Life on other planets: a memoir of finding my place in the universe, by Aomawa Shields

This is an inspiring memoir by a Black woman who, after graduating from MIT, struggled with her next steps. Initially attending graduate school for astrophysics at UW-Madison, she left to pursue her other love, acting, which she did for 10 years before being drawn back to science. She goes to the University of Washington, follows that up with a fellowship at Harvard, then a tenure track position at UC Irvine. She writes about the challenges of being not just a woman, but a Black woman, in a field that is dominated by white men. She shows how her acting and humanities background helps her be a better teacher and mentor, and she shares how she learned to navigate the tenure track, her marriage, and the birth of her child. She goes on many writing retreats, giving herself the time to think and write without interruption; it is clear that she has benefited from them as her writing is wonderful even as she gives us a completely unvarnished look at her challenges and struggles.
 

Blackouts, by Justin Torres

I liked this second novel by Justin Torres, author of the 2012 novella We the animals, which I reviewed on this blog back in 2018. Blackouts is critically acclaimed, having won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2023. The book tells multiple stories. The unnamed narrator tracks down a friend from his past who is living in a hotel called The Palace. Juan is dying and the book is framed around the narrator's time with Juan as they tell each other stories about their younger days. Both Juan and the narrator spent time in a mental asylum, which is where they met, and they seem to use these stories to continue to work through some of the same issues they were dealing with then. Juan also tells the narrator about the two women who adopted him and asks the narrator to take on the completion of a project about their lives and research, which was the study of homosexuality. Blackouts includes illustrations from that research which was published without giving credit to the true authors, and the title of the book refers to both the pages of those books which have been redacted carefully with black marker and the blackouts that plague the narrator. The story goes back and forth between narratives about Juan, the narrator, or the two women who adopted Juan. Sometimes it was difficult to figure out who was speaking and the relevance. Many parts of the story didn't seem to go anywhere. I enjoyed reading the book, but I can't say that I loved it.
 

Home fire, by Kamila Shamsie

 

I have mixed feelings about this novel by Pakistani-British author Kamila Shamsie. While shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, I feel that it has some flaws that prevent it from being a great novel. The novel tells the story of a Pakistani immigrant family in London whose father abandoned them and was later killed during the war on terror. Isma is the oldest and she raised her younger twin siblings, Aneeka and Parvaiz, after their mother's early death. The novel is organized into five sections following the three siblings as well as Eamonn, who falls in love with Aneeka, and Eamonn's father, Karamat, who is a politician. I had a hard time getting into the book as the first section, which follows Isma, is the least compelling. The book picks up a bit when Eamonn begins a relationship with Aneeka and we read about Parvaiz' seduction and recruitment into a jihadi group fighting in Syria. The final section follows Karamat who advocates for complete assimilation of migrants into British society. When Parvaiz is killed while trying to escape the terrorist group that he joined, Karamat prevents his body from being repatriated resulting in both Aneeka and Eamonn going to Pakistan to try to change his mind. The ending is quite abrupt and tragic. As this is a modern adaptation of the Greek tragedy Antigone, perhaps it had to end tragically, but it felt very contrived to me. I wonder if the author could have made her points about post 9-11 anti-Muslim sentiment and assimilation better by allowing Parvaiz to return home and face the consequences. Nevertheless, once I got started, this book was a compelling narrative and page turner, even as I quibbled with the completely illogical actions of many of the characters.

A nearby country called love, by Salar Abdoh

 

I really loved this latest novel by Iranian novelist Salar Abdoh, who doubles as a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Creative Writing at the City College of New York. It tells the story of Issa, a man who has recently returned to Tehran from New York. Although he teaches in a language school, he seems to have a lot of time on his hands, which he spends with his friend Nasser, a fireman. Issa lost his mother while young, and his father and brother have both died since then, so he has very little family other than Aziz (his childhood nanny) and her daughter. When Issa introduces Nasser to one of his older brother's gay friends, it sets in motion a whole series of events that draw Issa in. He plays a central role in all of his friends lives, always trying to do the right thing, but he's challenged constantly by Iranian cultural taboos. This novel deals with homophobia, forced marriage, transgender rights, violence against women, and much more. I loved the writing, plot, and characters. No one is stereotyped, and it shows a true diversity in Iranian culture which is much more multifaceted than we see through the news.

Dyscalculia: A love story of epic miscalculation, by Camonghne Felix

 

Author Camonghne Felix was sexually assaulted at the age of 8, resulting in many years of declining mental health and unhealthy behaviors. One of the results of her mental illness was an inability to do math; this becomes a metaphor throughout the book to illustrate her inability to cope in general. The book is framed around a breakup with her fiance which leads her to spiral out of control. Hospitalized, she is finally diagnosed with a form of bipolar disorder and, appropriately medicated, she begins to recover. Felix is a poet, and much of the book is written in a style reminiscent of poetry; in fact, many pages of the book contain only a cryptic sentence or two. She leaves huge portions of her story out of the narrative, leaving the reader guessing about much of it. She has a story that is worth telling, but in this form, it leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

Lesbian love story: A memoir in archives, by Amelia Possanza

 

Author Amelia Possanza has written a deeply researched narrative about historical lesbian relationships in an effort to find role models for herself not only in romance and relationships but in life. The subtitle of the book is “A memoir in archives” and Possanza uses libraries, archives, and historical centers as sources for locating information about lesbian relationships ranging from the Greek poet Sappho up to the current day. Each of seven chapters delve into these relationships and Possanza quotes effectively and thoroughly from these historical lesbians’ own writings and statements (some through oral history archives). As she discusses these historical cases, she weaves her own life and musings about what it means to be a lesbian into the story and she relates how what she learns about each of the lesbians whom she is researching affects her own understanding about herself and her own relationships and friendships. Possanza’s writing is deeply researched and the stories she tells are compelling, touching, and fascinating.