For me, the beauty of this book lies in how its story unfolds in the small frame of one woman’s experience, told by a narrator who is at once painfully close to her and yet aware of dangers she cannot sense. Glancingly punctuated passages take breath and resistance away from me, haul me into the story whether I wish to go there or not—I’m betting some of you feel that way about the daily news, but that won’t be because the daily news is beautifully crafted. I found myself merging fictional context with my real-world preoccupations, which may not be entirely fair to the writer’s intention. But does that intention even matter? I found so much in here that gave me perspective on the questions that come flying out of our daily reality, and these days, when a fictional dystopian Ireland reminds me of a real-time US government following an authoritarian playbook, I’ll take perspective where I can find it.
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023 • NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"A prophetic masterpiece." — Ron Charles, Washington Post
On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police on her step. They have arrived to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.
Ireland is falling apart, caught in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny. As the life she knows and the ones she loves disappear before her eyes, Eilish must contend with the dystopian logic of her new, unraveling country. How far will she…
In Sea Change, Susan Fletcher (truth-in-advertising compels me to admit she is a writer friend and colleague) has built a near-future society where the boundaries of “normality” are not predicated on race but rather on genetic modification--we encounter a generation affected by out-of-control technology while simultaneously coping with flooded cities in a post-climate catastrophe. The story points to our time, but indirectly, which makes it even more powerful. The fantastic is made real by moving us very close, using perspective like a rubber band to maintain the tension. As I sense a shower of finely wrought details, I'm ready to believe that this is what it feels like to breathe underwater. All the while, Susan remains true to the heart and mind of her young protagonist.
An original and timely new YA novel from acclaimed author Susan Fletcher, set in a near-future where rogue gene editing has changed humanity-loosely based on The Little Mermaid
A girl torn between two worlds . . .
Turtle is scavenging a drowned town when she saves a stranger's life. There's something special about Kai-an attraction she's never felt before. She would do anything to see him again.
But Turtle can never truly be with Kai, because Kai is Normal, and Turtle is one of the Mer, kids whose genes were illegally hacked before birth and who now have working gills…
I never know whether to pick books for children or grownups in these selections, but I write for children so my picks are trending young this year. Radiant is a verse novel written in the viewpoint of its young protagonist, Cooper. The author, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson has been a dear friend and writing colleague for years. Cooper finds her own radiance and inner strength despite the fractures of the world around her and through a commingling of musical fandom, faith, and dawning social awareness. I was fortunate to see this work grow in small clusters of poems as they emerged from Vaun’s nurturing mind. Forgiveness is a key theme, with the story and its young characters leaving the lingering thought that it's important not to "forgive and forget." Rather we can grow from not forgetting, from remembering. Here is a past capable of shedding light on our fractured and wounding present. capable of leaving young readers with hope.
A historical middle-grade novel in verse from multiple Coretta Scott King winner Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.
As school begins in 1963, Cooper Dale wrestles with what it means to "shine" for a black girl in a predominantly white community near Pittsburgh. Set against the historic backdrop of the Birmingham church bombing, the Kennedy assassination, and Beatlemania, Radiant is a finely crafted novel in verse about race, class, faith, and finding your place in a loving family and a complicated world.
Cooper's primary concern is navigating fifth grade, where she faces both an extra-strict teacher and the bullying of Wade Carter, the…
Anil loves karate, his friends and the solar power project he has been championing in his community. He doesn’t love having to speak up — as his karate sensei says, best fight, no fight. Still, Anil wishes his classmate Mohan would stop picking on him.
Then Anil learns where the city is planning to build a new solar panel factory. More sustainable energy is good news — but this factory will threaten plant and animal species and force the village people who live on the land to move. Maybe staying quiet isn’t an option anymore
