I could not put this one down; normally when I read non-fiction I intersperse my evening reading with fluffy memoirs or popcorn fiction but despite the difficult subject matter I read this one in two nights. Barbara Demick spent numerous years in Seoul covering both Koreas for American articles; in that time she formed relationships with North Korean defectors and began piecing together what eventually became Nothing to Envy. Six defectors are interviewed and their stories are woven together to create a multi-dimensional picture of […]
History is Closer Than We Think
I love reading historical books about strong women. When I do that, though, I often forget just how recent the life I’m learning about was lived. It’s hard to remember that, in the larger picture of these things, that women like Maude Clayborn didn’t really live that long ago. To see how much has changed, or not changed, since Maude was born in 1892 is something that I’ve been sitting with since I finished this book last week. It’s been interesting for me to process […]
He’s pretty great if you forget about the whole “owning humans” thing.
James Madison and James Monroe are interchangeable in mind. Both were important Founding Fathers, their names are fairly similar, they served consecutive dual terms as president, they both hailed from Virginia, were both proteges of Thomas Jefferson and turned against George Washington and the Federalists. Both served as Secretaries of State. Madison and Monroe were even close friends for 25 years (before temporarily severing ties with one another). There are numerous differences between the two men, but the one that stands out for me is […]
Once upon a time I was somebody else
Continuing with my rock and roll bio fest, comes this well researched and enjoyable book about Dave Grohl by Paul Brannigan. Brannigan is a music journalist, used to be an editor for Kerrang! and as such known Dave for well over a decade, right back to the DC punk scene days. This gives the book a real insider feel to it, as they have both lived through and have participated in some real seminal times in rock and punk. Usually I get annoyed with interviewers who interject […]
Dullness of Character Makes for Bland Review Titles
This was not the next biography on my list. I had engaged, the day previous to starting this book, in a heated exchange with a co-worker over who would comprise a list of the five most important Americans (I live an exciting life, folks). My off-hand suggestion of George Washington was dismissed with disdain, and countered with George Mason. This led down a rabbit hole which I won’t bother venturing again, but the salient point here is that I was driven to pursue greater understanding […]
A dense, rich graphic memoir
I swore I would not fall behind in CBR Reviews. Lo and behold, I am about ten reviews behind. I blame a vacation, a wedding, and my online class grading for getting me behind in my reviewing (but hey, still reading, amirite?). I’ll stop apologizing and get right to it: I’ve been trying to expand my graphic novel “vocabulary,” and I especially find the concept of graphic memoirs intriguing. So when I heard about G.B. Tran’s Vietnamerica, my curiosity was piqued. I’ve read Thanhha Lai’s […]
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