Sunday, October 9, 2022

Books from an article in the Atlantic

The Atlantic published an article on Sept 10, 2022 about "The Books We Read Too Late — And That You Should Read Now."  It mentions "finishing a title and thinking about how it might have affected you — if only you'd found it sooner."  Then different writers tell us about these seven novels.
Sleepless Nights ~ by Elizabeth Hardwick, 1979, fiction, 144 pages
This fiction is also "refracted memoir," the Atlantic article says.  A woman looks back on her life — the parade of people, the shifting background of place — and assembles a scrapbook of memories, reflections, portraits, letters, wishes, and dreams.
How Should a Person Be? ~ by Sheila Heti, 2013, fiction, 320 pages
The narrator, named Sheila like the author, struggles to make out who she should be.
American Born Chinese ~ by Gene Luen Yang, 2021, YA fiction, 240 pages
Three story lines collide.  Characters include Wei-Chen, a Taiwanese student in a mostly white suburban school; Jin Wang, born in the U.S. to Chinese immigrants; Danny, an all-American boy, and his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee.
Black Thunder ~ by Arna Bontemps, 1968, historical fiction, 253 pages
This is "a fictionalized account of Gabriel's Rebellion, a thwarted revolt of enslaved people in Virginia in 1800, which examines masculinity as well as the links between oppression and uprisings."
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow ~ by Gabrielle Zevin, 2022, fiction (Massachusetts and California), 416 pages
Sam and Sadie meet at a children's hospital in Los Angeles, reconnect during college, and start a successful gaming company with their friend Marx; but they struggle with race, wealth, disability, and gender.

A House in Norway ~ by Vigdis Hjorth, translated by Charlotte Barslund, 2017, fiction (Norway), 175 pages
This is a short novel about a divorced textile artist who lives alone in a semi-isolated house.
Wonder ~ by R. J. Palacio, 2012, children's fiction, 320 pages
This novel is about a fifth grader named Auggie Pullman, who was born with a genetic disorder that has disfigured his face.  I read this book several years ago and rated it 10/10.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

3 comments:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I'd like to make my own list of books that fit this category. There are many wonderful books I miss when they first appear only to discover much later. Even some of the classics I'm reading now are books that I wish I'd read at an earlier time, like Anne of Green Gables.

I am also interested in looking for Sleepless Nights and How Should a Person Be. I probably won't be able to find them at my libraries.

Helen's Book Blog said...

American Born Chinese and Wonder are two fabulous books!

Vicki said...

All of these books sound interesting. The only two I've heard of are Tomorrow and Wonder.