I lost my reading way a bit at the end of 2021, due in part to the chaos of the holiday season and in part to the emotional weight of COVID year three. But I’m getting back into a literary groove this month with these titles! Thank you Random House for gifting me these books, noted with a star.
Gonzalez & Daughter Trucking Co.*
Maria Amparo Escandon
This is a fun story told by an inmate in a Mexican women’s prison. Once a week she “reads” to the other prisoners, spinning stories of her own life for the group while pretending to present classic novels. As the book develops we learn how she arrived at the prison in the first place and about the bonds she develops there. I enjoyed this read. It wrapped up a little too perfectly at the end, but it was entertaining.
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
This was our book club book this month! It’s a very engaging and accessible reframing of United States history through the lens of colonialism. Dunbar-Ortiz stresses that she’s not attempting to provide information about all the various native cultures in the U.S., but to highlight the colonial and genocidal foundation that our myth of a great, righteous country is built on. Very, very interesting. I’d consider this a must read for everyone.
The Death of the Artist
William Deresiewicz
In ‘The Death of the Artist,’ Deresiewicz examines how big tech, and big money, are stifling the lives of professional artists across the country. This book really hits hard because I’m living in that space right now. As a freelance arts reporter I experience and see this happening daily. The online messaging is that it’s a great time to be an artist because with the internet anyone can create and showcase their work. But the reality is that professional artists, not amateur ‘content’ creators, are consistently unpaid and undervalued as costs of living continue to skyrocket. Very good, if sad, cultural examination.
House of Gucci
Sara Gay Forden
In anticipation of the movie coming out (which I of course never got around to seeing) I picked up the book. I knew very little about the Gucci story so it was interesting to learn how the company was built and the designs developed. This is an engaging story but most of the action is in the family continually suing each other so it can be a bit difficult to follow all the various legal and financial battles. Still, I’d recommend this book for lovers of fashion and drama.
Fuzz
Mary Roach
Mary Roach is one of my favorite nonfiction writers. In her latest she explores what happens when we try to apply our legal system to the animal world. Some of it is silly, there’s a long history of people trying to sue animals for property destruction. And some of it is interesting, for example when a bear breaks into someone’s home in an alpine town, who is liable? Is there any course of action? It’s not just about reparations either but about ethically managing the relationship between wildlife and civilization. This isn’t my favorite of her books, but as always it was an interesting read.