The newest from three-time Hugo Award winner N. K. Jemisin is an epic tribute to New York City that runs on pure adrenaline with a Lovecraftian back sThe newest from three-time Hugo Award winner N. K. Jemisin is an epic tribute to New York City that runs on pure adrenaline with a Lovecraftian back story and a hip hop backbeat. Five New Yorkers, some born to the city and others only recently arrived, find themselves the sudden manifestations of the soul of the Big Apple and the only ones standing between the city and its total destruction at the tendrils and tentacles of an eldritch city-eating horror. A big departure from The Broken Earth Trilogy, but with its powerful political commentary, The City We Became is sure to please Jemisin fans, all while embracing superhero and horror fans....more
600 years ago, pregnant African women thrown into the sea from slavers gave birth to a water-dwelling people who formed a utopian community in the oce600 years ago, pregnant African women thrown into the sea from slavers gave birth to a water-dwelling people who formed a utopian community in the ocean depths. With a history too traumatic to bear, each generation anoints an historian to keep all the memories, but what happens when that history is too heavy for one person to carry alone? Building off the mythos developed in the music of 90s electronic duo Drexciya and the song “The Deep” by clipping., this is an important work of afrofuturism and a powerful meditation on history and trauma. It is a little heavy on the ideas and the enjoyability suffers from it, but its value as thought experiment makes up for it. I had to read this twice to understand what happened, so slow down while reading this one!...more
This Is Chance! is a timely reminder that when the die is cast and misfortune is in the cards, chances are that we’ll find the everyday relationships This Is Chance! is a timely reminder that when the die is cast and misfortune is in the cards, chances are that we’ll find the everyday relationships around us—the ones forged between neighbors, in scouting troops, or through community theater—are strong enough to save us. On Good Friday 1964, the largest city in the newly official state of Alaska suffered the most powerful earthquake in American history. The citizens of Anchorage underwent four and a half minutes of shocking and surreal devastation, then the earthquake ended, the sun set, and the city was cast in total, isolating darkness. Out of that chaos, homemaker and part-time radio broadcaster Genie Chance arose as the singular voice of a community in disaster. Much of This Is Chance! is such a pleasant read, a story about a forgotten heroine, a city coming together, and a disaster overcome, but by the end, what Mooallem salvages from the wreckage of history is something more profound, an existential tenderness in how we regard our own lives and a newfound hope in the power of community in a fragile and divided world. ...more
Set in 19th century Philadelphia and beyond, The Signature of All Things follows the life of Alma Whitaker, the naturalist, moss-obsessed daughter of Set in 19th century Philadelphia and beyond, The Signature of All Things follows the life of Alma Whitaker, the naturalist, moss-obsessed daughter of a self-made plant magnate, from before her birth to her old age. A slice of life novel, the beauty and enjoyment in this book are found in the twists and turns of a life fully lived, not necessarily in the plot. Within these pages, you’ll find curiosity and love, desire and sexuality, god and science, family and sacrifice, all the grandeur and humble detail of life itself....more
“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love." ―Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, Contact.
I honestly feel honored to share wit“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love." ―Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, Contact.
I honestly feel honored to share with the world this debut book by Sasha Sagan, daughter of Carl and Ann, who taught their daughter that science reveals the wonder and majesty of a world greater than the limits of myth or fable. In For Small Creatures Such as We, Sasha writes with such reverence, beauty, and tenderness about how we can find meaning as humble humans on a pale blue dot through creating and participating in ceremony, celebration, and ritual. Part memoir, part guidebook, and part social history, For Small Creatures Such as We reminded me of the grandeur of the universe and the magic of finding our own place within it. ...more
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