On the Come Up
Of all the great opening lines of literature–“Call me Ismael,” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”–Angie Thomas’s in On the Come Up may well be the greatest: “I might have to kill somebody tonight.” … Continued
“Lincoln Highway” Heads in a Different Direction
I probably would have read anything that came out by Amor Towles. That his third book was titled The Lincoln Highway made it inescapable. I, who had read about Carl Fisher and the Lincoln Highway, Cy Avery and Route 66, … Continued
“Crossroads” Asks: What Does It Mean to Be Good?
Jonathan Franzen’s Crossroads was a gift. Listening to it in my car during the Holiday season was like an audio advent calendar. Each new commute-long section brought surprises, like daily presents wrapped up just for me. As it happened, I … Continued
Long Way Down
Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, is a highly original novel in verse. It is clever, artful, provocative, and desperately important. Original: The story takes place in a single elevator trip from the eighth floor to the lobby of Will’s … Continued
Norman Mailer’s Audacious Big Novel
Silly or serious? Silly and serious? The fight over American Dirt can seem either or both. “Mexicans have been writing about the border and borderlands published in English since the 1800s. It is a bit insulting that someone thinks we … Continued
The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give accomplishes what fiction does best: create a world recognizably our own and takes us to places, physical and otherwise, we couldn’t otherwise go. Through the life of Starr Carter, we travel back and forth … Continued
Fictional History
Juba! by Walter Dean Myers is historical fiction with a strong emphasis on the history. The title character actually existed. The events in the book are documented. Fourteen archival images grace the pages, including map, photo, and engraving; portraits, posters, … Continued