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Reid questions: How much do our assumptions about race, power, intentions, and desires affect our selves and truth is skewed by our histories, our prejudices, our privilege or hardship, or our inability to face

Annis lives with her mother on a Carolina rice plantation in the years before the Civil War, and when her white enslaver--the man who raped her mother and sired Annis--turns his lascivious attention to

RA and the consequences of her actions related to privacy and safety; the book dabbles in issues of race situation bloated into the complications that it does: of emotional and romantic concerns, minor class and race The title of the book sets a tone that feels fast-paced, or sassy, or spirited. The tone of the book felt more measured than this, and while Reid flirts with Big Issues (race, class

Percival Everett's James is a fascinating retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of enslaved Black character Jim, who here demonstrates intelligence, ambition, defiance, unbridled fury, and the ability to wrest control of elements of his life. In James , Percival Everett's retelling of the Mark Twain novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , we hear a version of that novel's story told from enslaved Jim's point of view. James is secretly teaching other enslaved people to read; sneaking to delve into the library of books in the big house, including works of philosophy by John Locke (he also holds imagined arguments and discussions with noted philosophers during several delirious moments of the story); and is an expert code-switcher who tailors his language to follow white people's expectations of a submissive Black person. When the book begins, James's escape is imperative--he hears that he is about to be sold, and that his wife and daughter are to remain on the plantation. In an inconvenient coincidence, Huck Finn has just faked his own (gruesomely bloody, courtesy of pig blood) death in order to run away from what he feels are oppressive rules. The timing will almost certainly set white folks on James's tail as a presumed child murderer. The two are stuck together for a time, and the James-Huck Finn connection built by Everett is unexpected and intriguing. But the real heart of the book is James: the crushing limitations put upon him due to the color of his skin; his growing inability to abide by the constricting, frequently deadly stakes of being a slave on the run; and his sometimes violent, scrabbling struggle to wrest control of his life. James is beleaguered by the ignorance, skewed power structure, and cruelty of the white people surrounding him. Through a stint as a performer in a minstrel show; a pivotal encounter with versions of the scam artists from Huckleberry Finn , the Duke and Dauphin; and the making and losing of allies and enemies, Everett turns multiple situations from Huckleberry Finn on their heads, frequently empowering James to shift the course of events. Yet the true horrors of life as an enslaved Black person in the deep South at the time of Twain's novel are brutally evident, and Everett doesn't shy away from depicting the resulting abuse, casual cruelty, and, often, death of Black enslaved people at the hands of white people. The trauma on the page is difficult to read, but more difficult to consider in its origins, as it is rooted in horrifying fact and reality. I listened to James as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Percival Everett is also the author of Erasure , Assumption , Wounded , The Trees , and other books.

unflinching details of the experience of miscarriage, relationship stresses, and issues surrounding race This was likely at least partially due to the book's stream of consciousness, which sets a striking pace disconnect from her (white, Jewish) husband in terms of her deep apprehension related to a future baby's race The story takes a brief but powerful dip into the vast issues of race and policing in America, then the The tone and pacing are often raw and feverish as Harrison digs into complicated issues intertwined with

The mystery bookends feel largely unimportant to the story, the cast of characters sometimes feels endless, and the story meanders, but there's heart in the connection between characters when crises inspire it. James McBride's The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store tracks the victories, missteps, losses, and love among a host of characters in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in the 1930s. Chicken Hill is a hardscrabble neighborhood where Jewish families live alongside Black families--outside the sphere of power and wealth of the white members of Pottstown. Their cultures conflict in some ways, but their stories and existences overlap, and their challenges intersect when a young boy is taken from the community, culminating in a mysterious death, which raises questions decades later. Chona is one link between the two groups, serving as the key nonjudgmental middle-woman in the story. With her savvy smarts and big heart, she was one of my favorite characters. In The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, injustices also abound, and powerful, terrible men take advantage of the young or physically challenged in atrocious ways. Unlikely heroes save the victims (in one case, in elaborate and outlandish fashion) from further damage. The mystery that bookends the story is not essential to the novel. By the time the story ended, I had forgotten about the mystery's brief introduction at the beginning of the book. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is built upon the swirls of interconnected, meandering stories; the side plots; and the parade of characters, including many minor figures and their back stories, that make up the bulk of the book. I found myself wanting to feel more rooted in the story, in the setting, and in what the important issues were for the characters. Some of the story felt tedious, as with the ongoing saga of securing a water source and the extensive history of not having done so. I kept wondering if a stronger editorial hand might have tightened up the story so its essence could shine more brightly. I listened to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? McBride is also the author of Deacon King Kong and The Good Lord Bird.

But Titus is facing challenges beyond the effects of generations of racism in his small Southern community

Fowler touches on big, intriguing issues related to guilt and innocence and race, but I felt as though eliminating the shadow of such charges, and the generally intensely difficult and unfair factors related to race Fowler touches on some big, intriguing issues about guilt and innocence and race--not to mention how #race, #threestarbookreview

The balance of unlikely joys and brutality puts fictional but plausible faces on an important situation #race, #fourstarbookreview

A Fever in the Heartland traces the horrifying and powerful growth of hate, buoyed by greed and intolerance You can click here to find other books I've read and reviewed that explore issues of race and politics

a fictional account of an interracial music duo's rise to success (and their famous split) in which race Sunny Shelton shapes an oral history of two music idols, tracing their family lives, youthful experiences strong-willed performer into an icon of fashion, an outspoken speaker of uncomfortable truths about race She is interestingly faulted, and after the story's early, painful tragedy, she shies away from facing Race and gender power structures and struggles are at play throughout the novel, looming larger for me

strong feminist messages, magical realism, haunting elements, and the terrifying, freeing truth in facing the family yet has carried with her; the reasoning for maintaining her secrecy; her desperate fear of facing unpack here, including the exploration of the good and evil warring within each of us; what we do when faced destruction of lies and glossed-over realities; instances of well-deserved, sometimes brutal justice and the grace elements, but the novel is far more than that; the story is complex and strange and interesting, with a pace

time, and which would have been all but impossible for a Black woman to fill because of racism and the race-based frustration, anger, and possibly guilt regarding working within the confines of the prejudiced societal race Morgan's potential open-mindedness about race seem wildly optimistic in light of his voiced views about It may be difficult to fully appreciate or imagine the danger Greene placed herself in by hiding her race To read other Bossy fiction and nonfiction reviews on the site of books that address issues of race,

conflict, religious fervor and faith, secret missions, and more--but I felt frequently jarred by uneven pacing Yet I was frequently distracted by what felt like uneven pacing and tone and abrupt perspective changes

James Baldwin famously said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed unless it is faced.” highlights tragic, uncomfortable aspects of our nation's history in an important work of nonfiction about race

dictated the fates of those in our country more powerfully than traditionally considered factors such as race

She's bracing herself to leave behind her beloved teammates and Staxxx--but the corporate owners of CAPE key characters must make impossible choices, even as they seemed to have suspected there would be no graceful The author includes nonfiction footnotes that link race, socioeconomic disparity, and imprisonment.

June creates horrifying, cringe-inducing, deliberately gray areas related to race.

Oluo is specific in her approach here; each chapter is crafted around a potential race-related statement So You Want to Talk About Race is based on promoting conversation and communication, and Oluo aims to relations--including the numerous complicated intersectionalities that shape the experience of race. She notes that "almost nothing is completely about race" but that race is an "interwoven...piece of the #race, #nonfiction, #politicssocialjustice, #fourstarbookreview

In The Office of Historical Corrections, Evans offers short stories centering around themes of race, She beautifully and powerfully illustrates essential, deep truths by tracing moments in her characters Guys like it funny, with lots of gore and a grin on your face when you get to the end.

In Admissions, Kendra James explores race, friendship, ambition, and the absurdities and rhythm of daily At times James laments the absence of frank discussions about race that she might have had with her parents could have learned more from them before entering Taft about the many ways she might have expected race and perspective she now has to talk about such things--in order to sift through the many disturbing race-based and class- and gender-based; and the social segregation of social groups by race--feels hesitantly explored

Despite some implausible details, the Atlanta-set mystery is a fast-paced read. Morris is one of our picks from last year's event, and because it's a fast-paced mystery, it seemed like

In We Are Not Like Them, Pride and Piazza dig into a friendship of opposites, conflicts around race, This exploration of love, race, friendship, and more is told in alternating points of view. conflicts they experienced with each other while digging into the nuances of and uncomfortable truths about race Not Like Us is a page turner while also offering thoughtful, often difficult and painful aspects of race

ICYMI: Wiley Cash's The Last Ballad explores race relations and the fight for dignity in a 1929 North The Last Ballad explores race relations and complicated relationships within a largely segregated living

I loved Cash's Eastern North Carolina setting, the character of Sherriff Winston Barnes, and the pulsing racial, class-based, and family conflicts explored in When Ghosts Come Home. In his newest book, Wiley Cash offers a mystery and police procedural set in a small Southern town. When Ghosts Come Home centers around racial tensions, political angles, and the testing of longstanding allegiances in mid-1980s Eastern North Carolina. Sheriff Winston Barnes knows he probably won't be reelected. He does things by the book and isn't flashy, while his aggressive opponent seems to amass more wealth and (dubious sources of) support each passing day. Meanwhile, Winston's wife is in cancer treatment and his daughter has just experienced a devastating loss and is drifting, unmoored. He's got a lot on his plate. But when a body and an abandoned airplane are found in his quiet, coastal North Carolina town, Winston must try to unravel the mystery of the events at hand. Rumors, long-simmering conflicts, clashing loyalties, and Barnes's personal tragedy all complicate the discovery of the truth. I was all in for the shocking events that occurred late in the book. The very end of the story brought to light a sudden burst of twisty complications and cemented the course of events, but these goings-on occurred off the page and were summarized for the reader. I found that deeply unsatisfying. But I really like Cash's character-driven mystery writing, and I'm definitely in for reading his future books. I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and William Morrow. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Wiley Cash is also the author of A Land More Kind than Home, The Last Ballad, and This Dark Road to Mercy. He's the writer-in-residence at University of North Carolina-Asheville. Stay tuned for my upcoming ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) review of The Last Ballad.

How do we talk about race honestly with our children, which means naming white privilege...?" This book can go hand in hand with other excellent examinations of race, racial injustice, and effecting change such as So You Want to Talk About Race, White Fragility, and many others. Any other books on the topic of race that you found illuminating and useful? #race, #nonfiction, #parenting, #politicssocialjustice

they were adults; incarcerated but should never have been placed in prison due to mental illness; or facing #nonfiction, #race, #politicssocialjustice, #fourstarbookreview

plot, multiple mysteries, the North Carolina mountain setting, and the story's social commentary on race You can click here to find fiction and nonfiction books I've read and reviewed that explore issues of race

well) for anyone interested in exploring "the unchanging variable" of whiteness in "the equation of race with white and Black people in anti-racism workshops and through her facilitation of discussions of race She dives into how to talk about race and racism with a person of color (and, more importantly, listening Have you read or are you reading this or other books on race and anti-racism that you recommend for a #nonfiction, #race, #politicssocialjustice, #fivestarbookreview

Bennett explores the complicated implications of perception as reality when it comes to race and its Bennett shows the twins' disparate experiences within their respectively identified races, with the white The book explores the complicated implications of perception as reality when it comes to race and its meaning; the subjectivity of and intense power within race labels; and the tension of living under false #race, #historicalfiction, #siblings, #fourstarbookreview

about the actual horrors that occurred in this place and time: enslaving people, dehumanizing the Black race

writers; and digs in to try to be one of what he hopes will be an ever-increasing number of diverse faces Memoirs to Lose Yourself In, Six Foodie Memoirs to Whet Your Appetite, and Six Powerful Memoirs about Facing

Geraldine Brooks's Horse digs into issues of race across three timelines, linked by a special bond between Those are the qualities of a great racehorse and a great gentleman. But issues of race and their inextricable involvement in our nation's history are really the bedrock the thoroughbred Lexington, Horse delves into fascinating, complicated aspects of science, art, and race

You might want to check out So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo or Raising White Kids: Bringing

Harding bases his slim historical fiction novel This Other Eden on a real-life, racially integrated island off the coast of Maine, tipping his eccentric characters farther and farther toward tragedy as mainland men motivated by greed aim to destroy the community. Back in 1792, a formerly enslaved man Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife found a safe haven on an island off the coast of Maine. A century later, the Honeys' descendants and their diverse neighbors--some have escaped from trouble, while others are seeking peace and a simple life--make up a hardscrabble community that must scratch and claw to subsist. Yet they remain on their island, safe from the judgment and danger of the mainland. When a schoolteacher-turned-missionary arrives to educate the island's children, he draws the attention of eugenics-focused authorities, who set out to forcibly evacuate the island. The title of Harding's book comes from Shakespeare's Richard II: This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself The secluded community in the book is like a large family, dependent on only each other, and they are focused on nature and on subsisting independently. The story is inspired by the real-life, formerly integrated Malaga Island off the coast of Maine (in the book it is called Apple Island). One fair-skinned boy is sent to the mainland in an effort to better his circumstances and so that he may take art classes, with his teacher's unspoken hope that he will pass for white, but his past--about which he is guileless--threatens to destroy his future due to others' rash assessments. Harding meanwhile offers a quickly unraveling series of events on the island as government officials impose destructive mainland judgments and values on the island's inhabitants. The story tips its island characters farther and farther toward tragedy, then plunges headfirst into the various heartbreaking consequences of mainland strangers' decisions, cold cruelties, and greedy motivations, culminating in the forceful removal of the peaceful Apple Island inhabitants. Harding's language is beautiful as it evokes the harsh landscape and the characters' connection to the weather, the terrain, and the natural world. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I received an audiobook version of this book courtesy of Libro.fm (Libro.fm supports local bookstores!) and Recorded Books, Inc. The book is wonderfully narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. Paul Harding is also the author of Tinkers.

In The Office of Historical Corrections, Evans offers short stories centering around themes of race, She beautifully and powerfully illustrates essential, deep truths by tracing moments in her characters In "Happily Ever After" the main character faces the possibility of not being able to have a biological Tell me what you would tell a white woman, her face said. Race and the meanings attached to it threaten to divide their family forever.

Coates took his time building the story, and I felt as though he deliberately kept us in a plodding pace The Water Dancer traces the life of Hiram Walker, a "Tasked" man (the word "slavery" is rarely used in Coates took his time building the story, and I felt as though he deliberately kept us in a plodding pace The pacing suited the situation being explored, of the trapped and enslaved, but it was a struggle to

My race and my gender. But they are not faults. They are strength. The novel frequently questions the importance society places upon birth into privilege or hardship, race In the face of restrictions and rules, Bree repeatedly challenges the world's limitations, forging her

Marilynne Robinson offers another gentle yet affecting book in her Gilead series, this time about faith, grace Jack focuses on the meandering, excruciating, grace-filled romance of a star-crossed couple just after Robinson explores complex issues regarding race and related societal pressures of the time; Jack's and ill-fated romance between the two main characters who are trapped by society's oppressive views on race

Jessica George's debut Maame takes on big issues of race, culture, and the challenges of growing up between Jessica George offers a wonderful story with messy moments of love, some humor, big issues of race, loss The issues of race and of young-woman Maddie making her way in the world in London in Maame reminded

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Down Comes the Night, a young adult fantasy story featuring magical healing and warring kingdoms; Fugitive Telemetry, the newest book in Martha Wells's science fiction Murderbot series; and Black Bottom Saints, Alice Randall's immersive tribute to fifty-two Detroit heroes and heroines large and small--with a cocktail recipe inspired by each. Which books are you reading and enjoying these days, bookworms? 01 Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft I love the setup of Saft's romantic young adult fantasy novel, Down Comes the Night. Wren is a loose cannon, a fierce soldier, intensely loyal, a magical healer, and with an uncontrollable spirit--and she's niece to the queen, who would like to be rid of her altogether. Hal is from a neighboring land and is known as the Reaper of Vesria. He's known to be cruel, ruthless, and he's Wren's sworn enemy, a deadly force who has destroyed her countrymen and women in the wars that seem constant between the kingdoms. When the two are unexpectedly thrown together, it becomes clear that Hal isn't precisely who Wren thought. She must determine whether to abandon the force of her formidable healing powers and leave him to die or let go of her long-held anger. Meanwhile she's desperate to solve the mystery of her fellow soldiers and friends who keep disappearing on patrols between kingdoms. 02 Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells Have I ever mentioned Martha Wells's Murderbot books and how much I love them? Oh, I have? Was it when I reviewed books 1 through 3 of the series? Or when I reviewed the next book, Exit Strategy? Or Wells's next one, Network Effect? Well, it's good to be back with grumpy Murderbot on Preservation Station. In Fugitive Telemetry, Murderbot attempts to solve the mystery of a murder--while generally annoyed and hindered by the slow humans and frequently dopey robots all around it. Fugitive Telemetry is full of wonderful passages in which Murderbot is flummoxed by humans' social conventions; protects various parties from certain destruction with instantaneous decision-making and astute threat assessment; and retreats from overwhelming interactions to watch its favorite show, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. 03 Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall My book club heard Alice Randall speak last year at Verse & Vino, our local library foundation's annual fundraising event (during the pandemic it was held virtually). We like to include books by some of the authors we hear to our reading list for the coming year. (That's how we ended up reading Kevin Wilson's unique Nothing to See Here and Alice Hoffman's The World That We Knew--featured in the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Brave Women During World War II--last year, and that's how we came to read Black Bottom Saints this year.) Through the voice of the fictional Ziggy, a dance instructor and key connector of various figures in the storied Detroit neighborhood of Black Bottom, Randall offers short sections about fifty-two mostly real-life characters who influenced the area over a period of decades. The structure and tributes are based on Catholic Saints Day books, and Randall sets each scene with rich detail. The book includes a recipe for a cocktail inspired by each person featured in Ziggy's account.

Louis, and Robinson explores complex issues regarding race and related societal pressures of the time

He can't face any other possibility. 02 Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy Sam and Annie didn't know author of Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, offers short stories centering around themes of race unlikely friendship and a young man's bravery; a mystery with a twist; and a collection of stories about race

Macintyre ​ The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War is a wonderfully paced Ben Macintyre deftly traces the webs of deceit, greed, bravery, and the desire for heroic glory that understanding of our nation's past and current racial situation, including a basic history lesson of race with white and Black people in anti-racism workshops and through her facilitation of discussions of race institutional power structure; the general and long-term white tendency to not discuss or acknowledge race

Here For It is refreshing and playful yet thoughtful. I loved spending time with the uproariously funny Thomas. In Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, R. Eric Thomas, the creator of Elle's sassy and smart daily column "Eric Reads the News," shares his thoughts, experiences, and reflections about life and the world around us with honesty and humor. In essays that are sometimes heartbreaking, often inspiring, and that frequently made me laugh out loud, Thomas explores his sheltered youth, his growing realizations that he was different than most people he knew, his shame and fear about living as his authentic self, and his meandering path toward his current life circumstances, in which he is living as he once only dreamed: he is joyfully challenged professionally, he is unapologetically his own unique self, he is exploring his complicated relationship with religion, and he deeply loves and is loved by his (pastor) husband. I listened to this as an audiobook, and I adored hearing Thomas's voice take me through his essays. His voice and delivery are fabulous. Here For It is refreshing and playful yet thoughtful. I loved spending time with the uproariously funny Thomas as he recounts how he's navigated situations large and small in his life. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Thomas is also a host of The Moth storytelling podcast in D.C. and Philadelphia--and he certainly knows how to craft a compelling and full story out of a momentous moment. I mentioned this book (along with the new mystery The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins and the young adult book I'm reading with my book club for January, Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon) in my first Greedy Reading List of the year, Three Books I'm Reading Now, 1/1/21 Edition. My friend Katherine recommended this book to me last spring and despite how long it took me to get to it, I'm so glad she did!

Notes on a Silencing is a memoir in which Crawford, now a wife and mother, faces the challenges of asserting

The Water Dancer traces the life of Hiram Walker, a "Tasked" man (the word "slavery" is rarely used in Set in sixth century Scotland, The Forgotten Kingdom traces the story of Languoreth, a strong, imprisoned

joined in progress--are mothers, daughters, friends, and lovers concerned with sexuality, autonomy, race

Bird does an excellent job of keeping up the tension and making clear the high stakes of Williams’s enormous secret in this story, which is based on the life of a real female Buffalo Soldier. Bird's Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen is based on the story of an actual female Buffalo Soldier, Cathy Williams, with many liberties taken for the sake of shaping a story. I was happy to suspend my disbelief at the many conveniently outlandish circumstances or coincidences—which led key characters to cross unlikely paths, caused characters to avoid making important discoveries until the timing was more convenient to the arc of the tale, or set events essential to a resolution in a magical otherworld to allow imagined outcomes. Bird does an excellent job of keeping up the tension and making clear the high stakes of Williams’s enormous secret and the destruction that would befall her if it came out. She explores in fascinating detail the hardscrabble life of a newly freed black person—and the often desperate circumstances of women (especially black women) without men to protect them at the time. The major and minor love stories are sweet if tragic on multiple levels. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? Bird is also the author of Above the East China Sea, about two teenaged girls, an American and an Okinawan, whose lives are connected across seven decades and across the world. Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen was mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved Over the Past Year.

01 Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon It's the last day of high school, and nemeses Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have battled bitterly for every title, position, honor, and moment of recognition during their high school career. They wake up today texting their usual taunts and challenges. But today will be different: this is the day they'll find out which of them has earned the desired title of class valedictorian. For the unfortunate one, the only hope of regaining glory would be to win the elaborate seniors' game of Howl, a challenging competition that spans the city of Seattle. And if Neil and Rowan look like they're teamed up for the game, it's only because they each intend to use their teammate to get into a winning position--and then take them down. But spending time working together for once allows Rowan and Neil to see sides of the other person that aren't so infuriating and off-putting after all. It sounds crazy, but in a way, they almost seem like the perfect match. Rachel Lynn Solomon's young adult novel Today Tonight Tomorrow feels like a smart, sweet read to start the new year. (For my review, see Today Tonight Tomorrow.) 02 The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins In Rachel Hawkins's mystery The Wife Upstairs, set for January 5, 2021 publication, the main players and their histories aren't what they seem. Jane is a young woman who is new to Birmingham, Alabama. She's seemingly trustworthy and nonthreatening, the perfect dog-walker for upscale Mountain Brook families. And if, while she's taking care of their beloved pets, Jane slips a few small valuables into her pockets, to sell for cash or just because she can, no one is likely to ever be the wiser. But Jane--who's taken on this new name and is desperate to leave her dark past behind her--has wormed her way into the idyllic community in the aftermath of a tragedy. Two of the neighborhood's cherished young wives, longtime best friends, died months earlier in a boating accident. When Jane places herself in the path of one of the widowers and he shows interest in her, she can't believe her luck. This could be a better new beginning than even she could have manipulated into reality. But is Jane doing the scheming, or is something more sinister going on? I received a prepublication copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. (For my review, see The Wife Upstairs.) 03 Here For It by R. Eric Thomas In Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, R. Eric Thomas, the creator of Elle's sassy and smart "Eric Reads the News" column, shares his thoughts, experiences, and reflections about life and the world around us with honesty and humor. In essays that are sometimes heartbreaking, often inspiring, and that frequently make me laugh out loud, Thomas explores his sheltered youth, his growing realizations that he was different than most people he knew, his shame and fear about living as his authentic self, and his meandering path toward his current life circumstances, in which he is living as he once only dreamed: he is joyfully challenged professionally, he is unapologetically his own unique self, he is exploring his complicated relationship with religion, and he deeply loves and is loved by his (pastor) husband. My friend Katherine recommended this book to me last spring and I'm finally getting around to reading it--I'm actually listening to it as an audiobook, and I adore hearing Thomas's voice take me through his essays. This is refreshing and so playful yet thoughtful, I love it so far. (I finished! For my full review, see Here For It.) What are you reading to start the new year? I've just started Today Tonight Tomorrow, my book club's first title of the year, and I do like the idea easing into 2021 with a young adult nemeses-fall-in-love premise. The Wife Upstairs has been aging nicely in my Kindle for months, until my realization that its publication date was fast approaching. It's a fast and engaging read so far, which also feels just right for these gray days of winter. And I'm listening to R. Eric Thomas read his audiobook, which I highly recommend. His voice and delivery are fabulous. What are you reading at the start of this new year? I just picked up an armful of library holds, and along with the stack of books I received as holiday gifts, I am now in possession of all the books. I hope this weekend holds some cozy reading time with books you love.