New memoirs ...

ON BEING HUMAN by Jennifer Pastiloff is an inspiring memoir geared to adults and filled with motivational ideas from her well-liked yoga workshops. She conveys her thoughts with a very personal, upbeat tone in almost three dozen chapters with titles like “Rewrite Your Story,” “Doing and Undoing Pain,” “All Very Normal,” and “I Got You.” Pastiloff is nearly deaf but writes about the importance of listening deeply and affirming others. Her chapters do tend to jump around a bit, and the stories of her life experience will likely appeal more to her middle-aged peers, as perhaps summarized best by the Publishers Weekly review: “Readers feeling stuck in their lives will devour this inspiring story of a woman finding her way.”  Her book is subtitled “A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard,” and Pastiloff says, “At the end of my life, when I say one final What have I done?, let my answer be, I have done love.” 

BROKEN PLACES & OUTER SPACES by Nnedi Okorafor is a shorter work, but it, too, “shows that what we think are our limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths.” In her life story, Okorafor describes how an operation left her paralyzed from the waist down, a challenge that ultimately “ignited … passion for storytelling and the transformative power of the imagination.” BROKEN PLACES & OUTER SPACES garnered starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly for its award winning (Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy) author. This new title might work quite well as a summer read for students in Creative Writing and/or Senior Writers Seminar, with an added bonus that some takes place in Chicago. Look for a copy on our shelves soon.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Goodreads has been blogging about the “buzziest” YA reads so far this year. Their list includes new works by authors who should be familiar (e.g., Angie Thomas, Jennifer Donnelly) and has some titles which we have reviewed previously like Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson and Internment by Samira Ahmed.

Another title on the list is AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, co-authors of the Illuminae Files series. This futuristic space adventure chronicles the team building of Aurora Legion Squad 312, comprised of an Alpha leader named Tyler, his twin sister and diplomacy-trained Scarlett, an ace fighter pilot called Cat, a gearhead named Finian, an Syldrathian fighter called Kal and a scientist geek named Zila. This group of misfits is given a seemingly routine mission, but soon learn they have a stowaway on board: Auri who was “suspended” in the Fold (space) for 200 years. Auri and the others share the narration – and what a set of dramatic exploits they have! Filled with flirtatious banter and reminiscent in part of Star Wars and other space operas, this tale traverses the galaxy while also building strong bonds within the squad. AURORA RISING is the first in a series with a bit of everything: romance, mystery and rebellion, plus starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus and VOYA.

If you are still looking for more great young adult novels once you finish this exciting sci-fi work, here’s Goodreads take on more of the most anticipated YA books to be published later this year.

How We Became Wicked by Alexander Yates

HOW WE BECAME WICKED by Alexander Yates is exciting and suspense-filled. Set in the future, this dystopian science-fiction story is told primarily through the eyes of three teens: Astrid and Hank who live in Goldsport and Natalie who lives on Puffin Island. Their surroundings have been totally transformed by the spread of a plague called Wickedness – human victims become infected through the sting of mosquito like singers or by touching another infected human. A very few people, like Astrid and Natalie, are “vexed” or immune to the disease. Those who are still “true,” including Hank and the residents of Goldsport, must live in self-contained communities and take precautions such as wearing special suits if they venture out.  Of course, a substantial part of this novel is devoted to world building and character development, but that adds to its richness and to some very surprising twists. Be aware that there are a few horrific scenes and strong emotions in this novel. Along the way, though, readers will be asking themselves about the nature of right and wrong and who truly is wicked (e.g., the imprisoned grandfather or his family/captors?) and why. 

HOW WE BECAME WICKED received starred reviews from Booklist and Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and it could be an engaging independent read for students taking our Good and Evil English elective. This novel will be particularly enjoyable for any readers who like science fiction and survival stories – once started, it is hard to put down.  

Added: If this all sounds a little too far-fetched, see "The Mosquitoes Are Coming for Us" which coincidentally just appeared in The New York Times.