Nonfiction: We Refuse to Forget by Caleb Gayle

It may be me, but there seems to be an abundance of great nonfiction being published during 2022. I have truly felt spoiled for choice, so the decision to read Caleb Gayle's We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power was not made lightly. A journalist is drawn to a story from the same area where he grew up, and what he finds is a generations-long quest for identity and belonging. 

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a brief but thorough history of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in the United States, particularly those that identify as fully Creek and fully Black. While working for The Guardian, Gayle is intrigued by an article from Tulsa, Oklahoma about the Creek Native Americans and its Black citizens. What would follow is a journey that would allow Gayle to rethink race and identity in America. Starting with the mid 1800s, Gayle follows the long and often painful history of the Creek Native Americans, whose land has been taken and encroached upon since the first settlers. But the story Gayle became particularly invested in is that of the Black Creeks, whose citizenship in Creek Nation was revoked in the 1970s, and who continue to fight today to have that citizenship reinstated. 

My Verdict: Despite being less than 250 pages long, the book provides a thorough history of the Creek Nation (and almost the U.S. as a whole), allowing the reader to see exactly how the events of today could have possibly come about. How could a group that has experienced extensive discrimination and injustice justify its own actions of discrimination and injustice against a group of people that has been a part of them for generations? Gayle answers this question and more. He allowed his curiosity over one seemingly random article out of Tulsa, Oklahoma to lead him on a journey of incredible discovery. Through heavy research and respect for the subject, the often hidden and unknown story of the Black Creeks is presented in a clear and compelling way.

Favorite Moment: Chapter 14, "Radical Memories," offers a great reflection on what it means to remember in this country, particularly if you identify as one of the many groups that is often encouraged to forget and move on.

Recommended Reading: In this book, Gayle twice references Imani Perry, author of this year's South to America. Boom Town by Sam Anderson also offers a thorough history of another Oklahoma city with a wild beginning. 

Contemporary Fiction: Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera

Any day I get to purchase a new book is a good day. And being able to purchase more than one at a time is a great feeling...gripping the small stack in both hands and looking at the brightly colored spines...fantastic. One of my more recent book hauls included Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera. In this story, a mother and daughter find themselves seemingly at odds when a new developer begins to build in their neighborhood, setting off a series of events that threatens those who live there.

The Situation: Nothar Park has been Eusebia's home since she arrived in New York City from the Dominican Republic 20 years ago. She and her daughter, Luz, joined her husband, Vladimir, who made the journey before them. The then young couple did everything they could to give Luz the Ivy League education that led her to a high-powered career as a lawyer. Unfortunately, Luz's planned and coveted rise to the top has been thwarted by the news that she has been fired. And buying all of those pricy clothes and shoes is what has kept her living at home with her parents. Now everyone in Nothar Park is watching as a long unoccupied building is torn down and construction begins on a new structure, and everyone knows that change - mostly unwelcome change - is coming to Nothar Park.

The Problem: For Eusebia, the pathway forward could not be more clear. Something must be done to stop what is threatening their neighborhood. And Luz needs to find another job soon and make sure not to let all of the sacrifices that was made for her to have this life go to waste. For Luz, losing her job is certainly a setback, but she is not sure she wants to get right back onto the track she was on, no matter how nice the clothes were and how great the champagne tastes. As for the neighborhood, this could be exactly what needs to happen for her and her father's plan to come to fruition. Plus, the handsome and wealthy developer in charge of the new construction is clearly smitten with Luz. But something is very wrong with Eusebia. Not only is her behavior different, but her plans to save the neighborhood are definitely questionable, if not outright dangerous.

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a work of fiction set in modern day New York City, specifically in the predominantly Dominican Nothar Park. The storytelling is mostly split between Eusebia and Luz, with a few interruptions by a trio of sisters known as the Tongues. Through Eusebia and Luz, the reader is able to piece together not only the full family history, but also the effects of their codependent relationship, which at this point has reached a predictable level of toxicity. The anger and resentment is on every other page, while Vladimir seems almost blinded by plans and hope for the future. And when the long-time residents are threatened when new developers show an interest in the previously ignored area, mother and daughter are at odds like never before. 

My Verdict: This story has layers, and before it is even presented to the reader, there is clearly a deep and rich history behind how the characters got to where they are and why they relate to each other the way they do. And because of the well-developed picture of Nothar Park and the colorful characters that inhabit it, I can easily say I enjoyed reading this book. However, I will also say that the story structure is messy, and some things simply did not fit. For the first half of the book, the character of Luz was hard to picture, and that could be because she was in a place of transition and was trying to figure out who she was and who she wanted to be...perhaps that confusion simply translated from the page. Overall, the book is an intimate look at the experience of a neighborhood of residents that are mostly immigrants, whose home they have made in the U.S. is now being threatened due to its newly perceived value; and a supposedly close mother and daughter who find themselves holding the other at bay due to resentment and unspoken secrets. 

Favorite Moment: Luz is at a dinner party meeting the friends of her new boyfriend, and she is suddenly confronted with the reality of this new man she has become enamored with.

Favorite Character: Though they are never given individual names, I liked the Tongues: identical triplet women who live in Nothar Park, and spend their days observing their fellow residents and gossiping. 

Recommended Reading: I have three recommendations for this one: First is Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez, which also focuses on a young ambitious woman chasing after the bougie lifestyle that Luz desires. Second, there is The Sellout by Paul Beatty, a hilarious satire in which the protagonist uses unconventional means to help his community. And last is You Sound Like a White Girl by Julissa Arce, a nonfiction book in which the author lays out the case against immigrants chasing assimilation into "American" culture. 

Young Adult Fiction: Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean

In her follow-up to last year's Tokyo Ever After, Emiko Jean continues the adventures and misadventures of Izumi 'Izzy' Tanaka after she is thrown head-first into the royal life. In Tokyo Dreaming, she is joined at the palace by her mother, as it seems her parents have picked up where they left off all those years ago.

The Situation: It is late August, and the Asian Girl Gang is holding their annual meeting, except this time, three of them are scattered across the U.S, while Izzy is in Tokyo in her father's palace. After discovering she was the son of the Crown Prince of Japan, Izzy's life changed pretty much overnight. Now, not only does she have her own room in the palace, a lady-in-waiting, and a complete security detail, her former security guard is now her boyfriend, she is receiving pressure to make decisions about her future, and her mother has joined her in Japan. Becoming a princess is fantastic and all, but Izzy's mother and father rekindling their past romance is a true dream come true.

The Problem: When Izzy's parents become engaged, things could not be more perfect, except that Japan's Imperial Household Council may not approve the marriage, noting Izzy mother's lack of pedigree, and Izzy's lack of accomplishments, both things the Tokyo gossip column is all too eager to point out. And when Akio, Izzy's former security guard-turned boyfriend, decides to make a shocking and sudden decision regarding their relationship, Izzy cannot help but feel like things are falling apart, right when they were supposed to be coming together. To ensure her mother's happiness, Izzy decides the play the part of the perfect princess. But does sacrificing for her parents mean giving up what she wants for herself? Can Izzy be the perfect princess, and also follow her own dreams?

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel, and the second and last in the Tokyo Ever After series. Izumi 'Izzy' Tanaka remains the focus, and the narrator of the story, and the reader once again gets to see the occasional article from the Tokyo Tattler, a gossip column that delights on reporting on the royal family, even if that information comes from dubious sources and is not necessarily true. Beginning in late August and continuing through the new year and into the spring, Izzy does her best to be what she needs to be if it means making sure her parent's marriage is approved by the Imperial Household Council. Izzy must make decisions she may not have seen herself making, become friends with people she previously loathed, and accept advice she would normally ignore. There is the expected conflict between who is Izzy is and what people think a princess should be, as well as complicated relationships, and hard to perfect royal customs.

My Verdict: Let's get the obvious out of the way: The story is a bit silly; there are plenty of cliches, and many readers will be able to see the ending coming before they have even reached the halfway point in the book. However, the book is well-written; the characters are fun, dynamic, and intriguing; the locations feel real; and the stiffness and formality of some of the royal events made me feel uncomfortable as I read about them. If I had one issue it would be believing any of Izzy's romantic relationships. The chemistry simply did not feel real to me, and more like the author was throwing in the romantic relationships simply because there needed to be additional struggles and tension. Ultimately, readers of the first book will get their definitive conclusion to the story, though some may not much care for the bow that it is wrapped in. 

Favorite Moment: Izzy and her cousins are forced to spend time together in order to overcome their rivalry, and the process that is thought up for them is as brilliant as it is brutal. 

Favorite Character: Izzy's mother, Hanako, is a lovely addition to the cast of regular characters for this second book. It was nice having her with her daughter in Japan as they both attempt to move and live in their new roles as royals. 

Favorite Quote: "It is so much easier to be led than to blaze your own trail. Actually, 'blazing' sounds too easy. It is more rigorous than that. Pulling up weeds. Unearthing trees. Laying down gravel. It's hard work becoming who you are. Is there really a right way to be a princess? A woman?"

Recommended Reading: I recommend the young adult fantasy novel A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin. A completely different kind of book, it features a young girl attempting to live up to impossible standards, while everything seems to be working against her. 

Nonfiction: The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

In 2018 I picked up Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras and was both captivated and fascinated with the story, which was based on events from the author's life as a child in Colombia. In her memoir The Man Who Could Move Clouds, Contreras talks about her fortune-telling mother, her experience with amnesia, and the history and dangers of her home country.

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a memoir that on the surface explores the role that magic has played in the author's life and family. Though the book does not move through time in a linear fashion, Contreras will tell not only her family's history, but also the history of Colombia and the everlasting effects of Spanish colonization. The book more or less begins in the middle, at the pivotal moment when Contreras loses her memories after suffering a head injury in Chicago. A similar thing happened to her mother when she was a small child and fell down an empty well in Colombia. From here, Contreras will detail not only her own journey through Colombia and eventually to the U.S, but she will also talk extensively about her family's many trips throughout Colombia when she was young, as the country was constantly at war with itself, and its citizens were always needing to navigate the danger. And at the center of the story are her mother and grandfather, both of which were known for their gifts involving magic and healing, though these gifts will divide the family as a whole, causing a conflict that remains unresolved. 

My Verdict: Naturally, what initially drew me to this book was how much I enjoyed Fruit of the Drunken Tree, and I was excited to read more about the real life events that Contreras drew from when writing that novel. When Contreras begins the book with the accident that left her with amnesia, it immediately puts the entire story off balance, and I do not know if that was intentional or not, but it is effective. Things are made even more confusing as the story moves around through time, sometimes taking place in 2012 when Contreras and her mother make the trip to Colombia to move her grandfather's remains, and sometimes exploring the family's history when Contreras was a child, or when her mother was a child, or going even further back to when the Spanish arrived in Colombia to claim what was not theirs. With that being said, the stories that are told are fascinating, and Contreras' language is just as arresting in her nonfiction as it is in her fiction. 

Favorite Moment: I often found myself the most interested in the small sections where Contreras talked about the political turmoil that took place in Colombia during the 80s and 90s, and how that made life incredibly difficult for its citizens. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend Fruit of the Drunken Tree to any historical fiction lover looking for a story that takes place outside of the U.S, and also not during World War II.