Casey's Reviews

Sidik Fofana, public school teacher turned breakaway debut author, shines a light on one apartment building in Harlem through a series of interconnected stories about the strength, hardship, and community built between those struggling to face the tide of gentrification. Each story carries a deep impact for the reader, and the lyrical and emotional storytelling is not something you'll soon forget.  —Casey

Anders, a white man, wakes up one morning to see that his skin is darkening. Soon, it starts happening to everyone and the social and political results confront our deepest conceptions of race, privilege, and fear. Born from his experience as a brown man who was treated differently after September 11th, Mohsin Hamid's novel matches this examination of identity with a deep exploration of our capacity for empathy and humanity—a powerful and important combination. —Casey

In the summer of 2020, poet Elizabeth Alexander penned an essay to her sons in The New Yorker, a powerful and moving portrait of a generation who are victim and witness to countless acts of racial brutality. This seminal essay, as much from a mother as a cultural critic, is now in book form and is accompanied by poetry, art, and reflection on the embedded racism of our institutions, people, and places and how “people make movements and history with the force of creativity” to survive. A slim but affecting statement of our times.  —Casey

Six days in the life of a small-town family pits sibling against sibling and husband against wife as they struggle for understanding, forgiveness, and redemption. A retelling of ancient Greek myths in the heart of East Texas, the story slowly simmers to a boil and a dramatic end. Simply a remarkable debut.  —Casey

Fredrik Backman meets Erin Brockovich meets The Rosie Project in this funny and clever story about teenage triplets growing up in a town with tainted water, each with differing levels of lifelong effects, and each with a unique approach to standing up for their family, their community, and their future. The distinct coming-of-age voices resonate, as do the push and pull around themes of independence versus connection. A feel-good story of persistence and growth.  —Casey

Summer destination seaside communities are made up of much more than amusement park rides—so says Katie Runde in her moving, funny, and heartwarming story about a family who runs the businesses behind the boardwalks of the Jersey Shore. When the father faces a battle with brain cancer, his teens and wife struggle to maintain normalcy while contemplating life-altering changes. Ultimately, through their connections with each other, their deep sense of shared history, and the way that community reminds them of the genesis of their dreams, they come to define home and family for themselves. A perfect Santa Cruz read.  —Casey

A brave new voice in fiction, Tara Stringfellow brings poetic beauty to Black women’s experience—the joy of living in a community of strong women along with the sorrow of surviving men's rage. When Joan is raped as a young girl and her mother faces an abusive husband, they retreat to the Memphis home of her sister. Through art, sacrifices, loyalty, storytelling, and courage, they remake their lives to encompass healing and possibility.  —Casey

Lee Cole is gaining prominence as one of the brightest new authors this year. In Groundskeeping, he explores the relationship between an aspiring Kentucky writer and his Ivy League grad school girlfriend. Through this lens, Cole creates an emotionally complex story of belonging, perseverance, and understanding (or lack thereof) across geographic, class, and political divides. Is it one couple’s story or a story of our nation at this moment? Read to find out. —Casey

The large family of John Wilkes Booth, some of the most prominent American Shakespearean actors of their day, share the stage of their lives with the fanaticism and discord of the build-up to the Civil War. Fowler, the award-winning author of We are Completely Besides Ourselves, amazes with rich historical research, deeply defined characters, and incredibly relevant discussions of extremism, family loyalties, and the role that society plays in defining good vs. evil. This book is a triumph. —Casey

Reyna Grande, UC Santa Cruz alumna and beloved author of The Distance Between Us, writes a gripping historical story of the Mexican-American War as told through the perspective of the Irish brigades that fought on behalf of Mexico and their alliance with the Mexican people. It is a love story, a war story, and a rumination on how the sacrifices of war consistently test our loyalty to our sense of self and to each other. —Casey