#varina

This time we’re bringing the mixture of topics from different genres. A bit of political analysis, some historical fiction with plenty of interesting historical facts, a psychological thriller, a brilliant biography of the 20th century martial arts and film icon, and a memoir of the mother of black Hollywood. Here are this week’s picks—we hope you find them as enjoyable as we did.

The Death of Truth-Michiko Kakutani

“Trump is as much a symptom of the times as he is a dangerous catalyst,” Kakutani says in his new book The Death of Truth, and demonstrates how his disdain for facts and civility grew from fascism and postmodernism. She cites chilling parallels between Trump’s use of language and Hitler’s, and shows how ideas such as cultural relativity and deconstruction softened the lines between objective and subjective. This dangerous tendency to give equal weight to substance and nonsense has been abetted by technology, with social media ensuring the most inflammatory stories get the widest circulation. Where the founders emphasized “the common good,” the very idea of consensus is now in tatters. What can save us? Institutions such as the three branches of government, the press, and education; the courage to insist on the truth, as the Parkland students have; and books like this one. Laurie G.  

Varina-Charles Frazier 

Varina is a haunting and beautifully written historical novel about Varina Davis, the wife of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. It traces her escape from Richmond with her children, her life before meeting her much older and already widowed husband, and her turbulent years after the war including her many losses and struggles. She was truly a fascinating woman who lived during a time of great tragedy, change and upheaval.  Frazier includes so many interesting historical tidbits throughout the novel and reading Varina is a pure delight. Nancy R.  

The Shades-Evgenia Citkowitz 

The Shades is a great little pressure cooker of a novel—an ideal literary thriller. It springs a mysterious death-by-falling on you in the first pages and slowly, calculatedly brings back to the root of the event until everything becomes clear. Well, not everything. The best thing about this book is its daring lack of resolution, as powerful an evocation of dispersed familial grief as they come. Fans of Ali Smith’s The Accidental will find this a powerful warp on its portrait of a family ravaged, and hopefully built back up, from within and without. Jonathan W.

Bruce Lee: A Life - Matthew Polly

By the time of his death at the age of thirty-two, Bruce Lee had achieved unparalleled success in martial arts and film. With the posthumous release of his movie Enter the Dragon, he became one of the icons of the 20th century. Although much has been published about him, Matthew Polly has written the definitive biography - Bruce Lee: A Life. By the end of this excellent book, readers will feel like they’ve come to know the man behind those fists of fury. Michael T. 

The Mother of Black Hollywood-Jenifer Lewis 

Many people know Ms. Lewis from the hit TV show Blackish, but she has contributed much more to TV and film than meets the eye. In her memoirThe Mother of Black Hollywood she discusses her struggle with mental illness, sex addiction, and her road to stardom. Fans of Jenifer Lewis will adore this book. Morgan H.