WHEW, what a decade -I mean month- March 2020 has been! As you all know, sh*t really hit the fan this month regarding the international COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 14th, I’ve been kooked up in my 2-bedroom DC apartment, working from home and trying to avoiding the outside world as much as possible. It’s been a weird time; a totally new routine, less physical movement, much more time spend with my significant other. But one silver lining: I have been a reading machine!
With this burst of reading, and just building off of the momentum I’ve had, I actually decided to nearly double my 2020 reading goal from 28 to 50 books! I’m about 2 books ahead of schedule right now, so it seems doable!
Without further adieu, here’s everything I read in March 2020:
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Ooh did I love this one that I found through Book of the Month! The Girl with the Louding Voice is a stunning debut novel from Abi Daré, which I serendipitously finished on International Women’s Day. The book was vivid, intense, and emotional. I so admired the strength and perseverance of main character, Adunni, a young Nigerian girl, navigating life after her mother’s passing and arranged polygamist marriage. The book is written in the vernacular of Adunni’s town in Nigeria, which I thought added a unique authenticity to the book. Despite the many hardships Adunni endures, she is ever resilient in her quest for an education and to be the version of herself that she knows is so much bigger than a life as a subservient, uneducated house wife.
Overall Score: A+
Maid is the powerful narrative of a hardworking woman who, because of circumstance, struggles to make ends meet while supporting her daughter and trying to maintain a semblance of a personal life that brings her joy. Stephanie Land speaks truth to power by sharing her story of struggles and triumphs as a low-income worker, juggling multiple labor intensive jobs, several different forms of government assistance, and working towards a college degree.
This book received quite a bit of criticism, but to me, it's a book that is critical to breaking down the stigmas that surround the low-income and homeless populations in our country. It challenges and refutes preconceptions that many have of the "lazy" welfare recipient, gaming the system in an effort to avoid working. Land's story couldn't be farther from that narrative.
As a reader, you feel the weight of those stigmas on her as she shamefully presents food stamps at the cash register, only adding to the tremendous stress she feels continually adding and subtracting every expense to make ends meet and feed her daughter. Land is forced to make really tough decisions about housing and child care, because she truly has no other options. It tugs at your heart and really makes you think hard about the deeply rooted systems that have forced so many to scrape by in this way.
One thing I wish Land would have talked about more is the role race placed throughout her whole journey. Otherwise, this was her story to tell and I'm glad that she did.
Overall Score: B
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Ask Again, Yes is absolutely riveting. I was hooked from beginning to end.
Mary Beth Keane did an exceptional job building suspense and drama throughout the entirety of the book that kept you guessing and reading. This is a book that is takes a intimate look at the messiness of life; the complexities of love and family and forgiveness. She definitely doesn't shy away from exploring the tough topics in this book either, such mental health disorders, substance abuse, and infidelity. That the core struggles of the book span generations adds a lot of depth and authenticity to the story, as you can imagine an event of that nature reverberating through the families. I found nearly all of the characters very well developed, multifaceted, and nuanced, as I believe all good characters are.
If you read Little Fires Everywhere and were a fan, I'd definitely recommend picking up this one!
Overall Score: A+
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
I picked up this one because I love historical fiction and was such a fan of Hannah’s other book, The Nightingale. Much like The Nightingale, Hannah’s strength as a writer lies in her keen ability to transport you to a specific place and time in history. She is an expert at bringing scenes to life by activating all of the senses, and in The Great Alone, we’re taken on an adventure to a remote Alaskan town. We get to know Alaska for the contradiction that it is: equal parts beauty and serenity mixed with desolation and danger. The book is filled with juxtapositions like this, including that of the relationships it portrays. There is the the beauty and youthful purity of Lenis relationship with Matthew sidled up against the anger and deeply unhealthy relationship of Lenis parents.
Leni is a dynamic main character, defined by her adaptability and strength. She learns to love this new and starkly different world she is thrown into. She is the embodiment of perseverance and resilience, displaying a strength and wisdom that goes beyond her years in spite of the very challenging and turbulent situations she finds herself in.
Like most of the other critiques of this story, my only complaint is that the ending did feel rushed and almost too neatly tied up in a way. All in all, though, that didn’t take away from what I found to be an excellent novel. This is a story about the bonds of family with elements of tragedy, romance, and history all tied in. I highly recommend this read!
Overall Score: A-
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Such a Fun Age was such a fun read (oops - had to.)! The writing is modern and relatable; it felt like I was hanging out with friends my age. I also liked the character development and the plot line. I didn’t see the intersection of the different story lines at first and I wasa on the edge of my seat when I realized how they would combine in the most cringe worthy way! I also loved Emira’s epic mic drop towards the end. As easy as this book was to read, it definitely shines a light on issues of race and affluence. An excellent debut novel from Kiley Reid!
Overall Score: A
Choose Wonder Over Worry: Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential by Amber Rae
I first discovered Amber Rae on Instagram (@heyamberrae) where I fell in love with her playfully handlettered charts and graphics containing nuggets of motivation and inspiration. Amber Rae is a fervent re-framer of negative thought patterns or narratives that many tell themselves. When I saw that she had written a book, I eagerly pre-ordered myself a copy.
As someone who struggles daily to manage my anxiety and worry, this was a personal read for me. And as a creative as well, I completely relate with the dichotomy of wonder and worry, if only it were simpler to sub one out for the other.
Choose Wonder Over Worry was a quick read, with a lot of guided journaling prompts throughout to encourage the reader to really reflect on the things she brings up.
This had a bit of what I tend to find in most self-help books which is that they sometimes repeat the same thing over and over again in different ways for the entirety of the book where I’m like... that could have been an article and achieved the same thing but saved me some time. Another bummer was that all of the illustrations included in the book were extremely simple and in black and white. I think including colorful and more creative ones like she posts on Instagram would have served her better here.
Overall, I did feel like there were some constructive and inspiring ideas that I took away from the book.
Overall Score: C+