Book cover of The History of a Difficult Child

Book description

“An endearing coming-of-age story. . . . Sharp and witty. . . . A wily and operatic novel. . . . Propulsive.” —The Washington Post

"The History of a Difficult Child is an extraordinary novel." —Maaza Mengiste, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Shadow King

“An exhilarating novel by a powerful…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The History of a Difficult Child as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

You need books to get you completely out of your narrow, familiar world, because you have to bring your own imagination to a book in a way that you don’t have to with films or theater.

This brilliant, funny, heart-breaking novel about a family in rural Ethiopia at a time of political persecution and turmoil in the 1970s-80s will put you into a world where your only bearings are love and longing. I was travelling around Ethiopia in October and was reading this book the whole way, and it both enlightened and transcended my experiences. It will for you too,…

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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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