TWO-CENT TUESDAY

Below are a few (somewhat) brief, $.02 opinions about several books I've read or listened to recently but will not review in full. Their appearance in this recurring piece generally has little to nothing to do with merit. Many I enjoyed as much or more than those that got the full court press. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy whether they struck mine or not.

Tonight We Bombed the U.S. Capitol, William Rosenau

The true story of M19, a domestic terrorist group made up of, and founded by, women. Holdovers from the 1970s, these six veteran extremists kept their mission going under the name The May 19th Communist Organization (May 19 the shared birthday of two of their idols - Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh). After fighting against Vietnam and for black and Native American Liberation, M19 took aim at American imperialism. I found the idea fascinating, but the execution was so dense and fact-driven it felt more like a dissertation than a story. I didn't make it through the written galley, but may try again if the book is available on audio after publication.


Bad Blood, John Carreyrou

Holy cats, what a wild ride. Another true story that played out a stone's throw away from where I live and grew up, this is a remarkable tale of narcissism (one of my favorite subjects). Carreyrou is a journalist who had an inside source regarding the rise and collapse of Theranos, a biotech company founded by Elizabeth Holmes. I'm not a tech or biotech person, but it doesn't matter, this story is intrigue on steroids. The audio performance was fantastic. I recommend a read/listen and then a viewing of the HBO documentary made on the subject, called The Inventor. The things people think they can get away with astound me. All the more so when people's lives health are at risk.  Nutty. I understand why many outlets named this as one of their books of the year.

If I Don't Make It, I Love You,  Amye Archer and Loren Kleinman

Subtitled Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings, this book is just that--interviews with various individuals impacted by school shootings in the U.S. going back to 1966 and the University of Texas at Austin. Parents grieving the loss of a child or trying to help a surviving one, friends and fellow students who witnessed and/or survived a shooting, teachers and others who survived and/or intervened. The pieces run the gamut, as do the emotions and reactions. Painful and horrific, this book that screams to be read as a "bear witness" work. One can only hope these words, none more so than the introduction written by Jaime Guttenberg's father Fred, are read by people who really need to hear them. My only "critical" thought is that the volume of voices means a great deal of repetition, and one fears the words lose their impact. Yet how do you choose who is to be heard and who is to be silenced? It seems we have already become immune to the loss of life. 

Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston

My editor raved about this book to me and because I respect him, I picked up the audio despite it being waaaay outside my wheelhouse. I do love the cover in an "I know this is not for me but I dig it" kind of way. But romance? Politicians? Ugh. Count me out. I now admit it turned out to be just what I needed in these times of strife--a little hopeful fun and romance at the upper levels of U.S. and British government. Billed with the question "What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?," I thought the narration was well done and I was full-in on the characters. It got a little too romancey at times, but when you're used to the violent grit I like to read, a friendly handshake can seem intimate. This was a fabulous "time out" from the real world.