Lessons in chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus

 

I really enjoyed this novel about a 1950s woman chemist who struggled against misogyny and bigotry in her education and career. She is a feminist well ahead of her time, and when she meets her soul mate she refuses to get married. I don't want to give anything away, but she ends up as a single mom who takes an alternative but highly successful career as a television chef who teaches cooking through the science of chemistry. This book has a lot of wit and charm, with a precocious child and a highly intelligent dog.

Some people need killing: a memoir of murder in my country, by Patricia Evangelista

 

Reporter and filmmaker Patricia Evangelista provides an upfront view of the war on drugs brought by former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte during his time in office as President as well as Mayor of Davao City in the decades prior to his presidency. Duterte was known for his volatile behavior and inflammatory rhetoric long before his election as President in 2016. His promises to kill drug dealers and addicts were not taken literally during his campaign, but extrajudicial killings of people involved with illegal drugs began on the first day of his presidency. Through her in-depth reporting, Evangelista shows us how Duterte’s orders to kill thousands of drug dealers and addicts were carried out by both police and vigilante groups. Evangelista worked the overnight shift, risking her own safety, going from the site of one killing to another to document the deaths and photograph the bodies. She explores the impact of the killings on the families left behind revealing the tragedy of so many unnecessary deaths. While Duterte denies knowledge of the extrajudicial killings, Evangelista’s deeply researched reporting and use of Duterte’s own statements show that he supported and encouraged them. This is an important record of the Filipino war on drugs. 

A version of this review was previously published in Library Journal here.

Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

 

I really enjoyed this book by Geraldine Brooks. She uses a style that was successful in People of the Book, writing from several viewpoints across centuries to slowly reveal and solve a historical mystery. She ties together an enslaved horse trainer, a famous 19th century racehorse, a painter known for his paintings of famous horses, several paintings of the racehorse (including some that have been missing), and a modern couple made up of a writer and art history graduate student and a biologist who specializes in anatomy. While I appreciated the author's attempts to not only tell the historical tale of what happened to the horse, the trainer, the paintings, etc., she weaves into the story some heavy-handed nods to social justice issues. These were clumsy at best, and didn't really add to the novel.

Rotten evidence: reading and writing in an Egyptian prison, by Ahmed Naji

 

In this engrossing memoir, Egyptian journalist Ahmed Naji shares his nearly year-long experience in prison after his conviction for violating public decency through his novel Using Love. Housed with other non-violent offenders, conditions were nevertheless harsh and difficult. Naji tells his story in a non-chronological fashion, with his time in prison intermingling with tales from his childhood, early career, and time in court during his trial and appeals. While in prison, Naji passes the time primarily by reading. He has access to the prison library, but he is also allowed to receive books from visitors, although the prison authorities use their power to dole them out to him slowly. Through reading, Naji was able to sustain himself during his time in prison, devouring not only classic Egyptian authors like Naguib Mahfouz, but also a variety of classics of Western literature. During his time in prison, Naji comes to see himself as a writer, not just a journalist. Rotten Evidence gives the reader an understanding of the precariousness of the Egyptian justice system and the risks taken by anyone who might challenge it, even inadvertently. This is a well-written and thoroughly absorbing memoir. 

A version of this review was previously published by Library Journal here.

Spies of no country, by Matti Friedman

 

This was a fascinating history about four spies working in Arab countries as Israel was being formed as a nation. The spies were very young Jewish men who grew up in Arab countries or regions, such as Aleppo, Damascus, Haifa, or Beirut. They were fluent in Arabic and could pass as Arabs. As Israel was established as a country and the surrounding Arab countries declared war, these four (and many other) spies formed the Arab Section of what would in later years become Mossad. They were not very experienced and they were very vulnerable as they established themselves in Beirut and tried to gather information that they could report back to Israel using contraband radios and other methods. Facing torture and execution if they were caught, they lived a precarious life while providing actionable intelligence to Israel. Author Matti Friedman brings to life their struggles, including the high levels of anxiety and tension as anything could go wrong and out them as spies.

The way through the woods, by Colin Dexter

 

Colin Dexter's writing just gets better and better with each new book. The plot is complicated and the culprit is difficult to identify as Inspector Morse tries on one theory after another. Very enjoyable!

The jewel that was ours, by Colin Dexter

 

This is another complex mystery set in Cambridge at the end of the 1980s or early 1990s. Inspector Morse is called in to solve the theft of a historical artifact that was going to be donated to the Ashmolean Museum. Its owner died of a heart attack right after the jewel was stolen, complicating the investigation. When a Cambridge professor was found murdered the next day, it becomes clear that there is a more complex conspiracy afoot. Well-written and fast-paced as usual, this book kept me guessing until the end.

Harlem shuffle, by Colson Whitehead

 

I really enjoyed this crime novel set in 1950s and 1960s Harlem. Ray Carney is a furniture salesman with a side job as a fence for stolen furniture and jewelry. He gets roped into a more serious offense when his cousin Eddie volunteers his help during a hotel robbery, resulting in his getting ever deeper into the crime world. Organized in three sections, this book follows Carney's adventures as he tries to survive all the forces acting on him, from crime bosses to his wife's family. Written with a lot of humor and empathy, this is a wonderful book that evokes the culture of Harlem 60 years ago.

La Duchesse: The life of Marie de Vignerot, by Bronwen McShea

 

While much is known about the French clergyman and statesman Cardinal Richelieu, very little is known about his favored niece, Marie de Vignerot, the daughter of Richelieu’s sister Françoise. Always interested in advancing his family’s standing in the French court, Richelieu arranged an advantageous marriage for his niece; however, Marie was widowed and childless after only two years. Retreating to a nunnery, she planned to take religious vows, but was brought back to the French court by Richelieu, who convinced her to leave the religious order behind. Appointed a lady-in-waiting to French King Louis XIII’s mother, Marie de Medici, Marie de Vignerot began to make her mark in French society, eventually becoming highly influential both at court and as a patron of the arts and literature. La Duchesse is a meticulously researched work that reads like a novel. It is exceptionally well-written, bringing all the rich detail of 17^th century France to life. VERDICT This is a fine work that sheds light on the nearly forgotten story of a consequential figure in French history.

This has been published previously in Library Journal here.