Nonfiction: Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

At the age of 22, Suleika Jaouad will be diagnosed with cancer, and what she endures in the years and months that follow is what will lead her to write Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted. Using journal entries, medical records, and interviews, Jaouad recalls this time with stunning clarity, remembering all she gained, as well as all that was lost.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book, or memoir, in which Jaouad chronicles her experience just before and after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Before the actual diagnosis, Jaouad is in college, being sieged by an itch that begins in her feet, and then slowly travels up her legs. Still believing nothing to be serious, she travels to Paris to live and work, only to be sent home months later and receive the diagnosis that will change her life, or at the very least, interrupt it. Jaouad recounts not only the vast amount of time she spends in the hospital, as well as the various treatments she endures that nearly ravage her body, but also the effect her illness has on her relationships with her parents, her boyfriend, and the friends she has on the outside, as well as those in the hospital with her. Something that receives special attention is the patient/caregiver dynamic that can often be hard on the strongest of relationships. And then there is what happens when the treatments are over. Once Jaouad is able to ring the final treatment bell at the hospital, she has several pen pals around the country, and it does not take long for her to realize that her journey is not over.

My Verdict: When Jaouad first leaves Paris, she does what I know I would do (and have done) when something interrupts my plans, and that is immediately insist that the situation is temporary, and that things will get back to normal within a couple of weeks, despite the mounting and persistent evidence to the contrary. Although this takes place fairly early on in the book, I knew I could trust the author to be honest throughout the remainder of the story. Jaouad faces her treatments and many hospital stays head on, not shying away from the harsh details. She is even honest about her relationship with her boyfriend, and admits to her own responsibilities for how everything turned out between them. She takes ownership of her trials, her mistakes, her wins, and her uncertainty over the future. Quite possibly what I appreciate the most about Jaouad's story is her acknowledgement that just because the treatments are done, it does not mean the hard times are over. My only issue is that the final days of her road trip seem glossed over, when the beginning of it is described in incredible and meticulous detail. Overall, it is an incredible story written for anyone whose life did not quite go the way that they wanted.

Favorite Moment: When Jaouad decides to learn how to drive at the age of 26, and subsequently makes all of the mistakes I made at 17. 

Recommended Reading: Educated by Tara Westover is one of the most compelling memoirs I have read in recent years.   

Historical Fiction: Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly

The third and final installment in Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls series has arrived, and lovers of historical fiction can rejoice. Sunflower Sisters goes back even further in time from both Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, this time taking place during the American Civil War, and highlighting the tension not only between abolitionists and slave owners, but also female nurses, and those that preferred that women not get involved in healthcare on the battlefield.

The Situation: Georgeanna "Georgy" Woolsey is excited to begin her new career as a nurse. She is proud that she and her family are staunch abolitionists, but she has no interest in staying home and waiting for the war to be over. So she receives the best training she can find and joins the effort, even though it means coming face to face with gruesome injuries, terrible illness, and more than a few men that resent the presence of the female nurses. In Maryland, Anne-May Wilson is proud to be the mistress of the Peeler Plantation, and when her husband enlists on the side of the North, she is left in charge of the property, which includes a young slave-girl named Jemma, and the rest of her family. For months, Jemma's family has been having secret meetings, and making both weapons and plans to escape. But as the war continues, the idea of an escape attempt becomes more attractive, but also more dangerous.

The Problem: When the actions of the cruel plantation overseer leads to Jemma being sold, it means being separated from her family, but also may prove a means of escaping slavery altogether. Unfortunately, Anne-May becomes interested in Jemma's new location once she realizes that she is under serious suspicion of being a Confederate spy, and Jemma holds the information that could clear her name, or get her imprisoned. And while Georgy is intent upon being a nurse, and even one day opening a school for female nurses, there are plenty who disregard her ability and her advice. When she and Jemma cross paths, they are able to lean on and trust each other, though being in the Woolsey house in New York City does not mean that the young slave girl is in the clear. Anne-May is still very close on her trail, and can be just charming enough to get the information she needs out of almost anyone.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set during the American Civil War, and is told from the point of view of three different woman. Georgy Woolsey lives with her mother and four of her six sisters, as well as their one brother, in New York City, and is determined to aid the war effort as a nurse. Jemma is a young slave girl on the Peeler Plantation in Maryland, and must spend everyday looking out for herself against the plantations overseer. And then there is Anne-May, a New Orleans native who has become a mistress of a plantation she has no idea how to run, but she has no choice when her husband enlists. Much like the two previous books in the series, many of the characters here are based on real people. The real-life Georgy Woolsey was the great-aunt of Caroline Ferriday, the main heroine in Lilac Girls. And though slavery and the Civil War remain at the center of this book, the story also includes espionage, adventure, grief, family, and causes worth fighting for. 

My Verdict: The setting of the Civil War makes for a fitting conclusion to the Lilac Girls series, and for the first time confines the entire narrative to American soil. Most readers will love following each character on their various travels throughout the original colonies, even as there is a war going on around them. Kelly confronts the brutality of slavery, as well as the desperation of those who wish to hold onto the institution and the financial gain it affords them. I do not necessarily take issue with Kelly's attempt to write from the point-of-view of a young black slave girl, but I did find the overall story to be lacking in depth. The adventures are very grand, and intense, and exciting, but there were parts that were rushed and seemed to be hastily put together, if only so they could push the story along and get to where the author wanted to go. Many elements and characters seemed like obvious plot devices that did not serve much purpose beyond that. What saves it is a satisfying ending, and the fact that it is clear Kelly did her research.

Favorite Moment: When Sable, Jemma's mother, decides she has had enough of Anne-May and begins destroying her property, consequences be damned.

Favorite Character: Anne-May's sister, Euphemia, is nothing like her, and that is certainly for the best.

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which tells the story of two sisters attempting to navigate the dangers of World War II France. 

Young Adult Fiction: A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

Today I will be discussing A Pho Love Story by Loan Le, another young adult find thanks to Goodreads. Their system for recommendations may not be the best, but every once in awhile, a book shows up that looks intriguing enough for me to click on it. And while Romeo and Juliet may be one of my least favorite of Shakespeare's plays, there is an appeal behind the star-crossed lovers/children of warring families trope.

The Situation: Bao Nguyen and Linh Mai have a lot in common. They are both children of Vietnamese immigrants who settled in Orange County, California. They attend the same high school, and even both spend much of their free time helping their parents out at their businesses. Both the Nguyens and the Mais own Vietnamese restaurants that specialize mostly in pho, but also serve other Vietnamese dishes, drinks, and desserts. And though the two restaurants are situated right across the street from one another, Bao and Linh do not know each other at all. Aside from a vague memory from when they were kids, they two of them cannot recall ever having a real interaction. It is only when Bao sees an overwhelmed Linh sitting outside of her parents' restaurant that he works up the courage to approach her and offer his assistance. While she accepts the help, it is agreed he must stay out of her parents' view...it would not look good for the son of the restaurant owners across the street to be helping out the competition.

The Problem: If Linh's parents knew the Nguyen boy had helped out on a crucial night at the restaurant, they would accuse the Nguyen's of sending over a spy. And Bao's parents would be furious that their son assisted the competition in having a successful service. The two families have done everything they could to avoid each other, even warning their children to stay away from each other. It is almost as if even Bao and Linh's high school were in on the plot, as the two of them have never had a class together. But now that they have met, their paths continue to cross, and each one must acknowledge that they like having the other one around, a lot. Soon, the act of keeping their parents in the dark as to who they are hanging out with becomes too much, and Linh starts to feel the pressure as the lies keep piling up. It is bad enough she has been hiding her love of art and painting, knowing her parents would never approve. It is only after a chance encounter with an old family friend that she gets a hint that this feud is about more than competing restaurants, and goes way deeper than either Bao or Linh ever knew.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult book set in and around modern day Orange County, California. Bao and Linh are high school seniors, doing their best to stay focused on schoolwork, while also making time for helping out at their respective families' restaurants. For Linh, this also means finding extra time to focus on her painting, even entering a scholarship competition, and working on various art projects throughout the novel. Bao admits himself to be somewhat aimless, and is surprised when during his journalism elective, he realizes he actually likes to edit, and write. With both Bao and Linh telling the story in alternating chapters, the reader gets to see inside both families' restaurants, and meet both sets of parents. The real reasons for the feud appears to be buried by time, until the children take it upon themselves to uncover the truth. But can the families ever move past this? And will their children ever have a chance at a real relationship?

My Verdict: While I may not be a fan of Romeo and Juliet, I am always curious to see how other writers handle the whole feuding families plotline. The way Le has Bao and Linh meet is wonderful, especially since it stems from one making the conscious effort to offer a helping hand. This provides a great insight into who Bao is as a person, and the relationship grows from there. The reader is introduced to both the Nguyens and the Mais, and because each family owns a restaurant, there is much talk about food, and the work that goes into running a family business. The characters are likable enough, and the plot moves at a decent pace, though the book may be about 50 pages longer than it needs to be. Also, in my experience, it is rare to find a mechanical error in a finished, published, novel. But there they were - quite a few of them - and it was weird. They did not help the often confusing flow of the dialogue, and it was often hard to keep track of who was in the room, and which narrator was speaking, as Bao and Linh have similar narrative voices.

Favorite Moment: From the beginning, I knew this book would make me hungry every time I picked it up, and that was almost the case. The near-constant mention of pho and other Vietnamese dishes was delightful, but also bad for someone trying to spend less money on eating out.

Favorite Character: Ms. Yamamoto is Linh's art teacher, and never stops encouraging her student to continue in what she loves, despite the obstacles.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Frankly in Love by David Yoon, another YA novel that deals with young love and parental expectations.

Science Fiction: Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Since reading her Binti series, I have come to expect a certain experience from reading anything by Nnedi Okorafor. Her latest book, Remote Control, is said to be another short, but powerful experience that science fiction readers will certainly enjoy.

The Situation: Sankofa was not always the way she is now. Before her world changed, she lived with her parents and older brother in a village in Ghana. One of her favorite things was to climb the shea tree by her house and point out the stars, giving them different names and places in the sky. It is during a meteor shower that the mysterious seed finds its way to her, only to be taken and sold to a politician for a more than decent amount of money. Sankofa knows it is for the best, and knows this will help her family, but she cannot help but feel the loss. However, this loss will only prove to be the first of many for Sankofa. It is when a terrible car accident threatens to take her life that everything changes, even her name. She was not always called 'Sankofa,' but it is the name she chose after the tragedy struck, and she was left alone with only the small fox that insists on following her everywhere.

The Problem: It does not take long for Sankofa to become famous...sort of. She is known for the strange green glow that emits from her body, and the devastating thing that come after it. Some say she is the daughter of death. Others claim her to be a witch. For the most part, people stay out of her way, though not everyone is afraid. And then there are those who seek her help, either hoping she will provide protection, or seeking her to help ease the pain of a dying loved one by having the inevitable come sooner. Sankofa misses her old life, and her family, and her home, but what is strange is that she also misses the seed that she found the day the meteors fell. It is her desire to find it that initially guides her travels. But even when she gives up on finding it, it does not give up on finding her. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction book set at some point in the future in the African country of Ghana. When the book begins, Sankofa is only five years old, having already endured a childhood full of illness. The book then follows her for the next few years as she travels around, doing her best to keep a somewhat low profile, while helping some, and trying her hardest not to hurt too many others. And in contrast to Sankofa's strength, through her abilities, is her small and petite frame. By the end of the book she is 13, though almost everyone she meets agrees that she looks no more then eight years old. While the book is mostly about Sankofa and her adventures, as well as her abilities and the range of reactions they bring in other people, there is also some mention of the effects of foreign influences on Africa's economy. It is not mentioned a great amount, but it is there, subtle and kind of hidden, but still there. 

My Verdict: Much like the previous books I have read by Okorafor, this one contains a lot for being only 150+ pages. There is so much that happens to Sankofa, so much that she is able to do, and so far she is able to travel. It amazes me that the author can keep a story like this moving so quickly, and seemingly not leave out a single detail. And while Sankofa is a small child who has had something unexplainable happen to her, something that changes her entire world, she is not simply a character with a tragic past and a strange ability. There is a complexity to her that is hard to explain, and again, Okorafor manages to include all of this in a short amount of space. It is the kind of science fiction writing that my brain can grab onto and actually follow, but I think those that regularly read science fiction will enjoy it as well. 

Favorite Moment: When Sankofa is able to hold off an entire group of armed thieves simply by glowing green.

Favorite Character: Alhaja is a businesswoman in one of the towns Sankofa visits. She takes Sankofa in, despite knowing what she can do, and gives her the closest semblance to a normal life that the young girl has had in a long time. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend the Binti series to anyone who enjoys this book, as well as Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi.