Friday, August 15, 2025

2025 #34: Liars (Manguso)

 

LiarsLiars by Sarah Manguso
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think this book is going to land differently depending on the personal experiences of readers. While that's true of any book, I had a really hard time relating to the relentless onslaught of the narrative. I felt like I was a therapist, and I was simply reading a transcript of sessions of a woman in an unhappy marriage. That said, I did appreciate that the post-divorce narrative didn't go the way of the cliché, I suppose. As a child of divorced parents, it did make me think a bit, but mostly the book just tired me out. I needed more shape and direction.

View all my reviews

Monday, August 4, 2025

2025 #33 The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (Hannah-Jones, ed)

 

The 1619 Project: A New Origin StoryThe 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

No book or project could ever be comprehensive when it comes to exploring and capturing the history and legacy that began in 1619, when enslaved Africans set foot on the shores of North America, a year prior to the arrival of the Mayflower. The book is an enlargement of Hannah-Jones's foundational The 1619 Project, published in the New York Times Magazine. However, as a reclamation of American History, this book is a chronicle, a celebration of poetry, art, and writing, and a call for understanding and moving forward. "A truly great country does not ignore or excuse its sins, it confronts them and then works to make them right," Hannah-Jones says in closing.

The contributors to the book are many and varied, with some of the most profoundly powerful and influential voices of our time: Claudia Rankine, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Michelle Alexander, Ibram X. Kendi, Henry Louis Gates, Terry McMillan, and so many more.

In the audiobook, some readers are more compelling than others, but the words are potent, well-researched, and a true call for understanding how conventional narratives of American history have been whitewashed. Turning points, such as Abraham Lincoln's assassination, are reframed so that we understand that when Andrew Johnson took over the presidency for a brief two-month period, he tried to rescind wartime Order No. 15 (known as "Forty Acres and a Mule") and that these original reparations never truly materialized in a way that provided widespread and sustained land ownership to Black Americans. The connection of this (and preceding events) to the current wealth gap between Black and white Americans is made clear.

Ibram X. Kendi's truth-telling is particularly powerful, especially as it targets and demolishes narratives of "post-racial" America. The criticisms may be hard to hear for some, but the cycle of attempts to declare any and all "wins" as progress has largely clouded the narrative in its failure to recognize the persistence of neglect and abuse toward Black Americans, and the systemic infrastructure that perpetuates it.

It is not an easy book to read/listen to -- nor should it be. There is deep and painful beauty expressed in the poems. Few facets of modern life are left un-addressed, whether it is healthcare or mass-incarceration. The book can be (and has been) excerpted to great effect, but sitting with it from start to finish has its own benefits. As a white American, it was invaluable to be reminded of the things I have learned, to be invited to de-center white historical narratives, and to critically consider how much we truly owe to the legacy of Black Americans and how we have failed (and continue to fail) to honor it and fight for it. There has been a lot of backlash and vitriol aimed at the project. I recommend engaging with the book instead of allowing the controversies to subsume the content.


View all my reviews

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

2025 #32 Espresso Tales (44 Scotland Street #2 - McCall Smith)

 

Espresso Tales (44 Scotland Street, #2)Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, now I've really gone and messed things up. I started the series with #13 The Peppermint Tea Chronicles, and even thought I had already read Espresso Tales, which was not the case. But now that I've read two books out of order, I think I'll just keep going that route. What was interesting is how my feelings about the characters differed. For example, Bertie and his neurotic and over-protective mother, Irene, were centerpieces of this volume, whereas I was not so interested in them in Peppermint. Despite having skipped the first in the series, I felt that this was a delightful introduction to Bertie, Irene, and Stuart. On the other hand, Ramsey Dunbarton was a dreadful bore, and while I understand that is intended, I needed less proof of it. Big Lou has a larger role to play in Peppermint, but it was nice to see more of her origin story here. It is the characters that give these books a delight, and some of the plots are self-contained, so I think I'm ok to read these out of order.
McCall Smith keeps his characters vivid but also believable (for the most part). This is a wonderful summer read--lighthearted, entertaining, and sure to hook you in to the world of 44 Scotland Street.

View all my reviews

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

2025 #31 Colored Television (Senna)

 

Colored TelevisionColored Television by Danzy Senna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Colored Television digs into the trials and tribulations of the writing life, especially those compounded by racism. Unlike the former book, however, it doesn't quite go to the same extremes, and the protagonist here, Jane Gibson, is generally more likeable than June in Yellowface.

The book gets off to a slow start, where we are treated to the inner workings of Jane's mind before we care too much about her. She's living in someone else's house with her husband Lenny and their two children, Ruby and Finn. Her marriage is slightly less than functional, its success measured by frequency and quality of sex, and Lenny has his own ambitions as an artist that don't always complement Jane's sabbatical wherein she is trying to finish her second book in order to get tenure. Senna does excellent work layering the texture with tension. First and foremost, there is Jane's own mixed-race identity and how it does/doesn't interact with both her personal and professional life. She has dreams of luxury, and she has everything riding on this second novel, Nusu Nusu, to make her financial dreams come true. While we don't have deep dives into the novel, we understand enough to know that it is an intergenerational narrative about mulatto [term as used in the book] people.
 
In some sense, Jane's wishful thinking is enabled by her friend Brett, in whose house they are staying (and whose wine collection they are drinking). While Jane does find success in completing the novel, things go downhill very quickly, when Jane is confronted with the commoditization of identity in the publishing industry.

In not quite a twist--but perhaps a questionable choice--rather than address that core issue, Jane decides to come at it from a different angle, again centering her ideas of "success" rather than her ideologies. She manipulates and deceives, but in rather earthy ways, rather than hyperbolic hysteria. The deceit does drag on a bit too long, but the plot mobility increases so that we aren't drowned in an investigation into inner psyches, and Jane's naivete softens her character a bit. The book is more a tragicomedy than anything else, and the humor is sardonic. There's survival here, and that's an important element of the book. Jane's will to keep going, setting her lack of scruples aside, is a striving to which most readers can relate at some level.




View all my reviews

Monday, July 21, 2025

2025 #30: More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI (Warner)

 

More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AIMore Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI by John Warner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One might draw parentheses around "in the Age of AI" when it comes to John Warner's excellent book. If there is one thing that is certain, generative AI has made it necessary to think about writing in general, as the assumed ubiquity of AI has implied definitions of writing that are certainly unsatisfactory from a pedagogical standpoint, and stand as evidence of the marketplace's power to (try to) shape our destiny. But this isn't just another example of capitalism's dominion. Many uses of AI ask us how much of our humanity we are willing to relinquish? The answer is demoralizing for many of us, yet Warner does provide a framework which he details in the last section of the book: Resist. Renew. Explore.

Warner starts, however, at the "beginning". He eschews "intelligence" as a synonym for "automation" --the real function of AI. I'll admit to a strong confirmation bias, but Warner puts AI through its paces to offer a well-considered and informative critique that I found incredibly helpful in quieting the bile that rises in my throat when it seems everyone has just obeyed our AI overlords in advance. He begins with an accessible explanation of what ChatGPT is and what it is doing when activated. While it is informative, it also serves to remind us that, at some level, we must understand how technology works rather than just allow ourselves to be uniformly awed (or galled) by its "magic." He is openly critical of the propaganda put forth by AI advocates who stand to gain financially (e.g. Sam Altman), but carefully debunks their claims rather than resorting to panicked invective.

Some of the chapter titles read like tongue-in-cheek clickbait, but it adds to Warner's overall sense of humor, which pops up throughout the narrative. To be sure, we are reading a very human writer.

Chapters 3 to 9 offer a more personalized view--almost a mini-memoir of Warner's own life as a writer-- but peppered with rather significant points about semiotics and rhetoric that are a heckuva lot more reader-friendly than most of what is written about semiotics and rhetoric. On a personal level, Chapter 6, "Writing is Feeling" touched me the most, and I think mileage will vary on that depending on the life experiences of the reader. I wasn't quite prepared for tears in encountering one of the most perfect meditations on grief I've ever read. I won't quote it here, but it is on p. 84 (hardcover). It underscores that this is very much a book about being human.

Chapter 7, "Writing as a Practice" felt a bit less useful and more of a (gentle) mouthing-off against the "one key thing" mentality that prompts us to enthusiastically adopt the shiny thing du jour. His diplomatic takedown of Gladwell and Duckworth's themes felt more gratuitous than other parts of the book, but that may be because I needed no convincing at the outset.

Writing teachers (and teachers that use writing) will find chapters 11 to 14 particularly useful, especially if they are interested in having conversations with their students about AI--or rather, about writing. The title for Chapter 16 privileges an anecdote that Warner uses to address one of the most important points of all: writing as intention.

Importantly, Warner encourages constant education, but measured by our own specialities and areas of focus. We cannot possibly read all the things about AI (my Substack feed overwhelms me every day), but it is important to push back at our own confirmation bias as well. I appreciated that Warner notes that he is almost "more obligated to read [Ethan Mollick] because I disagree with him.' (275). There's hope if we engage with thoughtful voices like Mollick, Marc Watkins, and others. Warner says we must foster community:

"Our communities inevitably must contain both those with whom we agree and those with whom we differ. As long as they are willing to see themselves as a member of the community with the well-being of the community in mind, they should be welcome." (275).

I'd like to print that out banner-size and hang it in a few places...

From the morally questionable beginnings of the founding of AI, the degradation of labor (and human-ness), to the careless implementation of automated grading, Warner is clear that we are leaning toward a Faustian bargain when it comes to AI. As a teacher, I was particularly struck by this:

"Writing is meant to be read. Having something that cannot read [AI] generate responses to writing is wrong. It is a moral betrayal of our responsibilities to students." (240) Far too often in discussions of AI I have heard "efficiency" used as a synonym for "pedagogy" and they are certainly not the same thing.

But Warner is also pragmatic: "There is no wishing away AI at this point, meaning it must be grappled with and done so in a way that preserves our humanity." (128) He allows for the limited use of LLMs in processing text (not reading, not writing): "Only humans can read. Only humans can write. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.." (123)

AI has made it necessary (possible?) to critique our values when it comes to a lot of things, but especially writing. Most educational systems are founded on valuing product over process, so we can't be that surprised when we find that students are using ChatGPT to "cheat." Efficiency is key in the systems we uphold. If we want to truly have our students embrace the "messiness of learning", we have to stop honoring that which privileges standardization and the mechanization of education. The second part of Warner's framework is "renew" and he makes a more-than-convincing case that we can refuse to assimilate into some sort of algorithmic Borg, and instead embrace the human processes of reacting, observing, analyzing, and synthesizing as cause for celebration, rather than erasing them in the name of efficiency.



View all my reviews

Saturday, July 19, 2025

2025 #29 I Have Some Questions for You (Makkai)

 

I Have Some Questions for YouI Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
My rating: 3 of 5 stars (3.75 stars)

This novel tries to be a lot of things, and it is, but it feels like there is a lack of pacing because of it. I couldn't get a solid grasp on Bodie Kane, but this is, at least in part, due to the fact that the novel is largely about Bodie getting a grasp on Bodie--so, fair enough! Interspersed with the self-reflection is a murder mystery alongside a larger message about how women are treated in/by society--both are worthwhile, but both were somewhat diluted by the lack of focus. The book does offer some real warnings about nostalgia and memory, and this was for me, the core value of the novel. I did not feel any real attachment to any of the characters, but this was a rare case where I think that was useful. Justice is often paraded as some sort of process of objectivity (although we know it isn't), and Makkai's novel helps reveal how justice can only ever be relative in the messy-ness of the human condition. We also come to realize how many details we likely miss in a given day of our lives--what we see, but don't watch, for example. Makkai reminds us that "memory" is a fabrication, and the split of the book into two parts is masterful in driving that home. A worthwhile read, but I suggest lowering expectations for the "mystery" aspect, and allowing the reflections on how we co-exist to be front and center.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

2025 #28 The Book Censor's Library (Al-Essa)

 

The Book Censor's LibraryThe Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While not totally subtle in its satire, Al-Essa's novel succeeds with a dark whimsy befitting Alice and Wonderland, which serves as larger reference for the story in more ways than one. But Al-Essa's looking glass is perhaps more than it seems, and we are easily manipulated into caring for characters even though they bear titles, like stock figures, rather than names. The "Everyman" approach keeps a strange distance, until we come to understand the power of our own imaginations with an ending that has been described as a "narrative rupture" or a "twist worthy of Kafka." The ending made me a bit cranky, initially, but the more I thought about it, it seemed perfect to serve Al-Essa's true narrative, with its hanging threads and all.

View all my reviews