The Other Americans, Laila Lalami
After this novel having sat on my shelves for years, I randomly picked it up now, and I would like to think it is not a coincidence (I buy most of my books without knowing anything about them, as I did this one.) Following a Moroccan family living in California who have to deal with the unthinkable, the death of their father, Lalami tells their story from various perspectives: mainly that of one of the daughters, Nora, but also those of his wife and other daughter, as well as those of the people surrounding them, and even from the father himself a time or two. What unravels is the story of Nora’s parents and their immigration journey, as well as the consequences of it and all the ways their lives could have been different. With themes of familial love, culture, racism, forgiveness, and moving on, it is hard to believe that one novel can touch on so much in only 300 pages.
The Witches Are Coming, Lindy West
West’s collection of personal essays, set against the backdrop of the Trump presidency (might have read this too soon, to be honest, but it was too late to go back and read it when it would have been more appropriate), range from talking about Ted Bundy, Adam Sandler (was he ever funny? she asks. I could have written a much shorter version of the conclusion she came to, which is that no, he was not), video games, anger, abortion, TV, fat phobia, and so on—she bluntly points out the sexism and racism in each one, with unequivocal sentences such as “The kind of person who has an abortion is ‘everyone,’” “The necessary response [to Trumpism] is social ostracism,” “…success and safety, bestowed conditionally, aren’t success and safety at al, they are domestication and implied violence,” and “There’s no such thing as political correctness; it’s a rhetorical device to depersonalize oppression.” I have always loved West’s work and this collection is no exception. She deftly put into words something I think about on a daily basis, and which serves to (partly) fuel my rage: “Men can choose how they treat us, and this is the world they choose. Frankly, not being angry would be irrational.” If you haven’t read her memoir, Shrill, or seen the series adapted from it, which she helped to develop and produce, do yourself a favor and devour both as soon as you can!