Listening to the Lives of Others: A Pandemic Reading List

We all have different coping mechanisms for this pandemic. Recently, I told a friend I was reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers (a Pulitzer prize winning book about trash collectors who live in Mumbai’s slums) and she replied, “are you sure you don’t want to read something a bit lighter in times like these?” 

I paused for a moment, and then decided to dive into the book anyway. And I’m glad I did. It helped me, actually. I can appreciate that reading heavy material is not for everyone.… Continue Reading

Reading in 2019

2019 has been an amazing reading year for me. I thought some of you might find help for your Christmas shopping with some of my reading suggestions from the past year. Or if nothing else, you might glean some ideas for your 2020 reading list!

I read most of these thanks to the e-library (by the way, if you want to read some of these titles and can’t spend the cash, submit a request with your local library! They are usually very accommodating).… Continue Reading

Displaced: Six Great Reads In Honor of World Refugee Day

June 20th is World Refugee Day. In honor of the occasion, here are a few titles you should add to your summer reading list.

My family history can be traced back to economic migrants who came from Europe. (My paternal grandparents moved to Canada in search of a fresh start in 1950s; my maternal side of the family came to America in the late 1800s.) The face of the world has changed since that time, and today’s politics may look different, but the history of human migration—and the things that force people to migrate—are tales as old as time.… Continue Reading