This is a must read! You think you know about racism, you think yourself intelligent, you think yourself on the "correct" side of social justice issues. But there is so much to untangle. I first heard of this book when the murder of George Floyd started the 2020 version of Black Lives Matter protests. Kendi was inerviewed on Brene' Brown's podcast. When they talked about either being a racist or antiracist, I was provoked. I am not a racist, but am I an antiracist? No, not at the time. If you don't do anything to fight racism, you are perpetuating racism. So if you really want to end racism, you have to actively take on the cause of antiracism. I appreciate what Kendi did because this book is not Just explanatory, it is a memoir, taking us through his journey, and how he dealt with racist beliefs that he held. For example, he writes about how he won a speech contest perpetuating racist ideas about the problems with Black youth.  This is just one of many self-realizations he made. He weaves in personal stories with history and clear direction for policy. He makes you uncomfortable as he forced himself to face uncomfortable things about himself. One of the ideas that really struck me was in the chapter titled Failure, he writes about different tactics for change. "Suasion" purports to change minds as a presursor to changing policy, whereas changing policy puts all the effort into actual, tangible change. "An activist produces power and policy change, not mental change." This made me pause because I think of myself as doing my part, as a writer, and calling myself an activist. I will keep trying to do my part. I want to be an antiracist. This will be by my bedside for a long time, until I "get it" and breathe it in and out. 

This book was a challenge - but in a good way. Novels can exercise your brain in ways that non-fiction books can't. They can take you unapologetically to realms away from reality, but then again make you wonder, could it be possible? In this case, you are taken on this journey with the main character, Hiram, through his story of how he became part of the Underground. Through his story, you see the cruelty of those who deemed it was okay to own other humans, but you also see how those who were owned (Tasked) can become superhuman in their resilience. Coates did so much in the telling of the story to make you go "huh?" (me anyways) so the reading becomes mental exercise. Why did he use terms like Tasked for slaves and Quality for the slaveowners.? It is so ironic that it's uncomfortable. There's still things I didn't get, like why was Hiram's heroic feat of "conduction" at the end, an act of resistance to the Underground station he was associated with? But, I appreciate the overall effect this book had on me - an experience of otherworldliness. I loved how, through  his relationships with several strong women characters, (including Harriet Tubman), he became wiser and stronger. 

Note: The author of this book is a long-time friend from college. I reviewed this book on Amazon.
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Because this around-the-world bicycle odyssey was done 3 decades ago, this book is more of an adventure story, than a travel guide.  It's like time travel back to when there were no cell phones, internet, or ATMS. International calls were made when you were desperate. You scheduled mail for when you would be in a city where there was an American Express office.

​ I am amazed that the writer could do this, traveling on bikes for a year, from Europe to Africa to India, then Asia. with only 4 changes of clothes!  Even when I was younger, I would never have taken a trip like this, so I enjoyed reading about it. I loved how they found off-the-beaten path places, and I am curious what these places are like now, like Kodaikanal in India and the art festival in Hue, Vietnam.I have traveled to Vietnam, Thailand, and Bali in recent years, so I was able to compare the then as she experienced it, and the now, as I experienced it. Vietnam is drastically different, but we both found the people, especially the women, extremely warm and sincere.

The best thing about travel is learning about other cultures and seeing life through others' eyes. There is much of that in the different places they went to. There are stories here of the "kindness of strangers." She even mentioned books she was reading in each country, which I will look into. Another story line I thought was interesting was the writer's thinking through, and feeling through, her relationship with her then-husband, her travel partner. I found this book easy to read, inspiring and uplifting. But it was honest as well, she didn't leave out parts that were challenging, like needing to prepare for the various health threats, and having to endure recovery when you did catch something. There is much to like about this book. You will feel like a good friend of yours is telling you about the year she spent bicycling around the world.

It is amazing to know that in one's lifetime, you have lived through what seems like extreme historical eras, as if one person lived through the Dark Ages, then the Middle Ages, then the Renaissance. In this book, a memoir, Meh, writes about Chinese history but from the point of view of her place in it, as a daughter. She places her life in context. By telling us about her family's history, we learn what life was like before Communism, and then how it changes for an aristocratic family. Her mother died when she was only two weeks old, and when her father remarried, she had to endure the evil stepmother. Thankfully, she had an Aunt who helped her to realize that she had worth. I don't usually like memoirs, but this was different, as it gives context, and so you learn history and culture by reading about her life 

When I was teaching, we had an assistant who was reading this thick book every free moment she had. I asked her about it and she spoke of it rapturously. It was Pillars of the Earth, the first of writer of thriller author Ken Follett's pivot into historical fiction. In this first one, Follett tells an epic story of the building of a Gothic Cathedral in the Middle Ages. Oh, you may not be enticed by that summary, but Follett draws these full characters so that y9u understand their motivations, how they fit into history, and why you should care. It was the first of a trilogy, and after the first one, I always looked forward to the next. His newest book, is a prequel to Pillars, set in the Dark Ages.  Chapter 1 in Pillars starts at 1123, Chapter 1 in Evening, starts at 997, 200 years before. It follows the main character, Edgar, a ship builder in the beginning, whose town in Britain is destroyed by Vikings, and his life changes. Because he is resourceful, he overcomes one obstacle after another. There are so many interesting characters - the strong-willed, Norman woman who marries the head of the town; you come to despise the villain, who is the town's Bishop; the Monk who eventually starts to build the Cathedral, but who started out as a scribe with a mission to build up a library, This is Follett's style -lots of characters whose lives intersect in one way or another. Sometimes I would lose track as the "episodes" would focus on different characters. But it builds, as if simmering, and eventually it all comes together. 

I heard about this author listening to one of my favorite podcasts, It's Been a Minute, He had come out with a new book, Deacon King Kong, and so the interview was about that. When I get exposed to an author I am not familiar with, I would first go to my local used book store and look for them there. (Lately, I've actually been buying newly published books, I used to consider that a splurge but now I see it as supporting my local book store.) I do intend to read his other books, as this one I got at the used book store was spell-binding. The kind where you're talking to yourself, going - NOOOO! In this time of Black Lives Matter, I'm reading a lot more Black authors. It amazes me that there could still be so many racists in 0ur country when there is so much GOOD literature and films about being Black in this country. They say: Oh, but slavery is over, And I'm not responsible. There's something about literature, especially a book like this, that has SUCH a mix a tragedy, dehumanization, and redemption, that builds your empathy muscle. So this is about slavery. One of the main characters, Liz, an escaped slave is a seer, who has dreams of the future. She has a high price and the hunt for her brings together other characters: her rescuer who is planning his own escape through the underground railroad; a slave catcher with demons of his own; and others. The desperation for freedom, both from slavery, and from one's own inhumane demons, is a compelling story. Characters like in this novel, make you want to know how they escape their desperation. 

I wanted to like this. It's set on my island. It was recommended in the newsletter put out by my local book store. I just couldn't get past the inauthenticity of the language. Though the author's father is from Hawai'i, she is not, and it shows. I think if you can't get it right, you shouldn't do it. It makes me wonder if she did get local readers to read it. Example: Sprinkling "yeahs" everywhere doesn't make it ring true. Besides the language, the story was a good one, set in 1935, with an eruption from Mauna Loa providing excitement, and maybe a metaphor. It's a story about secrets and the revealing of them. 

This is a departure form my preferred genre, which is historical fiction.But it is in line with my other love, storytelling and ancient folklore. This brings to life the story of Circe, who was the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and a nymph. She was a powerful witch, most famous for turning Homer's men into swine on the island where she was exiled to. It interweaves a lot of mythical figures who we likely familiar with, like Homer, and Hermes, the messenger. It was hard to follow at first, but once you get into it, it is fascinating. It gets more and more incredible, in a good way, like a good story.

I loved Brennert's previous 2 books, Moloks'i and Honolulu. Not so impressed with this one, which continues the story with the daughter of the main character in Moloka'i, who was confined to the leper colony on Kalaupapa. She was forced to give up her daughter to a Catholic orphanage back on O'ahu, and it follows her life as a precocious child, then being adopted, and through adulthood. Much of the story covers life in a Japanese-American concentration camp. Not sure why I didn't rave over this one. It's okay. 

So many people had recommended this to me and I finally got to read it. I must really like stories that traverse generations, because I come back to them again and again. The thing about these types of epic historical novels is that you come to understand the context of one's life, especially when it intersects so dramatically with significant developments in a country's history. Though I am Japanese, I am not opposed to reading about Japanese imperialism, in this case, in Korea. The conflict this creates makes for compelling characters, as they struggle to survive and generations down, even succeed. I always knew that Japanese were very insular, not pluralistic. How that affected non-Japanese in Japan, is sad, but you follow these characters, rooting for them. There are some devastating developments, but in the end .... Good read.