Friday Book Debrief Vol 28

Every week we’re sharing what our some of our writers are currently reading.

For all of our US readers, we now have our own Bookshop! You can find the full list of the below books here and with every purchase you will be helping local independent bookstores! If you do not live in the US please support your local independent stores, lots are now doing local deliveries and they need your help more then ever in these uncertain times. - ❤️

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins - Jessica

I loved the Hunger Games trilogy almost a decade ago when I finished my degree and needed to read something I wouldn't be graded on. The new prequel is an easy read for times my brain is whirring too much, and is somehow keeping me engaged despite despising the protagonist.

Buy it here.

---

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - Mel

I’m on a romance kick and picked this up on a whim as I’ve seen it all over Instagram. As a chronic pain sufferer myself I was surprised to see that the main character, Chloe, is too. I was immediately hooked.

Buy it here.

---

What The Eyes Don't See by Mona Hanna-Attisha - Maggie

Having been on my shelf for too long, I finally decided to pick up this inspiring and informational book on the Iraqi doctor who discovered the lead poisoned water crisis in Flint, Michigan in 2015. The front cover has a blurb from O Magazine that said this reads like a thriller, which I found strange, but it's true! It is paced like a scientific thriller that unearths how misguided policies, broken democracy, and callous ignorance for public health hurts our most vulnerable. If you want a first-hand look at environmental racism and want to prioritize dismantling it, this book is for you.

Buy it here.

---

Mislaid by Nell Zink - Courtney

An extremely intriguing blurb and a $2 price tag had me grabbing this one. However, I am not sure the blurb completely captures the innards of this novel. Safe to say I’m pushing on in the hopes of a full circle resolution but I can’t confidently say it’ll end up on my favorites list.

Buy it here.

---

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander - Christina

As soon as I finished The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, about a woman serving two life sentences and her equally incarcerated friends, I ordered a pile of books on the school-to-prison pipeline (and its intersection with race). A few days later, the world was set ablaze after the murder by the police of an African-American. Did you know that the US currently has a higher percentage of its Black population in jail than South Africa did at the height of apartheid? Or that the Constitution literally says that slavery isn't allowed—unless it's as punishment for a crime? This book will make you angry, as is often the case with the truth.

Buy it here.

---

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Jessica Maria

This book releases in a couple of weeks and I’m in love with idea of a gothic tale told in the Mexican countryside. I’ve loved the Moreno-Garcia books I’ve read in the past, and I’m settling into the rhythm of this mystery…

Pre-order it here.

---

Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi - Jessica Maria

As the Black Lives Matter revolution continues, a group of Bookstagrammers announced a readalong for this National Book Award winning book, starting today, on Juneteenth. I’m looking forward to reading with such a large group of people—I think reading in groups allows for so much more perspective on a text and different ways to learn from it. I ordered the book from Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury, Massachusetts, a Black-owned independent bookstore that I recommend!

Buy it here.