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.