“Fahrenheit 451,” by Ray Bradbury (Simon & Schuster, reissue 2012)
Poignant that this story about book-burning has itself often been the object of censorship. Published in 1953, it made the American Library Association’s list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. Re-reading it decades after the first time, the violence with which Firemen, including protagonist Montag, comply with their duties fails to shock the reader. Seems normal to us, right? Excesses by law enforcement as well as bad guys, international terrorists along with the neighbor next door are now normal. Yet the more subtle lessons of the story resonate long after the last page is finished, for love lost and found, personal courage and very human emotions. Now’s the time to re-learn the message that a suppressive, all-powerful government cannot control every iota of life. — 4 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, Denver (bonniemccune.com)
“My Friends,” by Hisham Matar (Random House, 2024)
Matar’s earlier memoir, “The Return,” won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for biography. In this novel, Matar explores themes of emigration, political upheaval, exile, fragile family ties and enduring friendship, by having all these play out in the life of his protagonist, Khaled. Khaled leaves Libya for an education in England full of great hopes. Political events and his own momentary lapse of judgment make it impossible for him to return home. Cut off from his family, Khaled comes to value his remaining relationships with his close friends. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“Women and Children First,” by Alina Grabowski ((SJP Lit, 2024)
In a small, coastal Massachusetts town, the death of a teenage girl by ambiguous means ripples through the women and girls of the community — those who knew her and those who only knew of her. Their points of view power this moody debut novel. Rather than expecting answers, the reader can expect revelations. — 3 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
“Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times,” by Katherine May (Riverhead Books, 2020)
May uses, in part, her personal experiences to illustrate her advice for being kind to oneself in the face of upheaval or significant life challenges, and for deflecting despair. She also draws on examples from literature and the natural world. For example, just as nature goes through cycles of new springtime growth and wintery barrenness, so, too, do our lives. May argues that we need to recognize these events in our lives for what they often are: temporary stages in a cycle, not a permanent state of affairs. Longlist nominee for the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing, 2020. — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
