JCLChrisK's Completed Shelf
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Streets of GoldStreets of Gold, BookAmerica's Untold Story of Immigrant Success
by Abramitzky, RanBook - 2022Book, 2022
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 26, 2024
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 25, 2024
Comment:
A feel-good story that most readers are sure to enjoy--though it felt a bit familiar, cliche, and predictable to me
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 25, 2024
Comment:
An intriguing premise, but Rafe and his responses to the situation did not ring psychologically true to me.
Who Gets Believed?Who Gets Believed?, BookWhen the Truth Isn't Enough
by Nayeri, DinaBook - 2023Book, 2023
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 15, 2024
Comment:
This is a fascinating, passionate, personal, and complex book about a complicated, abstract, slippery concept, that of interpersonal belief. This is Nayeri's exploration, from her very personal perspective, of the subjective, social, cultural nature of truth. Some have power to define what is "true" while others don't. There are myriad dimensions to this idea, and Nayeri considers many of them.
Some authors try to hide their backgrounds and biases behind a veneer of attempted neutrality; Nayeri does the opposite. Her life experiences are central to her thoughts about her topic, so she openly--and vulnerably--brings them forward in her considerations. The book almost reads like a memoir at times, which is part of what makes it so hard to classify, as she weaves stories from her personal life into every topic that emerges in this wide-ranging journey.
The central theme that runs through the book is the plight of international refugees seeking asylum, and the bureaucratic processes they must navigate in the hopes of being believed as truly in need of sanctuary. It's a difficult process, made more so by the desperate, powerless state of being a refugee.
Nayeri herself experienced the process with her family as a child, fleeing from Iran due to religious persecution after her mother converted to Evangelical Christianity. Both of her parents were doctors, and their education and status surely helped. Before becoming a writer, she went to Harvard Business School and was trained by a top management consulting firm. Her perspectives from both her non-Western refugee background and her upper-class education inform her thoughts and emerge as themes. Another major one is her life-long struggle with her mother's faith, particularly her inability to find anything authentic in their church's practice of speaking in tongues. Most personally, she tells the story of her refusal to believe the mental illness diagnosis of her significant other's brother.
The book moves constantly from stories of those refusing to believe the genuine need of asylum-seekers, which outrages Nayeri, to stories from her life where she has refused to believe others, often causing them pain and hardship.
It is searing, insightful, and layered, and compels readers to think deeply.
Highly recommended.This is a fascinating, passionate, personal, and complex book about a complicated, abstract, slippery concept, that of interpersonal belief. This is Nayeri's exploration, from her very personal perspective, of the subjective, social, cultural nature…
Quotations
- As a foreign kid, I knew that "American" was a performance. So is "refugee," "good mother," "top manager." "Scientist" is harder, but still a performance, inherited and learned. A CEO is all theater, aped and perfected in private, then trotted out publicly to varying degrees of success. There are some excellent fakers out there.As a foreign kid, I knew that "American" was a performance. So is "refugee," "good mother," "top manager." "Scientist" is harder, but still a performance, inherited and learned. A CEO is all theater, aped and perfected in private, then trotted out…
- The fossilized lie is public memory.
- Just as grief performance is shaped by culture, so is all storytelling.
- Believing can end suffering; it's a kind of love.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
So good.
In Free Lunch and Punching Bag, Ogle told of all the difficulties he faced during his youth, the oppressive abuse and neglect and poverty. In this book, he tells how he managed to survive that trauma and become a success: through the support, encouragement, and unconditional love he received from his grandmother.
This collection of biographical poems tells the story of how she helped him through those years. It's heartbreaking and beautiful and hopeful, vulnerable and honest and wonderful. You could even, if you don't mind missing out on their moving excellence, skip the first two books and be fully satisfied reading just this one.
Highly recommended.So good.
In Free Lunch and Punching Bag, Ogle told of all the difficulties he faced during his youth, the oppressive abuse and neglect and poverty. In this book, he tells how he managed to survive that trauma and become a success: through the…
Once Upon A Time at the End of the WorldOnce Upon A Time at the End of the World, Graphic NovelVol. 1 Love in the Wasteland
by Aaron, JasonGraphic Novel - 2023Graphic Novel, 2023
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 10, 2024
Comment:
A story of survival in a gritty, desolate, postapocalyptic world with surprising heart and witty political commentary.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 10, 2024
Comment:
A gripping survival story with strong characters that delves into themes like familial and societal bonds and breakdowns, how different people respond differently to crisis and scarcity. Exciting and good.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 08, 2024
Comment:
More excitement, adventure, character growth, and complex issues--war, economic exploitation, interspecies relations, family, and meaning. Far more than a simple space adventure. Gripping and satisfying.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Mar 06, 2024
Comment:
Lai continues the story begun in Inside Out and Back Again, that of a refugee family trying to make a new life in the United States after fleeing the Vietnam War. She again tells her story in verse, sensitively conveying the experience of starting over in a strange place with nothing. This time she focuses on how hard everyone works to build up from scratch and all the sacrifices they must make to get any momentum toward better lives--something especially difficult for a sixth grade girl who is tired of always standing out. Lyrical and moving.Lai continues the story begun in Inside Out and Back Again, that of a refugee family trying to make a new life in the United States after fleeing the Vietnam War. She again tells her story in verse, sensitively conveying the experience of starting…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 29, 2024
Comment:
Intriguing, but the narrative voice didn't work for me and the story didn't engage me.
Added Feb 29, 2024
Comment:
A gentle, old-fashioned story about bravery, companionship, community, and the power of stories. A fable, really; a very personal, personable fable. I wasn't in love with the narrative voice at first, but the tale ended up winning me over. Or, as the opening paragraph describes, the story snared me: a good story "digs into your skin like a silver wire and holds you in its grasp." By the end, I was delighted; more importantly, I want to share it with others. A most remarkable little book.A gentle, old-fashioned story about bravery, companionship, community, and the power of stories. A fable, really; a very personal, personable fable. I wasn't in love with the narrative voice at first, but the tale ended up winning me over. Or, as…
Quotations
- Without conflict in life, things feel safe--but boring.
- Life-and-death stakes might enhance a story, but they were terrifying to live through.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 28, 2024
Comment:
An engaging fantasy romance. Intriguing characters and world building. Good writing. I would have liked a little more action, a little less plotting and politics and a romantic arc that wasn't quite so cliché, but I definitely enjoyed it.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 27, 2024
Comment:
"Let me state one thing up front: I wasn't *trying* to start a cult."
That's about as intriguing and promising a start I can imagine. While not technically the first words of the book, they are the first sentence of the first chapter, so in my mind that counts. I love a great opening sentence(s), and this one is stellar.
Everything that follows (and, briefly, precedes) is just as good. Intrigue, romance, depth, supernatural entities, interpersonal conflict; all of it realistically complex and engaging. This story is satisfying and fun."Let me state one thing up front: I wasn't *trying* to start a cult."
That's about as intriguing and promising a start I can imagine. While not technically the first words of the book, they are the first sentence of the first chapter, so in my mind…
The Eyes & the ImpossibleThe Eyes & the Impossible, Book
by Eggers, DaveBook - 2023Book, 2023
All copies in useView location availabilityView location availability for The Eyes & the Impossible, Book, All copies in use
Holds: 64 on 8 copies
Holds: 64 on 8 copies
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 24, 2024
Comment:
A joyful story with a wonderful narrative voice in the form of a dog and his animal friends living on the edge of civilization in a park.
Quotations
- Every reasonable creature knows that the worst thing any creature can do all day is think of themselves. If there are troubles in your mind, you should think first of the troubles of others; it is the essence of liberation. That is, freedom begins the moment we forget ourselves.Every reasonable creature knows that the worst thing any creature can do all day is think of themselves. If there are troubles in your mind, you should think first of the troubles of others; it is the essence of liberation. That is, freedom begins…
- And here I should say that of all the horrible things humans have created, the most maniacal and wrong of them is this, this intermittent screaming sound as their vehicles go backward. All of life stops when the screaming begins. All beauty ends, all music ends, clouds cleave, hearts break, and all of the world nearby waits, with breath held, for the sound to end. Nothing can be done during this mechanical wailing. No thinking, no eating, no running, no living. And the humans could so easily correct it, but they do nothing. Some human invented this sound, and they all know it's a terrible mistake, but they all live with it, as if it were an unchangeable part of existence, like weather or death. Finally the truck stopped backing up and the screaming ended, too, and the world was allowed to begin again. The tension that had overtaken my body let go.And here I should say that of all the horrible things humans have created, the most maniacal and wrong of them is this, this intermittent screaming sound as their vehicles go backward. All of life stops when the screaming begins. All beauty ends,…
Sweet in Tooth and ClawSweet in Tooth and Claw, BookStories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World
by Ohlson, KristinBook - 2022Book, 2022
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 19, 2024
Comment:
The common narrative describes evolution as a competition, a struggle in which all parts of nature fight all other parts. Ohlson argues in this book that we see the natural world as such because that's what we've gone looking for. If we switch our perspective, though, to looking for cooperation, we can find just as much evidence to support a view that nature and evolution are a story of mutualisms, of diverse, complex, cooperative, polycultural ecosystems where lifeforms depend upon and help each other, stronger together. Cooperation is as much the norm as competition, if only we can see it.
This book is Ohlson's attempt to shift the narrative. Each chapter demonstrates a different realm of natural cooperation, where science has only recently come to understand the dynamics of the beneficial relationships at work--and of people putting that science into action in new and dynamic ways. Of how humans are learning to be cooperative partners with nature for mutual benefit. Her accounts are personal and narrative, as she spent time with each of those she writes about, even as she delves into the science involved. Her writing is meant to inspire readers to join in seeing and acting differently, and in that she succeeds eloquently.The common narrative describes evolution as a competition, a struggle in which all parts of nature fight all other parts. Ohlson argues in this book that we see the natural world as such because that's what we've gone looking for. If we switch our…
Quotations
- How might our behavior change if we understood the extent to which cooperation within and among species undergirds the natural world and makes it thrive? If we looked for that cooperation? Could we begin to see ourselves as partners and helpers, part of a greater fabric of giving, instead of exploiters and colonizers and wreckers?How might our behavior change if we understood the extent to which cooperation within and among species undergirds the natural world and makes it thrive? If we looked for that cooperation? Could we begin to see ourselves as partners and helpers,…
- Scientists now find that just about every complex plant, fungus, and animal hosts a dynamic microbiota--a community of bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and other microorganisms that live in us and on us and are essential to our health, just we are essential to theirs. We are not individuals but ecosystems, each of us hosting a whirl of organisms busily interacting with us and with each other in a complex web of connection. The ecosystem of us lives within larger ecosystems--our gardens, our neighborhoods, our farms, our cities, whatever wilderness we have left--where we interact and overlap with other animal-plant-fungal ecosystems and the invisibles inside them as well as free-living microbes throughout the environment that aren't associated with hosts. Those larger ecosystems are nested within and interacting with even larger ones, on and on until they encompass the entire planet.Scientists now find that just about every complex plant, fungus, and animal hosts a dynamic microbiota--a community of bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and other microorganisms that live in us and on us and are essential to our health, just we…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 13, 2024
Comment:
A sensitive, quiet story about two damaged people slowly, gradually emerging from their individual isolations to find consolation in connection with each other. Wonderful writing.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 09, 2024
Comment:
A wonderful conjunction of folk tales, folklore, espionage, grit, danger, and adventure at the crossroads of New York during the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Highly enjoyable.
Quotations
- The world is not simple. The world is not one place. It's the sum of an impossible number of incomprehensible things, and if you start out on any road in the world and follow it for any distance at all, sooner or later you enter into strange country.
- "You think just because you and I understand two different things, one of us has to be wrong?" Burns asked. "If there was only one was to read a book," Burns said with a little smile, "any book in the world--if there was only one way to read and understand it, what would be the point of reading that book?” "You think just because you and I understand two different things, one of us has to be wrong?" Burns asked. "If there was only one was to read a book," Burns said with a little smile, "any book in the world--if there was only one way to read and…
Attention SpanAttention Span, BookA Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity
by Mark, GloriaBook - 2023Book, 2023
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 06, 2024
Comment:
A wealth of interesting information about the topic of attention. However, the writing was such that I, well, had much more trouble keeping my attention focused on it than I normally do with books of this type and I didn't digest as much as I would have liked. And much of the book is focused narrowly on those who do "information work" on their computers all day. So if that applies to you and you're willing to work harder than often to get past the way it's presented to the information itself, you should find this insightful and valuable.A wealth of interesting information about the topic of attention. However, the writing was such that I, well, had much more trouble keeping my attention focused on it than I normally do with books of this type and I didn't digest as much as I would…
Simon Sort of SaysSimon Sort of Says, Book
by Bow, ErinBook - 2023Book, 2023
All copies in useView location availabilityView location availability for Simon Sort of Says, Book, All copies in use
Holds: 3 on 7 copies
Holds: 3 on 7 copies
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 04, 2024
Comment:
A surprisingly enjoyable story about a boy and his parents healing from trauma.
The book only gradually reveals the source of that trauma, but readers know from the start that something extreme happened and it will take something extreme for them to move on. They start by moving to a small town in rural Nebraska surrounded by radio telescopes that probe space to send and receive alien signals--which means a thirty-mile radius with no other radio signals, television, cell phones, internet, or microwaves allowed, nothing that might interfere with the scientific signals. The National Quiet Zone, as cut off from the world as a family can get without withdrawing from society completely.
That's just the start of the unusual circumstances Simon finds himself in, as many madcap moments occur throughout the book. Simon is a witty and humorous narrator, and, through him, Bow is able to broach heavy topics with a light and respectful touch. There are tough moments, but the story is fun and entertaining.
A really good book.A surprisingly enjoyable story about a boy and his parents healing from trauma.
The book only gradually reveals the source of that trauma, but readers know from the start that something extreme happened and it will take something extreme for them…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Feb 02, 2024
Comment:
I really enjoyed this. Four distinct, relatable, authentic characters take turns narrating short chapters that keep the pace quick. Each is dealing with their own issues, yet they find commonality and community through a shared purpose. Parents and other adults are involved and realistic. Lots of appeal and nicely done.I really enjoyed this. Four distinct, relatable, authentic characters take turns narrating short chapters that keep the pace quick. Each is dealing with their own issues, yet they find commonality and community through a shared purpose. Parents and…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Jan 31, 2024
Comment:
Another satisfying chapter in this ongoing story. This one is more transitional than some of the chapters, laying groundwork for the development of a number of plots and character arcs. The scope of this work keeps getting more impressive, and I remain just as hooked as ever.Another satisfying chapter in this ongoing story. This one is more transitional than some of the chapters, laying groundwork for the development of a number of plots and character arcs. The scope of this work keeps getting more impressive, and I…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Jan 22, 2024
Comment:
Atmospherically surreal and creepy, this vaguely supernatural mystery is about family, identity, community, memory, grief, and, most of all, guilt. Good characters and relationships in the midst of urgent, off-balance suspense. A compelling and consuming story.Atmospherically surreal and creepy, this vaguely supernatural mystery is about family, identity, community, memory, grief, and, most of all, guilt. Good characters and relationships in the midst of urgent, off-balance suspense. A compelling and…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Jan 22, 2024
Comment:
"I feel myself in the clan of immigrants and hyphens."
This is a unique book. In her brief introduction, Samatar writes that one day she messaged her brother to say "we should tell our lives through monsters." And here it is. A brief field guide describing their travels through the world of monsters, with words by Sofia and illustrations by Del. Hallucinatory, pleasurable, critical, and crucial.
The Samatars' mother is a white Mennonite, their father a converted Somali Muslim; they began their lives in Somalia before moving to a Mennonite community in the U.S. "I feel myself in the clan of immigrants and hyphens." Their book conveys a veiled sense of this experience, of being seen by almost everyone as not quite normal, as not fully belonging, something outside and other, a type of monster. And what it feels like to be treated as such. A veiled sense, intertwined with the descriptions of the travel and the monsters.
The language is a mix of personal, poetic, and academic, hyphenated and not fully belonging to any category itself; and the images are evocative. It's an experience for both the mind and the emotions, hazy and intuitive and precise all at the same time.
Unique, fascinating, and wonderful."I feel myself in the clan of immigrants and hyphens."
This is a unique book. In her brief introduction, Samatar writes that one day she messaged her brother to say "we should tell our lives through monsters." And here it is. A brief field guide…
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of FaeriesEmily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Book
by Fawcett, HeatherBook - 2023Book, 2023
All copies in useView location availabilityView location availability for Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Book, All copies in use
Holds: 1 on 14 copies
Holds: 1 on 14 copies
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Jan 17, 2024
Comment:
Cozy and fun.
The Story of Gumluck the WizardThe Story of Gumluck the Wizard, Book
by Rex, AdamBook - 2023Book, 2023
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Jan 16, 2024
Comment:
A delightful little book for the easy chapter book reader. Just enough silly balanced by just enough heart and depth.
Comment: