Timing
can be everything. I love all of Colum McCann’s work, so it’s not surprising that he
would top this list. But I happened to be reading this title, a fictionalized
account of a true story, not long before Hamas stormed into Israel.
The
story centers on the profound human pain this conflict creates. It offers
hope and optimism in the stories of two fathers, one Israeli and one Palestinian,
who create a close and enduring friendship amid horrifying losses— the violent
deaths of their daughters. The narrative beautifully describes the trauma,
tragedies, and transformations the men and their families experience, which
fuels their commitment to creating a nonviolent movement for peace in the Middle
East.
In
addition to being a creative and gripping read, it offers historical context
and interesting twists to an impossibly complex and ongoing geopolitical
crisis. This book left me both heartbroken and hopeful.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIX FEMINA AND THE PRIX MEDICIS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSBORO BOOKS GLASS BELL AWARD
WINNER OF THE PRIX DU MEILLEUR LIVRES ETRANGER
WINNER OF THE 2020 NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDS
CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF 2020 BY THE SUNDAY TIMES, OBSERVER, GUARDIAN, i PAPER, FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, SCOTSMAN, IRISH TIMES, BBC.COM, WATERSTONES.COM
'A wondrous book. It left me hopeful; this is its gift' Elizabeth Strout
'An empathy engine ... It is, itself, an agent of change' New York Times Book…
I
fell in love with Shakespeare as a college undergrad and was introduced to
the incomparable artistry of Margaret Atwood at around the same time. Her novel
Hag-Seed (the title is a Shakespearean "curse word") slipped past me
somehow. Happily, I rectified that oversight this year.
This
book is remarkable for its clever plot, colorful characters, and it's
satisfying resolution. Set mainly in a prison, it's based on one of
Shakespeare's lesser-staged plays, The Tempest. The book's sly humor made
me laugh out loud for real, which is no mean literary feat.
Her
book also underscores what an essential role the arts, and literature in particular,
play in helping us expand our thinking, imagine worlds different from our own,
and generate compassion and empathy for people who are very unlike us.
** Longlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction **
Selected as a Book of the Year -- Observer, Sunday Times, Times, Guardian, i magazine
`It's got a thunderstorm in it. And revenge. Definitely revenge.'
Felix is at the top of his game as Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. His productions have amazed and confounded. Now he's staging a Tempest like no other: not only will it boost his reputation, it will heal emotional wounds.
Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by…
Coate's writing enlivens this haunting, almost
mythical story about how we can justify human cruelty and the various
facets of liberation.
The story's protagonist is a slave whose father is a
plantation owner. As a young boy, he suffers the loss of his mother, a renowned Water Dancer, and is eventually raised in a hybrid world where he is elevated but never set free.
The book forces the reader to wrestle with morality, humanity, and the murky ethics of committing evil to further an overall good. Mostly, it's just a compelling read that had me
burning the midnight oil to see what happens next.
'One of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. I haven't felt this way since I first read Beloved . . .' Oprah Winfrey
Lose yourself in the stunning debut novel everyone is talking about - the unmissable historical story of injustice and redemption that resonates powerfully today
Hiram Walker is a man with a secret, and a war to win. A war for the right to life, to family, to freedom.
Born into bondage on a Virginia plantation, he is also born gifted with a…
The physical practice of yoga is familiar to most people — a cat-cow stretch, a downward-facing dog, the majestic Warrior Pose. Yet most people don’t realize that the physical practice is a fraction of the secret code that unleashes the transformational powers of yoga. Dig deeper, you’ll discover that yoga’s simple, yet rich philosophy contains profound insights for confronting the complexities of life.
This ancient wisdom, contained in the “Eight Limbs of Yoga,” offers those in the modern world ways stay centered, compassionate, calm, and content, even in chaotic circumstances. In this book, the authors filter yoga philosophy through the lens of work to illustrate how to stay positive, productive, creative, and energized no matter what you do or where you work
