What I've been reading

[sarahmichigan]

What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day" by Pearl Cleage, on audiobook. You could pigeon-hole this as chick lit or as an "issues" book, but transcends both those descriptions. One reason it can tackle heavy issues like AIDS and crime and drug addiction without feeling didactic or preachy is that the main character, Ava, is so sarcastic and fun. Originally from Michigan but making a living in Atlanta, things go seriously wrong for Ava, and she decides to move back home to Idlewild in Michigan to spend the summer with her sister while she figures out her next move. She never expects to get pulled into her sister Joyce's schemes to run a youth program for young women or to start falling in love with an old family friend. I loved that it was set in Michigan and name-checked a lot of cities and landmarks that I'm familiar with. It also gives a little mini-history of Idlewild, an all-black resort community, that is fascinating. I had a few criticims of the book, primarily with the lack of character development for some of the minor characters, but overall I really loved it.

and

 "Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction" by Annalee Newitz. Her premise: We will almost surely face some kind of massive disaster in the next few hundred to a thousand years, but we are also very adaptable and will find ways to survive. The author moves from a discussion of past disasters to present research on countering disasters to speculations about the future. I liked that Newitz's style of writing makes even some of the complex science easily digested by the average reader. Highly-recommended to anyone interested in this specific topic or anyone who enjoys good science writing for the general public.

My full comments on both books here.