Johnson's Enemy of All Mankind is an account of a pirate raid wrapped in both a biography and the larger history of empire and trade building. The biography traces the life of Henry Every, one of the most notorious pirates of the late 17th century, and recounts his attack on a Munghal ship, an incident that had deep repercussions for the East India Company and British-Indian relations. Johnson is incredibly good at telling an engaging story while also keeping an eye on the larger picture of how this bit of history influenced international power shifts and led to the formation of modern businesses and corporations
Claire Luchette's debut is a gem of a novel. It's gentle, funny, dark at times, honest, told in concise pithy chapters. It reminded me of Miriam Toews's early books, especially Agatha's observations and questions about the world around her. It's a wonderful read about making your own life and finding where you belong.
Celebrate The Great Gatsby's move to the public domain by reading this superior version of it! The Chosen and the Beautiful is languid and glamorous, boasting not only the perfect roaring twenties voice, but elements of magic and strangeness that beautifully fit both the story and its era. Vo's artful twists on the original novel give us a deeper look at wealth, racism, and queerness.
