Tabla de contenidos para Vol. 118, No. 11, 2/1/22 en Booklist

Adult Nonfiction Philosophy & Psychology Feng Shui Modern. By Cliff Tan. Feb. 2022. 192p. Bloomsbury, $20 (9781526639998). 133.3337. In his first-ever book, architect and TikTok influencer Tan offers feng shui made practical and comprehensible as he simplifies the potentially confusing elements that make up “the way of wind and water,” bringing harmony and balance to living spaces. Definitions come first, explaining the foundations of yin and yang, ba gua (solid and broken lines), the five elements, chi (energy), and the five animals (directions). He summarizes all in a sentence or less—the epitome of common sense and instinct. Accompanying Tan’s bulleted text and examples of good and bad floor plans, illustrations by Dura Lee show what to avoid in various rooms and what to embrace, and demonstrate memorable examples: Make the…

Spotlight Top 10 History Books The most exceptional works of history reviewed in Booklist over the last 12 months are beautifully written and offer fresh facts and perspectives on the past in the U.S. and all around the world.—Donna Seaman The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. By Nikole Hannah-Jones. Ed. by The New York Times Magazine. 2021. One World, $38 (9780593230572). Hannah-Jones and company take a fresh and bracing approach to African American history in this delving collection of historical photographs, essays, poems, and stories by a roster of outstanding writers. The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War. By Craig Whitlock. 2021. Simon & Schuster $30 (9781982159009). Rooted in a long-unavailable U.S.government report, this is an utterly damning and crucial account of America’s failure in Afghanistan. The…

Adult Fiction General Fiction Atomic Anna. By Rachel Barenbaum. Apr. 2022. 464p. Grand Central, $28 (9781538734865). Artist Molly names her superhero character Atomic Anna after her birth mother. She has picked up bits and pieces of Anna’s story from her adoptive parents, Soviet refuseniks who treat Life magazine as a handbook to acting American in 1960s Philadelphia. Molly knows Anna’s research was key to the development of the atomic bomb. Later she will learn about Anna’s other research into riding ripples of time as her mother unexpectedly appears at different points of Molly’s life, including at the hour of her death. In this inventive and extensive time-travel drama, Anna struggles between her desire to stop the meltdown of the Chernobyl reactor she designed and the possibility of saving her daughter…

Spotlight Top 10 History for Youth Our first history top 10, featuring books reviewed in Booklist between January 2021 and January 2022, spotlights buried pasts, corrected misconceptions, and powerful storytelling.—Maggie Reagan Black Birds in the Sky. By Brandy Colbert. 2021. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $19.99 (9780063056664). Gr. 8–12. Astoundingly researched and with extraordinary contextualization, Colbert’s book covers not only the events of the Tulsa Race Massacre but the deeply racist environment leading up to it and ways in which the truth became so buried. The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History. By David F. Walker. Art by Marcus Kwame Anderson. 2021. Ten Speed, $19.99 (9781984857705). Gr. 9–12. Informatively written and dramatically composed, this volume covers the Black Panther Party’s history as a revolutionary group and the organization’s dedication to community service. From…

High-Demand Hot List Look for reviews of these high-demand titles in forthcoming issues of Booklist. We might be in the dregs of winter, but the darling buds of spring and summer publishing catalogs are nigh, with, as always, a little something for every reader.—Annie Bostrom Crying in the Bathroom. By Erika L. Sànchez. Penguin, $27 (9780593296936). July. This memoir-in-essays from the author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter promises tears and laughter as Sanchez details her Chicago upbringing and artistic coming of age. Cult Classic. By Sloane Crosley. Farrar/MCD, $27 (9780374603397). June. Beloved comic essayist and novelist Crosley offers her original take on a New York City rom-com in which absurdity and hilarity are sure to meet and meet again. Fierce Love: A Memoir of Family, Faith, and…

WRITERS & READERS On History By Dr. Crystal M. Fleming A little more than a year ago, we witnessed a violent, white supremacist insurrection at the Capitol building in Washington, DC. That building, in turn, was built largely through the forced labor and exploitation of enslaved Africans in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today, lawmakers representing the same political party and right-wing interests as those who stormed the Capitol are advancing bans on antiracist education and inclusive pedagogy in more than 30 states. Under the guise of attacks on critical race theory, some Republicans have in fact declared war on the acknowledgment of history itself—a position that is consistent with an abiding hostility toward science and reason. But while many conservatives have made demonizing antiracist education the cornerstone of a…

Spotlight WRITERS & READERS Dark Testament By Keidrick Roy For much of my time in the U.S. Air Force, I was an invisible man. As a nuclear missile combat commander, I spent four years underground overseeing operations for dozens of intercontinental ballistic missile facilities. During many subterranean evenings, I would read works of literature, history, and political philosophy. My intellectual engagements helped me begin to reconcile my competing identities as a philosopher and missile operator, as a student of peace and an instrument of war, and as a Black man in a military uniform. Following my missile assignment, I returned to my undergraduate alma mater, the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, as an instructor in the Department of English and Fine Arts. There I taught hundreds of…

Spotlight Top 10 Graphic Novels for Young Adults These top 10 graphic novels for teens, reviewed in Booklist between February 1, 2021, and January 1, 2022, highlight international storytelling, with titles set in England, Japan, Finland, and the Middle East.—Ronny Khuri Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms. By Crystal Frasier. Art by Val Wise. 2021. Oni, $14.99 (9781620109557). Gr. 9–12. Reuniting through cheer squad, Annie discovers new feelings for Bebe, the first trans cheerleader at school. Wise’s art features a variety of wonderfully realistic and expressive teens and adults. Crushing. By Sophie Burrows. Art by the author. 2022. Algonquin, $22.95 (9781643752396). Gr. 10–12. This nearly wordless comic follows two lonely young adults on intersecting paths through London in search for connection. Burrows’ pencil drawings produce an emotionally nourishing feast. The Hazards…

Youth Nonfiction Older Readers Me and White Supremacy: Young Readers’ Edition. By Layla F. Saad. Feb. 2022. 304p. Sourcebooks/eXplore, $17.99 (9781728259086). Gr. 6–10. 305.8. Saad adapts her New York Times best-seller to give young readers the tools and mindset to tackle white supremacy. The East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim author first considers types of identity and gives an overview of the social construct of race and the rise of white supremacy throughout history. From here, she breaks down parts of white supremacy, such as white privilege, white fragility, tone policing, and racist stereotypes, in individual chapters. Saad begins each chapter with personal stories that introduce the concept and includes myriad examples of thoughts and actions that perpetuate the type of racism being discussed. A “Recap, Reflect, Respond” section at…

Youth Fiction Older Readers All My Rage. By Sabaa Tahir. Mar. 2022. 384p. Razorbill, $19.99 (9780593202340). Gr. 10–12. Acclaimed fantasy author Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes series) makes her contemporary-fiction debut with this novel about estranged friends Salahudin and Noor, who are finding their way back to each other—or not—in the wake of Salahudin’s mother’s death. While Salahudin is confronted with the possibility of the loss of the family motel and Noor with the loss of the future she’s dreamed about ever since surviving an earthquake in Pakistan, both are forced to make difficult choices that will retest their already-shaky relationship. Through the alternating perspectives of her characters that include interludes from the past, Tahir skillfully and with nuanced handling navigates themes of abuse, found family, guilt, racism and…

Audio Spring 2022 Audiobook Preview by Heather Booth and Biz Hyzy Information for this preview is supplied by publishers and is subject to change. The items listed are digital unless otherwise indicated. Adult General Fiction The Arc. By Tony Henwood Hoen. Read by Mary Elizabeth Kelly. 10hr. Macmillan, $26.99 (9781250837653). Feb. Bibliolepsy. By Gina Apostol. Read by Rachel Coates. 7hr. HighBridge, $19.99 (9781696607162). Jan. The Book Woman’s Daughter. By Kim Michele Richardson. 10.5hr. Blackstone, CD, $43.95 (9781665066549). May. Box 88. By Charles Cumming. Read by Charlie Ansen. 16hr. HighBridge, $24.99 (9781696607599). Jan. Burning Questions. By Margaret Atwood. 13.5hr. Books on Tape, $95 (9780593507605). Mar. Candy House. By Jennifer Egan. 10.5hr. Simon & Schuster, CD, $39.99 (9781797128405). Apr. Captain Grey’s Gambit. By J. H. Gelernter. Read by John Lee. 9.5hr. HighBridge,…

Booklist Presents Voice of Choice JD Jackson by Heather Booth His roots as a high school actor and forensics state champion led JD Jackson to a BA in Drama and Speech Communications from Dillard University and an MFA from Temple University in Theater Performance before his acting career—and audiobook narration work—took off in New York City. Jackson, this year’s Voice of Choice narrator, is a listener favorite and has a keen ear for character nuance. His baritone voice, impeccable sense of timing, and intuitive interpretations are unmistakable. Booklist: You bring such resonant emotional depth to a broad range of characters and situations. What is character creation like for you? Jackson: I appreciate that. I take my theater training into every book I narrate, especially fiction. I try to utilize, either intentionally…