The weekly post

The one where we made it to February

Hi friends, it has been a long few weeks and what I can only describe as the longest January of our lives. I hope you are finding moments of rest and respite even and especially through the whirlwind. This week, I am back to work travel - having had about six weeks firmly planted in DC - and I must admit that I am deeply appreciative for the change of pace and scenery.

To usher in the first week of February, I thought I would try something new, which is to share a brief January recap. This year, rather than focusing on the sheer number of books I read, I set other goals, like finding new authors and reading one piece of nonfiction each month. January was an energizing month in terms of book content: I read five books and all of them were new-to-me authors. Four out of the five were written by female authors, and there was tremendous range in terms of genre. I Who Have Never Known Men is a short, at times bleak, but altogether beautiful piece of feminist literature, while Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff set a lighthearted romcom novella in the world of DC politics (sans oligarchs). Humor Me by Cat Shook surpassed all of my expectations, and James is a novel that I am really excited to share with you in this week’s review. I started Ask Not, my nonfiction selection, in January, and while I have a ways to go towards finishing it, the pacing is fantastic so far and feels relevant for the moment we are in.

January was also an incredible month in terms of community: our Silent Reading Party had its highest attendance ever, with lots of new faces and friends, and was the perfect kickoff for the 2025 series. I am so grateful for these connection points with you all, most especially on the hard and chaotic days. Amidst the uncertainty, we’ll keep reaching out and checking in on each other. Wherever you are, whatever you’re reading these days, keep taking good care.

Currently Reading

ASK NOT: THE KENNEDYS AND THE WOMEN THEY DESTROYED by Maureen Callahan. The title of this investigative nonfiction piqued my interest, and now only a few chapters in, I am fully invested (and already early horrified). I admittedly don’t know much about the Kennedy family and the lore that surrounds them, but they certainly continue to influence our lives and news cycles. With a writing style resembling Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow and She Said by Jodi Kantor and Meghan Twohey, this is a fast-moving read telling the silenced stories of one of America’s most elusive families.

Recent Recommendation

JAMES by Percival Everett (5 stars). This might be my hardest review to write yet simply because I have no notes. Reading James was a bit like watching the Olympics and thinking, “Wow, she makes that look effortless,” and the “effortless” thing has required unwavering grit and cost the athlete years of training and sacrifice and heartache. Percival Everett wrote a novel that is almost imperceptible in its creativity and beauty, and that is what makes this such a masterpiece. This is a story that is cloaked in seemingly straightforward prose and sense of adventure, and is in fact rich in detail, nuance, and pointed social commentary.

As this is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn, allow me to begin by reassuring you that reading (or remembering) Mark Twain’s classic is not a prerequisite for understanding and thoroughly enjoying this novel. Percival Everett does an incredible job of diving right into the action of the story, not wasting time with a long exposition, while simultaneously grounding the reader with where we are in time and the struggles facing our main character. We meet Jim - a slave in Missouri who sees himself clearly as a James - who has just learned that he is about to be sold to another white man in New Orleans. Fearing for his safety and the safety of his wife and daughter, and exhausted from the physical and psychological violence inflicted upon him as a slave, James decides to run away, find freedom, and eventually return for his family. Simultaneously, Huck Finn, an adventure-seeking, naive young boy, decides to fake his own death and run away from his violent father who has just returned to town. What follows is the tale of James and Huck’s travels along the Mississippi River and the fears and secrets that bind them.

There is a rhythm to this book unlike anything else I have ever read. This rhythm is built and sustained through James’ urgent and roundabout journey along the Mississippi River, as well as through his razor-sharp observations as he navigates the world where he must always keep white people at ease and feeling in control. For every time that I pleaded with the pages for James to finally find safety and to be protected, he reminds us that safety is a fleeting illusion for a man who lives in an unjust world, where the threat of slavery persists even in “free” states. James changes the way he speaks and pretends to know less than he does in the hopes of avoiding punishment or humiliation, but this is a losing fight because slave owners don’t need an excuse to exact cruelty. One of the most astounding scenes in the book is when James meets and interacts with a group of white travelers who express their anti-slavery sentiments, and genuinely see themselves as heroes, but who don’t understand that the indentured servitude they have enacted is a far cry from freedom and equality.

I saw a Goodreads review that said, “This is a masterpiece and the reason that classic retellings exist,” and I couldn’t possibly say it better myself. At a time when DEI initiatives are under sweeping attacks, and even the words diversity, equity, and inclusion are being erased entirely, it is on all of us to interrogate whose stories we hear and why, and to get honest about whether we are listening to understand or listening to interrupt and disagree about truths we don’t want to hear. I am so grateful to have experienced James’ story, and I can already say with certainty that this will be one of my favorite books of the year.

Recommend for… fans of classic retellings like Circe by Madeline Miller and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee, and Men We Reaped by Jasmyn Ward

Up Next

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah and INTERMEZZO by Sally Rooney have both patiently sat on my nightstand since the holidays. Once I make my way through Ask Not, I am really looking forward to diving into these highly recommended novels.

Three Words

Resolve, strengthen, connect.