In their new graphic memoir about her life growing up in Iraq, Brigitte Findakly and her husband Lewis Trondheim shed light on the interior lives of middle-class Iraqis under Saddam Hussein's rule in the mid-20th century. Poppies of Iraq does for 1970s Iraq what Persepolis did for 1970s Iran, putting a human face to stories … Continue reading Poppies of Iraq: A Review
If you enjoy warmhearted, but bittersweet, pieces of historical fiction with sweeping narratives spread out across decades, you will adore Leslie Shimotakahara's After the Bloom. Following two Japanese-Canadian women who hail originally from the United States, Shimotakahara's novel is a thought-provoking examination of war's impact on civilian casualties. After the Bloom centers on Lily Takemitsu … Continue reading After the Bloom: A Review
The Broken Earth trilogy concludes with The Stone Sky, an unputdownable final installment in author N.K. Jemisin's latest SFF series. Separated by the most recent Fifth Season, Essun and Nassun find themselves on a collision course as they race to end their planet's seismic flux, once and for all. As you might have guessed, the … Continue reading The Stone Sky: A Review
There are plenty of great puberty books out there for young people with vaginas. Helloflo: The Guide, Period.: The Everything Puberty Book for the Modern Girl is not one of them. Written by HelloFlo founder Naama Bloom and stamped with her company branding, The Guide, Period promises to be a fantastic addition to a pre-teen's … Continue reading The Guide, Period: A Review
It's only natural to expect people in the U.S. to be fascinated by — and a little wary of — news out of North Korea. The Hermit Kingdom has become our new boogeyman, replacing China and Russia as the focus of our Red Scare. But given the United States' near-total lack of communication with the … Continue reading The Accusation: A Review