Casey's Reviews

There is almost nothing quite as potent for storytelling as a big, Irish multigenerational family drama. Although by sight, the Brennans are a close knit New York family, the novel explores the fissures that are created through a lifetime of secrets in love, money, and family and the forgiveness that is required in a messy, complex life. For those who love deep, character-driven books, this debut brings a new voice to the likes of Ann Patchett, Celeste Ng, and Brit Bennett. —Casey

Although you would think that winning eight NBA titles as a player or coach would make Steve Kerr’s biography read like a how-to guide to stardom, Howard-Cooper instead demonstrates how Kerr’s setbacks—from the murder of his father, a diplomat, to injuries that might have sidelined his basketball career as a player and a coach—better define Kerr than any championship ring. In showcasing Kerr’s humility, emotional intelligence, activism, and perseverance, the book gives us a closer look at the drive of the person who would inspire so many players and teammates to reach the greatest heights in the NBA. — Casey

If you are a reader, I’d like to think that you are exactly the type of person that Pete Davis describes in Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing. Davis argues that we need more people who are stewards, builders, companions, and artisans, to bring depth and dedication to our communities and our lives. For what is our world if people choose open options over strong commitments? One where change, many times fought for over a significant amount of time, will not come or will not sustain. Maybe reading a book cover to cover is only the first step of a more dedicated life? If so, reading this book would be a great first step. — Casey

In this novel, Shakespeare’s fictional, free-spirited wife Agnes grapples with the death of one of their twins, Hamnet, as Maggie O'Farrell breathes life into the family experience that shaped the famous play. Every sentence, achingly beautiful and heartbreaking, demonstrates the tender connection between the characters in their yearnings, their expectations, and their grief. Hamnet is simply one of the best historical fiction novels I’ve ever read. — Casey

Sometimes the most powerful novels are the quietest. In Monogamy, Sue Miller explores the marriage of one seemingly ill-matched couple—a convivial bookstore owner and his reserved yet pleasant wife. Miller's novel brilliantly explores the range of human emotion that develops over a lifetime of a marriage, how it ebbs and flows to create our sense of family and our sense of self. A beautiful portrait of love, loss, and memory. — Casey

Greenidge’s powerful new novel considers post- Reconstruction life for Black women as they struggle with issues of race, colorism, misogyny, and the meaning of freedom. Libertie is the daughter of one of the first female Black doctors in New York and is struggling between the expectations thrust upon her by her mother, her schoolmates who came to freedom from many directions, and her Haitian husband whose ideals about equality don’t live up to the reality of their life together. The novel’s depth of these still-relevant topics is matched only by its poetic prose. A beautiful addition to literature’s historical record. — Casey

Known for her mastery of observation, Jhumpa Lahiri centers this novella on the quiet solitude of a middle-aged woman wandering through the streets of an unnamed Italian city. Lahiri’s first work to be translated from Italian by the author herself explores the nexus between solitude and depression, between connection and transformation. A spellbinding glimpse into one woman’s inner reckoning. — Casey

Navigating the story of love, loss, migration, deportation, and justice, Patricia Engel, the daughter of Columbian immigrants, weaves a heartfelt, beautiful, and haunting novel that speaks truth to our times. Each character embodies the push and pull of immigration—the longing for a sense of home and of belonging and the toll of being shut out from where your heart remains. A powerful novel that will be on everyone's best of list by year's end. —Casey

This book is part of our Spring Reading Challenge. Read more here.

A murder mystery set in a California coastal city, We Begin at the End carries equal parts suspense, tenderness, and social commentary about the communities that we call home. We meet Duchess Day Radley, a 13-year-old "outlaw" who tries valiantly to hold her family together while everything works to tear them apart. Radley and her community seer deep into the readers mind, making the outcome not only surprising, but filled with heart. —Casey

After US soccer star Megan Rapinoe’s game-winning goals in the 2019 Women’s World Cup captivated the world, Rapinoe has gone on to engage women (and men) everywhere with her brilliant leadership in promoting equal pay, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ rights, and through her straight talk to President Trump on an international stage. Now, in her memoir One Life, she chronicles how her conservative California upbringing, her role as the first woman soccer player to come out, and the internal reckoning that called her to take action for equality allowed her to fully use her place at the center of the world’s stage as a force for good. A perfect gift for every strong person in your life. — Casey