Indice dei contenuti per Booklist, Vol. 119, No. 11, 2/1/2023 in Booklist

Journalism & Publishing Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. By Paul Scharre. Feb. 2023. 496p. Norton, $32.50 (9780393866865). 006.301. Machine learning and deep neural networks will be at the center of competition among nations and large companies going forward, according to autonomous-weapons expert Scharre (Army of None, 2018). He views AI as a general-purpose technology capable of myriad applications across a broad spectrum of fields. This includes the bad (surveillance and repression in China) and the good (predictive maintenance and wildfire mapping), with a million uses in between. Scharre illuminates the intersection of technology and national power and examines the history of the digital revolution, trends, and expectations for the future of AI. The titular battlegrounds for AI are data, computing power, talent, and the institutions that…

You’re likely already at least somewhat familiar with Beowulf; it’s one of the world’s most translated poems, there’s been more than one film adaptation, and there are already at least two comics adaptations of the Old English epic. But I promise you’ve never seen Beowulf quite like this. Zach Weinersmith and Boulet have recast the tale of medieval warriors, battling kingdoms, and vicious beasts with a neighborhood of rowdy kids sparring with a particularly curmudgeonly old man in the hilarious, rollicking Bea Wolf (reviewed on p.40). I spoke to the pair about what they drew from the original, what they loved about each other’s work on the project, and—perhaps most importantly—what makes kids such excellent medieval warriors. Hunter: You’ve gone out of your way to capture the sonic tone and lyricism…

This round-up of some of spring 2023’s most anticipated books includes high-profile sequels of series old and new. Harvest House. By Cynthia Leitich Smith. Candlewick, $19.99 (9781536218602). Gr. 9–12. Apr. This follow-up to 2018’s award-winning Hearts Unbroken is as timely as ever, this time highlighting anti-Indigenous bigotry within the context of a haunting Halloween mystery. Imogen, Obviously. By Becky Albertalli. Harper/Balzer+Bray, $19.99 (9780063045873). Gr. 9–12. May. Albertalli’s latest explores identity and sexuality through the story of high-school senior Imogen, ally extraordinaire, who begins to question her hetero self as she supports queer friend Lili. The Labors of Hercules Beal. By Gary D. Schmidt. Clarion, $19.99 (9780358659631). Gr. 3–7. May. Diminutive seventh-grader Herc Beal must find a way to complete the 12 labors of Hercules, his namesake, in real life in…

The following works cover important and fascinating aspects ofhistory in exemplary ways, whether utilizing unique perspectives or impeccable documentation. All were reviewed in Booklist between February 1, 2022, and January 1, 2023. Bandoola: The Great Elephant Rescue. By William Grill. Illus. by the author. 2022. Flying Eye, $19.99 (9781838740238). Gr. 3–6. Kate Greenaway recipient Grill brings readers a beautifully illustrated story of two men and an elephant brought together by the teak-wood industry in nineteenth-century Myanmar. Close-Up on War: The Story of Pioneering Photojournalist Catherine Leroy in Vietnam. By Mary Cronk Farrell. 2022. Abrams/Amulet, $22.90 (9781419746611). Gr. 6–9. Farrell blends Leroy’s experiences in wartime Vietnam with historic details and fascinating insights into the world of freelance news photography. Quotes, letters, and photos by Leroy appear throughout. Free at Last: A…

Older Readers Afterglow. By Phil Stamper. Illus. by May van Millingen. Feb. 2023. 352p. Bloomsbury YA, $18.99 (9781547607389). Gr. 9–12. Volume two in Stamper’s Golden Boys duology finds the four musketeers—er, friends—back in their village of Gracemont, Ohio, after a summer of adventures, and the times are doing what they do best; they’re a-changin’. Gabriel, Reese, Heath, and Sal remain out gay best friends, but their circumstances are becoming fluid. Artistic Reese and baseball star Heath are now a devoted couple, while Gabe and Sal have ended their informal relationship as Gabe begins a long-distance romance with Matt. But wait; there’s more. Reese wants to be a drag queen, having discovered the art in their performances; Heath’s shoulder is becoming increasingly painful, throwing his chance for a scholarship to Vanderbilt…

If you added up the print runs of all these must-preorder titles, you’d have … TBD (not sure we can count that high). In the meantime, best to just add these novels, histories, and memoirs to your list. Crook Manifesto. By Colson Whitehead. Doubleday, $30 (9780385545150). Jul. Following Harlem Shuffle (2021), this installment of Whitehead’s Harlem crime saga takes place in the 1970s as New York roils with civil unrest and two old friends are driven back to the city’s underbelly. The Daddy Diaries. By Andy Cohen. Holt, $29.99 (9781250890924). May. Bravo producer and host extraordinaire Cohen shifts the focus to his life as single parent to two young kids, with all the hard work and hilarity it entails. I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home. By Lorrie…

The best history titles reviewed in Booklist over the past 12months offer fresh takes on such compelling subjects as a power couple in ancient Egypt, American cultural infrastructure, and WWI. Always Faithful: A Story of the War in Afghanistan, the Fall of Kabul, and the Unshakable Bond between a Marine and an Interpreter. By Thomas Schueman and Zainullah Zaki. 2022. Morrow, $29.99 (9780063260610). A U.S. marine and a Pashtun military interpreter recount the stories of their lives and their friendship forged while fighting the Taliban in Helmand province. American Midnight: A Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis. By Adam Hochschild. 2022. Mariner, $29.99 (9780358455462). Hochschild illuminates overlooked aspects of life on the home front during WWI, including the violent demonization of German Americans, labor unions, Black Americans,…

Adult Arkham Horror: The Last Ritual. By S. A. Sidor. Read by a full cast. 2022. 8.25hr. GraphicAudio, DD (9781685086794). The creeping horror of Arkham Horror: The Last Ritual comes to audio-cinematic reality. Alden Oakes is driven by ennui to become a painter, seeking the experience or craft that will make his art uniquely powerful. Upon returning to Arkham, Oakes’ path repeatedly crosses that of the famed surrealist painter Juan Hugo Balthazarr. Balthazarr hides in the shadows, always on the edge of Arkham’s elite. As Oakes investigates a series of bizarre deaths, his own reality becomes increasingly surreal. Mystery turns to horror, and the boarders between realities become watery. Background music and sound effects ramp up the tension to pulse-pounding levels. Each character is voiced by a distinct actor in…

Adult Alone with You in the Ether. By Olivie Blake. Read by a full cast. 2022. 10hr. Macmillan Audio, DD (9781250890726). Can bees, hexagons, and six conversations lead two strangers to romance? Best-selling author Blake explores mental illness, self-acceptance, and love with perceptive honesty and humor in this full-cast audiobook. At the aural epicenter, Robb Moreira and Sura Siu alternate between protagonists Aldo and Regan’s perspectives. The listener is immersed into their sharply distinct, mundane, yet complex worlds: we feel Regan’s restlessness, her quickness to distract, the impulse to rattle, her attempts to savor the present. Moreira’s Aldo observes and deliberates the intensity and preciseness of thought and feelings at a slower pace. They bond first through conversation; their connection is convincing as Moreira and Siu’s respective narrations flow naturally…

General Fiction American Mermaid. By Julia Langbein. Mar. 2023. 336p. Doubleday, $28 (9780385549677); e-book (9780385549684). When Penelope Schleeman, a 33-year-old English teacher, published her debut novel, a feminist eco-thriller entitled American Mer  maid, the last thing she expected was for it to become a viral sensation thanks to a popular Instagram influencer. Suddenly, her book is everywhere, and before long, Hollywood comes calling. Thus begins Penelope’s odyssey into the tumultuous world of screenwriting, where she’s paired with two young male screenwriters, Murphy and Randy, to adapt her novel for the big screen. Penelope relocates to Los Angeles, where she attends glamorous parties with her agent, Danielle, and watches her bank account balance grow to numbers she never even dreamed of while teaching in Connecticut. And yet, as she witnesses her…

With a wide range of genres, art styles, and tones, there’s something to satisfy just about any teen fan of the format in this listof the top 10 graphic novels for teens, reviewed between February 1, 2022, and January 2023. Forest Hills Bootleg Society. By Dave Baker and Nicole Goux. Art by the authors. 2022. Atheneum, $21.99 (9781534469495). Gr. 9–12. When Kelly and her friends mistakenly buy a bootleg DVD of Super Love XL, they’re shocked, but then they recognize a money-making opportunity: selling copies to their classmates at their Christian boarding school. Giantess. By JC Deveney. Art by Nuria Tamarit. 2022. Magnetic, $29.99 (9781951719616). Gr. 10–12. When a woodcutter finds a gigantic baby in the forest, he raises her as his own, and in remarkable folk-art style, this fable-like tale…

Older Readers Fighting in a World on Fire: The Next Generation’s Guide to Protecting the Climate and Saving Our Future. By Andreas Malm and others. Feb. 2023. 272p. illus. Verso, paper, $17.95 (9781804291252); e-book, $9.99 (9781804291269). Gr. 10–12. 363.738. In a very extreme sense, this is a how-to manual on becoming a climate activist. A young-adult adaptation of Malm’s adult title How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2021), this passionate offering seemingly urges eco-warriors to forgo established passive aggressive, pacifist tactics in favor of full-on attacks. Neither title actually offers directions on how to build bombs, but the intensity and urgency of the need for meaningful climate action comes through loud and clear. There are discussions concerning the effectiveness of various protest tactics and strategies (including sabotage, violence, and terrorism)…

This month, pitchers and catchers report first to baseball’s spring training. Other players follow about a week later. Baseball fans follow spring training to learn about potential players for the season. Who will stand out? Which is the dream team? The same happens when young people pick up a book about history or someone’s life. They engage with the story. What will surprise or inform them? What will spark further inquiry? Pitchers and catchers work to make the starting roster. History works to be remembered. Meanwhile, I work to engage with and deliver for readers. I collaborate with an editor, an illustrator, a designer, and more—a team—to make sure young people know history. Native Nations and our citizens still exist, but that isn’t reflected in textbooks. As a result, students’…