Month: August 2019

The Whisper Network

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

All women are familiar with it. That low-key, “Hey, probably stay away from that guy” remark you hear from another woman. Because we’ve all been there, and we appreciate the heads up.

The Whisper Network focuses in on the experiences of three women who work at the same law firm. The man who is in line to be their new CEO is one of those guys that women talk about in hushed terms – but no one wants to be the one to speak up, get harassed by people who say they’re doing it for attention, and ruin their own careers. And when these women do decide to say something… they never imagined it ending up like it did.

This is one of those books where I finished reading it, and immediately grabbed my phone to text two friends to say “THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD YOU NEED TO READ IT.” I was hooked from the prologue, and devoured the book to the end. This is a highly recommended read.

Favorite Passage:

“So when we said that we would prefer not to have to be asked to smile on top of working, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs. When we said that we would like not to hear a comment about the length of our skirt, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs, please. When we said that we would like not to have someone try to touch us in our office, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs. Please.”
— Chapter Thirty

What I Loved Most:

The Whisper Network both whispers and shouts about the fine line women have to walk in the workplace. We need to be pleasant, but not overly nice so he doesn’t think we’re flirting, but we have to be warm enough not to be perceived as rude, but we want to make sure we’re not giving off the wrong signals… on an infinite repeat, day in and day out. It clearly addresses both the reasons why some women don’t say anything when they are harassed/assaulted/raped, and the reasons why some women do.

Read this book if you like:

Feminism, low-grade mysteries, #MeToo, Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna

Book Details:

King of the Mole People

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Doug is trying super hard to be a normal kid. He moved to a new school for seventh grade, and he’s trying to join clubs and make friends and eat normal things for lunch and wear non-muddy clothes and not have grubs or mushrooms all over him. But as hard as he tries to be normal, weirdness seems to be attracted to him… which is probably why he was crowned King of the Mole People a couple of weeks ago. So now in addition to trying to fit in with the other kids in his grade, he has to figure out how to rule the Mole Kingdom, and maybe save the world from being destroyed by Mega Worms.

Honestly, I saw the cover of this book and decided I needed to read it before I even found out what the plot was. Paul Gilligan both wrote and illustrated King of the Mole People, and his illustrations were so hilariously on point. It’s perfect for kids in late elementary school, and will hit shelves just in time for back-to-school. Look for it on August 27th!

Favorite Passage:

20190810_083119“‘The crown must be worn at all times while in the Mole world,’ said Ploogoo.
‘But look at it, it’s ridiculous! Why is it so tall when you all live in low-ceilinged tunnels? It keeps getting knocked off my head by stalactites!'”
– 3 : Underground
[This passage was quoted from an ARC; as such, it may change before final publication.]

What I Loved Most:

This book was funny enough to make me laugh out loud more than once, but it also addresses serious issues. Doug is trying to figure out his identity. He wants so badly to fit in, but can’t quite seem to achieve the level of normality that he wants. King of the Mole People is a great book exploring the social-emotional learning pillar of self-awareness, but does so in a way that doesn’t hit kids over the head with the message of accepting who you are. It’s funny enough to keep kids interested, while also low-key encouraging them to embrace their own brand of weirdness.

Read this book if you like:

Heavily-illustrated books, super weird storylines, being okay with who you truly are

Book Details:

Such a Fun Age

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Y’all, I try not to post reviews super far in advance of when a book is going to come out for publication. But I recently read an ARC of Such a Fun Age, and it was so good that I have to tell you about it now. Emira Tucker is a twenty-five year old babysitter for the Chamberlain family. When Alix Chamberlain call Emira late on a Saturday night to watch her toddler while she deals with a family situation, Emira picks up Briar and brings her to the grocery store for Briar’s favorite activity of perusing the nut aisle. A security guard sees African-American Emira with Caucasian Briar, and accuses Emira of kidnapping Briar. And so we enter the story, following the dual narratives of Emira and Alix as they navigate the complexities of race and class and privilege. This novel sucked me in from the first page, and I could not put it down. As a heads up, there is a solid amount of language and sexual content in this book – but it was also one of my favorite adult reads in a long time. Look for it in January 2020!

Favorite Passage:

“But she’d never say good-bye to Emira, which made it seem that Emira would never be completely free from her. For the rest of her life and for zero dollars an hour, Emira would always be Briar’s sitter.”
— Twenty-six
[This passage was quoted from an ARC; as such, it may change before final publication.]

What I Loved Most:

How can I choose just one thing? Reid wrote Briar’s dialogue in a way that was so on-point for the little ones I have in my life, which I feel like many adult writers struggle to do. But I also loved seeing Emira pour herself out for this little girl, filling in the gaps to make sure Briar knew she was valued and valuable. And I also loved seeing the accurate portrayal of the economic realities of so many people in my millennial generation – seeing Emira be in this job that she loves that just doesn’t pay enough/offer insurance/seem to be a viable long-term career option. So basically, I loved all of it.

Read this book if you like:

Examining the intersection of race and class, millennials, books that you binge in long sittings because you can’t put them down

Book Details:

  • Author: Kiley Reid
  • Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
  • Date of Publication: January 7, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: Adult
  • Check out Such a Fun Age on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!