Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess

Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Adult Services Assistant

Genre: Contemporary

Suggested Age:  Adults

What is This Book About? Jess studied math in college and eventually joined Goldman Sachs as a data-analyst, determined to survive the oppressive, cut-throat working conditions of financial investment. She runs into Josh, a fellow alumnus and a headache of arrogance from what she recalls. The two have different backgrounds and completely different political outlooks. As they continue to work together in their fast-paced rat race, Jess and Josh slowly come together in a passionate love affair, proving that opposites sometimes attract. The question is, can they overcome their differences? Should they even try? This book is a love story, but it is also a coming-of-age story, a story about racism in America, and a story about divisiveness in politics.

My Review: Once I started reading this book, I devoured it up. It is extremely raw and real and it doesn’t hold back any punches. Originally marketed as a romance novel, this book is so much more. I find the prose reminiscent of Chuck Palahniuk or Aimee Bender. It is direct, unforgiving, and provocative. Cecilia Rabess truly captivated my attention, offering insight into life as an African-American woman working in a business traditionally dominated by Caucasian men. We also get an interesting perspective on interracial relationships and relationships that involve people with opposing political viewpoints. There are some generational points of interest as well, as the protagonist describes her relationship with her father. This book is a complex story, to say the least, but definitely one worth reading.

Three Words that Describe this Book: romance, race, politics

Give This A Try if You Like… Yellowface, Black Buck, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt

Rating: 5/5

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The Last Tale of the Flower Bride By: Roshani Chokshi

Reviewed by: Susie Rivera Adult Services Specialist

Genre: Gothic, Magic Realism

Suggested Age:  Adults

What is the book about?   The narrator, otherwise only known as the Bridegroom, is a professor of mythology and lover of fairy tales.  One evening he meets a beautiful heiress named Indigo and becomes enamored with her.  The couple are married very quickly and Indigo makes the narrator promise not to ask her about her past.  But, when a family emergency happens, the newlyweds must travel back to Indigo’s family estate where all her dark secrets eventually come to the surface.

My Review:  This book is a classic noir or gothic tale.  There is a enigmatic main character, a ominous mansion, and mysterious secrets ready to surface. It takes place in modern times, although historical throwbacks  almost make it seem Victorian in some aspects.  We get flashbacks from the past that eventually shed light on the events leading up to the end of the novel.  The plot twist at the end is surprising but many will see it coming.  The clues are there the whole time.   Despite being labeled as a fantasy, I would place this in the realm of Magic Realism.  The house is personified so much that the reader isn’t sure if it’s really a conscious entity with its own desires. The main characters, Indigo and Azure believe they can slip into a Fae realm and participate in rituals that will grant them “magic.” Overall, the writing is beautiful and the story kept me wondering just how dark Indigo’s past really was.

Three Words That Describe This Book:  Mysterious, Gothic, Lyrical

Give This a Try if You Like…The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E Schwab, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, Mexican Gothic Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Rating: 4/5

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Anne of West Philly by Ivy Weir and Myisha Haynes (Illustrator)

Reviewed by: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant

Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Suggested Age: Middle school (11-14)

What is the book about?  Anne of West Philly, by Ivy Weir, is a graphic novel retelling of L. M. Montgomery’s classic children’s novel Anne of Green Gables. If you’re familiar with Montgomery’s plot, you will find similarities in Weir’s adaptation. The characters’ names in the retelling are like the names in the original story, but the characters’ ethnicities are different. The characters in Anne of West Philly are mostly Black and Hispanic instead of White like in Anne of Green Gables. The setting is different too. Montgomery’s story takes place on Prince Edward Island in Canada during the late nineteenth century, and Weir’s retelling takes place in the city of West Philadelphia in Pennsylvania during modern time. Just like Montgomery’s Anne, Weir’s Anne is curious, energetic, competitive, imaginative, sensitive, and smart. But she also has a tendency to get into trouble which makes Marilla, her foster mom, question whether she and her brother Matthew should keep her. In both stories, Anne is good friends with Diana Barry, and she dislikes a popular boy named Gilbert Blythe who competes with her academically. In Montgomery’s telling, Anne eventually develops a crush on Gilbert, but in Weir’s adaptation, Anne develops a crush on a female character. In West Philly, Weir’s Anne attends a school with a STEM program and a robotics club which is very different than the one room school house on Prince Edward Island that Montgomery’s Anne attends. In both stories, the Cuthberts grow quite fond of Anne and choose to keep her as their own.

My Review: I am a fan of the original Anne of Green Gables, so naturally I enjoyed Weir and Hayne’s graphic retelling. The illustrations are detailed, colorful, and bright, and they clearly capture the action that is taking place. The retelling is cleverly based on the original story with the main differences being the setting and the race of the characters. Children who are Black or Hispanic and who live in a modern day city may identify more with the characters in Anne of West Philly than with the characters in Anne of Green Gables. But regardless, the authors of both books, through their stories, encourage young readers to have good values, respectful behavior, kind attitudes, accepting mindsets, and loving hearts.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Surprising, Clever, and Entertaining

Give This a Try if You Like…The Secret Garden on 81t Street, also a graphic novel by Ivy Weir or Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden. The original Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery has been made into musicals, plays, animation, films, and live action TV programs.

Rating: 4.5/5

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By: Rebecca Skloot

Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Adult Services Specialist

Genre: Non-fiction, Biographical

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is the book about?   Henrietta Lacks’ life was short, she only lived to be 31 years old.  However, her legacy as the source of the first “immortal” human cell line was something that the world knew nothing about for decades. As a young student, the author (Rebecca Skloot) became fascinated with finding out more about Henrietta Lacks…a person who was only briefly acknowledged by one of her biology teachers, but no other information seemed to be known about her. Skloot wanted to find out more and clung to any nugget of information that she happened upon.  Until one day, she was given the chance to talk to the surviving family of Henrietta Lacks, but there was a catch.  They were not eager to share with the outside world.  This book follows three main narratives: Henrietta Lacks’ disease progression, her family’s history (before and after her death), and the cells cultured from her tumor (cells that did not die) known as “HeLa.”

My Review:  I thought this book was an emotional rollercoaster, but a rewarding listen (CD audiobook). The author spent nearly 10 years investigating and working with the Lacks family to find out anything they could about Henrietta and HeLa.  Medical researchers gained the “miracle” of the HeLa cells that led to many important medical breakthroughs, including three Nobel Prizes. However, HeLa didn’t benefit Henrietta’s children, children that were thrust into a new life without their mother. I was at times saddened, shocked, outraged, encouraged, and uplifted by this book.  For me, knowing that in recent news, her descendants have successfully sued and settled with at least one of the companies that continues to profit from HeLa cells added to my feeling of closure at the end of the book.  Henrietta’s story is one that needed to be shared with the world.

Trigger warning: violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and the N word.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Tragic, Whirlwind, Invaluable

Give This a Try if You Like…Lab Girl by Hope Jaren, The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Rating: 4.5/5

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