Books

We’ve all been given readings in high school that we didn’t want to read, despite the possibility of our enjoyment of reading, and ended up looking up book summaries to pass exams. However, there are some books that, as adults, you might be able to enjoy.

As a Puerto Rican woman who is very in touch with her roots, I was beginning to feel underrepresented in the literary world, as I was unable to find Latinx authors to enjoy. However, recently, I have done some research and have found a number of great books embracing all kinds of Latinx cultures, traditions, and ideologies.

Since Derek Chauvin – the police officer who held his knee on the neck of unarmed and compliant Black man George Floyd for nearly 10 minutes – was found guilty on three charges for Floyd’s death, many people have expressed that they are relieved about the outcome.

After the success of reading the four books I picked for myself during the last three months, I’ve decided that it’s time to challenge myself to read four more books to keep the momentum going. The weather is getting warmer in Cleveland, Ohio, which means I’ll be able to go outside and read on the porch or by Edgewater Beach again any day now.

Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun is the book I forgot I needed. When lockdown was first announced back in March 2020, I was a couple weeks away from graduating college (little did I know at the time that I would not actually get to participate in a ceremony), my spring break plans had all been shut down and canceled, and I was the only one left in my five-bedroom college house after all my friends had gone home to wait out the shutdown.

This will now be my second article on a Sally Rooney novel; however, she continues to impress. The first book of hers that I reviewed was Normal People, which was a fan favorite and received much praise from her audience. After reading her novel Conversations with Friends, I still find myself impressed by Rooney’s work.

I did not know I loved art history until I loved this book. Published in 2016, Jericho Parms’ Lost Wax operates as an essay collection, memoir, and lesson in the likes of Warhol and Matisse. In short, it is lyrical nonfiction at its finest. For my fiction readers out there, lyrical nonfiction is a versatile genre that allows nonfiction narratives to be told in a way that is musical, rich, and, at times, abstract—essentially melding the best elements of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

For my very first book article I wrote for NYCTastemaker’s, I mentioned how I made it a point to read more this year. I made a list of books, the reasons why I chose said books and set out to do something I haven’t truly done since high school.

On March 5, American online publication Teen Vogue announced their new editor-in-chief, Alexi McCammond. McCammond, who is a former political reporter for Axios, was chosen for the position to showcase her “powerful curiosity and confidence that embodies the best or our next generation of leaders.”

Dr. Seuss Enterprises (DSE) announced that it will cease publication of six books by the late author due to racially insensitive imagery in their illustrations. The business that preserves and protects the author’s legacy released a statement that said the books in question “’portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong’ and said ending their publication was part of the company’s efforts to preserve the late Theodore Geisel’s legacy.”

Over the past month, I have done my best to highlight both famous and up-and-coming Black authors, writers, and editors to show the plethora of talent within the writing field and the Black community. Today, for my last installment, at least for the month of February, I will be featuring one of my favorite education journalists and someone I’m proud to call a dear friend, Lauren Lumpkin.

As promised, throughout the month of February, better known as Black History Month, I will be doing my best to highlight both famous and up-and-coming Black authors, writers, and editors to show the plethora of talent within the Black community.