Well, this book ages really, really poorly. Some spoilers below. It reads exactly like the time it was written (1989): “progressive” enough to include, at least superficially, a cast of characters including a same-sex couple and people of color in mixed-race relationships, as well as treatment of the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse that leans more sympathetic than condemning. However, it’s not exactly “woke” enough to avoid stumbling into some major Don’t Do That’s. Weetzie, pixie bohemian darling protagonist, is signified as being creative and […]
Life is Simple, Except When it Isn’t.
This book is amazing. I love this book. I am so glad I stumbled across this looking for something to fill up my bingo card. Magical realism is one of my absolute favorite story telling devices when it is done well, and this is such a perfect example of what it can really do. This is the story of Jojo’s family. Jojo is a thirteen-year-old mixed race boy growing up in the current day South and straddling that realm in between boyhood and adulthood. He […]
Damned if you do…
Damnificados is a story of survival, of diversity, of faith, and of the fantastical. We are introduced to the Damnificados (a population of misfits and vagabonds) as they fight a two-headed wolf and its pack to take residence in an abandoned skyscraper. This building was built with corruption and constructed upon a heap of garbage and has been unoccupied since the death of its “mayor.” The group is successful and lead by a reluctant leader, Nacho, and the Damnificados build a thriving and sustainable community within the tower […]
#CBR10Bingo: Birthday – All the Crooked Saints
#CBR10 Bingo: Birthday (Ms Stiefvater’s birthday is November 11th) From Goodreads, because it sums it up nicely: Here is a thing everyone wants: A miracle. Here is a thing everyone fears: What it takes to get one. Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars. At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all […]