bookdragon217's reviews
591 reviews

"I try to say, I mean to say, but I can't form the words, can't understand what to do with the sound of my own voice."

I'm Not Hungry but I Could Eat by Christopher Gonzalez was a delightful yet though-provoking collection of stories that I will never forget. With these stories, Gonzalez dissects the idea of appetite and reimagines it not just as hunger tied to food but as it's own character in with varying motivations. Appetite is the thread that tethers this collection together and challenges what you think you know about hunger. 

In 'Packed White Spaces' the protagonists hungers to be seen and to show up as his authentic self rather than to be constrained by the white gaze. This was one of my favorite stories because it pokes fun at white minimalism and exposes it for what it really is: white privilege. Many marginalized people can't choose minimalism. It is forced on them because of capitalism, poverty and corporate greed. This one also tackles fatphobia and its relationship to wealth, as well as the pervasiveness in queer communities. 

In 'A Mountain of Invertebrates', you see how poverty forces you to feign an appetite because it forces you to not waste food. This conditioning shows up in romantic relationships when dating and you force yourself to eat food you dont even enjoy in social settings due to your own appetite for love. 

In 'Better Than All That', you see that even gay or bisexual men are participants in toxic masculinity when they have no safe spaces to come out as their ture sexual identity. This appetite for acceptance, unrequited love and authenticity often harms other queer people. You also see appetite show up as longing to be seen by a stranger and be "chosen". 

'Little Moves' tackles the fatphobia and homophobia in families and the ways that you have to reconcile good memories while acknowledging the ways that someone also harmed you and forced you to hide within yourself. In this one, appetite shows up as a choice to either become your authentic self or remain longing for change and acceptance that will never come. 

Every story adds layers to the notion of appetite in unique ways. Some delve into the speculative, and others delve into ridiculousness that will have you laughing out loud and questioning the purpose of life. This was Gonzalez's debut novel, but this collection read like the work of a well seasoned writer. Gonzalez is a queer voice that I look forward to reading more from in the future. His writing was poetic and his narrative voice commands attention and will rightfully take up space in literary forums. If you're looking for a story collection that features bisexual men in ordinary situations but gives you thought-provoking prose, then  give this one a try. Overall, it was a thoughtful, genre bending collection that will take from the mundane and weird and includes a jaw-dropping twist you won't see coming. Christopher Gonzalez is a star on the rise and I cannot wait to see what else is on the horizon with his work.

"I know what she's thinking: she can throw me to the monsters, and then she can get away. Even a little kid knows what adults will do to escape danger." 

One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole was a mind-boggling read. The protagonist has dissociative identity disorder and the story is being told through the points of view of the different "headmates". Cole's writing style in this one is very slow paced but from the very beginning I was intrigued. Cole's writing is very descriptive and I didn't realize I was in dual timelines until I was deep down the rabbit hole of this one. Reading this one was disorienting because you're in the characters' head the whole time and the genre bending makes you question what is real, what is imagined and what could possibly be a memory. In the beginning, I was a little confused but after a while the voices of each headmate became more distinct. This is one you really have to be in the right head space to read and stay committed to until the very end. The peeling back of memories and making sense of what it's like to live with DID requires the slow unraveling that shapes Cole's writing in this one. I haven't read anything quite like this one before and it really forced me to stretch my attention and imagination. I threw some noise canceling headphones on and listened to sounds of nature in order to tune out the world and fully pay attention to every detail. It really made my reading experience so much more immersive.

If you are looking for a mystery that will bend your brain in the strangest ways, then give this one a try. I recommend this one for readers who enjoy or are interested in:
🧠 Dissociative Identity Disorder & Neuodiversity
🧠 Trauma, Memory & Coping Mechanisms
🧠 Queerness & Homophobia
🧠 Privilege & public persona
🧠 Slow burn whodunit mysteries set in NYC
🧠 Unreliable narrators & multiple POV's
🧠 Suicidal ideations/ attempts & protective factors
🧠 Stories set during COVID pandemic & its affect on mental health
🧠 The righteousness of anger

Thanks to @williammorrowbooks and @cocoachapters for the gifted copy and opportunity to be on tour for this one.

"All stories are good stories if you find the right listener."

I was in awe of Julia Alvarez and Edwidge Danticat's discussion of The Cemetery of Untold Stories at The Center for Fiction. Hearing about the power of storytelling and the importance of oral histories to preserve culture left me inspired and I couldn't wait to meet the characters that I heard so much about.

Reading this one felt like I was listening in on all the good chisme being discussed at a family gathering. I instantly fell in love with Filomena and her ability to receive all the stories from the ghosts of the cemetery. I also fell in love with her own personal story that has yet to be told to the world. It has been difficult to read lately but this completely captivated my attention and I found it so easy to immerse myself in this world and forget everything heavy I was going through in real life. Filomena and Bienvenida are unforgettable and by the end of the book I just couldn't let them go. I find myself wondering about them.  

This is a book that is heavily driven by the characters and the stories they share and there is no real plot, but the vibes and the feelings are perfect. I loved how some of the ghost stories were interconnected and how the use of language, including Dominican Spanish, added even more flavor. It wasn't my favorite of Alvarez's work, but it is one that I will always think of because it feels like a warm hug from the Caribbean. Thanks to @algonquinbooks for the gifted copy.

Some thoughts I'm left with are:
• Who decides the validity of stories and oral histories?
• What happens to stories when authors stop writing?
• Every story has its ideal listener, so they all need to be told.
• How do authors reconcile aging and end of life with the amount of untold stories left in them? 
• The best stories come from your own families.
• Dominican history has facets that have been erased and can only be uncovered through the stories of ordinary people. 
• Where do stories go to die?
• Caribbean stories are a vital part of literary legacy.
• You can't undo harmful history without uncovering stories from different aspects of an event. 
• "There are stories in the silence."

"Some kinds of dirt rise to the surface, even if you sweep them under the carpet."

Flames of Wrath by J. L. Campbell was an addicting, propulsive read about privilege, justice, racism and revenge. If you've ever wondered about what lengths a mother would go to, to get justice for her daughter after she was set up by "friends" and violated in the worst ways, then this one is a perfect example. The story starts off with a bang with a very triggering event and from there, the author grips you by the throat and holds you hostage. You won't want to put this one down until all the pieces of the puzzle are put together. This is one psychological wild ride you don't want to miss. 

Even though this one was action-packed, it tackled some heavy themes and topics of:
• the ways the justice system fails Black women 
• examination of "friendship" 
• the repercussions of social media and cybersurveillance 
• vigilante justice when the legal system fails
• the complications of cooperation with international entities 
• the rich using their donation money to influence college admission for their kids
• r*pe culture and the systems that protect perpetrators
• the strength of Black mothers

If you're looking to diversify your TBR and read more small press women authors, then give this one a try. Thanks to @iamblackodyssey @cocoachapters for the gifted copy and tour opportunity.

Safe Passage by G. Neri & David Brame put me through the wringer. It's a middle graphic novel set in Chicago about three kids who ditch school to try to get money from an overturned Brinks truck in hopes of saving their family from the impoverished conditions and violence of their city. Darius and Cissy already lost their mom to gun violence, and Booger seems to have lost hope and has a death wish with all his poor decisions. Darius was also hurt due to being shot. This graphic novel depicts the dangers of life in Chicago for today's youth. Much of  the rise in violence was due to over 50 schools being closed and kids being forced to travel farther through territory to get to school. The public schools that remained open enacted the Safe Passage Program, where adults, many veterans undertake the job of ensuring students make it to school safely. There are signs posted delineating safe zones, and the adults coordinate safe passage and try to be informed about where violence is escalating. Reading this one had me so emotional, sad and heartbroken because there are so many inner city children losing their lives due to  the consequences of  the rising cost of living due to gentrification, police brutality, poverty, lack of  resources, lack of strict gun laws and racism. There were times I didn't realize that I was holding my breath because I felt waves of tears coming uncontrollably. Overall, it was a really thought-provoking read & the illustrations bring the story to life. I highly recommend this one and it will be a great conversation starter for many about the harsh realities that Black youth face in the inner city. Take care of yourself while reading because this one will seep deep underneath your skin & make you uncomfortable. 

Here are some additional books that would pair well with this one:
📚 I am Alfonso Jones (graphic novel)- Tony Medina
📚 Yummy, the Last Days of  a Southside Shorty (graphic novel) - G. Neri
📚 Long Way Down (graphic novel)- Jason Reynolds 
📚 Monster (MG novel)- Dean Myers
📚 Ghost Boys (MG novel)- Jewell Parker Rhodes
📚 Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice
📚 Children of Chicago - Cynthia Pelayo