieve his goals. His parents’ strictures—dutifully completing chores and assignments, hero’s journey ended before this story begins. routinely taking medications, and always wearing her mandated An entertaining journey frustratingly underexposed. bracelet—even though kids at school call her weird. When she (author’s note) (Fiction. 10-14) spontaneously combusts during class one day, she learns that she is a reptilian alien prone to impromptu self-immolation. She is assigned to the School for Extraterrestrial Girls, an all-girls estab- FOR BEAUTIFUL BLACK BOYS lishment for aliens seeking to prove loyalty to Earth in order to WHO BELIEVE IN A BETTER remain there. Tara meets roommates Summer and Misako, who WORLD wear bracelets like Tara’s: This hides their true forms, showing Waters, Michael only their human defaults. When Tara reacts badly to seeing Illus. by Morris, Keisha Summer’s true tentacled form, she feels too ashamed to apolo- Flyaway Books (40 pp.) gize. Tara then uncovers an uncomfortable truth about Misako: $18.00 | Sep. 22, 2020 that her own race slaughtered nearly all of Misako’s lineage. She 978-1-947888-08-1 tries to hide this but is outed; how can she make things right with her roommates? Exploring racism, bias, and belonging, Whit- One family navigates their young son ley and Noguchi’s delightful, full-color graphic novel is almost through what seems to be an unending exclusively female, and their characterizations, both main and cycle of race-related gun violence. secondary, encompass a varied spectrum of body types, skin col- Pastor, professor, and activist Waters draws on intimate fam- ors, and cultural representations: Main character Tara has brown ily experiences in this attempt to answer many of the critical skin; Summer has light-brown skin and a tall, muscled physique; questions that have arisen over the past decade. Violence seems Misako has Asian features; and one professor is curvy and wears a to be everywhere Jeremiah looks. On the computer is the story headscarf while another dons a sari. of Trayvon Martin; on the television, Michael Brown. In the Engaging science fiction that is fiercely female-forward. paper is the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church. One night, the (Graphic science fiction. -9 12) gunshots even ring outside Jeremiah’s home as the family gathers

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 131 Don’t miss this brave hero as she confronts anti-immigrant hatred in a timely historical novel. three keys

NIGHT WALK TO THE SEA on the ballot. The author’s note highlights personal experiences A Story About Rachel Carson, with racism and provides additional information on this his- Earth’s Protector toric vote. The storyline expertly weaves together the progress Wiles, Deborah and setbacks Mia experiences as her family continues to work, Illus. by Miyares, Daniel seemingly endlessly on the edge of poverty. Lupe reveals that her Schwartz & Wade/Random (40 pp.) family is undocumented, creating a portrait of fear as her father $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Sep. 15, 2020 is jailed. The impending vote has significant consequences for 978-1-5247-0147-5 all immigrants, not just the Garcias, as racial threats increase. 978-1-5247-0148-2 PLB With the help of a cast of strong supporting characters, Mia bravely uses her voice and her pen to change opinions—with In a simple tale based on Rachel Carson’s writings, the natu- family, friends, teachers, and even voters. The lessons she learns ralist takes her great-nephew on a walk that reinforces the bet- helping her friends become the key to addressing racism, as one ter parts of his emerging selfhood. wise friend advises: “You gotta listen, you gotta care, and most The story begins by stating that it is bedtime in Rachel’s importantly, you gotta keep trying.” cabin in the woods and a thunderstorm is brewing. On the Don’t miss this brave hero as she confronts anti-immi- next double-page spread, a little boy named Roger, dressed grant hatred in a timely historical novel. (author’s note) (His- in Godzilla PJs, plays monster with a woman named Rachel torical fiction. -8 12) whose relationship to him is explained only in the backmatter. Roger is scared when the lights go out—although he will not admit it—and he is rude to Rachel when she tries to comfort SHARK AND BOT him. Throughout the book, Roger’s all-too-human, childish Yanish, Brian behavior swings rapidly through phases of obstreperousness, Illus. by the author fright, and tenderness while Rachel’s attitude and speech Random House (96 pp.) unwaveringly resemble the wise woman of fairy tales. Her $9.99 | $12.99 PLB | Sep. 1, 2020 didacticism works for any age of reader when she is discuss- 978-0-593-17335-0 ing luminescent ocean life but not so well when she reminds 978-0-593-17336-7 PLB Roger he loves and protects the wilderness. After the storm, Series: Shark and Bot, 1 Rachel and Roger walk through woods to the sea. Here the text is lovely and lyrical. The climax comes when Roger dis- It looks like the beginning of a beau- covers a struggling firefly in the seafoam and Rachel helps him tiful (and unlikely) friendship. rescue it. The tale is slightly long for a bedtime read-aloud, Shark is a great white shark from Australia who has recently making it apt for slightly older preschoolers. When illustrat- moved to the (unspecified, probably North American) neigh- ing natural phenomena, the art—like the text—is magical. The borhood with his stuffed wombat, Batty. Bot is a Model R-2300 human depictions are sometimes awkward. Cutting Robot who lives 0.185 miles from the park where they Doesn’t quite jell but worthwhile reading nevertheless. first meet. Neither is good at making new friends. Bot hasa (biographical note, science note, further reading) (Picture book. blade for a hand (makes fist-bumping problematic), and Shark 3-5) is…well, a shark. No one thinks sharks and robots go together, but these two bond over a shared love for the Glo-Nuts graphic novels, which chronicle the exploits of a half-dozen pastries THREE KEYS turned into superheroes by an explosion in an underground Yang, Kelly laboratory. When bullies invade the park and take over, Shark Scholastic (288 pp.) and Bot try to decide what to do: fight them? Ask them nicely $16.99 | Sep. 15, 2020 to leave? Make their brains explode with hard math problems? 978-1-338-59138-5 No…dance battle, of course! Will these two awkward new Series: Front Desk friends come out on top? Yanish kicks off this new graphic- novel series aimed at chapter-book readers with an enjoyable Sixth grader Mia Tang returns to bat- mix of goofiness and metafiction. Two Glo-Nuts episodes, ren- tle racism in this thrilling sequel to the dered in a strikingly different color palette, appear between Asian/Pacific American Award–winning chapters. Pages on how to draw the characters and character Front Desk (2018). bios close out this genial first outing. The Tangs, who emigrated from A funny tale of awkwardness overcome in big, inviting China when Mia was little, are now the proud owners of the panels. (Graphic fiction. -6 9) Calivista Motel. Mia works the front desk along with her friends Lupe Garcia, who is Mexican, and Jason Yao, who is Chinese. Her world quickly becomes clouded by the upcoming election, in which California’s Prop 187, which would ban undocumented immigrants from access to health care and public schooling, is

132 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | This is Keith. young adult

I just need to work on my landing!

Max + Xam “Clever fun carries a sweet feel-good message about real, true, loving friendships.”

ISBN: 9781786280879 Price: $17.99 Size: 9 ¾” x 9 ¾” Pages: 36 Age: 3-7

| kirkus.com | children’s | 1 june 2020 | 133 TEST THIS BOOK! At the beginning of the school year, teacher Ms. Gupta, A Laugh-Out-Loud Picture who wears a bindi, tells the children the faces in this room will Book About Experiments and become their closest friends. Brown-skinned Musa can’t imag- Science! ine it. But when the teacher says that everyone will share their Zong, Louie favorite day of the year so they can all celebrate it together, Musa Illus. by the author is elated. He shares Eid with his classmates. His mother comes Imprint (32 pp.) in to help, wearing a hijab, and they serve the class foods from $17.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 various cultures within Islam. “Everyone could see why Eid was 978-1-250-22580-1 Musa’s favorite.” When the other students share their favorite days, they are similarly received by the class: Mo shares Rosh A hands- and butts-on invitation to Hashanah, with help from his family, two men wearing kippot do science. who share his light skin and brown hair and a brown-skinned On the way to a basic version of the scientific method out- child with black hair;Moisés shares Christmas and Las Posa- lined in an appendix, Zong has lab-coated professors Bear and das; and Kevin shares Pi Day. At the end of the year, they have Frog urge readers to perform a series of “experiments” to find become good friends. This celebration of diversity and friend- out if you can literally “do everything with books,” and then ship includes lush descriptions of each holiday and can serve as turn pages to observe the results. In the very simple cartoon an entry point for any one of them. Bell’s textured illustrations illustrations the two researchers generally take a beating as are festive and youthful, picturing a diverse, child-centered they are shaken, turned upside down, bellowed at (“If you’re world. The endpapers are particularly intriguing, with quiltlike in a library, only yell a little”—whatever that means), and sat squares picturing various cultural symbols; further information on. This last is a distinctly bad idea if the book’s being read on each of the four holidays appears in the backmatter. on a tablet, and things go further awry when young read- The dual focus on friendship and diversity makes this ers/researchers are offered a lollipop—not to lick (which is choice a winner. (Picture book. 4-8) theoretically feasible, if unsanitary) but as a reward which, being only an image, can’t be taken. What, there’s something books can’t do? Off scurry the two professors to modify their ONE GOLDEN RULE hypothesis. Scientific enquiry gets a more methodical show- AT SCHOOL ing in Camille Andros’ Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished! illus- A Counting Book trated by Brianne Farley (2017), and budding experimenters Alko, Selina eager to put their reading through the wringer will get more Illus. by the author satisfaction from Dave Eggers’ Abner & Ian Get Right-Side Up, Henry Holt (40 pp.) illustrated by Laura Park (2019), or Hervé Tullet’s inimitable $17.99 | Jun. 16, 2020 Press Here (2011). (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by- 978-1-250-16381-3 17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 48% of actual size.) Well meant, not thought through. (Picture book. 5-7) Readers count to 10 and back down again as they follow an elementary-age student through a typical school day. “ONE backpack. / TWO teachers” sees the child (who has brown skin and hair in one long, brown braid) arriving, apple back-to-school in hand. Smaller text in the illustrations directs readers toward other objects to count: “1 globe,” “2 pencils.” The kids listen to picture books their teachers, explore the classroom, play with blocks. Then “TEN chickpeas line up” for snack, each child standing under their own charming, realistically childlike self-portrait. The diverse class includes a range of skin colors and hairstyles, a OUR FAVORITE DAY child who uses a wheelchair (and sits on the floor without it at OF THE YEAR times), one with hearing aids and an assistive listening device, Ali, A.E. one wearing glasses, and one in hijab. One teacher has brown Illus. by Bell, Rahele Jomepour skin and puffy brown hair; the other teacher presents Asian. Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster Recess, rest time, more learning, and yoga poses round out the (40 pp.) day. Fascinating textures and colors, often supplied by collaged- $17.99 | Jun. 30, 2020 in bits of found paper (such as ticket stubs and old-fashioned 978-1-4814-8563-0 date due cards) fill the pages, inviting readers to look closely. Most of the items are easy to find and count. The characters are Musa shares Eid with his new kinder- rendered in a naïve, folk-art style with two-dimensional stiff- garten classroom and learns about other ness, and one child’s missing front tooth is almost distractingly students’ favorite days of the year as he makes friends with chil- conspicuous. The final, titular message comes on the penulti- dren from different backgrounds. mate page and is posted on the wall along with a banner saying,

134 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | young adult - - - - -

8) -

accessible - yet 7) - - Kindness is a universal language. Kemala, an optimistic, talkative and the water fountain, playing at recess, pangolin, has moved to “her new town” FOR FRIEND FOR Cassie, Aidan Cassie, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (40 pp.) Straus and Giroux Farrar, $18.99 | Jun. 16, 2020 $18.99 | Jun. THE WORD Illus. by the author Illus. 978-0-374-31046-2 Sweet relief. (Picture book. 4 relief. Sweet Delightful and heartwarming, this read-aloud performs like a welcoming embrace. Brava, amiko! (Picture book. 4 amiko! Brava, embrace. a welcoming like brown skin and a coif. dark-brown Classmates puffy, are thought but it gets the job done and even slyly prompts audience partici- hippopotamus, and penguin), the illustrations emphasize hard you might….” A sneeze drives Raj to the bathroom in spite pation in a moment that will definitely spark giggles: “Steer clear wear glasseswear who uses a wheelchair. and another with SoutheastAsia may name recognize Kemala’s as - Indone ranto and provides translations of the dialogue asasdialogue well offer the provides of and translations ranto room with a pangolin, for example, while crafting Indonesian- revelation that not maybe such it’s a bad place to do business after interest interest in her new environment are tinged with anxiety and in which no one is an In featuring outsider. an echidna, a red familiarity with Readers pangolins. on information further ing style shadow puppets of other animals (tiger, elephant, giraffe, giraffe, elephant, (tiger, animals other of puppets shadow style sian or Malaysian. through puppetry. Meanwhile, her hide thickens as she tackles tackles she as thickens hide her Meanwhile, puppetry. through the power of imaginative role With play. everyone’s exuber of animal characters drawn from different continents. The of Kyle. He’s too funny—trust He’s That me. guy / gets of you Kyle. laughing so of everything,leading comfort unaccustomed to and the however, enjoying both juice ously, and even laughing at jokes. Kyle’s Aly’s cartoons depict Raj with ant encouragement, Kemala ant overcomes encouragement,her shyness Kemala and stage and anticipates meeting new friends. language “a of because school Her new a joining about ambivalence curiosity and all. “I feel remarks different,” and Raj then live to proceeds danger fully diverse, including some chubby kids as well as a couple who fright to findA herconcluding new note explains voice. Espe- from anteater classmate Ana, Kemala discovers a connection focus on a fundamentally global language by creatures spoken from diverse habitats conveys a utopian-yet-accessible vision class the sharing numbat a and skunk, a raccoon, a owl, an fox, Kemala Kemala didn’t know.” With trepidation, humor, and help Esperanto, the “foreign” language used among this assemblage this among used language “foreign” the Esperanto, - 8) - the word for friend word the (Picture book. 4 book. (Picture | 1 june 2020 | 135 picture books | kirkus.com | back-to-school vision in which no one is an outsider. no one is an in which vision From an upper From bunk, an older bunny Author and Author educator Button offers a A A small bunny uses every excuse to 6) - avoid the first day of school. RAJ’S RULE (FOR THE (FOR RULE RAJ’S SCHOOL) AT BATHROOM BUNNY BRAVES THE DAY BUNNY BRAVES Owlkids Books (32 pp.) Boyds Mills (32 pp.) Button, Lana Bloom, Suzanne $17.95 | Aug. 18, 2020 Aug. | $17.95 $17.99 | Mar. 18, 2020 | Mar. $17.99 Illus. by Aly, Hatem Aly, by Illus. Illus. by the author Illus. 978-1-77147-340-8 978-1-68437-812-8 A First-Day-of-School Story A First-Day-of-School The focus on a fundamentally on focus The by language global spoken Share Share with those who will be shepherding and calming Skills practice and a peek at the school day: a solid way to to way solid a day: school the at peek a and practice Skills Young Raj’s ruleYoung is to avoid the school bathroom at all costs. creatures fromcreatures a utopian conveys habitats diverse looking sad or sleepy rather than cheerful. bathroom with all of your verse might.” is Button’s unexceptional, like their own glittery shoes. But even this determined optimist determined this even But glitteryshoes. own their like likes likes me?”; “My socks are too short”; “My tummy hurts.” The their own younger siblings on their first days. first their on siblings younger own their hood anxiety. pink and purple, and blue for the sneak in younger, red Velcro prepare. (Picture book. 3 prepare. peeks over the edge, excited: “Up and at ’em, Bunny Lump.” But Lump.” Bunny ’em, at and “Up excited: edge, the over peeks wears a skirt,a sparklyand tights, striped wears mary of shades in janes scrubs with green crocs. Faces and body language are expressive, are language body and Faces crocs. green with scrubs is critical. It all seems pretty grim, but Raj knows how to spin it: stuffed animal to wearing something that will calm the jitters, sympathetic treatment of a common but rarely depicted child- though in one scene, the oddly, older sibling’s expression slips, the older sibling saying, “You’re a brave bunny. You can do this.” You a brave bunny. the older sibling saying, “You’re the older sibling lists the things the younger one is already good already is one younger the things the lists sibling older the the younger one isn’t having it. “I’m too tired”; “What if no one no if “What tired”; too “I’m havingit. isn’t one younger the the water fountain, no active play at recess, no laughing. Posture ers, a tiger tail, tan shorts, and a blue “super shirt.” in Mom’s of her kids before a page turn sees them at the classroom door, concedes concedes that “Sometimes you just feel like crying before you older sib has some solid suggestions, from packing a favorite at. Oddly, Mom at. never Oddly, speaks, simply snapping a cellphone pic feel like trying.” As the duo joins their mother in the kitchen, from 11 to 20, with items to count for each. count to with items 20, from 11 to The dialogue-only text is color-coded, red for the elder, who To execute, To this kid has strategies: no juice at lunch, no trips to “We are “We ONE Backmatter community.” includes the numbers “Here’s a great use game—squeezethe your knees tight, / “Here’s and don’t Quintanilla’s illustrations play up the other sharks’ big, pointy teeth and Walter’s roller coaster of excitement and disappointment/embarrassment. walter the whale shark and his teeny tiny teeth

WALTER THE WHALE SHARK he finds in the school library may hold the key. Eventually, Char- AND HIS TEENY TINY TEETH lie isn’t the only one making changes to gain new friends; the Crow, Katrine cats and dog are shown digging holes and playing with sticks Illus. by Quintanilla, Hazel during playtime. Dicmas charmingly captures the personality Flowerpot Press (32 pp.) differences between cats and dogs; the former aloof and ter- $16.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 ritorial, the latter excitable and outgoing. Readers may need 978-1-4867-1809-2 to get used to Charlie’s off-kilter face, with one eyeball bulg- ing in three-quarter view. For readers in Charlie’s position, it’s Walter feels out of place among the disappointing to see that not a single feline at Catford, neither other sharks at school. student nor teacher, makes any overtures to Charlie until he Walter’s been looking forward works to learn their language. As both encouragement for ELL to school all summer, but a class photo has him in a panic: students and model for their classmates, it pales in comparison Everyone’s teeth are huge. How can Walter, with his “teeny to Aidan Cassie’s The Word for Friend (2020). tiny teeth,” make friends with the likes of Manny Mako and This dog’s enthusiasm is catching, but the message is Greta Great White? The whale shark spends the morning murky. (Picture book. 4-7) worrying, but an idea strikes him at lunchtime. He scoops up some matching seashells to enhance his smile, but after one bite of his sandwich, they all come tumbling out. “Oh Mack- I’M AFRAID YOUR TEDDY IS IN erel!” His seaweed teeth are similarly unsuccessful, and his THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE shrimp teeth flee (“SWIM for it!”) as soon as Walter opens Dunn, Jancee his mouth to read aloud. Dejected, Walter heads home, where Illus. by Nash, Scott his mother waits with some reassurance: Walter doesn’t need Candlewick (40 pp.) teeth like the other sharks’ because whale sharks eat differ- $16.99 | Jun. 16, 2020 ent food. (This important scientific fact is only hinted at in 978-1-5362-0198-7 the plankton-and–chocolate chip cookies she serves Walter as an after-school snack.) “Having teeny tiny teeth doesn’t mean That social butterfly, er, teddy, is you don’t fit in. It’s what makes you special.” Quintanilla’s causing trouble again, this time at school. illustrations play up the other sharks’ big, pointy teeth (one The mischief-maker in question, a light-brown bear, has precocious “sharky-gartener” even sports braces) and Walter’s convinced his various buddies to sneak to school in their kids’ roller coaster of excitement and disappointment/embarrass- backpacks. Their reign of terror starts in the cafeteria, where ment. The other sharks laugh, seemingly at Walter’s expense. they sculpt a sloppy-joe bear, play Frisbee with pizzas, and use The variably weighted, sans-serif typeface may make it hard spaghetti as wigs and fake mustaches. They tag the wall with for new readers to parse some letters. condiments. They tie up the gym teacher with jump-ropes and A timely celebration of individual difference. (Picture book. sneak bubble fluid into the band instruments. Before making 4-7) their pipe-cleaner escape from the art room, they invade the teachers’ lounge (readers will be in stitches at the wonders hiding in that sanctum sanctorum). But in the end, the suspects are A NEW SCHOOL FOR CHARLIE lined up in chairs in the office of the principal, a brown-skinned Dicmas, Courtney woman who looks like she means business…until she remembers Illus. by the author her own beloved childhood bear. Children will surely chuckle at Child’s Play (32 pp.) the stuffed friends’ antics, which are just riotous enough that $17.99 | $7.99 paper | May 15, 2020 readers will recognize they are not to be emulated (one hopes). 978-1-78628-342-9 The trip to the principal’s office (including the struggles of the 978-1-78628-341-2 paper vice principal, a white man, to control his laughter) may be accu- Series: Child’s Play Library rate for first-timers, but those who make frequent visits are not likely to see the same treatment. Being the new kid can be hard, especially when you’re This teddy gang run amok proves that the principal is different. human, but their adventures are becoming one-note. (Picture Charlie, an exuberant golden retriever–esque dog, loves book. 4-8) school and eagerly looks forward to his first day. But at Catford Primary, where he is the only dog among a sea of cats, things are very different from his old school. Charlie isn’t sure which bathroom to use or where his classroom is, and the classes (string theory?) go poorly. Playtime isn’t any better (apparently cats don’t like their butts sniffed). Charlie sulks at home that night, mystified that a dog with so many friendship awards could have failed to make a single new buddy. But the Dog to Cat Dictionary

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| kirkus.com | back-to-school picture books | 1 june 2020 | 137

Ads.indd 1 12/05/2020 22:16 WE WILL ROCK pageantry. Enchanting illustrations dazzle—particularly through OUR CLASSMATES the diverse characters’ hair and facial expressions that detail indi- Higgins, Ryan T. viduals’ unique traits while celebrating the entire cohort. Accord- Illus. by Higgins, Ryan T. ing to the author’s note, the story is inspired by the creator’s own Disney-Hyperion (48 pp.) “bicultural identity,” and the endpapers encapsulate an immigrant $17.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 child’s journey: The poignant departure and the prosaic pleasures 978-1-368-05959-6 of new friends will resonate with readers of all ages. Series: Penelope, 2 Imaginative, irreverent, improvisational fun in kindergarten: Danbi shares a burst of “sweet rain,” complete with a Having learned We Don’t Eat Our Classmates (2018), Penelope rainbow. (Picture book. 4-7) the T. rex is now trying to rock them…in the school talent show. Even though she’s the only T. rex in the school, Penelope at times feels overlooked. The other, human kids typecast her as KINDERGARTEN HAT the dinosaur in all their pretend play, but Penelope’s so much Lawler, Janet more: She reads and draws, and she longs to share her rock-’n’- Illus. by Rodriguez, Geraldine roll music with her classmates. But the first day of rehearsal—a Little Bee (32 pp.) day of elation, excitement, and plans—leads to disappointment $17.99 | Jun. 9, 2020 and self-doubt. Her father’s pep talk helps her remember she is 978-1-4998-0989-3 much more than just the T. rex everyone sees. And the next day, as she’s gathering her courage—Walter’s fishbowl is next to the First-day jitters are conquered with sign-up sheet (readers of the previous title will get it)—some gentleness, empathy, and a kind smile in classmates ask to join her band, which is just the push she needs. this sweet back-to-school tale. Higgins perfectly captures Penelope’s seesawing emotions, the Carlos is anxious about the start of highest highs and the lowest lows. The school is one of the most kindergarten, unsure of what to expect and full of what-ifs. Then diverse found in picture books, with kids of all skin colors and his new teacher, Mrs. Bashay, sends a welcome letter with two ethnicities, several girls in hijab, a boy in a kippah, and kids important instructions: send “a photo of you doing something using forearm crutches and a wheelchair. Hopefully the endpa- you love,” and bring a flower to add to her big flowered hat on pers will serve as springboards for readers to declare and illus- the first day of school. After much deliberation, Carlos decides trate their own talents. to share a photo of himself and his beloved garden. The same gar- While not as riotously funny as Penelope’s debut, it den is the source of a big bright daisy to add to Mrs. Bashay’s hat comes with a much more meaningful message. (Picture book. on the first day of school. But then, disaster! En route to school 4-8) the happy little daisy is accidentally dismantled, along with Car- los’ verve. What can Carlos contribute now? Fortunately, Mrs. Bashay is as warm and welcoming in person as she was in her DANBI LEADS THE letter, and with a little bit of flexibility, all is well. With a Latinx SCHOOL PARADE protagonist and a diverse cast of classmates, this book offers Kim, Anna plenty of mirrors for new kindergarten students. Carlos presents Illus. by the author as male, and it is refreshing to see a boy character depicted with Viking (40 pp.) such emotional complexity and tenderness. The story is brief, but $17.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 there is much to love here, with its reassuring message that will 978-0-451-47889-4 encourage both enthusiastic and worried first-time students. A practically perfect first-experience story, especially for All together now: Food, dance, and anxious hearts and gentle spirits. (Picture book. 3-6) music combine for magic that transcends language barriers. The charming cover of this read-aloud captures the Korean protagonist in a commanding pose, balanced on tiptoes, ready to THE COLOR MONSTER GOES perform. Still, Danbi feels anxious: “On the first day of my new TO SCHOOL school in America, my heart beat: Boom. Boom.” Her palpable Llenas, Anna turmoil builds as she tries unfamiliar activities, yet, by lunchtime, Illus. by the author her nervous heartbeat evolves into drum rolls cueing Danbi’s Little, Brown (40 pp.) creative impulses. Her classmates’ singular reaction to her tra- $17.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 ditional Korean lunch—“Wow!”—signals the transformative 978-0-316-53704-9 powers of Danbi’s favorite foods, exquisitely presented in tiered containers: “Yams in honey, crystal dumplings…rainbow drops, A reluctant monster learns the ins and half-moon rice cakes dipped in sweet sesame!” Classmates’ and outs of school with help from his pal Nuna. attempts to use chopsticks become comical antics; soon, Danbi Monster doesn’t know what school is at first, and the items is leading everyone through recess in spontaneous, triumphant he wants to bring in his backpack will have readers giggling

138 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | Connecting Kids with Animals and Nature! Coming Fall 2020

Tails from the Animal Shelter : Whether it’s the Humane Society, a rescue service or another organization, these groups and their caring work remind us of how a loving home can change the life of a vulnerable animal. 978-1-53411-048-9 | $16.99 young adult

More Animal Tales!

978-1-53411-070-0 | $16.99 978-1-53411-054-0 | $16.99 H is for Honey Bee: Lions & Cheetahs & Rhinos Oh My! A Beekeeping Alphabet Animal Artwork by Children in Sub-Saharan Africa

sleepingbearpress.com 866.918.3956

| kirkus.com | back-to-school picture books | 1 june 2020 | 139 Martinez’s whimsical flights of fancy fill the illustrations to bursting. it’s not a school bus, it’s a pirate ship

(and making lists of their own). Nuna straightens him out pretty ALL WELCOME HERE quickly and drags him to school, literally, by one foot, where Preller, James parents, kids, and teacher stand outside, all but three of the 14 Illus. by GrandPré, Mary with glum looks on their faces that can’t compete with Nuna’s Feiwel & Friends (40 pp.) “We’re going to have a really good time.” The school day unfolds $18.99 | Jun. 16, 2020 as most do, with the typical first-day firsts and class activities, 978-1-250-15588-7 Monster getting up to minor trouble. Readers unfamiliar with his previous books may be confused as to whether the color- An energetic series of haiku cele- changing Monster is one or several monsters, the crayonlike brates the first day of school. scratchings that fill him in ranging from green, gray, and yel- Some describe individuals: “Angelica” low to several pages where he’s multicolored. Just before the is “Like a red rocket / Flashing across a blue sky: / Her hair in school day (and the book) ends, it’s explained that he changes the wind” as she runs to catch the bus. Some orient readers color based on his mood. Collaged elements give the scribbly, to their classrooms: “Name Tags” are “At every desk, / A chair childlike illustrations some 3-D pop. Of the nine kids and their with tennis-ball feet, / A place just for you.” Some capture the teacher, one is a child of color; the rest, including Nuna, are experience: In crowded “Hallways,” younger children watch as paper-white. One child and the teacher wear glasses. This book “A thick herd of cows / Tramples past, smelly and loud. / Fifth is a Spanish import, and U.S. readers may find it interesting to graders are tall.” The individual poems’ success as haiku vary. observe that this school includes a classroom of babies. Some, like “Hallways” and “Growing Up,” in which a mother Leave this book to the monsters and choose a different bids goodbye to a fledgling kindergartner as a “small / Bird flies one for your little one’s first day.(Picture book. 3-7) from its nest,” nail the form; others are more patterned, short narratives than anything else. Oddly, for a book that purports welcome, a mean-spirited streak surfaces. Student “Harold” is SUPERHERO VS. SCHOOL described thus: “Like a duck, one boy / Waddles down the hall, Long, Ethan quacking. / Yikes, he’s in my class!” Another poem celebrates a Illus. by the author “Prank,” in which an older child who knows the ways of a par- Bloomsbury (32 pp.) ticular water fountain “smirks” while turning the knob to splash $17.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 the face of the unsuspecting younger child. The kid laughs 978-1-68119-828-6 instead of crying, but it feels gratuitous. GrandPré’s busy, colorful paintings use primary colors to render this racially diverse Long uses the superhero trope to get school’s cheerfully chaotic first day. kids ready to face their first-day fears. Title notwithstanding, not the most welcoming of books. Scotty is a kid with a super imagi- (Picture book. 4-7) nation…superhero, that is. This little boy apparently sleeps in his super-suit, as that’s how his mother finds him on this momentous morning, telling him to get dressed. But as alter- IT’S NOT A SCHOOL BUS, nate double-page spreads show, Scotty is busy with the busi- IT’S A PIRATE SHIP ness of a superhero, saving the world from rogue robots and Rapkin, Mickey anthropomorphized school supplies (and the school itself) Illus. by Martinez, Teresa gone berserk. Can Scotty face his biggest nemesis and great- Imprint (32 pp.) est fear? With friends, anything is possible. Though the scenes $18.99 | Jun. 16, 2020 depicting Scotty and his friends battling the fanged school have 978-1-250-22977-9 comic-book verve, there’s not much takeaway for young readers, Series: It’s Not a Bed superhero aspirations or no. Puzzlingly, following their combined assault on the school, a page turn reveals it completely Rapkin and Martinez build on the imaginative fun of It’s Not unmarked and intact. Any psychological process real-life Scotty a Bed, It’s a Time Machine (2019) with this romp on a pirate ship may have gone through to grow comfortable with school is that looks suspiciously like a school bus. invisible. For kids already filled with worries, a book containing A cowering child in a red-and-white–striped shirt clutches a salivating, toothy school supplies with angry eyes and malicious stuffed parrot as the school bus approaches. Mom says, “Don’t grins may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Scotty be scared. You’re the Master of Mornings. The Captain of Cool!” and his mother present white; his classmates are diverse. For A blue-toned interior shot of the bus shows the imaginary hor- great tales of imagination taking on school fears, stick with rors the child envisions seated on the bus, all rendered in a child- Planet Kindergarten (2016) by Sue Ganz-Schmitt and illustrated like style: a pelican, a shark, a ghost, a skeleton. But everything by Shane Prigmore or Super Saurus Saves Kindergarten (2017) by changes when the driver announces it’s a pirate ship, not a bus. Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Ned Young. The pint-sized buccaneer, who has pale skin and wavy brown Superhero punch without a superclear message. (Picture hair, quickly makes a friend in Zenzi, a brown-skinned girl with book. 4-8) curls in a topknot. The two exchange jokes, sing pirate songs, and apply sticker tattoos as the riders around them improvise

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| kirkus.com | back-to-school picture books | 1 june 2020 | 141 their own pirate gear, including a scribbled paper beard, a CHOO-CHOO SCHOOL hook hand, and an eye patch. The protagonist’s nerves come Rosenthal, Amy Krouse back when they land at school, but with Zenzi, they can face Illus. by Yamada, Mike anything. Martinez’s whimsical flights of fancy fill the illustra- Candlewick (40 pp.) tions to bursting. Some of what the children see seems based on $14.99 | Jun. 16, 2020 reality—mermaids exercising with headphones—while others 978-0-7636-9742-6 are more difficult to parse, opening the reading up to a dialogue. Pair with Kindergarrrten Bus (2018) by Mike Ornstein and illus- Train cars attend their own school trated by Kevin M. Barry. and learn their lessons. Imagination conquers fear yet again. Arrgh! (Picture book. Much of their day will be familiar to young readers just get- 4-7) ting used to school: The principal tells them not to race in the “haul-way,” they practice the classroom rules and study subjects such as math, gym, music, and the alphabet. But everything RESCUING MRS. BIRDLEY is attuned to trains: “In gym we practice climbing. / We work Reynolds, Aaron together as a team. // ‘Chugga-chugga-choo YAHOO!’ / It feels Illus. by Reynolds, Emma good to blow off steam.” Tank Car shares juice with them after Simon & Schuster (40 pp.) all that exercise, and Diner tells jokes during lunch. Caboose $17.99 | Jun. 30, 2020 likes to sit in the back, and Sleeper “dozes off in class.” A quick 978-1-5344-2704-4 toot wakes him up. Rosenthal’s rhythms and rhymes make for a smooth read-aloud, though observant readers may notice some Well-meaning nature buff Miranda disconnects between the text and the illustrations, especially has a bad case of overgeneralizing. whenever the context leads readers to believe the cars will be Miranda Montgomery adores the Nature Joe Animal Show, linked together in a train; the illustrations never show them admiring the way the brown-skinned wildlife expert rescues connected, and readers will question how the cars that aren’t wild animals who are lost or in distress and returns them to engines are locomoting. Among the faculty, three seem to be their natural habitats. With her Nature Joe polo shirt and white and two people of color. green shorts on and her brown billowing hair, Miranda enters For budding railroad enthusiasts. (Picture book. 3-7) the grocery store to find her teacher, Mrs. Birdley, far from her natural habitat: school. She makes several failed attempts to capture the wily Mrs. Birdley—who is oblivious—but an SCHOOL DAYS oversized trash can finally brings her the success she has wit- Rotner, Shelley & Kelly, Sheila M. nessed Nature Joe accomplish with lions, lemurs, weasels, and Photos by Rotner, Shelley more. With Mrs. Birdley locked safely away in her classroom Millbrook/Lerner (32 pp.) for the weekend, Miranda walks home confident…until the $26.65 | Aug. 4, 2020 next day, when she spots yet another adult from school brows- 978-1-5415-5776-5 ing wares in the home-improvement store. From this book’s bright green cover to its lively endpapers, readers feel Miran- Photos of diverse children give read- da’s assurance that her task is just as important (and as right) ers a peek at a typical school day. as Nature Joe’s. Despite Miranda’s suburban locale, every few Rotner and Kelly’s text provides a framework for the day pages her imagination overtakes the scene and overlays it with from the perspectives of the children: “We meet on the rug to an all-green habitat where she becomes the rescuer. Her facial plan the day. / We check our jobs. / I mark the calendar. / I show expressions aptly convey surprise and disappointment when the weather.” The photos show sights recognizable in North her traps don’t work as well as Nature Joe’s, but when she American elementary school classrooms: the gathering-area rug, succeeds, her confidence is palpable. Both Miranda and Mrs. the calendar, the job chart. Other pages are devoted to things Birdley have light-brown skin. kids are working on learning and subjects they enjoy, free-time A fun story for all the kids who think their teachers live at activities they choose, specials classes and what they do there, school, because where else would they live? (Picture book. 3-8) lunch choices, recess, field trips, and how schools can differ—some have gardens; others might have class pets. Though almost every picture shows smiling faces, one spread is devoted to days that “don’t go right”—a teacher helps when a child’s feelings are hurt, and a nurse provides a bandage after a fall. Rot- ner’s photos are by far the big draw, each spread showing off two to five colorful pictures, many staged but still appealing. The children here are diverse in almost every way—kids may be skinny, plump, or way taller than their peers and of many racial presentations. Hairstyles vary widely. There are a few children wearing glasses, but there are no other visible disabilities.

142 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | young adult - - 8) - I Got the Christmas Spirit (2018), this Inspired by a real-life school for older, older, for school real-life a by Inspired illiterate illiterate women in western India, a pic ture book about education women’s and GRANDMOTHER SCHOOL GRANDMOTHER Orca (32 pp.) Singh, Rina Singh, $19.95 | May 5, 2020 5, $19.95 | May Illus. by Rooney, Ellen by Rooney, Illus. 978-1-4598-1905-4 8) - If a school pep rally could walk and talk, this kid would be would kid this talk, and walk could rally pep school a If The story is narrated by a girl who tells of her aaji’s school: A spirited A book about age, gender, rights, and the impor joy is evident on the page—and infectious. Similarly, readers line begins with a personal pronoun and an active-voice verb— her, saying “people who gave of thumbprints signatures instead her, Singh Crucially, all. it says smile triumphant Aaji’s wait.” to [had] her neighborhood and at school. She even has a black male tance of education. (Picturetance book. 6 picture book establishes a sentence pattern that persists, one paintings, reminiscent of those by artist and player NFL Ernie it. (Picture book. 4 vivid as any book’s. vibrant, Rooney’s multimedia illustrations walk her to school.” When Aaji first learnsto spell her name, will cheer when Aaji shows the “rude man behind the counter” who captivates his class during storytime. Like its predecessors, predecessors, its class his storytime. during captivates who Like read and write, the stories she tells the narrator at night are as nist’s enthusiasm for school. nist’s makes it clear that even though Aaji may be just now learning to to learning now just be may Aaji though even that clear it makes she and her granddaughter do “a little dance”; both characters’ granddaughter. to read and write—including women who were once denied this denied once were who women write—including and read to that will help nascent readers predict what comes next. Each tributing to the vibrant high oil energy Morrison’s of the story. elementaryAmerican schools— in demographic rare teacher—a empowerment empowerment and the love between a grandmother and her complement the text’s exuberance and positivity, incorporating incorporating positivity, and exuberance text’s the complement schoolteacher local by 2016 in Shala Aajibaichi of establishment opportunity. onomatopoeic onomatopoeic words on nearly every double-page spread, - con one she encounters while they reveal lots of diversity both in at the bank that she can sign her name; he had always dismissed always had he name; her sign can she that bank the at form—a bright pink sari…. Then / I take her hand in mine and Barnes, feature close-up perspectives of the little girl and every - Marathi script into several spreads. An author’s note details the details note author’s An severalspreads. into script Marathi I Got the Rhythm(2014) I Got and Yogendra Banger, who everyonewanted Banger, in his village be to able Yogendra “She rushes through her chores so she can change into her uni- “I share,” “I breathe,” “we sing,” etc.—that exudes this protago- - 8) - i got the school spirit the school i got 7) - (Picture book. 4 book. (Picture | 1 june 2020 | 143 picture books | kirkus.com | back-to-school Morrison, Connie Morrison, - A A great prescription for kids who A A sensory-sensitive kitty’s first day break, she’s ready to try again, with some trywith again, to ready she’s break, I GOT THE SCHOOL I GOT SPIRIT tremble at the thought of their first day of school. of kittygarten is a disaster, but after a CLOVER KITTYCLOVER GOES Schofield Salas, Laura Purdie Laura Salas, Bloomsbury (32 pp.) $17.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 7, | Jul. $17.99 $17.99 | Jul. 14, 2020 | Jul. $17.99 TO KITTYGARTEN TO (40 pp.) Lions Two Illus. by Morrison, Frank by Morrison, Illus. Illus. by Nakata, Hiroe by Nakata, Illus. 978-1-5476-0261-2 978-1-5420-4246-8 If a school pep rally a school be it. this kid would and talk, walk could If Clover isn’t looking forward Clover kittygarten, and to isn’t indeed, her Kids who have never been to school will surely look for Those with sensory issues or those attending school with school attending those sensoryor with issues Those A young African American girl with deep brown skin, round skin, brown deep with girl American African young A by taking care of her specific needs, Clover survives with the them may learn from these kitties’ examples. kitties’ these from learn may them help of her “calm, kind friend” Oliver. Readers and their care- home to readers just how uncomfortable the situation is for ward to all the fun depicted here. (Picture here. book. 4 all the fun depicted to ward naptime, she returns to kittygarden. The day perfect, isn’t but notice. Her notice. day Her ends with a (consequence-free) biting, spitting modifications. givers will wish for backmatter that might provide additional guidance, whether for themselves or to help a friend, and it’s tic puffballs, she shows her school spirit with snazzy shoes tions or getting through the school She day. seems very much though, that her desire for companionship will win out, and on the tender solicitations of Oliver as those of a perfect friend cheeks, and an infectious smile spends her first day of school celebrating spirit in many ways. With her hair in two gigan- on her own aside from Oliver, who is almost too good to be true. be to good too almost is who Oliver, from aside own her on disappointing that Clover has no help in brainstorming solu- for someone with sensory issues, Clover is too distraught to clear, but Clover hides. It’s by twice, push. Oliver comes doesn’t Clover: “Sunshine glared”; “a bell…sounded like a GONG”; first day isworse than she imagined. Salas’word choices bring (“STOMP, (“STOMP, STOMP!”), her backpack (“ZIP, ZIP!”), and her Friday, armed Friday, with sunglasses, earmuffs, and her own mat for “loud…clear” singing in class (“ABC, 123!”). Her spirit 123!”). surfaces in Her “loud…clear” singing in class (“ABC, “hissy fit.” Clover stays home for the next three days; her mother her days; three next the for home stays Clover fit.” “hissy “Ms. “Ms. Snappytail’s purrrrrfume stank.” Though readers will see NANA AKUA GOES upturned bucket while Mona dances. The final spreads cap this TO SCHOOL charming day. “School sounds fun!” Milo opines. “It is,” Mona Walker, Patricia Elam agrees, adding, “And so is playing with you.” Yuly’s artwork uses Illus. by Harrison, April bold primary colors and chunky shapes against a white back- Schwartz & Wade/Random (40 pp.) ground to keep the focus on the sibling interactions. Both chil- $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | Jun. 16, 2020 dren have pink skin; Mona has long red braids while Milo has 978-0-525-58113-0 scribbly brown hair and glasses. A black cat joins in on their 978-0-525-58114-7 PLB adventure, and tiny details in the otherwise uncluttered, simple illustrations will delight. Short sentences and easy vocabulary An open-hearted tribute to children with immigrant par- make this one emerging readers can tackle on their own. ents or grandparents. A tender tale just right for those returning to school to Next Monday is Grandparents Day, and Zura, a brown- share with their own younger siblings. (Picture book. 3-7) skinned girl of African descent, has a problem. Though excited, Zura worries about her classmates’ responses to Nana Akua, who has facial markings—a tradition of the Akan people of Ghana that identifies their tribal family. Sometimes in public, people have made negative comments and stared. When Zura tells Nana Akua her worries at home, Nana pulls out Zura’s favorite quilt, adorned with West African Adinkra symbols, and makes a plan to help Zura’s classmates understand her facial markings. On Grandparents Day, Nana and Zura wear African dresses, and Nana explains her markings, comparing them to tattoos. She invites the children to choose an Adinkra from the quilt, each of which has a meaning (explained on the endpapers), and they and their grandparents enjoy the personal introduction to Adinkras Nana gives them. Harrison contributes spectacular collage art that surrounds Zura’s family with colors, patterns, and objects, such as an African drum, pottery, art, and black dolls, that connect them with West Africa. Harrison also illustrates a full page of Nana Akua’s face, gazing directly at readers. Her brown skin, full lips, gray eyebrows, tufts of gray hair at the edges of her head wrap, and her gorgeous purple, patterned fabrics all invite readers to see Nana Akua. A wonderful springboard for cross-cultural understanding conveyed through deeply symbolic art. (glossary, sources, acknowledgements) (Picture book. 5-9)

PLAY DAY SCHOOL DAY Yuly, Toni Illus. by the author Candlewick (32 pp.) $16.99 | Jun. 9, 2020 978-1-5362-0283-0

An elementary-age student shares what school is like with a younger sibling. It’s the day before school starts again for Mona, who’s excited. When Milo asks what school is like, Mona briefly lists what goes on there while the two use the outside world to act the activities out. Mona pulls Milo in a red wagon to simulate riding a school bus. Milo practices reading and writing by weaving flowers into a chain-link fence to spell M-I-L-O. When Mona talks about learning science, Milo (and readers) looks closely at the denizens of the yard, and the siblings ponder a sunflower and some birds in the sky when the topic of math is mentioned. Art and music see Milo drumming with sticks on an

144 | 1 june 2020 | children’s | kirkus.com | young adult

These titles earned the Kirkus Star: SKYWATCHERS Arcos, Carrie Philomel (368 pp.) THE WITCH’S HAND by Nathan Page; illus. by Drew Shannon..... 155 $17.99 | Aug. 18, 2020 978-1-9848-1229-2 HEY JUDE by Star Spider...... 158 A group of teen Skywatchers in Cold War–era Monterey, California, go missing after they see a strange light in the sky. The teens are members of the Skywatch club, based on the real-life

Ground Observer Corps volunteers who watched the skies, young adult reporting any weird observations. One night Teddy, John, Caro- line, and Bunny spot a mysterious light in the woods and follow it. They go missing for days and reappear one at a time with no memory of what happened. Except Teddy never comes back. Weirdly, Bunny now has the ability to speak Mandarin, John is a piano virtuoso and a lethal fighter, and Caroline has gone from squeamish to administering competent first aid. Through flashbacks, the mystery of what occurred slowly unravels. The first half of the novel is evenly paced and well-plotted. The historical time period, astute character development, and suspense- filled writing will draw readers in. However, the latter half falls apart, weighed down by exposition, and this mélange of science-fiction tropes never quite coalesces. Time travel, parallel universes, and aliens are all bandied about as explanations for the group’s disappearance, but Arcos never lands comfortably on any of them. Scientific theories abound, and staggering infodumps make the novel difficult to slog through. The rushed ending doesn’t feel well earned and will leave readers unsatis- fied. John is Japanese American, Bunny is Puerto Rican, Teddy is Italian American, and Caroline is white. A failure to launch. (Science fiction. 12-adult)

AN EDUCATION IN RUIN Bass, Alexis THE WITCH’S HAND Tor Teen (384 pp.) Page, Nathan $18.99 | Jul. 7, 2020 Illus. by Shannon, Drew 978-1-250-19595-1 Knopf (352 pp.) $25.99 | Jul. 14, 2020 A boarding school student on a mis- 978-0-525-64676-1 sion infiltrates the in crowd. Series: The Montague Twins, 1 Collins Pruitt has relocated from Wisconsin to enter the Rutherford Insti- tute, an elite California boarding school, as a third-year student. She has more on her mind than calculus and college applications, though.

| kirkus.com | young adult | 1 june 2020 | 145 books that explore what might have been

As the U.S. heads into summer vaca- group than at her Baltimore public school. The novel sensitively tion, young people are facing a reality charts different pathways for this thoughtful young woman. that diverges dramatically from what Kevin van Whye’s Date Me, Bryson they originally dreamed of—whether Keller (Random House, May 19) features that was a sleepaway or day camp, a job two high school boys who spend a week or internship, hanging out with friends, exploring what life would be like if they or just a break from school. Across the were boyfriends. Kai is gay and clos- country there are ever changing guide- eted, and popular soccer team captain lines and ongoing uncertainty, and af- Bryson, the boy he has a crush on, has ter being stuck at home for months, so far only gone out with girls as part of many children and teens now face...be- the dating challenge his friends set for ing stuck at home for months. The gap him. When Kai gets up the nerve to ask between reality and what should have been feels unusually vivid. Bryson out—and according to the rules, Novels that explore the idea of parallel universes or alternate life Bryson must accept—both boys learn a paths might feel especially relevant to young readers right now. lot about themselves and one another. In Margaret Peterson Haddix’s middle-grade series Greystone As our review said, while it’s “deliciously heavy on fluff” this nov- Secrets—The Strangers (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, 2019) el “also delves into more complex subjects like faith, racism, and and The Deceivers (April 7)—the Greystone kids (Chess, Emma, homophobia.” and Finn) and their friend Natalie discover a parallel world. First The dream of escaping to a world the Greystones’ mother disappears into it after learning of a fam- where one’s problems do not exist is ily that has unsettling commonalities with their own. In the sec- universal. Last Bus to Everland by So- ond volume, Natalie’s mother, too, goes missing, and the kids phie Cameron (Roaring Brook, 2019) must now try to rescue both women. Exciting science-fiction ad- is a haunting and evocative story about venture stories with an engaging puzzle element, the books also Brody, an Edinburgh teen weighed down explore more serious questions around family and reality. by bullying from peers and by being clos- The Sal & Gabi series by Carlos Her- eted. He has a warm, loving family, but nandez offers middle-grade readers a financial and other stressors take atre- madcap romp through alternate dimen- mendous emotional toll. A chance en- sions. In Sal & Gabi Break the Universe counter leads him to a magical world (Rick Riordan Presents/Disney, 2019) that can only be accessed through door- and Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe (May 5), ways that appear around the world at the Miami middle schoolers explore the certain times. In Everland, Brody can be multiverse and try to manifest a differ- his full self, completely accepted by others who find their way in- ent reality, one in which Gabi’s prema- side. The question is, should he choose to stay there? ture baby brother survives. Although Sal Those seeking a diverting beach loves his stepmother, there is something read (even if the “beach” is a lounge chair comforting, if chaotic, about visits from in the garden) can’t go wrong with Tw o the various versions of the Mami Viva Summers by Aimee Friedman (Point/ who show up when Sal opens portals, deliberately or accidental- Scholastic, 2016), in which Summer ly. They offer temporary relief from painful memories of his de- Everett goes to France…or doesn’t. It ceased Mami Muerta but also show how unresolved his grief is. all hinges on whether she answers her In YA fiction, E. Lockhart’s Again Again (Delacorte, June 2) phone shortly before boarding a plane offers a poignant take on the what-ifs to visit her long-absent father. In the that so often accompany romantic rela- diverging storylines, Summer either an- tionships as well as family crises. Newly swers the phone, learns that her father is single Adelaide, a student at the exclu- canceling the visit, and stays in her qui- sive prep school where her father teach- et New York suburb—or carries on and es, spends the summer before her senior has an Instagram-worthy (if emotionally intense) summer in the year exploring her relationships with Jack, south of France. Both ways, Summer experiences romance as well the boy she’s daydreamed about since he as significant growth. wrote her a poem, and Toby, her brother, who struggles with opioid addiction. Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor. She’s also had to adjust to higher academic standards and an entirely different peer

146 | 1 june 2020 | young adult | kirkus.com | The protagonists are alive with emotions and flaws, and their chemistry crackles off the pages. i kissed alice

Collins’ beloved aunt, Rosie, has compelled Collins to attend PENULTIMATE QUEST Rutherford and gather intelligence on Jasper and Theo Mahoney, Brown, Lars upperclassmen brothers and golden boys whose mother is in a Illus. by the author & Glendining, Bex with secret relationship with Collins’ wealthy and influential inves- Kantz, John tor father in order to get the Mahoneys out of crippling debt. Iron Circus Comics (340 pp.) Soon, Collins finds herself in over her head, not just with Theo’s $25.00 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 fast-moving and thrill-seeking group of friends, but with Jasper, 978-1-945820-50-2 for whom she’s quickly developing real romantic feelings—even as he is wrestling with potentially life-ruining secrets of his own. On a mysterious island, three strangers-turned-friends find Bass creates a vivid, evocative environment in both Rutherford themselves in an endless loop of fighting monsters; can they and the coastal town surrounding it. However, the book is heav- find a way to break the cycle? ily front-loaded and wraps up abruptly, and it seems far-fetched Harald, James, and Alma spend their days battling ferocious that Collins would uproot her mostly happy existence on hear- beasts in endless dungeons on an island they cannot seemingly say from her aunt without fact-checking with her father, with depart. For the most part, the trio enjoys their group dynamics whom she’s supposedly very close. Whiteness is situated as the and the fighting, finding gamelike satisfaction in always having default for main characters; diversity in peripheral characters is another foe to defeat. But soon, Harald begins to question the signaled through names. nature of their reality; could there be something more to this Well-written suspense overwhelmed by a flimsy premise. life than an interminable circuit of creation and destruction? Is (Thriller. 12-18) there a way off this strange island? The trio finds that they must confront their lives and the choices they made prior to their I KISSED ALICE young adult Birch, Anna with Ying, Victoria Imprint (304 pp.) $18.99 | Jul. 28, 2020 978-1-250-21985-5

Two art students collaborate anony- mously on a queer fan comic while clashing in real life over a prestigious scholarship. To high school senior Iliana Vri- onides, the Capstone Foundation Award represents opportunities that her affluent and well-connected peers at the Alabama Conservatory of the Arts and Technol- ogy take for granted. Iliana’s determination to win the award is intensified by her desire to beat her classmate and nemesis Rhodes Ingram who, in Iliana’s eyes, exemplifies the highbrow snobbery that art competition juries favor. Iliana often vents her frustration to I-Kissed-Alice, a friend she met on fandom database Slash/Spot and with whom Iliana co-authors “Hearts and Spades,” an Alice in Wonderland fan comic. Little does she know that I-Kissed-Alice is actually Rhodes, whose struggle with depression and familial pressure to succeed has rendered her unable to create artwork for school. As the deadline for the Capstone project proposal draws near, the animosity between Iliana and Rhodes comes to a peak even as they make plans online to meet in person. With a premise based on the “secret identity” trope, this novel could have fallen into cliché. Instead, it digs into the messiness of relationships colored by personal bias and misunderstanding. The protagonists are alive with emotions and flaws, and their chemistry as both enemies and allies crackles off the pages. Iliana is white, bisexual, and fat; Rhodes is white and queer. Come for the rivalry, stay for the romance. (Romance. 13-18)

| kirkus.com | young adult | 1 june 2020 | 147 Deftly explores friendship, privilege, grief, and crushing expectations, all with a twisty murder mystery. they wish they were us

arrival on the island. Brown’s clever mashup smashes genre con- DREAMING IN COLOR straints, rendering this akin to It’s a Wonderful Life told through a Florence, Melanie delightfully snarky gamer’s lens, absent Christmas but heavy on Orca (144 pp.) the monsters. The full-color illustrations add a rich cinematic $10.95 paper | Sep. 22, 2020 quality to the already nuanced storytelling. At times,the story- 978-1-4598-2586-4 line can be demanding, with its intricate plotting and frequent and dizzying temporal jumps, but for all of its seeming recapitu- A 14-year-old artist navigates her lation and futility, a heartwarming (but decidedly not cloying) racial identity and anti-Indigenous racism. conclusion awaits and should satisfy even the most cynical read- Jen has brown skin like her Cree ers. The three main characters appear white; secondary charac- mother, but her older brother resem- ters encompass a broader spectrum of skin tones. bles their pale, redheaded Irish father. Complex, challenging, and ultimately rewarding. (Graphic Though Jen has a loving and supportive fantasy. 13-adult) family, she wonders if her life wouldn’t be easier if she were light-skinned. Once she’s accepted to a prestigious arts high school, Jen thinks she’s finally found a place where she belongs. DOUBLE OR NOTHING But bigotry knows no bounds, and racist students accuse her Carter, Brooke of only getting in because of her heritage and mock the Indig- Orca (152 pp.) enous influences in her work. When their racism manifests $10.95 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 as destruction of property, Jen at first chooses not to tell any 978-1-4598-2381-5 adults about the incident. Instead, she strives on her own to prove that she belongs at art school, possibly leading readers to “Heads or tails” might seem like an believe the narrative is suggesting racism should be “overcome” innocent question. But for Essie Tomasi, by victims instead of putting the responsibility squarely on the it’s a matter of life and death. shoulders of the perpetrators. Jen gets a happy ending and, for- Identical twin geniuses Essie and tunately, is able to express herself through her art. The writing Aggie are two sides of a coin. Aggie is is sometimes clunky, but the representation of a contemporary preppy; Essie likes rocker girl bands and biracial Indigenous girl is valuable. Rather than delving into the combat boots. Aggie is cheerful and open; Essie keeps her cards larger history of oppression of Indigenous peoples in Canada, close to her chest, quite literally, as she’s struggling to hide a the Scottish/Cree author offers a mirror to the sometimes pain- gambling addiction that’s growing more destructive by the day. ful emotions and everyday experiences of Indigenous teens of The increasingly severe repercussions of her addiction form the mixed heritage. bulk of this story’s action. The gambling scenes show Carter in A rare and welcome reluctant reader title featuring an top form, drawing the reader into Essie’s lows and highs as she Indigenous protagonist. (Fiction. 12-18) reads the room, stashes cards, and places bets. The adrenaline is almost palpable, and Essie’s first-person narration is redolent of teen sardonicism and desperation. When Essie gets dragged THEY WISH THEY WERE US in too deep, finding herself weighing a debt she can’t pay against Goodman, Jessica her own moral integrity, the stakes feel appropriately dire. The Razorbill/Penguin (336 pp.) surrounding plots, including Essie’s burgeoning relationship $17.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 with skater Dillon, her faltering relationship with her sister, 978-0-593-11429-2 and the pain of coming clean to her family, feel less developed. Carter leans unapologetically into teen-novel tropes, leaving Things haven’t been the same for the supporting characters feeling somewhat less than three- high school senior Jill Newman since her dimensional. That said, Essie’s supportive family members best friend was murdered. prove to be the true heroes of the story, as they go to extraor- Three years ago, Graham Calloway dinary lengths to help her. The story moves along at a thrilling confessed to killing his girlfriend, Shaila clip, sure to maintain readers’ attention. Arnold. Now he’s in a juvenile facility, A royal flush of a read for reluctant readers.(Thriller. 12-18) and Jill is starting senior year at Long Island’s Gold Coast Prep without her dearest friend. Luckily, Jill has Nikki Wu, whom she’s grown close to since Shaila’s death; her sweet boyfriend, Henry; and, of course, the Players, an exclusive club that all but guarantees an easy ride to a successful future. Jill, an aspiring astronomer who attends Gold Coast on a scholarship, must help choose the next round of freshman Player recruits while also securing desperately needed scholarship money for college. When Graham’s sister, Rachel, texts Jill with claims of Graham’s innocence, Jill reluctantly agrees to help. What if he actually

148 | 1 june 2020 | young adult | kirkus.com | is innocent? As Jill digs for the truth, she must come to terms WE THREE with her own complicity in the Players’ culture of misogyny and Harwood-Jones, Markus casual cruelty and realizes that Shaila might have been keeping James Lorimer (168 pp.) explosive secrets. Goodman deftly explores the complex nature $8.99 paper | $27.99 PLB | Aug. 1, 2020 of friendship, privilege, grief, and the often crushing expecta- 978-1-4594-1471-6 tions placed on teens, all of which dovetails neatly with a twisty 978-1-4594-1473-0 PLB murder mystery. Most characters seem to be white except for Nikki, who emigrated with her family from Hong Kong; Jill is Three outcast teens fall in love at Jewish. There is queer representation in the supporting cast. summer camp. A sophisticated and suspenseful debut. (Mystery. 14-18) Jassie never wanted to attend performing arts camp, but her parents sent her anyway to encourage her to make friends. She dreads the prospect of a full month away from home until she meets Syd, a confident rebel, and Ams, a quiet, genderqueer musician. Initially, Jassie’s simmering feelings for both teens confuse her, but as the three of them open up to one another, mutual attraction draws them into an unexpected triad. Each misunderstood in their own ways, together they find a new sense of belonging. Written in the first person, the story follows Jassie’s perspective. Her recent ADHD diagnosis surfaces as a young adult

| kirkus.com | young adult | 1 june 2020 | 149 INTERVIEWS & PROFILES Samira Ahmed

“WE HAVE TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE WRONGS OF HISTORY”: THE AUTHOR OF MAD, BAD & DANGEROUS TO KNOW ON HER PARISIAN/ OTTOMAN ART-HISTORY MYSTERY By Laura Simeon Jean Lachat Jean How did you manage to evoke the sense of place so vividly? Paris is the city I’ve spent more time in than any other except for New York and Chicago, where I live. America kind of romanticizes Paris. I wanted to present Paris as it is; there’s a danger in romanticizing things too much. I try to hit on places that aren’t the major tourist attractions, those tiny pockets of life that you don’t quite get if you’re just a tourist. And you can tell that I totally have a sweet tooth because I talk about pastries a lot! I did ask French friends for help, but a lot of the geogra- phy I knew just because I’ve been there so much. I started with [Khayyam’s] stepping in dog poop because the very first time I went to Paris, when I was maybe 22 or 23, that was one of my early experiences too. French friends were like, we Samira Ahmed’s Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know (Soho Teen, have this radar—it’s really just tourists who step in it! April 7) draws readers in with a dual timeline: In the present Could you elaborate on the “history mystery” aspect of day, we follow Chicago teen Khayyam, spending the summer the story? in Paris with her academic parents, and in the 19th century, When I read “The Giaour” in college, I remember thinking, we learn tantalizing details about Leila, a concubine hiding a this is [Byron’s] grand epic poem. And it was all ostensibly dangerous secret. Khayyam meets Alexandre, a descendant about this woman—men battling to the death over her. But of novelist Alexandre Dumas, and they soon dive into the she literally has no voice in the story at all. And then in the mystery of Leila’s identity and a Delacroix painting that may series of Delacroix paintings that were inspired by Byron’s have been owned by Dumas. Ahmed and I met over a video poem, her presence doesn’t exist at all; she’s erased, and I was call to discuss the book; the conversation has been edited for thinking, I want to give her a voice. That’s something that we length and clarity. can do with so many things have been lost in history. That’s How would you describe the novel and its origins? why Khayyam certainly exists, that’s kind of her purpose and I love to straddle genres, and I think this book does that. I’ve what she struggles with. been calling it my smash-the-patriarchy, eat-all-the-pastries I also was interested in my family’s history because we history mystery. It actually came out of my bachelor’s thesis were immigrants; I was learning little dribs and drabs about about Byron, specifically how Napoleon’s conquest in Egypt what happened to India during Partition. A lot of things are influenced Byron’s writing. Napoleon obviously had anin- lost during colonialism: Records are lost, histories are lost. terest in Egypt—because he wanted to conquer it. And the I remember at a pretty young age thinking, well if you are a same with Byron—they were Orientalists. Dumas, Delacroix, black American and your family [members] were enslaved Hugo, and Baudelaire would take hash, they would dress in persons, how would you even know your last name? That’s Orientalist, Arab garb, meet at the Hôtel de Lauzun on the Île referenced in the book: Dumas’ last name actually comes not Saint-Louis [in Paris] and take hash. Even Dumas, who [was from his patrilineal line but matrilineal. Dumas’ dad was re- biracial and] faced pretty ferocious racism in his time, was jecting Dumas’ grandfather; when he went into the infantry participating in this Orientalist activity. his dad didn’t want him to shame the name de la Pailleterie.

150 | 1 june 2020 | young adult | kirkus.com | We don’t even know if that was [Dumas’ grandmother’s] real name. Her son was the highest ranking black general ever in Europe—even to this day—and her grandson one of the greatest French writers, her great-grandson another, and we don’t know her at all. How did you come to create Khayyam as a biracial French/Indian American Muslim? I was a high school teacher in Skokie, Illinois, an extremely di- concern, especially when she catches herself losing focus, but verse place. Early on, one thing I was really noticing with some despite her insecurities, her partners ground her and praise of my biracial students was this thing of, “Well, I’m half this her imagination. Romance drives the plot: The pacing of the and half that. And I’m not totally one and I’m not totally the relationship between Ams and Syd shifts abruptly from awk- other.” But we don’t have fractured selves. I just felt so much for wardness to romance while Jassie’s feelings intensify through Khayyam and for kids who are experiencing this, that they are each of her interactions. Outside of the triad, few characters, including those who cause conflict, receive meaningful devel- really whole people. She is French and she is American and she opment. Even so, this hopeful love story with its idealistic is Indian. She can be all of those things, and how she decides to happy ending provides important affirming representation navigate the world with those pieces of herself as a whole, it’s for queer, polyamorous relationships. Jassie is South Asian and really for her to decide. The whole #WriteHerStory concept is her family doesn’t eat pork, Syd seems to be white, and Ams is not just about Leila’s story, it’s also because Khayyam is trying cued as Latinx. A first love story full of sunshine. to create the space for herself that she deserves. (Romance. 13-18) One hot topic when we talk about history, especially personal family history, is how to deal with “problem- WHAT GOES UP Heppermann, Christine atic” ancestors and events. Khayyam and Alexandre Greenwillow (176 pp.) handle this with great maturity. $17.99 | Aug. 18, 2020 I had to have Alexandre speak to this: His eight-times great- 978-0-06-238798-1

grandma was an enslaved person from Haiti. He literally said, young adult “I’m related to a rapist.” So I do think that it’s really important A teenage girl reflects on the months and moments that led up to a to, at the very least, acknowledge it, because even if we’re not drunken night. present at the time to bear witness, we have to bear witness to Jorie is a high schooler who loves the wrongs of history today. That’s really the only way you can science and has a penchant for the address institutionalized prejudice. I obviously have privilege study of mushrooms. We meet her the and benefit from privilege. Asian Americans in this country morning after she got drunk at a party and passed out in the bed of a stranger. Jorie then spends the novel trying to under- have benefited from anti-blackness, from the whole model stand where she is, with whom, how she came to be in this minority concept. This is a country literally founded on geno- situation, and how to get out of it. We learn of Jorie’s mixed cide and built on slavery. The least we can do as people living feelings toward her parents and her complicated relationship now is to acknowledge the wrongs of history because that’s with them, her friends, and her recent ex-boyfriend as well as the only way to really dismantle the structures that persist be- her budding relationship with her art, which springs from her cause of those things that happened in the past. love of mushrooms. Heppermann uses verse to deconstruct and build up plot points in a skilled manner and keeps the pacing interesting and unpredictable—albeit sometimes jarring— Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know was reviewed in the Feb. 1, throughout. The format and use of metaphors serves the story 2020, issue. well. However, elements of Jorie’s present-day state of being could have been delved into more deeply but instead were left unexplored. The novel presents seemingly high-stakes conflicts that are wrapped up with quick resolutions that therefore ultimately read as anticlimactic. An absence of physical descriptions makes characters’ races difficult to determine. A quick and engaging read that may end up leaving readers just short of satisfied.(Verse novel. 12-18)

| kirkus.com | young adult | 1 june 2020 | 151 A timely and well-paced story of personal discovery. displacement

THE MORNING FLOWER complicated national history with explorations of cultural dislo- Hocking, Amanda cation and biracial identity. As Kiku processes her experiences, Wednesday Books (352 pp.) Hughes draws parallels to President Donald Trump’s Muslim $10.99 paper | Aug. 4, 2020 ban and the incarceration of migrant children. The emotional 978-1-250-20428-8 connection between Kiku and her grandmother is underdevel- Series: Omte Origins, 2 oped; despite their being neighbors, Ernestina appears briefly and feels elusive to both Kiku and readers up to the very end. Ulla continues the quest to find Despite some loose ends, readers will gain insights to the Japa- the identity of her parents; her missing nese American incarceration and feel called to activism. friend, Eliana; and the location of the A timely and well-paced story of personal discovery. (pho- First City. tographs, author’s note, glossary, further reading) (Graphic After Eliana’s kidnapping, Ulla and historical fantasy. 12-16) Pan set off to Fulaträsk in Louisiana, hopeful they’ll find more information about the cult of the Älvolk and the First City. Ulla learns that the troll she believed to be her mother, Orra Fågel, A MAP TO THE SUN went missing 20 years ago during a mission to find the Lost Leong, Sloane Bridge of Dimma—the mythical bridge guarded by the Älvolk. First Second (368 pp.) Then Ulla hears rumors of roaming philanderer Indu Mattison, $24.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 an Älvolk from the First City who may be her father. Indu was 978-1-250-14668-7 last heard railing against Kiruna, which is located in the Arctic area of Sweden. This is their best lead yet; it could lead them Teen girls chart their paths toward to the First City. Pan is summoned back to Merellä, and Ulla self-discovery and teamwork. returns with him, set on continuing her research. But it isn’t In a palm-fringed seaside city, an inti- long before Ulla and her friends gain the final clues they need to mate friendship between Ren and Luna set off to Sweden, where answers to Ulla’s identity bring more blossoms as quickly as it withers when turmoil than relief. With fewer dives into deep lore, Ulla’s jour- Luna moves away and becomes incom- ney moves with steady purpose, though the clues she finds line municado. Luna’s return two years later sparks the central con- up too easily to feel earned. True danger arrives in the climax, flict that plays out as Ren navigates challenging relationships but it’s too little, too late. at home, in high school, and as captain of their brand-new five- Another winding quest with only intermittent bursts of person girls basketball team. Confronting blatant misogyny, the intrigue and action. (glossary) (Fantasy. 16-18) team their new biology teacher scrapes together feels as ambitious an undertaking as the narrative scope of this character- driven story. Stark glimpses of domestic discord, abusive adult DISPLACEMENT behavior, smoking, drinking, self-harm, and body-shaming Hughes, Kiku reveal the team members’ variously fraught personal circum- Illus. by the author stances and suggest compelling backstories that unfortunately First Second (288 pp.) remain underdeveloped. Stylistically and structurally similar $17.99 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 to a comic book, this graphic novel’s visual vibrancy compen- 978-1-250-19353-7 sates for its scattered storytelling. From pastels signaling dawn’s promise to deep indigos of despair and energetic tones show- Time travel brings a girl closer to ing on-court action, the panels and palette assert attitude and someone she’s never known. grit. The pages’ shifting layout maintains a dynamic pace while Sixteen-year-old Kiku, who is Japa- the artwork conveys the intense—often conflicting—emotions nese and white, only knows bits and inherent to adolescence and young adulthood. Leong concludes pieces of her family history. While on with a tribute to the inner light of her characters and to the a trip with her mother to San Francisco from their Seattle power of friendship. The cast is ethnically diverse; Ren is black, home, they search for her grandmother’s childhood home. and Luna has Chinese and Native Hawaiian ancestry. While waiting for her mother, who goes inside to explore the Colorful illustrations highlight episodic narratives: This mall now standing there, a mysterious fog envelops Kiku and is a story obscured by its own diffused telling. (character displaces her to a theater in the past where a girl is playing the sketches) (Graphic fiction. 14-18) violin. The gifted musician is Ernestina Teranishi, who Kiku later confirms is her late grandmother. To Kiku’s dismay, the fog continues to transport her, eventually dropping her down next door to Ernestina’s family in a World War II Japanese American internment camp. The clean illustrations in soothing browns and blues convey the characters’ intense emotions. Hughes takes inspiration from her own family’s story, deftly balancing

152 | 1 june 2020 | young adult | kirkus.com | MEET OUR STARS! FIVE STARS! 9781984835659; $18.99 9780525553021; $18.99 9781984812261; $18.99

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FOUR STARS!

9780525555568; $17.99 9780525514596; $17.99 9781984837356; $17.99

| kirkus.com | young adult | 1 june 2020 | 153 WHAT MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL offers to help him with his essay entry on Winston Churchill, Liang, Bridget Danyal has to decide whose opinions he values and whether or James Lorimer (168 pp.) not to speak up about the hard truths he learns. An entertain- $8.99 paper | $27.99 PLB | Aug. 1, 2020 ing mix of humor, teen drama, cultural references, and serious 978-1-4594-1411-2 themes around colonialism, nationalism, and religious identity, 978-1-4594-1413-6 PLB Masood’s debut novel is a broadly relatable story that offers plenty of food for thought. Readers will root for Danyal as he A Toronto teen questioning their gen- evolves and proves he is more than meets the eye. der finds friendship and support among A charming teen romance with real substance. (Romantic other queer students at their new school comedy. 14-18) in this feel-good, #ownvoices debut. At Logan Osborne’s old school, their slight frame and feminine appearance made them a target for WILLIE O’REE bullies. But when Logan, who is Chinese and white, transfers to Mortillaro, Nicole Rosedale School for the Arts at the start of grade 11, they meet James Lorimer (168 pp.) a group of friends who are openly queer and embrace Logan $8.99 paper | $27.99 PLB | Aug. 1, 2020 for who they are. There is Robin, who is white, bisexual, and 978-1-4594-1516-4 trans; Micah, Robin’s Jewish boyfriend; Drew, who is asexual 978-1-4594-1304-7 PLB homoromantic; and Jennifer, who is Chinese/white/Afro- Guyanese, fat, and queer. With their friends’ encouragement, Details the career of professional Logan begins to ponder the reasons behind their discomfort hockey player Willie O’Ree, who broke with being one of “the guys”—are they trans? At the same time, the color barrier as the National Hockey they find themselves developing a crush on Kyle, an attractive League’s first black player. tenor of Japanese descent who tells Logan about his two dads Raised in New Brunswick in one of but is less forthcoming about his own sexual orientation. The only two black families in town, O’Ree book’s present-tense narration brings readers up close and per- always loved skating and hockey. He participated in numerous sonal with Logan as they process their thoughts about gender sports and at first played professional baseball before eventu- identity and gender presentation. Dialogue between the teen ally being recruited to play ice hockey for the Boston Bruins. characters is authentically earnest, awkward, and funny, minus Despite an injury on the ice that left him blind in one eye, O’Ree the occasional use of slang that may feel dated. Short chapters had a successful career. In the U.S., he experienced racism to a and simple, direct prose keep the pages turning and make the greater degree than in Canada. In retirement, O’Ree was able book accessible to reluctant readers. to have a broad impact when he was appointed director of the Thoughtful and affirming. (resources)(Fiction. 14-18) NHL’s Diversity Task Force in the 1990s. This short, accessible biography gives readers a view of what it must have felt like to grow up in O’Ree’s shoes. An interesting early chapter includes MORE THAN JUST A a history of black Canadians’ relationship to the sport. Mortilla- PRETTY FACE ro’s writing is appropriately fast-paced and engaging. Unfortu- Masood, Syed M. nately, the language employed about race centers whiteness and Little, Brown (352 pp.) risks leaving young readers of color on the outside looking in, $17.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 for example the repeated use of the N-word and “slaves” rather 978-0-316-49235-5 than “enslaved people” as well as a description of segregation- era race relations that appears to put black people’s mistrust of California teen Danyal Jilani knows whites on an equal footing with white racism. he is good looking, but is that enough to Fascinating history too carefully written for its radi- win over fashionable and vivacious Kaval cal subject. (author’s note, glossary, sources, photo credits, Sabsvari, the girl he’s long had a crush on? index) (Nonfiction. 12-18) The Pakistani American high school senior’s looks and charming personality don’t impress his father, who is disappointed by his poor academic performance and desire to attend culinary school. But when he meets smart college freshman Bisma Akram through his parents for potential future marriage purposes, Danyal learns of her scandalous secret—one that has made other families decide she isn’t a suitable marriage prospect. Danyal is surprisingly picked as a candidate for the prestigious Renaissance Man competition by his private school’s history teacher, and he finally has a chance to prove he is worthy of Kaval’s affection. But after Bisma

154 | 1 june 2020 | young adult | kirkus.com | Redux’s thoughtful language, coupled with her openness about her own life and lessons learned, shows that she is anything but stupid. stupid black girl

THE WITCH’S HAND a long-forgotten power. Meanwhile, former fire dancer Ash Page, Nathan Nikau arrives in Deimos hoping to avenge her mother, defeat Illus. by Shannon, Drew Ignitus, and save Kula from starvation and invasion. Pawns in Knopf (352 pp.) a vast power struggle, the two champions predictably over- $25.99 | Jul. 14, 2020 come enmity to become allies amid melodramatically escalat- 978-0-525-64676-1 ing stakes. The co-written effort from Raasch and Simmons is Series: The Montague Twins, 1 colorful, gritty (literally, given the stone magic), and roiling with emotion, yet the repetitive mythology is underdeveloped, the An adventure set in a New England worldbuilding an unexplained Greco-Roman mishmash, and town in the summer of 1969, a time the plot twists telegraphed. Resembling their manifested gods, period well referenced in the art and text. Ash and Madoc have black hair; Ash has brown skin. Twin brothers Alastair and Peter A self-righteous romance disguised as a gladiatorial slug- Montague are surprised when their summer activities move fest and political thriller lacking much punch. (Fantasy. 14-18) from rescuing the dog of Roger Bradford—business mogul and descendant of Port Howl’s colonial founders—to becoming embroiled in a mystery packed with action, suspense, and STUPID BLACK GIRL magic. The boys live with David, a professor; his truck-driver Essays From an American wife, Shelly; and the couple’s daughter, Charlie. After harrowing African experiences involving a decrepit lighthouse and a robed, hooded Redux, Aisha figure with a clawlike hand, the three teenagers are determined Illus. by McCarthy, Brianna

to figure out what evil is lurking below the surface of Port Howl. Street Noise Books (160 pp.) young adult When David learns what they are up to, he enlists his protégé, $15.99 paper | Jun. 30, 2020 Rowan, to help him reveal to the twins their unusual history— 978-1-951491-00-0 and to teach them and Charlie how to use magic responsibly. Meanwhile, Bradford’s daughter, Rachel, engages two friends in An American African woman’s essays scrying—with scary results. The full-color illustrations in nos- about her spirituality, sexuality, traumas, talgic tones evoke classic comic book art. The artwork is emo- and journey to healing herself. tionally expressive, enhancing the characterization. Humor and Redux is a first-generation Ameri- character development abound along with thoughtful musings can whose Muslim parents emigrated from West Africa and as the novel skillfully entwines its subplots into a tale that ties who has thus had to navigate multiple worlds growing up. She up every loose end by the time the United States has had its shares stories of herself as a child who experienced a celebra- first successful moon landing. One character’s coming out is tion of black women’s beauty through the plentiful artwork in handled sensitively. Main characters are white; Rowan and a her house—thanks to her father’s being an antique art dealer— secondary character present as people of color. while later experiencing racism and colorism in a world insistent Riveting. (Graphic mystery. 12-18) on telling her she was inferior. She uses her personal experiences and those of others close to her to highlight how these attitudes impacted her perspectives on spirituality, sexuality, SET FIRE TO THE GODS womanhood, and blackness. She has sought to find the ways in Raasch, Sara & Simmons, Kristen which her multiple worlds overlapped and complemented each Harper/HarperCollins (432 pp.) other for her own necessary healing from various traumas. She $18.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 shares her revelations here to benefit all who may be interested 978-0-06-289156-3 in engaging. The sure-to-be controversial title—the inspiration Series: Set Fire to the Gods, 1 for which is described in the first essay—may be what initially draws readers in. But Redux’s use of frank, sometimes-biting, Two reluctant foes ally to fight for but consistently thoughtful language, coupled with her open- survival in this series starter. ness about her own life stories and lessons learned, shows that After defeating the Mother God- she is anything but stupid. McCarthy’s illustrations—her visual dess who gave them their magical pow- responses to Redux’s words—add another layer for consider- ers (energeias), the six gods (and their ation to this thought-provoking work. six countries) can now settle conflicts through their similarly An important and eye-opening contribution to conversa- powered gladiators in arenas. While some gods have retreated, tions about global identity politics. (Nonfiction. 14-adult) Geoxus (geoeia, or earth and stone magic) and Ignitus (igneia, or fire magic) continue their quarrels. Once a street-brawling quarry worker and seemingly powerless “pigstock” due to his lack of geoiea, Madoc Aurelius takes to the arena to free his adoptive sister from his evil estranged father’s clutches. But with fame and fighting come the risk of exposing his true energeia,

| kirkus.com | young adult | 1 june 2020 | 155 A tribute to lovable losers, uncomfortable truths, and the will to move forward. the book of sam

THE SECRET RUNNERS adolescence, all the while meditating heavily on themes of femi- Reilly, Matthew nism and religious and societal judgement. The gritty realism of Crown (352 pp.) the propulsive mystery at times gives way to elements that feel $17.99 | Aug. 18, 2020 both horrific and unrelentingly grim, but its winding path will 978-0-593-12580-9 hold the rapt attention of readers who favor the macabre. All main characters seem to be white. Jo’s and Savannah’s feelings The end of the world is nigh—who for one another at times move beyond friendship, and they’ve will be able to survive the apocalypse? dealt with some homophobic harassment. Sixteen-year-old twins Skye and Red A compelling, unpredictable, and uncompromisingly Rogers move to Manhattan with their dark debut. (Thriller. 14-adult) rich mother and stepfather to attend the exclusive Monmouth School for the wealthy. At first their lives revolve around fitting in with the THE BOOK OF SAM elite of New York. But then theories of an impending global Shapiro, Robert apocalypse start to circulate just as the duo gets entangled in Dundurn (280 pp.) a plot that mixes the mysterious disappearance of three teen $12.99 paper | Aug. 15, 2020 girls, time travel, and a range of caves under Central Park that 978-1-4597-4675-6 only the Secret Runners, a group of privileged and affluent kids, are able to access. But after Skye joins them, she discovers the A 16-year-old underdog wanders a terrible truth about the future just as society starts to collapse highway through Hell on a not-quite- all around her. Can the end of the world as she knows it be pre- hero’s journey. vented? Reilly’s novel features trope-laden, vapid teen girls as A few pages into this first-person well as a reductive attempt at examining class warfare in which worldbuilding fantasy, Sam Sullinger is the poor rise up like the uncontrolled, homicidal animals many mortified by a candid photo album of of the wealthy believe them to be. The magic system, which humiliating photos shared online. Worse mixes Mayan buildings in Manhattan that are activated by mag- still: This isn’t unusual, as Sam’s life is defined by bullying. At ical Native American gems yielded by the white descendants school, ringleader Kyle McGee has tormented him since sixth of Mayflower passengers, is appropriative and ill-conceived. grade; at home, his own father regularly belittles him. Two peo- Depictions of neurodivergent characters and those with mental ple have kept Sam afloat amid the anguish. Uncle Bear, his moth- health struggles lack depth and nuance, coming across as other- er’s gay, worldly, wheelchair-using brother, captivated him with ing. All main characters are white apart from one biracial (black/ legends chronicled in The Books of Hell. Then there’s Harper white) girl. James: smart, tough, and pretty, his lifelong defender and crush, Just say no. (Science fiction. 14-18) and, in two weeks, off to Paris for a yearlong exchange program. Worried he’ll lose Harper forever, Sam develops a plan to tell her how he feels. It backfires spectacularly. When Harper dis- SOME KIND OF ANIMAL appears into an all-too-real Hell, Sam realizes help isn’t coming Romasco-Moore, Maria and follows, hoping to petition Stolas, a slave-turned–liberat- Delacorte (384 pp.) ing king, for aid. While Hell is indeed hell, it also subverts $18.99 | Aug. 4, 2020 his expectations. Sam forms a romantically tinged alliance 978-1-9848-9354-3 with teen badass Hollinshead; comes to see demons as people rather than deities; and, most importantly, realizes The Books Fifteen-year-old Jo’s already strange of Hell sold him falsehoods, especially about Stolas. Can Sam world is upended when her history locate Harper, defeat Stolas, and find a way home—or has he begins to unravel around her. exchanged one hell for another? Excluding demons, characters Jo never actually knew Jolene, the are Canadian and coded as white. mother she was named after, having A tribute to lovable losers, unlikely adventures, uncom- been raised mostly by her tough but fortable truths, and the will to move forward. (Fantasy. 14-18) caring Aunt Aggie in their economically depressed, opiate- ravaged Ohio town. Years ago, Aggie left her own religiously devout, abusive mother’s home, taking her niece with her. Jo learned early on not to talk about her sister, a feral girl whom she calls Lee and with whom she spends most nights running in the woods. Lee first appeared to her at the edge of the woods when Jo was 5, but no one else believes she is real. The novel weaves a complex first-person narrative that incorporates Jo’s family trauma with the secrets of the past and her current difficult experiences as she and her best friend, Savannah, navigate

156 | 1 june 2020 | young adult | kirkus.com | young adult

| kirkus.com | young adult | 1 june 2020 | 157 Emotionally layered with accurate insight into mental illness. hey jude

STRANDED an appropriate, honest, and sensitive manner. The main char- Shipley, Jocelyn acters each have a strong character arc that is explored to the Orca (120 pp.) fullest despite the short length and accessible vocabulary. The $10.95 paper | Aug. 18, 2020 author’s passions for diversity and mental health come across. 978-1-4598-2389-1 Main characters are cued as white; Jack is brown-skinned and there is ample LGBTQIA representation. There are multiple Six months after his girlfriend’s mentions of suicide and suicide attempts. death, a young man tries to honor her life An emotionally layered book with accurate insight into by making the most of his own. mental illness, ideal for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 14-18) Fate has not been kind to Kipp. Hardened by a series of unstable and neglectful living situations and wracked STAR DAUGHTER with guilt over the death of his girlfriend, he’s determined to Thakrar, Shveta make something of himself, working tirelessly to get back on HarperTeen (448 pp.) track after a stint in a youth rehabilitation center. Getting fired $17.99 | Aug. 11, 2020 from his restaurant shift manager job after confronting an 978-0-06-289462-5 Islamophobic customer and losing his apartment in a single day, however, drag him to the pits of despair. An unexpected offer of When half-star/half-human Sheetal shelter and employment from Reba, a former volunteer at the Mistry accidently injures her father, she youth center, seems almost too good to be true, and Kipp jumps needs to ascend to Svargalok, the abode at the chance to redeem himself. But Reba is hiding secrets of of the stars, to find him a cure. her own, and Kipp soon finds himself battling not just for his Just shy of 17, Sheetal has brown skin livelihood, but his very life. The story is complex, with many like her human father, Gautam, and sil- interconnected parts—Kipp’s childhood, his relationship with ver hair like her star mother, Charumati, but she has never truly his girlfriend, and his spiral into drug addiction and subsequent known what it means to be a star. Her human, Gujarati family rehabilitation—although readers may wish for deeper character in New Jersey insists she hide her star heredity, as stars were development. Events of the present day unfold at an engagingly once hunted by mortals for their silver blood, which has healing brisk pace, even if the ending wraps up a bit too neatly. Kipp is properties. As a result, Sheetal knows very little of her ancestry a plucky and introspective narrator whose struggles will likely or what she is truly capable of. Following the accident that puts resonate with readers who will root for him as he works to right her father in the hospital, Sheetal and her best friend, Minal, his rapidly crumbling world. Main characters seem to be white; go in search of Charumati for a drop of star’s blood to cure her important secondary characters are cued as Chinese Canadian. father. Unfortunately for her, Nana and Nani—the Esteemed A sensitive survivor story for reluctant readers. (Fiction. Patriarch and Matriarch of their constellation, Pushya, and 12-18) Sheetal’s maternal grandparents—agree to save her father only if she wins a competition that will allow their family to rule over the other constellations. Loosely inspired by Neil Gaiman’s HEY JUDE Stardust (1997) and Hindu mythology, Thakrar’s debut covers Spider, Star the lives of stars, an unnecessarily complicated romance, and Orca (112 pp.) a half-star’s journey toward self-discovery. Refreshingly, all the $10.95 paper | Sep. 22, 2020 characters are Indian or of Indian origin. Despite the fascinat- 978-1-4598-2635-9 ing premise, however, several characters lack the luster and conviction which would have otherwise added much-needed depth Penny’s life hasn’t been her own since and heart to the novel. she started caring for her sister, Jude, but Great worldbuilding but not entirely satisfying. (Fantasy. everything starts to change when she 14-18) meets Jack. Their mother works night shifts as a nurse, leaving high school senior Penny to pick up the slack. Her life revolves around Jude, school, and work. Penny isn’t complaining, though; she loves Jude and recognizes how challenging it is for Jude to cope with her depression, particularly since it has been only one year since Jude attempted suicide. Penny seems to have it together until she meets cool, handsome Jack, who gives her butterflies all over. With everything going on in her life, Penny is torn between wanting to be there for her sister while also having a life of her own. The book talks about suicide, depression, gender, and sexuality in

158 | 1 june 2020 | young adult | kirkus.com | indie WHERE THE These titles earned the Kirkus Star: CREEK RUNS Abraham, Mary WHERE THE CREEK RUNS by Mary Abraham...... 159 Greene Woods Publishing (353 pp.) $27.95 | $9.99 e-book | May 15, 2017 THE LANGUAGE OF CHERRIES by Jen Marie Hawkins...... 167 978-0-692-75923-3

THE MAGICAL APPEARANCE OF EARTHWORMS A debut novel traces the fortunes of by N.A. Moncrief...... 172 a Mississippi family from the 1890s to the 1940s. PSI-WARS edited by Joshua Viola; illus. by Aaron Lovett...... 179 The McMolison family of Leaf Creek consists of Bill and Kate and their chil-

dren, Katherine, Hannah, and Samuel. It is Hannah, the middle young adult child, who carries the story. Early on, Samuel, while just a toddler, is accidentally killed by his brutal, demanding father, and this begins what might be called the McMolisons’ self-inflicted curse. Headstrong Katherine marries Stephen Neal, a preacher whom Bill can barely tolerate. But it is the dutiful Hannah who brings on the real disaster by falling in love with Thomas Stokes, son of Bill’s friend John Stokes. Bill and John are powerful, ambitious men whose word in their families is law. Young Thomas, a student at Ole Miss, is handsome, charming, and callow; Han- nah, still in high school, becomes hopelessly smitten. From their one and only carnal encounter, she gets pregnant. The two fathers quickly come up with a plan: a quiet marriage followed by a quick annulment and the adoption of the infant, preferably by a couple far away. The day before a pair from Alabama is due to arrive, Hannah flees with her baby, Joseph, to Katherine and Stephen’s house in Hattiesburg. Bill swears to track them down. Meanwhile, there are family secrets to be revealed. One would think that Abraham, a talented storyteller, has several novels under her belt, such is the level of expertise shown here. Hannah is a wonderful character who goes against all of her upbringing to defy her father (something that Thomas hasn’t the guts to do). But even more remarkable is Bill. He is a brute and a hypocrite, but perhaps the saddest thing is his rock-solid conviction that his way is the best way, the unquestionable way. He can’t begin to understand that Hannah may not want to surrender her baby so that she can preserve the PSI-WARS family and move forward as if nothing had ever happened. (By Classified Cases of the way, he sees nothing wrong in being unfaithful to Kate—a Psychic Phenomena man has needs, after all.) Honor—deadly, corrupting honor— Ed. by Viola, Joshua is all. The author offers vivid details about this troubled family Illus. by Lovett, Aaron and the colorful Mississippi setting. Here is a description of Hex Publishers (308 pp.) the mayhem as Hannah’s puppy, Lost, romps in the bracken: $2.99 e-book / May 12, 2020 “Brown, shiny bugs crawled over partially rotten stumps and along secret paths under the weeds. Grasshoppers jumped in every direction to avoid Lost’s big paws, and a bevy of birds flew upward from the bushes while chirping strong frustration

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 159 kid detectives

Everyone loves a mystery—especially at the intruder. The rabbits wisely and quickly moved deeper young readers. Teen and tween sleuths into the woods to get away from the activity.” Minute descrip- have been a staple of middle-grade and tions such as these are the rule, not the exception. Finally, the YA fiction ever since the Hardy Boys last chapters deliver deep satisfaction, chronicling the fates of and Nancy Drew began solving crimes the various players and bringing readers right up to the 1940s with a Dickensian conclusion. (in 1927 and 1930, respectively), and boy An impressive tale of a fractured Southern family with detective Encyclopedia Brown cracked richly drawn characters. his first case in 1963. Here are a few notable whodunits for young readers that Kirkus Indie has reviewed: CONCRETE TO SALTWATER In the 2019 middle-grade chapter Averill, Brian Photos by the author book Goldilocks, Private Eye by Greg Trine with illustrations The Hesperium Group (192 pp.) by Ira Baykovska, the familiar 10-year- $50.00 | Dec. 1, 2019 old protagonist has her own detective 978-1-73337-370-8 agency. Her first client wants her to locate his missing grandparents, who live Skateboarders and surfers defy gravity on a California in the scary Black Forest. But why are beach in this vibrant photography book. bears living in the elderly folks’ home? Averill, a photographer, surfer, and skateboarder, collects 10 years of his photos from the Venice, California, beach, which Kirkus notes that the author “skillfully hosts an iconic surf culture as well as a thriving beachside skate- mixes fairy tales and detective fiction boarding park (which, alas, is currently buried in sand because with a coming-of-age story about brav- of COVID-19 restrictions). The setting offers a wealth of reso- ing danger to prove oneself.” nant visual juxtapositions. The ocean pictures feature surfers Fred Rexroad’s Whiz Tanner and the riding roughly 4-to-12-foot waves that curl into translucent is part of an ongo- green-blue pipes amid gorgeous beachscapes, where sea and Olympic Snow Caper sun mesh to drape the hills in a golden mist. The skateboard ing middle-grade series featuring the park is a riotous sea, frozen in stone, shaped in curves and undu- 12-year-old Whiz and his peer Joey lations, and surfaced in perfectly smooth, gray concrete; it’s a Dent, who also run their own detective terrain that looks simultaneously austere and sensuous through agency. In this 2019 installment, the Averill’s lens. (A few photos cover excursions to grungier Los boys are on a skiing vacation with their Angeles skateboarding sites, including a giant drainpipe and an families when three Olympic medals, abandoned swimming pool.) In part, the photos are an engag- on display at their snowed-in lodge, go ing fashion catalog; the surfers seem somewhat buttoned-down in their neoprene wetsuit uniforms, but the skateboarders missing. Whiz and Joey, along with two feature a profusion of long hair and dreadlocks inside no-non- other kids, must figure out the mystery. sense helmets and bulky padding on top of floridly tattooed “The briskly moving story shows solid skin, open to the sky. (Bridging the divide is a classic California sleuthing in the details of acquiring fin- tableau of a blond-haired woman in a bikini gliding along on gerprints, checking alibis, and elimi- a skateboard—while carrying a surfboard.) Still, there’s much nating suspects,” according to Kirkus’ reviewer. commonality in the athleticism of surfers and skateboarders as they thread their ways along vertical surfaces and rocket off of The stakes are somewhat higher in Max Willis Fox- them. Averill’s skateboard photos are particularly vivid in their ton’s 2017 paranormal novel, A Very, Very, Very Old Mystery, portraits of elegant aerobatics; he captures the skaters high in in which 10-year-old New Yorker Jeremiah Morris and his midair, sometimes sideways or upside down, clinging noncha- 13-year-old sister, Phoebe, vacation in England. At their rel- lantly—or not at all—to their flimsy boards. Their postures are atives’ estate, the kids encounter the ghost of an ancestor crouched and twisted with spindly arms flung out for balance, who invites them back in time to 1744 in order to solve a yet poised and perfectly at ease. The result is a captivating murder. Kirkus’ reviewer notes that the “author delights in vision of grace. A striking collection of images that ably spotlight the spinning a yarn but enjoys just as much rendering a trans- balletic artistry of board sports. porting period piece.”

David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.

160 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | REVENGE AUTOMATED STOCK Tales Best Read in the TRADING SYSTEMS Twilight Hours A Systematic Approach Bachelder, Ross Alan for Traders To Make Self (260 pp.) Money in Bull, Bear and $4.99 e-book | Apr. 1, 2020 Sideways Markets Bensdorp, Laurens In this short story collection, charac- Lioncrest Publishing (206 pp.) ters find themselves in eerie, disturbing, $24.99 | $14.99 paper | $8.99 e-book and revenge-fueled circumstances. Feb. 29, 2020 Brantley Feldpausch, in the par- 978-1-5445-0603-6 ticularly memorable “Daddy Longlegs,” 978-1-5445-0601-2 paper is quite fond of the spiders at his New York farmhouse. But when he inadvertently kills a beloved arachnid during a shower, An instructional manual focuses on setting up computer- the spiders see it as outright murder and plot their vengeance. ized trading systems that can manage the vicissitudes of the Many of the tales here are equally dark, even when they don’t stock market. belong to the horror genre. In the case of “Soiled Utility: A Bensdorp starts his financial self-help book with a familiar Love Story,” a heart surgeon reluctantly falls for a maintenance observation: The stock market is notoriously unpredictable, worker at her hospital. It’s an unorthodox but romantic tale and that volatility induces many investors to make poor deci- that takes an unexpectedly grim turn. Similarly, “Malapert’s sions wrought by panicked emotions. As an alternative, he pro-

Dilemma” is pure SF, following Valencia Malapert, of the planet poses the establishment of an automated trading system that young adult Oxyplesbia, who may not be the only alien gathering informa- doesn’t depend on accurate predictions at all since it is designed tion on Earth. Revenge, though a recurring theme, doesn’t pro- to successfully respond to whatever financial circumstances pel every story. One example is the pre–World War II “Little arise. Moreover, since the system runs independent of constant Green Eye,” in which a radio show ultimately leads to an other- management, it eliminates the problem of emotional decision- worldly—and terrifying—encounter for a Chicago retiree and making and the “psychological pain” of owning a plunging stock. his cat. Bachelder paints his tales with vibrant details: “The The author breaks down the basic options for readers, describ- clapboards were warped and discolored from years of exposure ing four basic styles of trading and seven different systems that to the rugged Vermont winters, and a portion of the roof over can accommodate them. The core of his approach is to employ the wrap-around porch was caved in and near collapse.” At the several “noncorrelated” systems that “combine different direc- same time, there’s a healthy share of gruesome imagery, like tions and different styles, that is, trade long and short and trade spewing vomit and cadaver-related acts. In the penultimate trend following and mean reversion.” In other words, the inves- story, “The Doomsday Hour,” Reginald Conklin is a death row tor can benefit from a market of any variety, bullish or bearish. inmate in New Jersey. With his execution on the horizon, he In lucidly accessible terms, Bensdorp—“a self-taught trader”— can’t anticipate the surprising events unfolding in the prison, explains the fundamentals of his methodology. His approach culminating in an especially gut-churning conclusion. This is emphasizes a customized financial profile, one that clearly unquestionably a collection readers won’t easily forget, with a defines not only investors’ objectives, but also their tolerance cast that includes a freelance embalmer on the lam and a tank- for risk and willingness to patiently put in the time to set up ful of lobsters whose escape comes with retribution against a the systems in the first place. The author’s counsel is unfail- loathsome night-shift manager. ingly sensible and realistic: He cautions readers that this is a Vivid, pithy tales that are, by turns, amusing and appalling. “get-rich-slow approach” that “does involve a good deal of effort upfront” and concedes that it could take “years of trial and error.” In addition, this manual is only for those “skilled with programming” since Bensdorp does not walk readers through that aspect of the systems. A prudent guide for self-starting investors with plenty of time and programming abilities.

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 161 THE MOST PERFECT JUSTICE of a relatively unknown but important figure as well as a much Alexander McGillivray and better sense of Knox, a largely forgotten soldier and idealist. George Washington Strive To A compelling story of the attempts to keep Muscogee Save the Creek Nation land intact following the Revolutionary War. Bouler, Jean Lufkin Escambia Press (194 pp.) $3.99 e-book | Apr. 8, 2020 SLAVES TO THE RHYTHM Connell, Terry Bouler tells the story of Alexander Self (250 pp.) McGillivray and the attempt to save the $14.99 paper | $9.99 e-book Muscogee Nation in this history. Feb. 7, 2020 McGillivray isn’t a well-known figure 978-1-4563-2834-4 in contemporary America. Born around 1759, the son of a wealthy Scottish trader and a half-French A writer offers a recollection of grow- woman from a powerful Muscogee clan, he received an Eng- ing up gay in the Philadelphia suburbs lish education among his father’s relatives in Charleston, South and a love story set amid the HIV/AIDS Carolina. His knowledge of white society and the world of trade crisis of the early 1990s. placed him in a unique position to lead the Muscogee people Connell ambitiously weaves together through a period of American encroachment on their territory. three narrative devices—a journal, a traditional memoir, and a At the time, the Muscogee (or “Creeks,” as the English called timeline of the HIV/AIDS pandemic—but keeps them easily them due to the many waterways that crossed their land) con- distinguishable through the use of different typefaces. Beginning trolled more than 60,000 square miles of what is now Alabama, in January 1993 and covering the final year of his partner Stephan’s western Georgia, and northern Florida. When the Revolution- life, the journal allows for a raw, immediate account of their rela- ary War began, the Americans seized the plantation of McGilli- tionship as it was tested by the exigencies of survival, with count- vray’s father, a loyalist, so the younger man recommitted himself less moments of tender intimacy and gut-punching reality. It’s an to Muscogee affairs, working as a liaison between the nation and exhausting read—the audience can virtually feel the physical suf- the British government. Muscogee country was a crossroads fering—but the author does not shy away from chronicling the during the war, with different towns inclined toward the Ameri- emotional turmoil either, as he wondered how much longer he cans or the British and agents from Spain and France present in could care for Stephan at home. Connell also presents vignettes the territory. It was after the war that McGillivray’s leadership in a refreshing, localized way; for example, he mentions a particu- was most needed, however, as the victorious Americans looked lar purveyor and flavor of Philadelphia’s famous “Italian water greedily on Muscogee lands as a reward to be doled out to vet- ice” that allowed Stephan to counteract the metallic sensation erans of the Continental Army. Luckily for McGillivray, his in his mouth. The sections featuring a more traditional memoir counterpart in the American government—the recently elected style begin with the author recalling a largely idyllic childhood President George Washington—was committed to justice for in an Irish Catholic family. But with the onset of adolescence, Native Americans. However, the utopian vision of McGillivray, his religious doubts and gay sexuality intertwined to compli- Washington, and Secretary of War Henry Knox wasn’t enough cate matters, becoming a recurring theme, especially regarding to hold back the tide of American expansion. fraught relationships with his parents and several siblings. As Bouler writes with clarity and detail, re-creating a vanished Connell succinctly comments in the foreword, “It is one of my world with which few modern Americans will likely be famil- biggest confusions in life, to watch over and over how a beauti- iar. The portrait of the prewar Muscogee Nation—a polyglot ful and heartfelt faith can be so cruel in its expression.” Eventu- community that combined traditional ways with those of new ally, these memoir chapters pass the journal entries, ending a year white settlers—is remarkable in its richness and contrasts: after Stephan’s death, when the author began a new life in Boston. “Men in Little Tallassie wore headbands decorated with beads Overall, the only drawback is that the project could use another or a plume of feathers. They dressed in ruffled shirts and a flap round of editing. For instance, beyond the distracting spelling pulled through a belt over their loins. Leggings and moccasins and grammatical errors and missing words, the Horsham Clinic with a cloak of fine cloth completed their attire.” McGillivray, somehow becomes the Ambler Clinic, and a reference to Bill who changed his own dress depending on whom he was meet- Clinton’s election to the presidency (November 1992) appears in ing on a given day, doesn’t fit the typical picture of a Colonial- the journal, which ostensibly covers 1993. But the illuminating era Native leader, and Bouler doesn’t shy away from the fact that timeline, with content gleaned from cited sources, presents key he lived on a plantation with 60 slaves. The author also does a dates, factoids, and quotations from the early ’80s through 1996, wonderful job of showing the complex and varied interests of when more effective HIV/AIDS treatment options emerged—a all parties of the period. It’s a short work—only about 100 pages vivid reminder of how medical workers and various communities of primary text—but the author manages to pack in a great deal responded to a health crisis in the face of governmental inaction. about this undercovered chapter of American history. The story An engrossing and unsparing look at a grueling journey of does not end happily, as the reader will likely suspect from the commitment and acceptance. beginning; even so, Bouler leaves readers with new knowledge

162 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | The novel effectively intertwines the protagonist’s past and present lives in a way that makes the tale a compelling read. vices/virtues

VICES/VIRTUES CAPTAIN BAD BREAKER AND De Soprontu, Beatrice THE COTTON CANDY SHIP Self (332 pp.) Faer, L.L. & Raven, E. $12.99 paper | $1.99 e-book | Jul. 11, 2019 Illus. by Capuyan, Salvador 978-1-73319-500-3 Xlibris Corp (26 pp.) $10.99 paper | $3.49 e-book A novel focuses on the double life of Dec. 16, 2019 a Manhattan woman. 978-1-79607-812-1 By day, Cristela Maria Davila is a leas- ing agent, showing apartments to pro- In this children’s book, a dastardly spective tenants, but in the evenings, she ex-pirate gets his comeuppance from a becomes dominatrix-for-hire “Mistress savvy young ship captain. Clara.” She works at “Belle’s House of The Bad Breaker Inn, standing on the rocky coast of Maine, Unusual Pleasures,” a BDSM dungeon for customers wishing to may look impressive, but travelers who stay there often find indulge their kinkiest fetishes and participate in erotic role play. that their possessions disappear. The innkeeper, Captain “Bad” Clara endured a rough childhood. Her impoverished single Ven- Breaker, is rumored to be a former pirate; he certainly looks and ezuelan mother provided for her and her brother, Alex, through acts the part, slipping a mickey into the drinks of any guests with welfare checks and food stamps. The novel thoughtfully exam- something to steal. One day, an unusual new ship, decked out ines how that upbringing both affected Clara’s financial perspec- with rainbow-colored masts and fluffy pink sails, docks in town. tive and informed her perceptions of men. With chapter headings Breaker wants that vessel, and he’ll use “every last crooked, no

named for both vices and virtues, the book chronicles Clara’s dev- good, very bad, and underhanded tool” to get it—and is sure of young adult ilish exploits alongside her co-workers at the dungeon—Virginia, success when the ship’s captain turns out to be a little blond girl. Justine, Sin, and Daisy—all contributing unique intimate histo- But there are no flies on Elaine Mermain and her crew. Not only ries of their own. Through the interactive, colorfully described do they prevail, they right a great wrong before putting out to sea fantasy sessions with her clients, Clara begins to become empow- again. There’s a lot to enjoy in this humorous tale, especially the ered by her simulated dominance of the men who hire her. She descriptions of the key scoundrel. He uses a dog bone to pick his separates herself from other classic service providers as her role teeth, and his best friend is a skull called the “Head of Doom,” play, while physical, hypersexualized, and arousing, remains which he squeezes for luck. Faer and debut author Raven deliver strictly noncoital. In keeping Clara’s narration smooth and her exciting moments and a well-deserved fate for Breaker. (Raven is personality curious, clever, and warm, De Soprontu tempers the Faer’s 7-year-old daughter.) But the story also possesses a warm more risqué scenes with a character who initially enjoys the extra heart, as when Elaine shows mercy in triumph. Although the two income but eventually embraces the theatrical thrill of the spec- main characters are pale-skinned, Elaine’s crew is “a motley but tacle. A story of sex, identity, and renewal, the novel effectively beautiful bunch…all sizes and colors,” with rainbow head scarves intertwines Clara’s past and present lives in a way that makes and a “fierce and furry” black cat companion. A minor problem her tale a simultaneously compelling, intriguing, and effortlessly is the tale’s inconsistent use of rhyme, which can lead to clumsy entertaining read. The provocative nature of the story will, natu- phrasing: “She and her crew were welcome every day. For free, rally, appeal to readers of erotica, as the author never skimps on they could always stay.” The digital illustrations by Capuyan are potent passages of steamy dialogue and racy scenes between varied and energetic, offering many amusing details. Clara and her cohorts. Often their interplay expands outward to An original, funny, and satisfying adventure. include threesomes and foursomes or activities that feature sex toys, clothing, and even food (readers won’t look at a snack cake the same way again). Yet through Clara’s intimately social inter- THE CASE FOR CULTURE actions, De Soprontu imparts views on themes of poverty, class How To Stop Being a Slave differences, race, identity, self-preservation, strength, and deliv- to Your Law Firm, Grow Your erance, all tightly bound within the intricate, acutely psychologi- Practice, and Actually cal opera of dominance and submission interplay. Be Happy A surprisingly introspective, appealingly spicy, and thor- Farber, Eric oughly original dominatrix story. Lioncrest Publishing (242 pp.) $24.99 | $15.99 paper | $6.99 e-book Feb. 1, 2020 978-1-5445-0587-9 978-1-5445-0585-5 paper

A legal entrepreneur makes a case for establishing a strong corporate culture. In his debut business book, Farber, the CEO and chief legal officer of Pacific Workers’ Compensation Law Center, shares

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 163 17 Great Indie Books Worth Discovering [Sponsored]

THE DAR LUMBRE THE OTHER GLORIA CHRONICLES by L.A. Villafane by Don Johnston “In this debut novel, a California “In a future socialist America, woman who’s escaped a control- Houstonians face the vicissitudes ling, abusive husband relives her of life as a rising political/religious past life when she was still under movement predicts the imminent his thumb.” return of a vanished scientist as a A gripping tale about the rever- medical messiah.” berations of spousal abuse. A clever extrapolation of today’s sociopolitical pathologies to the next century, with an uncommonly optimistic dose of medicine in the end.

SKILLS OF THE UNWINDING THE WARRAMUNGA by Juliana Rew by Greg Kater “A novel sees a woman shunted “In this last installment of a trilogy, through time and space as two two Commonwealth Investigation universes go to war.” Service agents embark on a res- A sci-fi romp that’s vast in scale cue mission in the jungles of Brit- yet thoroughly playful. ish Malaya.” An enjoyable adventure set during the era of late British colonialism.

ANOTHER PLACE INSUFFICIENT CALLED HOME EVIDENCE by Susan DuMond by Susan Kraus “In this debut memoir, a woman “In this third installment of a shares the traumas and triumphs series, a seasoned therapist gets of her seven years in and out of the involved in a college rape case.” foster-care system in upstate New A richly textured and absorbing York during the 1950s.” fictional exploration of campus rape culture and its many victims. An articulate, painful, and touching journey that ends with an against- the-odds victory.

164 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | MESOPO TROPHY KILL by Eva Dietrich by R.J. Norgard illus. by Ingrid Kallick “A 12-year-old boy tries to save a “In this debut mystery series world made of words in this mid- starter, a retired private inves- dle-grade fantasy novel.” tigator, devastated by his wife’s death, gets a new lease on life Vibrant characters and prose ener- when a beautiful woman hires gize this literary adventure. him to follow her fiance.”

An offbeat mystery story that builds a strong stage for future whodunits.

IN THE GARDEN OF THE RED RIBBON young adult by Nancy Freund Bills MISTRESS BLOOM “A debut memoir that recounts by Clé Curbo a woman’s tragic loss and hard- won survival.” “A debut collection of short sci- fi that explores time and space A keeper of a book by a talented with mischievous humor.” author. An unconventional set of tales set in delightfully eccentric realities.

A BIRD IN THE DEEP THE SINGLE TWIN by James Krouse by Sean Patrick Little “A pair of misfit private detectives “A story of poor leadership in the ply their trade in present-day Chi- U.S. Navy during World War II.” cago in this soft-boiled mystery.” This well-written history draws A solid, well-constructed miss- connections to an iconic novel ing person case that features an and illuminates the lives of World appealing pair of quirky sleuths. War II sailors.

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 165 17 Great Indie Books Worth Discovering [Sponsored]

THE RETIRED THE DAUGHTER DETECTIVES CLUB: OF PATIENCE SEE NO EVIL by Hussin Alkheder by Shawn Scuefield “A debut mystery tells the story “In Scuefield’s (Short Days, Long of a crime-solving imam look- Nights, 2018) mystery, two Chicago ing for answers in the shadowy private eyes find that a missing girl underworld of Damascus.” in Louisiana may be connected to a A deliberative, Syria-set detec- string of disappearances.” tive tale that manages to address Readers will surely welcome a intriguing modern issues. series that features these whip- smart sleuths.

SAVE OUR SHIP FAMILY IS by Barbara Ungar NOT EVERYTHING “A collection of 57 poems that sound by Anita Washington alarms about current ecological, “A multistep self-help process political, and cultural trends.” for letting go of family-related A distress call that’s worth reading emotional baggage.” and heeding. An affirming self-care journey.

MAKE IT CONCRETE by Miryam Sivan “A Jewish ghostwriter for Holo- caust survivors becomes haunted by her mother’s silence regarding her own family’s experiences during World War II in this novel.”

An emotionally wrenching account of the battle between wounded reticence and a desire for truth.

166 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | lessons he’s learned from founding and running a law firm that, His parents and brother died in a car crash; his stutter makes him after some trial and error, has developed a strong sense of purpose, shy; and he speaks English perfectly. The two spend the summer pro- high employee satisfaction, and low turnover. The book takes cessing cherries, dodging the odd earthquake, occasionally smok- readers through aspects of mission, self-awareness, hiring, and ing marijuana, and edging toward passion. But their relationship is compensation, offering key insights that can also be applied to complicated by the mystery of Evie’s dream visions, which feature businesses outside of the legal field. Farber describes his mistakes people from Oskar’s past. Hawkins weaves an atmospheric tale that as well as his successes, showing how, for instance, the firm’s origi- plays Evie’s warmth against Oskar’s reserve and Agnes’ earthiness. nal hiring process led to a weak staff, but it gradually improved as The novel alternates between Evie’s point of view, written in well- he learned to match the right person to the right job and ensure observed, naturalistic prose with touches of magic, and excerpts that new employees embraced the company’s core values. The from Oskar’s journal in lyrical blank verse. The latter captures Oskar book is well organized, with each chapter dealing with a different as an awkward, occasionally rancorous adolescent (“It’s the Ameri- aspect of corporate culture and presenting concrete examples of can mentality / that triggers my upchuck reflex: / Take what you successes and failures. Farber does a good job of explaining the want— / when there’s a problem, / throw money at it,” he writes after seeming contradiction at the heart of his own company’s culture, Evie offers money when she’s caught with pilfered cherries) and as which involved developing an extensive list of procedures and a poetic soul that many teen girls would find hard to resist: “I pick standards while also providing employees with the autonomy to up the guitar / open up my veins / and bleed music / over the strings.” put them into practice. He also provides a coherent explanation Readers will root for the pair as they try to figure each other out. of why lawyers, steeped in a hierarchical and adversarial system A luminous YA love story with magnetic characters and (“Our thick skin projects an image of strength that, at first glance, literary flair. seems at odds with vulnerability”), often have difficulty embrac-

ing a more effective workplace structure. Farber is open about young adult the many other books that have shaped his understanding of BUCKING THE business culture, and he does a good job of synthesizing and shar- ARTWORLD TIDE ing those volumes’ lessons. The writing is strong throughout, and Reflections on Art, Pseudo Farber displays an enthusiasm that makes for an engaging narra- Art, Art Education & Theory tive. His willingness to discuss how he learned from errors, and Kamhi, Michelle Marder improved his company as a result, keeps the book from devolving Pro Arte Books (351 pp.) into self-congratulation. $9.99 e-book | May 15, 2020 An upbeat, engaging guide to improving a work 978-0-9906057-3-7 environment. A collection of critical essays takes on art world trends. THE LANGUAGE In this volume of essays that Kamhi OF CHERRIES describes as “both a prequel and a sequel” to her work Who Hawkins, Jen Marie Says That’s Art? (2014), she gathers assessments of the contem- Owl Hollow Press (330 pp.) porary art world’s failings written over a span of more than $14.25 paper | $4.99 e-book three decades. The essays, many of which were previously Feb. 10, 2020 published on the author’s blog or in Aristos, the journal she co- 978-1-945654-45-9 edits, include reviews of museum and gallery shows, critiques of education programs in public schools, and deep dives into the A Florida girl and an Icelandic boy philosophical questions of how art is defined. Favorite pieces of communicate without words in this art make appearances, as do works and artists that Kamhi holds cross-cultural teenage romance. up to withering criticism. She connects her views to Ayn Rand’s Sixteen-year-old budding artist Evie objectivism, with several of the essays exploring the philosophi- Perez is spending an unhappy summer accompanying her geolo- cal underpinnings of art as humans have created and engaged gist dad on his temporary Iceland assignment, fretting that her best with it since the days of cave paintings. Other offerings detail friend might be moving in on her boyfriend back in Miami. The one the author’s battles with educators, museum curators, and other bright spot in the chilly, gray landscape is a cherry orchard that pro- figures of authority in the art world, bringing readers deep into vides both succulent fruit and an inspiring setting for Evie to paint in. her ongoing fight against mainstream critical opinions. The An added attraction is 17-year-old Oskar Eriksson, nephew of Agnes, book’s tone is imperative and immediate throughout, and read- the Scottish woman who runs the orchard; he has a chiseled torso, ers will be left with a clear sense of how and why art and the tousled blond hair, gorgeous dimples, and an uncanny resemblance public’s understanding of it matter in the contemporary world. to a figure in Evie’s painting, right down to a runic tattoo. Oskar is Detailed notes, including both citations and comments, are silent and aloof, and Evie supposes he doesn’t speak English; she thus included in the backmatter. feels free to gripe about her woes, including her beloved abuela’s Kamhi does not mince words (“One of the most absurd creeping dementia and her divorced parents’ plan for her to live and destructive notions in today’s artworld is that of so-called with her estranged mom in New York. Oskar has his own secrets: ‘conceptual art’ ”). She is also clear in the definitions she applies

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 167 throughout the volume (Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc, “like any in opening the locked Conjurer’s Book of Incantations. The book, abstract work—is not art, in part because it does not, indeed Tessa hopes, contains a way to cure her mother. In Blackgrove, cannot, communicate, outside explication notwithstanding, Queshire instructs them to find the Gravenwood, an engraved fundamental human values, or ideas”), leaving readers with no tablet that can “undo the effects of a magical spell” and allow doubts about her perspective. Even readers who disagree with “someone with no conjuring ability to steal the powers of a con- the author’s take are likely to appreciate the book’s authorita- jurer.” Tessa agrees on the condition that Queshire train her in tive confidence and depth of knowledge as well as her strong conjuring—and therefore the manipulative statesman has the and forcefully expressed feelings about the value and role of art. desperate heroes right where he wants them. After a brief setup, There are occasional shortcomings in that largely comprehen- Kaptanoglu puts her heroes straight through the wringer in sive knowledge (for instance, Kamhi misses relevant historical this sequel; Tessa, Calder, and Ash are later separated and must allusions when she dismisses Dread Scott’s protest art). But on survive imprisonment, pirates, and conniving relatives. Ash’s the whole, the author has a solid command of her subject and is and Calder’s chapters are written in the third person, but it’s skilled at presenting analyses of a primarily visual form through Tessa’s first-person chapters that truly shine. While she’s under text. (The book does not include illustrations; readers can the spell, for instance, she notes at dinner that Turth’s “scent find links to images of the art mentioned at mmkamhi.com.) was intoxicating, though the nearby platter of bacon might’ve Because the volume is a compilation of discrete pieces originally had something to do with it.” Calder faces a deep emotional published in a variety of contexts over several decades, there are quandary because he fears that Faline won’t need him once she’s some repetitive elements. Careful readers will have no trouble cured. An eleventh-hour twist emphasizes the elegance of Kap- keeping track of the artists Kamhi favors and despises, as they tanoglu’s plotting, and the final line will make readers eager for make many appearances throughout the text (“the vulgar trivial- the next volume. ity of Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons”). Although her contentions Grounded, likable characters with complex emotions are not entirely persuasive to readers of different philosophical anchor this excellent series installment. persuasions, they are solidly argued and thoughtfully presented. The collection’s eloquent prose and well-developed point of view make it a thought-provoking and often enjoyable read DHARMA even for those who disagree. Kamhi’s passion for her subject is A Rekha Rao Mystery undeniable and makes even the more technical aspects of the Kumari, Vee work accessible. Great Life Press (302 pp.) An illuminating, strongly opinionated, and enthusiasti- $14.95 paper | $4.99 e-book cally acerbic critique of today’s art world. Mar. 13, 2020 978-1-938394-42-3

GRAVENWOOD An amateur sleuth investigates the mur- The Conjurer Fellstone ders of her father and her university mentor. Book Two The star of this debut mystery is Kaptanoglu, Marjory Rekha Rao, an Indian American art history Self (258 pp.) professor caught in the middle of a violent nightmare. The South- $12.99 paper | $2.99 e-book ern California–based story opens with Rao being unceremoniously Feb. 27, 2020 notified by police about the heinous murder of her mentor, archae- 978-0-9994492-4-0 ology professor Joseph Faust. He was bludgeoned to death with a Hindu goddess statue possibly absconded from his excavation Three heroes seek an artifact that site in India. Rao is asked to assist in supplying information on a will reverse the effects of harmful magic possible motive for Faust’s murder, but she’s still reeling from the in this medieval YA fantasy sequel. devastatingly traumatic effects of the senseless killing of her own Following the events of Dreadmarrow father, a physician bludgeoned to death in his clinic just three years Thief (2017), teenage Tessa Skye of Sorrenwood is under a spell earlier. That homicide became even more complex after a janitor of subservience and engaged to Lord Turth of Turthville as the was arrested for the crime. But when Rao insisted the accused was new Lady of Fellstone Castle, where she now lives. Meanwhile, innocent and that police reopen the case, they refused. When one her friend Calder Osric lives with and watches over Tessa’s of her students is brought in for questioning and then arrested in mother, Faline, outside the castle; she still believes herself to connection with Faust’s murder, Rao knows she needs to work fast be a sparrow after having used the windrider amulet to change to find answers as various suspicions, accusations, and suspects between human and bird forms. When Tessa stops visiting her (including Faust’s wife and his cross-dressing son) begin orbiting mom—and doesn’t invite her to the wedding—Calder sneaks the criminal inquiry. Rao also becomes increasingly frustrated with into Fellstone to investigate. He convinces the sexton’s son, Ash the general pace of the police-led investigation and, against Pasa- Kemp, who loves Tessa dearly, to help him break Turth’s hold dena Police Detective Al Newton’s advice, begins her own amateur on the girl. A blow to the head frees her, and the three ride to sleuthing, which puts her directly in harm’s way. Blackgrove to ask the Conjurer Lord Queshire for assistance Rao is an instantly likable character whose respect for her family

168 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | Lane’s yarn features rousing magical action set pieces. the scarlett mark

and her Indian heritage makes her a courageous, determined, reli- butler says that Scarlett may be able to lift Nicolai’s curse if she able, believable, and humanitarian heroine for readers to cheer as can cage him and teach him the meaning of true love. Lane’s yarn, she perilously attempts to piece together both crimes. “My goal to the first in her Reign of Blood and Magic series, sometimes bogs take care of all my dharmas was not a facetious one,” the protago- down in ruminative longueurs as characters brood on their pre- nist reflects. Her undeniable attraction to the confident, handsome dicaments, but it features rousing magical action set pieces and senior homicide detective creates some added romantic tension and sorcery that’s engrossing and creepy. (Rickard, it turns out, isn’t another layer of intrigue to the narrative. Playing out over the course dead but doomed to eternal consciousness in a paralyzed body, of just a few months, the story demonstrates Kumari’s uncanny which Cynara props up as a statue while he experiences helpless knack for putting all of her characters and crimes in place and tying pain and humiliation from the insults visited on his inert frame.) up loose ends in an economy of pages. Combining Hinduism, Hindu Lane’s prose is sometimes rough—“Bon appetite”—but intense mythology, old jealousies and grudges, family melodrama, hidden and evocative: “Round and round [Scarlett] went on the stone secrets, and another death, the novel presents a winning recipe for stairs, each step downward taking her closer to her final punish- an absorbing read. While the tale has many plot elements continu- ment….all too quickly she would fall silent, buried by wet mud ously spinning, the academic-turned–actress and author keeps a firm in her grave.” The result is an imaginative fantasy that reprises grip on the main plotline, which she skillfully and quite suspensefully the themes of “Beauty and the Beast” with feisty characters and brings to a boil once the perpetrator of Faust’s death is established richly intriguing witchery. and the race for justice moves into full swing. Though a newcomer to An entertaining romance for sword-and-sorcery fans. the mystery genre, Kumari establishes herself here as a writer with ingenuity. She presents a satisfying crime tale with appealing characters who embody vivid and unique cultural perspectives. Deliver- SASHA AND HIS RED LEASH

ing a smoothly written, impressive series opener, the author is a new The Secret Diary of a young adult mystery writer to watch. Lucky Pup A polished, confident whodunit brimming with personal- Lapid, Yossi ity and the right amount of intrigue and mayhem. Illus. by Pasek, Joanna Self (25 pp.) $0.99 e-book | May 15, 2020 THE SCARLETT MARK A Medieval Romantasy Author Lapid and illustrator Pasek Lane, Abby launch a new rhyming picture-book Self (324 pp.) series starring a playful puppy who wants to roam free. $3.99 e-book | Apr. 21, 2020 Sasha, a small white canine, knows he’s “a very lucky pup,” but he hates his awful red leash, which he’s hidden and buried A shape-shifting lord and a princess in the past. Sasha discusses it with his brown-skinned young with snakelike powers battle a witch’s owner, “Big Boss Bob,” who explains that the leash keeps Sasha curse—and a potentially fatal attrac- safe. They visualize various hypothetical situations, and Lapid tion—in this debut fairy-tale romance. allows readers to weigh in on whether each one would require Princess Scarlett of Velez and her a leash. Finally, Sasha realizes the tether’s importance even if sisters, Ruby and Rose, feel dispossessed he still wishes for total freedom. Lapid and Pasek have already because their younger half brother, Prince Lowell, will inherit written two series together—the Snowman Paul books and the the crown and gets all the attention of their father, King Rickard. Yara’s Rainforest books—and Sasha has the same playfulness The bigger problem, though, is their stepmother, Queen Cynara, and verve as their previous protagonists. Pasek’s painterly illus- a wicked sorceress who frames Scarlett for Rickard’s murder-by- trations mingle cartoonish and realistic features, always show- cobra-bite. Sentenced to die poetically by another cobra bite, ing Sasha behaving like a real-life dog. Lapid’s simple, rhyming Scarlett survives and gets vaguely serpentine powers from the text offers few words on most pages, making the book very venom now flowing through her veins; Cynara then banishes her approachable for beginners, who will get the most out of the to Drum Manor, home of Lord Nicolai Graydon. Scarlett finds images of safe and unsafe situations. The book may also give a gloomy, cobwebbed estate presided over by the preternatu- parents a way to introduce discussions about why some human rally handsome and menacing Nicolai, who has his own history rules are required to keep children safe. with Cynara: Sixteen years earlier Nicolai dumped her to marry A book featuring a charismatic pooch and a likable owner an heiress, and she retaliated by annihilating the heiress with that’s sure to attract young readers. energy bolts and imposing a curse that causes Nicolai to turn into a black panther and tear out the throat of any woman who arouses him. Scarlett and Nicolai circle warily, each posing a sex- ily lethal threat to the other. Nicolai is indeed aroused by Scar- lett, especially when he spies on her while she is undressing in her bedchamber; yet if he succumbs to his panther side and goes for her throat, her venomous blood will poison him. But Nicolai’s

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 169

DOGVERSATIONS get to any point, one must travel half of the way to it. To con- Conversations With My Dogs tinue one’s journey, one must then go half the remaining distance, Leswick, David or one-quarter of the original trip. This pattern continues, but Photos by the author because there’s no line so small that it can’t be bisected, one will FriesenPress (144 pp.) never reach one’s destination. Loftus’ poem “Zeno’s Paradox” $19.99 paper | $6.99 e-book takes this arcane thought experiment and gives it flesh and blood, Mar. 26, 2020 reimagining it in terms of a man waiting for a lover who will never 978-1-5255-5157-4 arrive: “He waits. For her. To enter, shut the door. /... / She’s still walking—to the broken steps, / sagging porch and flapping door, In this debut compilation of humorous conversations and col- / the table, couch, his brazen, smelly hold— / as fast as he may orful photographs, three adorable dogs say the darnedest things. summon her, / as slow as I implore, / she will take forever.” Thus What canine lover hasn’t imagined what a dog would say if does the author recast the philosophical as the poignant, simulta- it could speak? Leswick, a photographer and family man, has neously offering a new take on Zeno himself. He does something always talked to his dogs. But after a smart but mischievous similar in “Camus sur le Pont,” whose title alludes to the French Brittany spaniel pup named Eva joined his family, he felt like he novelist’s 1956 book-length reflection on responsibility and abdi- could read her mind. So, over time, he began sharing their con- cation, The Fall: “A body strikes the water / so different after dark, versations on the internet. When Eva was 2 years old, Bruno—a / as if an exit / were an entrance, / below, above, at once, / parting happy-go-lucky golden retriever—joined the family chats. Most a black mirror, / a looking glass of stars.” Camus’ book is about recently, Agnes, a rescue pup of unknown lineage, came along to a suicide on the Seine, but Loftus adroitly (and devilishly) shifts liven things up even more. Deciding that he needed to put his readers’ focus away from the falling woman to the water, which dogs’ adorable photos—and antics—in book form, the author swallows the body impassively. These unexpected shifts in per- assembled this fun-filled, browsable collection. Cuter than the spective are Loftus’ stock in trade, and they infuse his deceptively cutest Facebook memes—Bruno wears underwear on his head straightforward poetry with depth and texture. because he’s a Jedi, and Agnes looks sweet even when she’s caught Deeply thoughtful and satisfyingly unpretentious poems. ripping a toy to shreds—Leswick’s canine photos are accompanied by “dogversations” he or other family members have had with the pups. There are no chapters in this slender beauty, but GHOST HUNTERS relatively short conversations have titles—for example, in “Laun- Bones in the Wall dry,” the author finds Eva lounging on the humans’ clean clothes. McCauley, Susan Easy to read and comprehend (names are followed by colons Celtic Sea, LLC (178 pp.) to denote who’s speaking), these simple exchanges are squeaky $25.99 | $12.66 paper | $3.99 e-book clean and appropriate for the entire family. Lighthearted human- Jan. 14, 2020 animal misunderstandings take center stage in several of the ani- 978-1-951069-04-9 mals’ pithy quips. For example, in “The Great Flip-Flop Debate,” 978-1-951069-06-3 paper Bruno says the humans’ rubber sandals are meant to be chewed because flip-flop is a yummy-sounding name. Sometimes the sit- A bereaved boy discovers that he can uations are seasonal; for example, the dogs sing Christmas carols, see ghosts in this middle-grade novel. and on Halloween, Bruno dresses like a ghost. But the family’s Ever since 1900, when spiritualists favorite season seems to be summer, and there are some lively “tore a hole” between the real world and the supernatural realm, scenes of the pooches in action at the lake. poltergeists have come through the opening and plagued mor- A cute, fun frolic for tail-wagging fans. tals. Like all children, 12-year-old Alex Lenard was tattooed at birth with a mark shielding him from “evil spirits.” His house in New Orleans is covered in pentacles and other signs of protec- FIREFLIES tion. Supernatural entities—and the arcane methods of keeping Poetry them at bay—are an everyday part of life. Alex is a star ghost- Loftus, Richard Gilmore ball player at school. But on the way to the state championship, Self (123 pp.) he is badly injured in a car accident. His mother is killed. Not $14.00 paper | Feb. 6, 2020 only will the grief-stricken Alex never play again, the accident 978-1-73136-048-9 switches something inside of him. He develops psychic powers— a change thought to be impossible at his age. Alex doesn’t wish Loftus, who previously wrote Dress to see ghosts. His dad is staunchly anti-psychic, and going back Whites (2018), repeatedly marries the to school will be hard enough for Alex without having his crazy heady with the mundane in this sopho- aunt and his weird, paranormal-obsessed cousin Hannah move in more poetry collection. next door. But what Alex wants doesn’t seem to matter. When he There are a number of paradoxes accompanies his aunt and cousin on one of their investigations, attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno. Perhaps the they uncover a spirit that needs putting to rest—and an evil entity most famous involves the supposed impossibility of motion: To hell-bent on stopping them. Backed by his Jamaican best friend,

170 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com |

McGraw employs an animated yet authoritative writing style enhanced by a rich sense of humor. shtick to business

Jason Anderson, Alex must either accept his new situation or SHTICK TO BUSINESS risk losing everyone he has left. McCauley writes in the first per- What the Masters of Comedy son, past tense and tells a simple story at an effective pace. The Can Teach You About worldbuilding is a bit clumsy at first—the early chapters repeat Breaking Rules, Being some information—but once over its teething troubles, the book Fearless, and Building a moves smoothly from premise to execution. The dialogue is well Serious Career handled. The ubiquitous nature of the spirits is a pleasing facet McGraw, Peter that stands out. But of course the true focus is on Alex’s loss and Lioncrest Publishing (324 pp.) how he deals with it. Alex is an average but likable protagonist, $19.99 paper | $9.99 e-book and Hannah and Jason are able supporting characters. Young Mar. 20, 2020 readers should find themselves deeply engrossed. 978-1-5445-0807-8 A straightforward but well-structured and absorbing supernatural tale of change and coping. A professor offers a novel approach that encourages emulating comedians as a way to make career and business improvements. HIGHLAND CONQUEST McGraw, a marketing/psychology professor at the University McCollum, Heather of Colorado Boulder, knows a thing or two about comedy. He Entangled: Amara (384 pp.) founded the Humor Research Lab and co-authored The Humor $7.99 paper | Apr. 28, 2020 Code (2014). In this unusually engaging read, he turns his atten- 978-1-64063-747-4 tion to the behind-the-scenes world of stand-up, improv, and

sketch comedy. That would be intriguing enough, but McGraw young adult A Highland warrior wins a battle but takes it further, showing how comedians think and act and relat- loses his heart in this novel. ing it to business in an effort to “revolutionize your work life— Cain Sinclair has been raised to lead and beyond.” From the outset, the author makes it clear his goal and conquer. His father, a brutal man is not to teach readers to be funny but rather to “think funny.” The who was rendered more unstable by the book’s chapters address what comedians do that could be applied death of his wife, raised Cain and his to a business setting. For example, “Step Out of the Stream” dem- three brothers as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. And onstrates how comics often take risks and break rules. McGraw when his father dies in a heated battle with the Sutherland clan, illustrates his thesis beautifully with anecdotes about comedi- Cain, the horseman of conquest, is more than ready to lead the ans and excerpts from their acts, followed by several examples Sinclairs and avenge the patriarch’s death. But this is easier of businesses that succeeded by taking risks and breaking rules. said than done, as the chief of the Sutherlands and the person “Cooperate to Innovate” serves to explode the myth of the solo responsible for killing Cain’s father is the beautiful Arabella. In comedian; here, the author relates the story of Merrill Markoe. a game time decision driven by practicality and a good dose of She crafted jokes and bits for David Letterman, whose televi- lust, Cain decides that rather than kill Ella and beat the Suther- sion show won Emmys for outstanding writing. “Pretty good on lands into submission, he’ll marry her instead to gain control of their own, they became fantastic when they teamed up,” writes her clan. Predictably, Ella is not keen on her new role as a battle McGraw. The author delves deeply into cooperation as part of prize. Despite Cain’s efforts to woo her and her own feelings sketch and improv comedy, citing additional hands-on examples. for him, she struggles to maintain her autonomy and win back One of the more intriguing concepts he introduces is “comple- her freedom, all while guarding a secret of her own. McCollum mentation…the magic made when opposites come together, is a seasoned romance writer and knows her stuff. Does her lat- creating a sum that is greater than its parts.” McGraw again illus- est novel break any new ground? No. Is it predictable? You bet. trates this idea with brief case studies. In addition to excellent But it sure is an enjoyable read. Cain is the classic leading man; examples from both comedy and business, the volume features his gruff exterior is just a front for a protective and chivalrous two unique sidebars: “Shtick From Shane,” interspersed humor- heart. Ella is a familiar romantic heroine: a beautiful, smart, and ous short takes from stand-up comedian Shane Mauss, and “Act spunky match for her main squeeze. Their love match is easy to Out,” insightful observations from the author that perfectly root for, as the two protagonists have survived brutal and bro- highlight the comedy-business connection. Throughout the ken upbringings, leaving them with scars both inside and out. book, McGraw employs an animated yet authoritative writing And while the plot moves right along, there are just the right style enhanced by a rich sense of humor. number of steamy sex scenes to break things up a bit. Amusing tales and tidbits surprisingly pertinent to busi- A bold laird and plenty of action and passion make for a ness professionals. perfect Highland romance.

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 171 STORYBOUND THE MAGICAL McKay, Emily APPEARANCE Entangled Teen (320 pp.) OF EARTHWORMS $17.99 | $7.99 e-book | May 5, 2020 Moncrief, N.A. 978-1-64063-656-9 AuthorHouseUK (234 pp.) $28.82 | $17.23 paper | $4.99 e-book In this YA novel, a bookish teen Jan. 13, 2020 embarks on a magical journey she’s pre- 978-1-72839-716-0 viously only read about. 978-1-72839-715-3 paper Edena “Edie” Allegra Keller is a superfan of fantasy novels, especially Moncrief’s debut memoir recalls the the bestselling The Traveler Chronicles joys and sorrows of growing up in an Aus- series. For the teen, books provide the only consistency and tralian country town. sense of belonging in a life where her single mother moves “It was the late 1960s,” remarks the author, “but we were still them around after a violent incident perpetuated by Edie’s lov- living in what was effectively 1950s rural Australia.” Along with ing, schizophrenic father, who is now in a full-time care facil- his older brother, Darren, Moncrief was raised in Tilburn, 30 ity. Everything changes when Edie’s mother’s nursing job takes miles outside of Melbourne. The memoir focuses predominantly the two to Austin, Texas, which has a bookstore with an original on vivid memories from the author’s childhood in a quiet town Traveler Chronicles review copy. The work may contain clues as where “everyone minded their own business and kept mostly to to why the last volume ended with hero—and Edie’s “book boy- themselves.” Moncrief recalls journeys to a racetrack with his friend”—Kane the Traveler’s unfortunate demise. When Edie father, who trained horses, befriending a lizard that lived under visits the store that houses the manuscript, she’s thrust into the back step of the family home, and nursing an injured spar- the parallel dimension of the Traveler series, which isn’t actu- row back to health. These sensitive recollections are interspersed ally fiction at all. But the books’ author was incorrect regard- with tales of cruelty and abuse. As a young boy, the author admits, ing many major and minor details, including Kane himself, who he received so many bloody noses from his brother that one of instead of a reluctant but noble changeling-turned-savior is a his nostrils became “permanently blocked.” The memoir also snarky antihero who refers to Edie as “Cupcake” (the image charts the author’s coping with his parents’ divorce and grap- on her food-truck T-shirt). The two set out on a journey that pling with adolescence. Each chapter is built around a particular reflects the series in cementing the hero’s royal destiny. Edie person or event that left an impression on the author’s young must reckon with every skill she possesses in a world that’s both mind. One, for example, discusses the author’s first sight of a familiar and full of surprises while learning long-held secrets pregnant woman and his father’s remarking, “pregnant women about her hardworking mother and long-lost father—and fight- are beautiful.” This heavily anecdotal approach has the potential ing her attraction to Kane. YA and romance author McKay’s to grow tiring, but Moncrief avoids that by capturing a young modern feminist take on the classic chosen-one narrative has boy’s naiveté in a satisfyingly amusing manner: “I couldn’t imag- a spunky, relatable heroine in Edie, who holds a black belt in ine what was wrong with her—that big, swollen stomach burst- taekwondo but can’t quite stand up to mean girl bullies in her ing forth from her body!” The author has the power to tug at the new high school. Edie discovers her inner and outer strengths reader’s emotions—after his lizard was killed by a bully, he writes in the world of Kane and her favorite characters. Both Edie and sorrowfully: “[I] pushed his little body into the crack from where Kane have conceivable, realistic character arcs in the fantastical I’d taken him the night before. ‘I’m so sorry, little mate,’ I said. setting, and their quippy banter is a highlight. Readers will find ‘I love you so much.’ ” Moncrief puts a recognizably Australian romantic escapism in the lovingly conceived world of Edie’s stamp on the memoir by using Aussie vernacular, from “dunny” beloved books. (toilet) to “chooks” (chickens). Tenderly evoking the minutiae A fast-paced and feisty tale, perfect for anyone who’s ever of childhood while celebrating liberation from its horrors, this had a book boyfriend. thoughtfully written, well-balanced book will encourage readers to reflect on their own upbringings. Observant, affecting writing about an Australian childhood.

172 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | BEFORE TRUTH SET ME FREE FAREWELL AND Murray, Vanessa “Fluffy” A HANDKERCHIEF Mill City Press, Inc. (282 pp.) Poems From the Road $16.99 paper | $9.99 e-book Nezval, Vitezslav Jan. 27, 2020 Trans. by Kostovski, Roman 978-1-5456-7497-0 Plamen Press (176 pp.) $19.00 paper | May 9, 2020 An African American woman navi- 978-0-9960722-5-0 gates the pitfalls of urban poverty, the hip-hop industry, and the criminal jus- A volume offers poems by one of tice system in this memoir. Czechoslovakia’s literary treasures. Murray, known as Fluffy to her In this new translation of a Czech friends and family, was born in 1962 in classic, English speakers get a taste of one of Europe’s most New York City to a 23-year-old mother. She became a mother underappreciated verse writers. Nezval was born in Mora- herself by the age of 16. Within a short time, three pregnancies, via in 1900 and matriculated as a philosophy student, but his one ended by abortion, effectively put a stop to the author’s early experience with the Prague literary scene converted him childhood, as she decided to drop out of high school to get a to poetry and launched a remarkably prolific career. As Karen job. Largely alone, with only erratic help from her mother and von Kunes writes in the foreword, one of the central hopes of outright interference from her baby daddies, the fiercely driven Nezval’s school was the creation of a new “art of everyday life” Murray completed her GED and a business school program that was “accessible” to the “simple man.” Kostovski’s transla-

in order to improve her life choices. Armed with these skills tion preserves the clarity and simplicity of Nezval’s verse. The young adult and star-struck over the sexy male stars of the emerging hip- poet’s brief “Place du Tertre” is a good example: “My love, per- hop scene, she schemed and party-crashed her way into work- haps we both shall meet / When finally the world succeeds / To ing at a rising rap record label. But job security was precarious sit together chair to chair / On that one Parisian square.” Yet in an entertainment industry too often based on personality, this seemingly straightforward quatrain yields more nuance whim, and fleeting loyalties. The author soon found herself the longer readers look. Best of all is the gnomic second line, once again looking for a new life, this time in Georgia, where which could logically attach either to the first—in which case an abusive relationship started her on the road to a prison sen- the lovers will meet when the world “succeeds”—or the third, tence. Through all of her adventures and ordeals, Murray main- whereby the world prevails in sitting “together chair to chair.” tained a cleareyed sense of her own strengths and weaknesses That the meaning of this second rendering is mysterious is in and a determination to resist life’s efforts to subdue her spirit. keeping with another of Nezval’s influences: French surrealism. The author’s take on the world is wry and perceptive, from The poet knew luminaries like Breton and Eluard, and some her description of the dangers of white people “wilding out all of their enigmatic qualities seep into Nezval’s verse. Breton across the south” to her increasing understanding of internal- and Eluard, of course, are both from France, another of their ized oppression. The candid narrative of her personal struggles Czech contemporary’s loves. Though this collection ostensibly is grounded in historical events, as when she notes that her describes a trip across Europe, the lion’s share is given to Paris. first baby was born in the same hospital where Malcolm X died. Nezval writes of his arrival there: “You were Medusa when I While the suspense of her court sentencing and the indignities dreamed about you / Now here I stand, a vagrant in prime / And of prison life are described with vivid immediacy, readers may the smallest bit that you’re able to give / Lulls me to sleep like a wish to know more intimate details about Murray’s own growth drinking man’s wine.” Yet if the City of Light is this intoxicating, process, such as her evolving relationship with her children, so is Nezval’s verse, and readers will hope to get more in English which remains somewhat peripheral to the story. The end of soon. It’s a shame he’s been hidden for so long. the book promises a sequel that will continue to chronicle the A vibrant collection that introduces an Eastern European author’s truth-seeking journey. master to the West. An insightful and frank account of a woman’s odyssey from hardship to self-esteem.

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 173 AURORA’S ANGEL pieces of the multifaceted plot structure, but these episodes Noon, Emily are infrequent. The various levels of drama are usually kept in Bluefire Books (543 pp.) a balance that’s expertly maintained right through to the excit- $17.99 paper | $7.99 e-book | Jan. 1, 2020 ing (albeit, predictable) climactic scenes. The world of Nor- 978-0-473-50513-4 darra—and the mechanics and psychology of shape-shifting—is drawn with an appealing intricacy that will make readers hope In this fantasy debut, two shape- to return to this setting in future novels. shifters form a bond that may change An impressive and confident tale of two women finding their world. love in a realm of shape-shifters. As Noon’s sprawling novel opens, readers find a mysterious woman named Aurora skulking through a mine that’s THE MEANING OF LIFE crawling with poisonous spiders. She’s hunting for valuable A Guide To Finding Your ethian crystals when she’s brought up short by the last thing Life’s Purpose she expects to encounter in such a dark, forbidding place: a Novosel, Nathanael Garrett beautiful song. Tracing the tune to its source, Aurora is enraged Self (360 pp.) to find a cutter’s den: “A place of unimaginable horror, where $29.95 | $19.95 paper | $9.99 e-book shapeshifters were imprisoned while their bodies were system- Jan. 1, 2020 atically harvested for the high price their parts fetched on the 978-1-948220-00-2 black market.” Aurora lives in Nordarra, a region populated 978-1-948220-01-9 paper by many different, scattered clans of shape-shifters—mer- people, tiger-shifters, wolf-shifters, and avians, who can grow A broad-based, comprehensive enormous wings out of their backs. These beings are presum- approach to finding one’s purpose in life. ably the descendants of the folks who came to Nordarra from Figuring out the meaning of one’s life, writes consultant the human world and were taught magic that allowed them to Novosel in his nonfiction debut, can feel too challenging to transform into shape-shifters. (Another theory is that those contemplate. To counter this type of thinking, he stresses that first human visitors were the servants of Nordarra’s original the insight necessary to begin a self-realization journey need inhabitants and interbred with them.) In this realm, avians not happen in a single, melodramatic flash—it can be a slow, are frequently characterized as untrustworthy. It gives Aurora gradual process. His book presents principles and some activi- pause to discover that the song in the mine comes from a cap- ties that aim to help make this process more concrete. Several tive avian named Evie, but the two form a wary partnership. In chapters concentrate on big ideas, from “Emotions” to “Ethics” exchange for Aurora’s dealing with the mine’s guards, Evie will to “Belief,” and in all cases, Novosel reminds readers of their fly them both to freedom. When Evie is injured and rendered own agency: “You control your own destiny,” he writes. “Choice temporarily flightless during their escape, the two are thrown is a crucial component of finding your meaning in life because into a close, earthbound struggle to survive—and to fulfill Auro- you ultimately decide what is meaningful to you.” In clear but ra’s primal vow to track down all the parts of her father’s tiger substantial prose, he seeks to help his readers clarify what’s form that were harvested by cutters years ago. meaningful to them—and what isn’t and can’t possibly be. It’s Noon handles the gradual unfolding of the story’s plots and not surprising, he writes, that people often use various crutches subplots with a remarkably sure hand. Virtually none of debut to manipulate these priorities, but he offers a warning: “Alcohol, novelists’ typical mistakes—clunky dialogue, incomplete con- tobacco, opioids, non-reproductive sexual activity, gambling, cepts, and especially great blocks of undigested exposition— and other addictive substances and behaviors affect their emo- crop up in this book’s 500-plus pages. The political interplay of tions and trigger their brains’ rewards systems in ways that are Nordarra’s various clans and factions is intelligently rendered as not conducive to growth.” Novosel provides his readers with a backdrop for the tale’s central, most touching thread: Aurora’s various “thought exercises” and writing assignments, and his and Evie’s (in reality, Evangeline Aquilar, oldest child of a pow- tone throughout the book is one of reassurance as he tells read- erful avian leader) gradually easing their personal and cultural ers of what they can achieve if they take stock of their emotions barriers as their necessity-born friendship deepens into some- and self-destructive habits. His approach is also thoroughly thing more. The author has a straightforward, unadorned way secular and science-aware: “The result of human evolution,” of showing her characters clearly to readers, and it’s genuinely Novosel writes, “is an unprecedented combination of genetics, involving to watch Aurora overcome the lessons of her trau- instinct, and rational thoughts.” It’s an uncanny combination of matic childhood in order to feel tender emotions again. The elements that results in an unexpectedly uplifting book. two women’s ongoing discovery of each other’s attributes is the A richly thoughtful and offbeat self-help guide. story’s highlight. “You’re quite extraordinary and a little scary,” Aurora tells Evie at one point. “You’re like a kitten that looks all sweet and cuddly but you have sharp claws. Remind me never to cross you.” There are stretches in the narrative where Noon’s vivid personal revelation scenes almost overshadow the other

174 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | Scott-Clary is a talented writer who conveys her inner world in a way that’s cleareyed yet powerfully immediate. ally

THE FINAL PUZZLE further on a site visit to Iceland. Without revealing all of his aims, An Untold Akbar-Birbal Story the self-described “renowned cultural anthropologist” and “famed Ray, Juhi cryptozoologist” enlists as his research assistant Brian Schutt, a Bowker (288 pp.) headache-prone academic with a doctoral dissertation that’s stuck $11.99 paper | $2.99 e-book in creative limbo back in Portland, Oregon. Schutt is mystified by Dec. 21, 2019 the geometric scarring that covers his boss’s body—a “cosmic road- 978-1-73339-178-8 map” or perhaps “warning or prophecy,” Sandoval’s memoir had suggested. Once both men trek to the Icelandic town of Hvíldar- A debut novel envisions the rise of a land, they bond over their shared fascination with mythical enti- famous figure from Indian history. ties, cryptic creatures, and historical lore. Sandoval soon reveals Mahesh Das is a well-respected Hindu the expedition’s true purpose: to investigate a grainy video sent to singer and poet who has served in the Sandoval of what looks like a unicorn on a pumpkin farm. Though courts of several kings. He now acts as the chief adviser to Padshah Schutt is more skeptical, the trip provides a timely escape from his Akbar, the Mughal Emperor of Hindustan. When the emperor is messy family melodrama and a dire health diagnosis. As they dig given a partial star chart from his childhood, he turns to Mahesh deeper into the area’s mystical folklore and haunted forest, all of to help him fill in the gaps. “The astrologer deliberately left it it becomes a terrific thrill for Schutt, a man “still doggy-paddling incomplete,” explains Akbar, “because he was concerned that through his academic career,” and Sandoval, hoping to lay claim the secret it held might put my life in jeopardy—that there were to discovering the elusive creature with droppings that consist of forces in the kingdom who would have murdered me, the crown “a gleaming coruscation of granulated glitter.” As in his Smoke City prince at that time, if they knew the secret held in the chart.” (2017), Rosson offers crisp characterization and surprising twists.

Mahesh must travel into the heart of the Mughal’s recent con- Here he maps a magical journey through the wilds of rural Iceland young adult quests—places where the emperor is not loved—in order to try and into a kaleidoscopic terrain filled with secretly active military to discover the missing secrets. Mahesh manages to track down bases and muddied body parts that sully what began as an innocent the astrologer, but he is unexpectedly smitten with Radha, the expedition into the supernatural. While the conclusion is disap- man’s warrior daughter. In the dangerous world of 16th-century pointingly hokey and doesn’t quite measure up to the narrative Hindustan, even love can lead to divided loyalty for a courtier mysticism and preternatural wonder preceding it, Rosson’s clever, of the emperor. How will Mahesh manage to complete his duty swiftly paced story has more than enough to keep readers turning and earn the title bestowed on him by Akbar: Raja Birbal? Ray’s the pages and wanting to believe. prose is lucid and flows at a conversational pace, evoking the An engrossing and creative story of the wonders of the legends and stories that gave rise to Birbal’s fame: “In the days unknown with an Icelandic accent. following Mahesh’s return, Akbar could be seen at sunrise in the garden, facing the sun with closed eyes and folded hands, recit- ing the shlokas Mahesh had taught him. Standing bare-chested, ALLY clad in nothing but a dhoti, he would enthusiastically utter the Scott-Clary, Madison Sanskrit prayers.” The author does a fine job weaving real events Self (476 pp.) into the story, like Akbar’s conquest of Gujarat, but this attempt $50.00 paper | Jun. 1, 2020 to affix fiction to history gives the narrative a somewhat jumpy, 978-1-948743-15-0 disconnected feel. The characters are a bit flat in a way that calls to mind old romances. But the time period is so richly rendered A trans woman reflects on her chang- that readers won’t be too bothered by the less realistic aspects. ing identity in this revelatory memoir. Fans of Indian history, in particular, will enjoy Ray’s inspired take. Scott-Clary, a computer programmer and the editor-in- A warm and engaging reimagining of an Indian legend. chief of publisher Hybrid Ink, recounts a long transition in the form of a dialogue between herself and an inquisitive alter ego named “ally.” She offers a complex and psychologically fraught ROAD SEVEN story about “past me”: Matthew, a gay teen with an insensitive Rosson, Keith father and homophobic stepfather who immersed himself in Meerkat Press, LLC (300 pp.) the furry community and developed an aversion to messy, real- $17.95 paper | Jul. 14, 2020 life sex, preferring phone sex or typing out fantasies with online 978-1-946154-29-3 partners. A stable relationship with a gay man developed into marriage, which included polyamory. Scott-Clary wrestled with An anthropologist and his sidekick bipolar disorder, tics and balance problems caused by medica- investigate a mysterious video that may tions, and a dissociative episode that led to a suicide attempt. show a unicorn in this novel that blends an The author had gender reassignment surgery in her late 20s that Icelandic adventure with magical realism. made her feel more comfortable in her own skin. This book, Mark Sandoval’s alien abduction mem- which began as an interactive online writing project, is a multi- oir was made into a Hollywood block- genre work that includes poetry, snippets of fiction, artwork, and buster starring Brad Pitt, and he plans to study otherworldly beings many original musical compositions. Most of the text consists of

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 175 autobiographical conversation, which meanders at times, espe- extreme circumstances trying to do the morally correct things cially in sections in which the author talks about her writing pro- for the greater good to flourish, even when devotion to duty cess. Still, Scott-Clary is a talented writer who conveys her inner means deceit and cruelty (plus some evidently great sex). A big world in a way that’s cleareyed yet powerfully immediate, from to-be-continued hangs over the finale. the helplessness of a suicide attempt (“It was like the rush of com- This gender-fluid tale opens a dystopian series on a high note. ing to your senses after a nightmare, the pulling forward and the re-anchoring, the flood of adrenaline in preparation for flight”) to her postoperative blossoming (“The first time I looked in the POETRY MOTION mirror and saw the trace of femininity. The softening of skin. The An LP Novel first ‘she’ on the street. The first ‘ma’am’ on the phone. Hell, the Sheridan, Tom first time dressing feminine”). Scott-Clary isn’t afraid to take cre- Self (164 pp.) ative risks, and they pay off in an often engrossing portrait. $7.99 e-book | Jun. 18, 2020 A fresh, daring exploration of lived experience. In this final volume of a trilogy, a New Jersey mixed martial artist preps for ELECTED his final fight while his son aims for dis- Shay, Rori tinction with his second rap album. Self (266 pp.) Now in his mid-40s, Tonio Franco $12.88 paper | $6.99 e-book | Apr. 1, 2018 will be stepping into the MMA cage one 978-1-73204-790-7 last time. His opponent is the current bantam and featherweight champ, Lenny “Linc” Carrera—his nickname is short for “Light- This first installment of a YA SF tril- ning in a Cage.” Franco travels cross-country with his friend/ ogy introduces a teenage girl in North trainer Joey, as the match is set in Los Angeles. Along the way America’s post-apocalyptic future who is a stop in Las Vegas, near the residence of Randall Starks, the must masquerade as a boy to serve as the pedophile who years ago assaulted Franco’s then-teenage son, TJ. absolute leader of an isolated realm. Now that Randall is out of jail after serving little—perhaps not In Shay’s dystopian tale, it is 2185, enough—time, Franco plans to confront him with a Glock. TJ, more than a century after climate change, mass extinctions, and meanwhile, is a 26-year-old rapper with a moderately successful nuclear war ravaged Earth. Surviving nations, facing shortages, debut album. The studio isn’t giving him much artistic freedom for infertility, and cancer cutting down populations, have agreed to his follow-up and pressures him into singing producer-approved “Eco-Crisis Accords” that pledge rollbacks on all that brought lyrics. These include racial slurs for shock value. But TJ, whose about civilization’s ruin. Now, they forbid electricity and other orphan father’s origins are unknown, is “more Bieber than black.” advanced technology, international travel, and representational As Franco struggles with both the 155-pound weight require- democracy. Instead of parliaments and congresses, an “Elected” ment and his moral predicament concerning Randall, TJ fights to family serves 100-year terms, with men taking charge at age 18 record songs steeped in art rather than commercialism. Sheridan to enforce the Accords. In struggling, cloistered East Country— once again skillfully showcases his “lyrical prose,” in which narra- which includes what used to be Maryland, West Virginia, Vir- tive descriptions occasionally boast vibrant rhymes and/or word- ginia, Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Bay—first-person play. Franco, for example, had “an angry young man past where narrator Aloy and her dynasty occupy the White House, enjoy- he was more goodfella than good fella.” But the poetic story ing veneration, food, and no-longer-manufactured medication. also involves thoroughly absorbing characters. Enhancing the But there is a price. The girl’s heir-apparent brother, Evan, ran protagonists’ main objectives are smaller dilemmas: TJ and Linc away, leaving the inner circle no choice but to disguise Aloy are pals; Franco finds himself attracted to Joey’s assistant coach, as a boy, complete with an arranged fiancee, Vienne. Dutifully, Khloei, while the competitor’s wife, Julie, is back home in New Aloy ascends to the office of Elected on her 18th birthday and Jersey. Notwithstanding the serious drama, this bracing tale has prepares for the sham marriage to the lovely, faithful Vienne a superb, consistent sense of humor, particularly in the footnotes while also earning the respect of the populace by fighting rising that are more wisecracking than informational. discontent from a faction that demands restoration of indus- A smashing finale to an engaging, boldly written series try. In addition, outsiders may be causing trouble on the border. about family ties. While there are plenty of intriguing ingredients in this YA hero- fronted novel, the story does take sexual elements, including the Sapphic, a bit beyond the usual PG-13 territory. (But nothing gets graphic, as it seems Aloy, while educated in everything else, has never been taught exactly how babies are made.) There are abundant incidents and crises packed into a fairly tight page count. It makes a bit of a difference that the antagonists—at least in this installment—are not Hunger Games–style sadistic elite castes or power-mad dictators. They are just people in

176 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | AN IMPOSSIBLE LIFE and begin to understand her thoughts and actions. This erudite The Inspiring True Story of book could prove insightful for patients, caretakers, and thera- a Woman’s Struggle pists alike. From Within Illuminating, impactful writing about coping with men- Siddoway, Rachael & Wasden, Sonja tal illness. Self (311 pp.) $19.99 paper | $9.99 e-book Feb. 12, 2019 KILLED IN BRAZIL? 978-1-73361-940-0 The Mysterious Death of Arturo “Thunder” Gatti A debut memoir recounts a woman’s Tobin, Jimmy harrowing struggle with mental illness. Hamilcar Publications (112 pp.) “I may have put in the hours to write this story, but she put in $10.99 paper | $5.99 e-book the years and lived it,” Siddoway remarks in the authors’ notes Jun. 16, 2020 about her mother, Wasden. Written from Wasden’s first-person 978-1-949590-26-5 perspective, the book opens in 2007 in an emergency room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Wasden was almost 40 years old This fourth installment of the when her family began to worry about her mental health and Hamilcar Noir series examines the ques- her husband, Mitch, decided to hospitalize her. At the time, she tions and controversy surrounding the believed that she was simply “overstressed” from supervising 2009 death of a former world champion boxer.

house renovations, dieting, and home-schooling three children. Amanda Gatti discovered her husband, Arturo, dead on the young adult But when asked the question “Do you want to die?” by a crisis morning of July 11, 2009. The couple had been staying at a resort worker, Wasden replied with a firm “yes.” The memoir tells of in Pernambuco, Brazil, with their infant son, Arturo Junior. As her involuntary admission to a psych ward, describing in detail the ex-boxer initially appeared dead by strangulation and there the eight days of her stay, interspersed with episodes from her were no signs of a break-in, cops arrested Amanda on suspicion earlier life. She recalls the soporific effects of the antipsychotic of murder. But they subsequently released her when the autopsy pills she was administered: “They would torture me and save my ruled the death a suicide. According to the report, Gatti hanged life all at the same time,” making her feel “a type of sleepiness I himself from the staircase using a strap from his wife’s purse. had never experienced before.” The volume also skips back to The report further stated he’d hung there for hours before the 1999, when Wasden was self-harming with steak knives, and to strap broke and he fell to the floor, where Amanda found him. 2000, when she was obsessing about losing weight. The close of But members of Gatti’s family and his friends refused to believe the work examines her time as a recovering psychiatric patient, he killed himself. The former boxer, who retired two years her lapses and perseverance, and the effects of some devastat- before, had a reputation for not giving up in fights. He would ing family crises. take scores of punishing hits before coming back in a later This is an elegantly written memoir that lays bare the pro- round to secure the victory. The Gatti family asked for a sec- gression of mental illness. It deftly pinpoints the moment when, ond autopsy. Some members of the family filed suit over Gatti’s as a young adult, Wasden began grappling with the responsibili- estate, as his will named Amanda the sole beneficiary. Gatti’s ties of daily life: “I don’t want to be an adult anymore. I don’t manager, Pat Lynch, hoped to prove that the death was not want to be pregnant. I don’t want to live in Michigan. I want to a suicide by hiring experts to investigate and reconstruct the be a sixteen-year-old kid again.” This is juxtaposed with descrip- crime scene. All the while, the feud between members of Gatti’s tions of later self-harm that are captured with unflinching clar- family and his wife persisted. And what happened to Gatti on ity: “I reached up toward the steak knife on my desk—the only that July night may be a question that lingers indefinitely. medicine I had to dull the agony. I grabbed it and started to cut Tobin’s debut book delivers a concise, well-researched true- the bottoms of my feet. It stung. The times the pain got bad crime story. His sources consist of TV interviews, Associated enough to cut it felt like tidal waves were swallowing me, rolling Press reports, journals, and numerous websites as well as his me through an angry sea.” Keenly observant, with sharp, natural own interview with Kathy Duva, CEO of the boxing promotion dialogue throughout, the book also recognizes the impact that company Main Events. Along with meticulous coverage of the living with someone with mental health issues has on others. death and its aftermath, the author spotlights much of Gatti’s Siddoway’s outburst regarding her mother’s suicidal tendencies career, from a title-winning match in 1995 to his final fight in delivers a shuddering impact: “My whole life has felt like one 2007. Tobin’s kinetic descriptions of Gatti’s matches are akin sick game of jack-in-the-box. We’ve all been tiptoeing around to action scenes: “Ruelas saw his chance and snapped a series the idea that you could disappear one day and never come back!” of uppercuts into Gatti’s chin, the last of which spun Gatti’s The memoir would benefit from a more considered conclusion, head. Wobbled, Gatti backed away with Ruelas in pursuit. But although the authors do suggest that this work is part of a series, true to form, Gatti sought only enough room to answer back.” which would partially excuse its open-endedness. Neverthe- Despite the favorable recounting of Gatti and his boxing days, less, the power of this story is that it allows readers to enter the the book unbiasedly provides details on the man’s death. For mind of an individual suffering from a mental health disorder example, the experts’ investigation uncovered potential flaws

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 177 in the Brazilian authorities’ probe, like the specific place where globe. Civilization, of sorts, has made a slow, painful return, Gatti’s body fell. But Tobin notes the problematic aspects of the and regional warlords, kings, and guilds compete ruthlessly for crime-scene re-creation that do not convincingly point to mur- power. In the land of Lyrinth in what used to be part of North der. For good measure, the author addresses chronic traumatic America, Gnochi Gleeman is an “entertainer,” wandering from encephalopathy, a condition stemming from a brain injury and place to place, telling his tales of the “first age” world and its to which boxers are susceptible. With symptoms like substance achievements. The vagrant guitarist with failing vision may abuse and suicidal behavior, Gatti may have been affected by seem unimpressive, but Gleeman is actually an accomplished CTE. Nevertheless, Tobin astutely looks at the varying possi- blade fighter and schemer—a requirement for self-defense, as bilities that would have led to Gatti’s death. Such an approach fanatic “Luddites,” opposed to the progress that brought ruin intelligently and respectfully piques interest in a real-life mys- to mankind, are also a danger to him. But currently, Gleeman tery that has left Gatti’s fans and family in need of both solace has greater concerns. He’s been forced to undertake a mission and satisfactory answers. of treachery and assassination by a man named Jackal, who had A work scrutinizes a puzzling celebrity case with preci- his family kidnapped. A complication arises when Cleo, the run- sion and proficiency. away teenage daughter of an aristocrat, impulsively joins Glee- man, and he doesn’t have the will to force her away. Together, they find tenuous shelter with a “menagerie”—a traveling- cir GLEEMAN’S TALES cus that’s actually a kind of mobile commando unit in disguise. Travagline, Matthew Travagline effectively keeps a lot of subterfuge under wraps and Manuscript (427 pp.) embeds key plot points in flashbacks; moreover, readers get an $3.99 e-book | Jun. 6, 2020 anthology of Gleeman’s titular tales that are woven into the tap- estry of the larger narrative. They include everything from a sort In the first part of Travagline’s of experimental-theater playlet (“God is a Dinosaur”) to a Civil debut SF duology, an itinerant enter- War spin on Frank R. Stockton’s classic 1882 story “The Lady, tainer in a post-apocalyptic, dark-age or the Tiger?” to a World War II alternate-history tale in which future keeps memories of the old world Nazis gain an advantage in 1941. These lengthy asides do push alive through storytelling. the main plotline to the margins, and other elements, includ- About 1,000 years ago, an atomic ing magic, spirit animals, and psychic phenomena, intrude into world war broke out, creating recurring, Gleeman’s world, leaving a rather peculiar taste; readers may yearslong nuclear winters around the wonder: Was that really a talking white wolf or a piece of one of Aesop’s—or rather Gleeman’s—fables? The finale provides a cliffhanger that virtually severs the story in two. A dense, knotty SF tale set in an age of neo-barbarism. This Issue’s Contributors # ADULT Colleen Abel • Maude Adjarian • Paul Allen • Mark Athitakis • Colette Bancroft • Gerald Bartell Sarah IT CAME FROM Blackman • Amy Boaz • Jeffrey Burke • Catherine Cardno • Lee E. Cart • Kristin Centorcelli Miranda Cooper • Dave DeChristopher • Melanie Dragger • Daniel Dyer • Lisa Elliott • Anjali Enjeti THE MULTIPLEX Mia Franz • Michael Griffith • Janice Harayda • Peter Heck • Natalia Holtzman • Jessica Jernigan 80s Midnight Chillers Tom Lavoie • Judith Leitch • Angela Leroux-Lindsey • Peter Lewis • Elsbeth Lindner • Michael Magras • Don McLeese • Gregory McNamee • Clayton Moore • Laurie Muchnick • Christopher Ed. by Viola, Joshua Navratil • Liza Nelson • Mike Oppenheim • Scott Parker • Deesha Philyaw • Jim Piechota • William Illus. by Smith, Xander & Nazarro, AJ E. Pike • Margaret Quamme • Carolyn Quimby • Stephanie Reents • Evelyn Renold • Michele Ross Hex Publishers (316 pp.) Lloyd Sachs • Bob Sanchez • Michael Sandlin • Michael Schaub • E.F. Schraeder • Lorraine Shanley $19.99 paper | Sep. 15, 2020 Rosanne Simeone • Linda Simon • Wendy Smith • Margot E. Spangenberg • Tom Swift • Charles Taylor • Steve Weinberg • Joan Wilentz • Wilda Williams • Marion Winik 978-1-73391-775-9

CHILDREN’S & TEEN A genre anthology offers creepy tales Autumn Allen • Kazia Berkley-Cramer • Elizabeth Bird • Nastassian Brandon • Timothy Capehart Kristin Centorcelli • Ann Childs • Tamar Cimenian • Jeannie Coutant • Shelley Diaz Vale • Luisana inspired by 1980s horror movies. Duarte Armendáriz • Brooke Faulkner • Eiyana Favers • Amy Seto Forrester • Ayn Reyes Frazee • Sally A high school horror cinephile goes Campbell Galman • Laurel Gardner • Judith Gire • Carol Goldman • Ana Grilo • Tobi Haberstroh to check out a rare, locally directed film Abigail Hsu • Julie Hubble • Ariana Hussain • Kathleen T. Isaacs • Danielle Jones • Betsy Judkins Hena Khan • Megan Dowd Lambert • Angela Leeper • Lori Low • Wendy Lukehart • Kyle Lukoff at his town’s drive-in only to suspect that the space parasites in Meredith Madyda • Pooja Makhijani • Joan Malewitz • Michelle H. Martin PhD • Sierra McKenzie the movie might be real—and possessing the audience. Some Daniel Meyer • J. Elizabeth Mills • Lisa Moore • R. Moore • Katrina Nye • Hal Patnott • John Edward high schoolers perform a dark ritual in order to save the theater Peters • Rebecca Rabinowitz • Asata Radcliffe • Kristy Raffensberger • Amy B. Reyes • Nancy Thalia Reynolds • Amy Robinson • Christopher R. Rogers • Leslie L. Rounds • Stephanie Seales • John W. where they all work from shuttering, but whatever they sum- Shannon • Edward T. Sullivan • Jennifer Sweeney • Pat Tanumihardja • Steven Thompson • Janani moned turns on them instead. Two couples go on a double date Venkateswaran • Tharini Viswanath • Yung Hsin • Lauren Emily Whalen • Kimberly Whitmer to a movie night at a natural outdoor amphitheater—only to INDIE have the picture ruined when a severed human arm flies across Alana Abbott • Kent Armstrong • Julie Buffaloe-Yoder • Darren Carlaw • Charles Cassady • Michael the screen. Blood and guts are a lot less campy in real life, as Deagler • Stephanie Dobler Cerra • Steve Donoghue • Jacob Edwards • Joshua Farrington • Tina Gianoulis • Justin Hickey • Ivan Kenneally • Joshua T. Pederson • Jim Piechota • Sarah Rettger • Mark the horror movie fans that populate these stories learn again A. Salfi • Jerome Shea • Barry Silverstein • Emily Thompson • Lauren Emily Whalen and again. The theaters themselves frequently become places

178 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | The writing is sharp and concise, giving the entire collection a brisk, sometimes frenzied tone. psi-wars

of genuine terror, as in Betty Rocksteady’s “Rise, Ye Vermin!” in novel, like Betty Rocksteady’s “And When You Tear Us Apart, which a cineplex employee enters a theater to find the audience We Stitch Ourselves Back Together.” In it, someone has involun- composed entirely of corpses: “Dozens of women in various tarily separated Violet from her conjoined sister, Daisy. Though states of decay twitched and jittered. Jenn stumbled, jolting a psychically gifted Daisy is gone, Violet tries accessing her like a fresh new pain through her broken jaw. She tripped into one of phantom limb while the story merely hints at a grander, possi- the aisle seats and fell into a woman with long, dark hair and a bly worldwide war in progress. Even stories without discernible hat. The hat jostled and roaches poured out of her empty eye psychic elements entail psychological turmoil, including trouble socket.” The anthology, edited by Viola, mixes stories by hor- with a VR–type device (Darin Bradley’s “Under the Lotus”) and ror mainstays like Stephen Graham Jones and Steve Rasnic Tem a failed sleep-deprivation experiment (Gabino Iglesias’ “Awake”). with tales by relative newcomers, such as K. Nicole Davis. Many Lovett’s sensational, graphic-novel-style artwork accompanies of the writers have Colorado connections, which leads to some and enhances each story. entertaining uses of locations, like Davis’ “On the Rocks,” set Exceptional SF that enlivens, fascinates, and unnerves. in the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater. The book also features frightening illustrations by Smith and retro cover art by Nazzaro that will get any ’80s nerd’s nostalgia juices pumping. The blend HELLO, FRIENDS! of voices working within a loose framework gives the volume Williams, Bola some stylistic variety (though it remains—like its source mate- Illus. by Stevens, Daniel rial—noticeably male-dominated). As with any anthology, some Pears Lane Publishing (34 pp.) of the pieces are stronger than others, but all of them exhibit an $17.99 | $11.99 paper | $5.99 e-book understanding for the odd brew of ingredients that make ’80s Feb. 4, 2020

horror movies so much fun. 978-1-73444-840-5 young adult An enjoyable horror anthology with a strong midnight 978-1-73444-841-2 paper chillers concept. A boy says hello to his friends, who answer in their native languages, in this picture book from debut author Williams and PSI-WARS illustrator Stevens. Classified Cases of Curly-haired, brown-skinned Daniel is getting ready to attend Psychic Phenomena a neighborhood picnic with his dad. As they walk, Daniel encoun- Ed. by Viola, Joshua ters many friends, each time greeting them by name: His pal Illus. by Lovett, Aaron Zola responds in French; Mai greets him in Chinese; and others Hex Publishers (308 pp.) respond in other languages. Williams also depicts the kids sharing $2.99 e-book | May 12, 2020 delicious, culturally appropriate foods. In Stevens’ colorful illustrations, each child wears modern, city-appropriate clothing, and Editor Viola’s latest anthology com- some include nods to specific cultures: Zola, for instance, wears a prises 13 SF–flavored wartime tales. beret; Koda, a Cherokee boy, has braids and a dream catcher neck- Myriad characters in this collection lace; and Yuki wears Japanese zori and a shirt with a Japanese char- sport psychic abilities, a common weapon acter. As everyone joins together in the park, the children dance in the seemingly endless wars. That’s the and play to the same music. The message of friendship across case with Keith Ferrell’s “Psnake Eyes.” Psoldiers spanning the cultures resonates, and Williams has selected a wide variety of globe battle one another and search for potential “multis”— languages, which also include Swahili, German, and Spanish. The those who have a combination of psychic talents. While most repetitive text invites young readers to chime in with every hello, stories take place in an unspecified future, some are set during and a pronunciation guide at the end offers useful guidance for historical eras. Angie Hodapp’s 1917-set “Cradle to Grave,” for parents reading aloud. example, follows British agent Edith, a Sensitive whose current Children surrounded by diversity will find this book relat- assignment somehow involves the psychic brother she hasn’t able; others may use it as a window into unfamiliar cultures. seen in years. Likewise, the titular character in Dean Wyant’s “The Visions of Perry Godwin” is a WWII sailor who may soon consider his precognitive Sight a curse. Given that characters are at odds or in combat, it’s unsurprising that stories herein are largely grim. The book opens with Warren Hammond’s particularly gruesome “The Calabrian,” in which Nazis have conquered Europe with one individual’s psychic ability. But as this skill requires a pristine singing voice, the story’s most disturbing component is how the Nazis force those who refuse to sing. The writing among the various authors is sharp and concise, giving the entire collection a brisk, sometimes frenzied tone. Some stories even feel like an action-laden scene from a lengthier

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 179 THE GODDESS TWINS protagonists, perhaps too well. Great swaths of plot open with Williams, Yodassa each new meeting, and the powerful twins (along with readers) SparkPress (208 pp.) are told far more than they’re shown. Nevertheless, continuous $16.95 paper | May 19, 2020 revelations keep the optimistic tale humming, and the cast is in 978-1-68463-032-5 fine shape for a sequel. Family bonds create the magic in this stirring fantasy. This debut YA novel sees two black identical twins discover their magical lineage. THE CANDIDATE’S 7 In Cincinnati, Ohio, twins Arden DEADLY SINS and Aurora are about to turn 18 years old. Using Emotional Optics Their mother is Selene Bryant, a famous To Turn Political Vices Jamaican opera singer who has retired to finally settle down with Into Virtues her daughters. When Selene is called to London for an emer- Wish, Peter A. gency fill-in performance, Aurora is incensed. The teen decides Lioncrest Publishing (314 pp.) to throw a “legendary” party, to which the bookish Arden is not $25.99 | $15.99 paper | $5.99 e-book invited. During the party, a handsome 21-year-old named Devin Mar. 10, 2020 is drawn to Arden’s closed bedroom door. She soon begins to 978-1-5445-0729-3 read his thoughts, realizing that “his want for me travels from 978-1-5445-0727-9 paper his body into my own like waves in an ocean.” Soon the twins’ godfather, Leo, breaks up the party. He informs them that Selene An insightful look at politicians through a psychological lens. has disappeared overseas. What the girls don’t know is that As a syndicated columnist for the Boston Globe and a fre- their grandmother Ghani has been empowered with immortal- quent national television and radio guest, Wish is known for ity and a vision for justice by the Fates. Her husband, Ezekiel, being able to explain cutting-edge psychological concepts to hates the notion of powerful women as well as the institutional mass audiences. He’s also served as a political consultant, most racism plaguing black men. He plans to steal the celestial power notably on future Sen. Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential cam- from his wife and their gifted children, then use it to help black paign. Romney seemed to Republican insiders to be a sure win- men dominate society. Arden and Aurora sneak off to London, ner, as he was articulate, handsome, and unflappable; however, unaware that they’re embroiled in their family’s generational war. Wish saw that Romney seemed “too perfect” and thus failed to Williams’ fantasy with a diverse cast introduces a few intense personally connect with voters. According to the author, voters topics, like racism and female oppression, but doesn’t explore aren’t driven by policy or polish but by emotion; for example, them at length. The story’s emotional weight comes mostly from President George W. Bush’s numerous gaffes made him more the chapters narrated by Aurora, who believes she is the inferior likable to voters, who were drawn to his perceived authentic- twin unworthy of her talented mother’s love and that Selene has ity. Using a blend of psychological theory and absorbing politi- betrayed her daughters. In one bleakly revealing line, the girl says cal anecdotes, Wish analyzes the “7 deadly sins” that are most that men are “basically just mirrors who pay for the tickets to often committed by politicians who fail to apply psychological where I want to go.” Engaging characters—like the twins’ cous- know-how to voter outreach. Although the “sins,” such as being ins Lilo and Liberty and the space-folding Aunt Kiara—help the “too cerebral,” are morally neutral, their corresponding values, such as empathy and decisiveness, resonate with voters who are driven by “survival instincts” and “anger, enthusiasm, and anxiety,” Wish says. President Donald Trump commits some of KIRKUS MEDIA LLC # Wish’s “sins,” but his success is due to his ability to tap into his Chairman supporters’ emotions. The author’s psychological insights will HERBERT SIMON appeal to political junkies as well as anyone in a leadership posi- President & Publisher MARC WINKELMAN tion. His analysis of “the science of first impressions,” in-depth Chief Executive Officer breakdowns (with charts) of body posture and “power poses,” MEG LABORDE KUEHN # and emphasis on the importance of storytelling have wide Copyright 2020 by Kirkus Media LLC. applicability. A gendered analysis is noticeably missing, however, KIRKUS REVIEWS (ISSN 1948-7428) which is surprising given contemporary conversations about is published semimonthly by Kirkus Media LLC, 2600Via Fortuna, Suite 130, Austin, TX 78746. misogyny and the failed presidential bids of several women can- Subscription prices are: didates, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Digital & Print Subscription (U.S.) - 12 Months ($199.00) Digital & Print Subscription (International) - 12 Months ($229.00) U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. For example, how do men respond Digital Only Subscription - 12 Months ($169.00) to women who deploy “power poses”? And more importantly, Single copy: $25.00. All other rates on request. how can women candidates use contemporary psychology to POSTMASTER: break political glass ceilings? Send address changes to Kirkus Reviews, 2600Via Fortuna, Suite 130, Austin, TX 78746. Periodicals Postage Paid An engaging, practical guide to the psychological dynam- at Austin, TX 78710 and at additional mailing offices. ics of electoral politics.

180 | 1 june 2020 | indie | kirkus.com | CHILDREN OF Despite a thoroughly gratifying conclusion, there are quite a THE REVOLUTION few things left unresolved or unexplained—perfect fodder for Zienty, Joanne E. a potential sequel. Self (426 pp.) Sharp characterization and vibrant prose enliven this $24.99 | May 1, 2020 futuristic tale. 978-1-73368-810-9

A teen in a dystopian world seeks vengeance against powerful, murderous officials who control the precious water in this novel. Sixteen-year-old Merit lives in the Protectorate with her medic father, Eben. The walled area consists of six Regions surrounding the Great Lakes, which now contain much of the devastated world’s fresh water. The governing Galt Corporation, or the Hive, regulates the water and, therefore, the people. Any individual the Hive deems unsuitable is subject to severance, which is a bullet train ride to the land outside the Protectorate known as the Outlier. This includes Merit’s mother, Serafina, who’s been gone a year.

When the teen’s Region, Illiana, experiences a longer-than- young adult usual water outage, she and Eben share their stash of bottled water with others. But it’s soon clear that the outage is part of the Hive’s deadly plan for an entire District in Illiana. The Hive wants to use Eben’s skills elsewhere, but that would mean leaving Merit behind for severance or worse. So Eben helps Merit flee with the hopes that they will reunite later. The Hive’s security force, the goliaths, manage to track her as she hides in the wilderness. Merit fortunately encounters a man who can teach her how to be a hunter—how to shoot and kill the goliaths trying to murder her. But taking them out won’t satiate Merit’s thirst for revenge. For that, she heads to Chicago to find “the man who turned off the water” along with the individual who gave the order. Zienty’s worldbuilding begets a riveting, albeit frightening, future realm. The peril, for one, is unquestionable, as the tale begins in the midst of a four-year drought. Similarly, the totalitarian Hive is a formidable force, with an unsavory Illi- ana official named Tanner the most discernible representative. The Hive aims for control in myriad ways, such as requiring hormone adjustments to ensure most citizens’ androgyny and outlawing books. The author avoids congesting the narrative with details by hinting at causal events. For example, it’s “Year 80,” with little indication as to which catastrophes prompted the implementation of Year Zero or how they may have affected other countries. Plot progression slows considerably in the latter half, as Merit’s goal of retribution remains the driving force. Nevertheless, the story moves at a steady beat as she faces goliaths and ultimately makes a number of allies. This tale is certainly not lighthearted fare; Merit is unmis- takably distraught over her decision to employ lethal means, and more than one likable character meets a sad, violent end. Zienty beautifies the story with sublime writing, including Merit’s time in the wilderness: “Gnarled faces jut from the rock wall, brows caught in perpetual furrow, mouth drawn in eternal frowns, like a cluster of giant men frozen in a spell cast by some sorceress of stone, a sister to the Gorgon Medusa.”

| kirkus.com | indie | 1 june 2020 | 181 Seen & Heard

By Michael Schaub Alex Wong-Getty Images DR. FAUCI INSPIRED CHARACTER IN 1991 ROMANCE NOVEL The novel coronavirus pandemic has led Americans to develop some unlikely new celebrity crushes— among them Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The 79-year-old immunologist definitely has his share of admirers: Just do a Twitter search for “anthony fauci daddy” if you don’t believe us. Journalist and author Sally Quinn, however, recognized the good doctor’s hotness long before the rest of us. Fauci was the inspiration for a character in Quinn’s steamy 1991 novel, Happy Endings, reports Washingtonian magazine. Quinn told the magazine that the character of Michael Lanzer, a scientist at the National Insti- tutes of Health, was based on Fauci, whom she met at a Washington dinner. “I just fell in love with him,” Quinn said. “He was so different from most Washington people, because he’s so self-effacing. He’s not in it for the glory or the name recognition.” In the novel, the character of Sadie Grey—the widow of an assassinated U.S. president—falls for Lanzer, who, inconveniently, is married. A reviewer for Kirkus was not enamored, calling the novel “laborious, stilted, and—perhaps worst of all—fantastically unsexy.” Kevin Mazur-Getty Images for Samsung PORTUGAL. THE MAN TO SEND BANNED BOOKS TO STUDENTS The rock band Portugal. The Man is offering to send banned books to students in Alaska. The State. The band made the offer after hearing that the Mat-Su Borough School District School Board in Palmer, Alaska, had removed five books from its schools’ curricula. The banned books are Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. The decision to ban the books rankled members of Portugal. The Man, which originated in the Mat-Su Borough town of Wasilla, KTOO News reports. Eric Howk, who plays guitar for the band, said the ban had backfired, causing the books to “rocket up the charts” among young people in the Mat-Su Borough. “Hopefully they get talked about, because that’s the whole point of having these books in the curriculum, is classroom conversation,” Howk said. The band, known for their hit songs “Feel It Still” and “Live in the Moment,” said that students interested in getting free copies of the books should email them at [email protected]. Toby Melville-Pool-Samir Hussein-WireImage OPRAH MADE ROYAL BABY ARCHIE HIS OWN BOOK CLUB You have to be pretty special to have Oprah Winfrey curate a book club just for you. It would seem that Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, son of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, qualifies. The charity Save the Children U.K. has posted a video on Instagram featuring Meghan reading Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld’s Duck! Rabbit! to her son on his first birthday. Some viewers of the video noticed that the book bore a sticker reading “Archie’s Book Club” that looked a lot like the sticker for Winfrey’s famous club. That wasn’t a coincidence. In a story in O, the Oprah Magazine, Winfrey confirmed that the book was one of many she sent to Archie before he was even born. “I don’t know the baby’s name or the baby’s gender, but this baby will have enough books to last a lifetime!” she told Access Hollywood last year.

Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas–based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.

182 | 1 june 2020 | seen & heard | kirkus.com | Appreciations: Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential at 20 BY GREGORY MCNAMEE CNN Anthony Bourdain aspired to the kitchen early in life, after setting aside a childhood fondness for bologna sandwiches in favor of foie gras and filet mignon, his road-to-Damascus moment a perfect oyster he ate on a family trip to France. He also wanted to be a writer—so much so that after 20 years on the hot line he enrolled in a writing workshop led by Gordon Lish, the editor who shaped Raymond Carver’s best-known stories. Then he went off and wrote, producing in quick succession two noirish novels: Bone in the Throat, which our reviewer called “a fair appetizer but no main course,” and Gone Bamboo, which, well, we didn’t like at all. Neither book sold. Discouraged, Bourdain thought about giving up writing. But then, taking seriously the “write what you know” mantra, he pro- duced a book that changed his life, to say nothing of the lives of every literate haunter of restaurants. Kitchen Confidential, published in 2000, was in part a

memoir, highlighted by a shaggy dog story in which, having seen a newlywed young adult bride consummate the nuptials not with her husband but with a salty chef, he knew that the life of cramped quarters and greasy Danskos was truly for him. Moreover, he delivered a set of instructions for diners that had the force of gnomic life lessons. Examine a restaurant’s bathroom, he counseled: If it’s dirty, even the tiniest bit out of order, then you can imagine what the kitchen must look like. If you have your wits about you, then you’ll never eat fish on Monday: The seafood market is closed on the weekend, so it was probably purchased on Thursday for service over the next three days—making the fish five days old. Still, he wrote, sagely, “Good food and good eating are about risk.” There’s a bad clam out there somewhere with all our names on it, which is no reason to give up eating spaghetti alle vongole. You take a risk every time you enter a restaurant, and as for eating a street taco or dirty-water hot dog from a cart: Remember, he urged, that “your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park.” Bourdain was just as quick to dispense advice to would-be chefs that was no less Solomonic, advice that applies to all of us. Don’t start a project without the proper mise en place, he said, without everything you need being where you can easily and logically get at it—and know what you need beforehand. Be clean. Don’t make excuses. Work harder. Learn to speak Spanish, the lingua franca of the restaurant world, no matter what kind of food is being cooked. “Be prepared to witness every variety of human folly and injustice,” he intoned—witness, but not necessarily accept. Tony Bourdain is gone now, a fact that should break all our hearts. As I write, every restaurant in the land has turned into a takeout joint, dining in company being a no-no in a time of pandemic. But Kitchen Confidential lives on, a paean and homage to the chef within us, and the thoughtful eater, too.

Gregory McNamee is a contributing editor.

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