[Last Week In Books] Immigrants, Refugees, Colonizers, and Serial Killers

Hello fellow readers! I turned lots of pages last week because I broke my phone. The resulting all-analog experience has me wondering…how did any of us ever live without a computer constantly in the palms of our hands?

If the last week of my life is any indication, apparently we read far more books.

In any case, I still managed to hop on the internet regularly enough to collect a few bits of news about diverse books and diverse readers, so without further ado…

• Let’s start with the most important thing. Nikole-Hannah Jones’ Pulitzer Prize winning 1619 Project has been revamped and expanded into a book that will help present learners with a recontextualized, more accurate and inclusive picture of American history. Bookshop is helping affiliates sponsor book drives–you can buy a book to donate to a school, and I’ll get 10% of the value in commission, which I will then use to buy more books for donation. My link for donations is here. Please click through and think about helping to get this book into as many schools as possible. [Bookshop]
• The world is full of immigrant stories, and this list does a good job of curating some good ones from the backlist. Immigrant trope mainstays Nigeria, India and Ireland are all featured, but there are also stories from Turkey and two very unique stories of Chinese immigration included as well. [BookTrib]
• Speaking of migration, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim has created a new graphic novel about a South Korean family reckoning with the long-ago trauma of migrating from North Korea during the war. It looks like necessary reading for anyone with a serious interest in Korea. [Los Angeles Times]
• As you know, I’m always on the lookout for #ownnormal stories and this list of queer stories in rural settings definitely fits the bill. The only book on the list that I’ve read is On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous which is pretty much required ’round these parts, and that’s enough to make me want to check out the rest of the list. [Book Riot]

• Quick video break to say that the film adaptation of Dune is out and it’s wonderful. There’s an essay up on Tor that dissects the “Muslimness” of the books and the accompanying films that is a very interesting read. Also, part 2 of the film begins filming in July and my body is ready.[Tor, Collider]
• The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois went onto my miles-long #tbr as soon as I heard its title. However, I didn’t realize so much of it was about Afro-indigenity until I came across this fabulous interview from author Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, in which she describes the research she did to accurately reflect this vital cultural experience in America without falling into the trap of appropriation. [Indian Country Today]
• Last one for today, fellow readers — my old college friend Parker O’Dwyer’s debut novel was one of the first books I reviewed over on Instagram. The Kindle version is on sale for 99 cents for the next few hours–grab a copy while you can! (She’s a self-published author so the Amazon exception is in effect, here.)[Parker O’Dwyer]

That’s it for this week. As always, there are SO many more things I’d like to share, but only so much space. If you want more regular updates, feel free to follow on Facebook or Instagram. If you want to support this site, please check out the Equal Opportunity Bookshop–any purchases through that link and any of the affiliate links on this site will result in a commission being paid. Thanks for reading!