Book Reviews

By Amanda Jones
8/27/24
288 pages
$20.99
Bloomsbury Publishing

‘That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America’

Book banning is an appalling stain on our society, and this book is a light, showing just how much damage it can do — and how to fight it. A one-time librarian of the year, working in the same school system she once attended, is viciously attacked by the same community that raised her in this short but powerful memoir. 

A record of intense bullying and a campaign of abuse wasn’t enough to bring down Amanda Jones. She refused to let any of her students be disenfranchised by the fear and lies that flew through her town when censorship took over her library. This important book details her battles, her journey of self-discovery, and the lengths she was willing to go to in order to protect the right to read for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. 

Right here in our own state, those in power have already cannibalized reading lists and library books out of the fear of anything different. It’s an active, ongoing campaign to wipe out the beautiful diversity that makes us so strong. There was never a more appropriate time to read this story of strength in the face of hatred. ♦ — Review by Julie Goodrich

By Veronica Roth
5/14/24
166 pages
$19.99
Tor Books

‘When Among Crows’

Urban fantasy is such a fun subgenre of story. I think we have all been taken, at one time or another, with the idea of a hidden world happening all around us that we just can’t see. I love the thrill of hoping a wrong turn down an alley in a faceless city might lead to somewhere completely unexpected.

In this short and powerful story, Chicago is the setting of a world within the world, populated with monsters and myths from the Polish zeitgeist yet hidden from the rest of us. Enter a Dymitr and Ala, a pair of cursed wanderers carrying heavy burdens through a city where creatures feed on human emotion and ancient magics flow through the same streets as the endless traffic. Together, they look to heal themselves of generational trauma while discovering who they really are.

Love, pain and the endless ways in which history never really lets us go abound in this slim, deep story that I wish I could read again with fresh eyes. I really love Roth’s writing. It’s simple, yet it hits like a truck. A stunning bit of story with a lasting impact. ♦ — Review by Julie Goodrich