Currently Reading

City of Refugees by Susan Hartman

In this intimate book, journalist Susan Hartman tells the story of three refugees building new lives in the old manufacturing town of Utica, New York. Sadia, a Somali Bantu teenager, rebels against her mother; Ali, an Iraqi interpreter, treats a home with an American woman but is haunted by war; and Mersiha, a Bosnian baker,

gambles everything to open a café. They are part of a remarkable migration: thousands of refugees-fleeing persecution and war-who have revitalized the city. In this timely and deeply reported book, Hartman weaves together portraits of three very different families finding their way. It's a complex and poignant story of a small city, but also of America-a country whose promise of safe harbor and opportunity is knotty and incomplete, but undeniably alive.

Book Recommendation: Citizen 13660 by Miné Okubo

"On April 24, 1942, Civilian Exclusion Order No. 19 was issued and posted everywhere in Berkeley. Our time had come." "We tagged our baggage with the family number, 13660, and pinned the personal tags on ourselves; we were ready at last." "The camp was a mess. It was far from complete." "We had to make friends with the wild creatures in the camp, especially the spiders, mice, and rats, because we were outnumbered." Despite all this, the citizens of Tanforan found ways to crea

michelle z

Feb 152 min read

LATEST POST

Stay Updated with the Latest Posts

WANDERLUST DIARIES

Book Recommendation: Citizen 13660 by Miné Okubo

"On April 24, 1942, Civilian Exclusion Order No. 19 was issued and posted everywhere in Berkeley. Our time had come." "We tagged our baggage with the family number, 13660, and pinned the personal tags on ourselves; we were ready at last." "The camp was a mess. It was far from complete." "We had to make friends with the wild creatures in the camp, especially the spiders, mice, and rats, because we were outnumbered." Despite all this, the citizens of Tanforan found ways to crea

Feb 152 min read

Book Recommendation: Our Hidden Conversations by Michele Norris

"Will my children look White enough?" "The melting pot is a lie." "Gay, but at least I'm White." "Yellow outside, White inside, adopted Twinkie." "Wouldn't have been White 100-years ago." These are but some of the statements Norris has collected over 14 years. In the last 14 years, Michele Norris has received hundreds of thousands replies to a simple, and yet complex, prompt: "Race. Your Story. 6 Words. Please Send." This book is only a small sample of the stories Norris has

Jan 12 min read

Recent Reads Update: Quick Reviews

Finished Books The Freaks Came Out to Write by Tricia Romano What It's About: A novel that dives into the history behind the first alternative newsweekly(a publication that forgoes comprehensive coverage of the news in favor of stylized reporting, including opinionated columns and feature stories highlightin local culture), Romano chronicles the journey of the newspaper from its inception to its multiple rebirths to its current version. The novel is comprised entirely of in

Nov 16, 20257 min read