Book Review – The Glass Hotel – Emily St. John Mandel

Book Review – The Glass Hotel – Emily St. John Mandel

Facts:

Book: The Glass Hotel
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Genre: Fiction
Year of Release: 2020
Read 305-page hardcover edition in February 2021

Book Description:

Vincent is a young woman working as a bartender at a remote luxury hotel on northern Vancouver Island. Her brother Paul has joined her as one of the maintenance and cleaning staff. They have been raised separately and are not close, Vincent having struggled with the disappearance and likely death of her mother when she was a teenager. Paul has his own struggles with addiction and a lack of direction.

When a night shift at the hotel leads to a mysterious figure writing “Why don’t you swallow broken glass” on the hotel windows, everyone is left wondering what the message means, and who it was meant for?

Meanwhile, Vincent meets the owner of the hotel, the rich Jonathan, who seems friendly and the king of his financial empire. But the empire is actually a large Ponzi scheme, and when things start to crumble, the various threads of the story all begin tying together.

Book Review:

This novel is a departure in many ways from the author’s hugely successful Station Eleven. Instead of a dystopian world, we are in a realistic world, where we are taken from British Columbia to New York to a container ship on the ocean. The author has done an incredible job with setting here, bringing us all over the world with a collection of unique and fascinating characters, all of whom have struggles, challenges, and dark sides.

The novel has many twists and turns in its plot, along with several surprises that occur throughout. There is some movement back and forth in time and perspective, which allows us an enjoyable ride as we turn the pages and move across time, space, and character.

The various topics and settings all allow the reader to explore the novels themes of grief, loss, and a strained sibling relationship. At the same time, there is peace and contentment found in times of solitude as well, such as on the container ship and in the glass hotel, which is an intriguing counterpoint to the larger themes that are usually the focus of the novel.

This is a thoughtful novel, with beautiful prose by Emily St. John Mandel. Her writing is lyrical, and the novel is truly breathtaking.

Well done!

Overall: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – 21 Lessons for the 21st Century – Yuval Noah Harari

Book Review – 21 Lessons for the 21st Century – Yuval Noah Harari

Facts:

Book: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Genre: Non-Fiction
Year of Release: 2018
Read 339-page paperback edition in February 2021

Book Description:

In his third book, Harari focuses on the present, and expectations we will face as homo sapiens in the 21st century. The 21 chapters provide that many lessons on an array of topics. Readers of his prior works will be familiar with some of the discussion around artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and information technology advances. Harari goes further however to explore what the human species really is, and how we will evolve over this century, and what it means for how we adapt to life.

The book looks at economy, politics, religion, technology, and the meaning of life, and how all of this will continually evolve and change over the 21st century. How can we prepare as individuals in this ever changing world?

Book Review:

As with his prior books, Sapiens and Homo Deus, Harari has done a masterful job with 21 Lessons. This book is very engaging, with strong scientific analysis and persuasive arguments of what the world is and will be in the 21st century.

Harari has done a great job organizing this into 21 chapters that are bite-sized, but nicely linked from one chapter to the next. He closes each chapter nicely summarizing his points and then linking it directly to what the next chapter will be exploring. The result is a digestible, understandable format for the reader.

Harari does a great job exploring a range of critical topics and using a variety of examples to make his points. Chapters are on a variety of diverse subjects, from Religion to Big Data to Meaning to Science Fiction, and many more in between. The majority of them give the reader reason to pause and consider the ramifications of these subjects on the world around us, and on our own lives. This is the hallmark of a well-written book in this field.

My one dissatisfaction in the book is that Harari spends a lot of time focusing on all the problems and concerns for the 21st century. There are often not satisfying solutions or even suggestions of solutions to the various risks and concerns we will be facing. To be fair, I don’t know what they are, and it is a tall order to ask for all the answers here. The book is a great analysis of challenges, risks, and concerns, and at times some solutions and ideas to solve them are provided. I just wish more of them were provided at key points.

Overall though, this is a fantastic book by Harari, and like his other books, they are thought-provoking, insightful, and timely for the inquisitive reader who wants to understand our species and our world.

Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – The Morning After – Chantal Hebert

Book Review – The Morning After – Chantal Hebert

Facts:

Book: The Morning After
Author: Chantal Hebert
Genre: Non-Fiction
Year of Release: 2014
Read 300-page hardcover edition in February 2021

Book Description:

Award-winning journalist Chantal Hebert takes readers back to the fateful day of October 30, 1995, when Quebec nearly voted Yes in a referendum. Hebert delves into the political leaders on the yes side, and the no side, through detailed interviews and analysis, to find out what people were thinking and planning in the lead up to the referendum. Hebert also focuses in on what would happen the morning after, if a Yes vote had been returned.

This political account offers a diverse range of opinions, analysis, and observations from different perspectives.

Book Review:

Hebert has done a great job collecting valuable insight and commentary from political leaders of 1995, and recording it for present and future generations that want to understand what happened in this moment in our history. The 1995 referendum was an intense time, and almost ripped the country a part. It came after much constitutional talk over the past couple of decades, and this book is a great review of the environment and political climate, as well as the stressors leading up to voting day.

Hebert does a great job reviewing the rifts and fractures in both the Yes and No sides, demonstrating that there was not much unity among the leaders on either side. Although it’s hard to predict what would have happened after, in the event of a Yes vote, Hebert does a great job getting the opinions of the variety of leaders she interviews, as well as putting her own analysis into the mix. At times it feels like there isn’t quite enough detail on all elements of the story, for the most part this is a useful and educational book.

The structure of the book is interesting, with Hebert breaking it up into chapters for each of the people she interviewed. The organization is thoughtful and the closing sections describing some personal stories of each political leader are interesting.

Hebert has co-interviewed her subjects with Jean Lapierre, and together they have done a great job.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – Becoming – Michelle Obama

Book Review – Becoming – Michelle Obama

Facts:

Book: Becoming
Author: Michelle Obama
Genre: Memoir
Year of Release: 2018
Read 428-page hardcover edition in February 2021

Book Description:

In this memoir from 44th First Lady Michelle Obama, the first African-American First Lady in the White House, we get a sense of what life was really like, not only during her 8 years in the role of First Lady, but also all the years that led up to her and President Obama entering politics and eventually the White House.

The memoir is a very open, moving and revealing account of life, from childhood all the way up to and including Michelle Obama’s viewpoints on the polarization and racism that marked her family’s time in the White House and what happened immediately after which the election of Trump.

Book Review:

Michelle Obama has done a wonderful job writing a thoughtful and caring memoir that opens the readers eyes not only to common questions about what life in the White House must be like, but also a window into the former First Lady’s thinking process and challenges she had to overcome. Her explorations of racism and sexism in 21st century America (and beyond the USA) are powerful and relevant, making this a timely memoir for all to read.

After having just read Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land,” this was a timely read, and it was interesting to read Michelle Obama’s memoir, issued two years earlier. While there is not as much on government policy, there is more on raising children in a political environment, and the challenges of building a solid relationship when both partners are very busy with work. Family is explored beautifully here, both immediate and extended family.

Michelle Obama also does a good job through the course of the memoir explaining where the one-word title comes from, and the Epilogue helps her to bring it home and really define what it means to her to become. This was a great conclusion to the thoughtful prose.

The story of Obama’s life was told wonderfully here, with a great balance between her immediate family growing up, her extended family and friends, her husband and two children, and also herself and her beliefs and feelings. A lot of the narrative is devoted to childhood, teenage years, college years, young adulthood, and then life before getting to the White House. There are many lessons learned and great observations about life in these sections, and it is a narrative that propels the reader forward. The pages devoted to the White House are more focused on the first term as opposed to the second term that the Obamas were in the White House, and a little more detail and observations in those later four years would have been great. That being said, when the writer leaves the reader wanting more, that is a good sign.

Overall, this is an inspiring memoir, with a page-turning feel to it and one that leaves the reader hopeful for change and a better future.

Well Done!

Overall: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2 – Gengoroh Tagame

Book Review – My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2 – Gengoroh Tagame

Facts:

Book: My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2
Author: Gengoroh Tagame
Genre: Fiction – Manga, Graphic Novel
Year of Release: 2017
Read 352-page paperback edition in February 2021

Book Description:

In the concluding volume of the series, we continue to follow Mike’s three-week adventure in Japan, where he is spending time and staying with his brother-in-law Yaichi, and Yaichi’s daughter Kana. Mike has come to meet them after the death of his husband Ryoji, who was Yaichi’s twin brother. Ryoji never felt comfortable to share his sexual identity with his family, and his untimely death has left many unanswered feelings for everyone.

In volume two, Mike continues to enjoy time and visiting with the family of his now deceased husband. Meanwhile, Yaichi learns many lessons about what it means to be gay, and explores feelings of regret and sadness over not staying in touch with his twin brother who moved to Canada to be with Mike.

As the day of Mike’s departure back to Canada grows closer, and Kana becomes more sad at the prospect of her uncle going back to his home, they continue to learn and grow together, about the meaning of family.

Book Review:

Similar to volume one, this concluding volume was an absolutely fantastic graphic novel / manga from writer and artist Gengoroh Tagame. The skill with which he employs is truly breathtaking, with fantastic art and great character interactions through the dialogue.

There is great emotional resonance in this book, which is subtle and smooth. Rather than be overly prescriptive with the message, the direction Gengoroh Tagame took was to layer messages around homophobia, the damage covert and quiet homophobia takes, and cultural lessons, in a very subdued way. The result is a thoughtful approach that the reader can learn from on their own, through the measured pace of the entire book. This is a very respectful approach for the reader, with the assumption the reader will pick up on the lessons and understand them as they move alone the thoughtful book. It is successful.

The characters of Kana, Mike, and Yaichi are all written with humour, elegance, and complexity. Watching the interactions and adventures between the three, and the supporting characters, is fun and enjoyable. At the same time, the story itself as a whole is very emotional and touching.

It truly is a sign of success when at the conclusion you would long for more stories and follow-up on the characters. Another sign of success is feeling that you enjoyed the book, you learned something valuable, and that you have shed a tear for these wonderful characters.

Well Done!

Overall: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – The Book of Longings – Sue Monk Kidd

Book Review – The Book of Longings – Sue Monk Kidd

Facts:

Book: The Book of Longings
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Genre: Fiction – Historical Fiction
Year of Release: 2020
Read 418-page hardcover edition in January 2021

Book Description:

This historical novel tells the story of Ana, the forgotten wife of Jesus. We meet Ana as a teenager, living with rich parents but with little rights as a female. When she is betrothed to an older man which is clearly done as a simple business transaction to benefit her father, she finds a way to escape from the plan, but not without cost to her future.

During her struggle for freedom, and her ongoing goal of being independent so she can pursue her writing and find her voice, she meets a man named Jesus, who she is astonished to see actually treats women, the poor, and the sick with respect.

The novel shows us what happens when she marries Jesus and enters his home as his new wife. The joy and the heartache, as she finds her voice, in turbulent times.

Book Review:

Sue Monk Kidd has written a fantastic historical novel, one that is very respectful of the Christian belief in the wisdom and goodness of Jesus, yet also one that challenges Christianity with new concepts and ideas. The novel does a fantastic job of taking the principles and values that Jesus spoke about in Christian tradition, but challenging by bringing in themes of feminism. The main character of the novel is Ana, and this focus on the wife of Jesus is a fantastic way for us to see these events through a woman’s eyes. More importantly, we get to know an amazing and strong character, Ana, who strives to make a difference in the world and ensure that her writing and her voice are heard and not forgotten.

The author has done a great job of creating powerful, memorable characters, particularly Ana and her strong aunt Yaltha. These two women have adventures, voice their goals, and make things happen around them. The love story between Jesus and Ana is powerful, and of course the ending of the novel is poignant and dramatic. The way Sue Monk Kidd has crafted the plot to explain where Ana was during those few years of Jesus’s ministry was clever and made sense.

The novel is equal parts plot and character development. We learn about the history of these times, with the novel clearly written froma well researched perspective.

Overall, this is a thoughtful, enjoyable, and touching novel, one well worth reading, to consider the Christian religion in a new way.

Well Done!

Overall: 5 stars out of 5 stars