From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century

Injustices. Through describing a long litany of hundreds of years of injustice, William A. Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen made a case for justice in their book titled, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. You probably have formed an opinion about reparations already. I guarantee that if you read this book, you are very likely to reconsider your position. The authors present their case with clarity and turn our eyes to aspects of the past that most of us would rather not see or acknowledge. Even if you still think reparations are impractical, have nothing to do with you, or are just a bad idea after reading this book, you will have spent a least a little time opening your mind to the possibility that reparations are the right thing to do and there are ways to do it right.

 

Rating: Five-star (I love it)

Click here to purchase From Here to Equality from amazon.com.

Friends and Strangers

 Privilege. The combination of finely written prose and psychological insight elevate J. Courtney Sullivan’s novel titled, Friends and Strangers, from domestic drama to literary fiction that encapsulates our current time and place. After two decades in New York City, protagonist and journalist Elisabeth moves with her husband and child to the rural town where his parents live. Many readers will identify with Elisabeth staying linked to her Brooklyn Moms group, while she steps slowly into the Moms group in her new community. Sullivan touches all the right nerves when it comes to motherhood. She also explores significant issues about privilege in this novel, and the ways in which insensitivity to the reality of privilege can inhibit the ability of one to see what other lives are like. Is the relationship between Elisabeth and her young babysitter friendship? After the babysitter finds a mentor in Elisabeth’s father-in-law, what does that mean for relationships all around? Fans of finely written literary fiction, especially mothers, are those readers most likely to enjoy this novel.

 

Rating: Five-star (I love it)

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Big Summer

Friend. Female friendships can be complicated things, and there’s plenty of complexity in Jennifer Weiner’s novel titled, Big Summer. Protagonist Daphne Berg is surprised when estranged high school friend Drue Cavanaugh contacts her six years after a dramatic breakup and invites her to be the maid of honor at a huge society wedding in outer Cape Cod. Daphne ends up feeling sorry for friendless Drue, so she agrees. What follows is a whirlwind of Instagram posts to plus-size Daphne’s followers, and to all the buzz around Drue and her fiancée. There are rom com elements in this novel that will make readers laugh, and enough seriousness to keep turning pages to the end. For those with covid-19 diminished attention, this novel is likely to be a fun and satisfying distraction. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok) Click here to purchase Big Summer from amazon.com.

The Missing American

Emma. Kwei Quartey has started a new crime fiction series featuring a young private detective in Accra, Ghana named Emma Djan. In this first novel titled, The Missing American, Emma finds herself sacked by the police department after she refused sexual advances from a senior officer and is then hired by a private investigator who values her detecting skills. Her first case involves, as the title indicates, a missing person. Quartey pulls readers into the world of successful internet scams as well as political corruption. Most readers will enjoy how all the threads of the plot come together and how easy it is to spend time with Emma and to enjoy the ways in which she gets the job done and achieves satisfaction. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Missing American from amazon.com.

Let them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality

Plutocrats. Spend a little while reading Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson’s book titled, Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality, and you’ll begin to marvel about how a tiny minority of successful American plutocrats have gotten unpopular things done to their advantage. Hacker and Pierson describes the methods by which a few rich and powerful individuals have commandeered the levers of political power and built up unlikely coalitions to protect or enhance wealth and power for the few. This effort has been building over a long period of time and the current environment is the consequence of gradual changes and incremental steps. Readers interested in public policy and political science are those most likely to enjoy this engaging book. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a great time in America to be a plutocrat. The authors of this book explain why and how that happened. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Let Them Eat Tweets from amazon.com.

Dead Land

Power. The twentieth installment in the V.I. Warshawski series by Sara Paretsky is a novel titled, Dead Land. There’s a secret power play to develop the lakefront on Chicago’s South Side, and Vic’s goddaughter Bernie pulls her into the middle of the action. The familiar cast of characters enhance the novel for longtime fans, and links to Kansas and South America broaden the story beyond Chicago. When bodies start to pile up, Vic’s sense of urgency accelerates, especially when she herself becomes a target. I enjoyed every minute spent reading this entertaining novel and appreciated the continuing development of this familiar cast of characters alongside their engagement with new people. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Dead Land from amazon.com.

The Angels' Share

Madeira. The tenth wine country novel by Ellen Crosby is titled, The Angels’ Share. Protagonist Lucie Montgomery finds herself in the center of the key events in this installment. She discovers the body of her neighbor in his wine cellar shortly after he told her he wanted to buy bottles of Madeira dating back to Presidents Jefferson and Madison that her father had acquired. While Lucie was the executor of her father’s estate, she knew nothing about this Madeira. While she searches for the wine, her neighbor’s death was ruled a homicide and the killer poses a serious threat to Lucie. Fans of this series and crime fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel. I finished the book with an interest in tracking down some old Madeira myself. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Angels’ Share from amazon.com.