Jocelyn's Reviews

Almost a decade ago, Aristotle and Dante’s story ended with a declaration of love and a kiss in the desert. Now turn the page and you’re back in 1988 under the stars with two boys in each other’s arms. Benjamin Alire Sáenz draws a world wider than just Ari and Dante, full of danger and sorrow—the AIDS pandemic, prejudice, personal tragedy—but also populated with fantastic characters, new and old, with connection and hope in a better tomorrow.—Jocelyn

Huda Fahmy's sense of humor is undeniable, and her story is undeniably relatable. Fahmy as Huda F carefully explores not just the prejudice she faced in high school as a Muslim, but her pride and joy in her faith. At the same time, with friendly illustration and introspective narration, she explores a universal story of a teen looking for friends, connection, identity, and belief in oneself. I smiled through this story, feeling I met a new friend myself.—Jocelyn

Everyone wants a secret…and needs a friend. Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla deliver a lovely graphic novel of renewal, hope, and connection. Any kid who has ever been lonely will relate to Mary, Colin, and Dickon as they find each other. Inspiration can be found in their care for themselves and for the people, plants, and world around them. A welcome update to a traditional classic, this beautiful fable for our current modern world stands on its own.—Jocelyn

Janae Marks delivers a vibrant novel that reads absolutely true to the experience of being a kid, and the rarified world one lives in at that time. Joy Taylor’s problems are real—an unexpected move, family troubles, a new school, feeling out new friends—and her journey to overcome them both resonated with me and inspired me. The escapades Joy and her friends fall into, and the friends themselves, kept me turning pages and feeling right at home.—Jocelyn

Chitra Soundar and Jen Khatun have created a perfect book for any soon-to-be big sibling. Sona’s jealous uncertainty and her ultimate love and determination to care for her little sister all ring true, while Soundar also demonstrates the care and empathy adults can take to make the transition easier. With beautiful details of family and traditions in India (brought to joyful life with Khatun’s illustrations), Sona’s story will be familiar to anyone who’s ever welcomed a new member of the family.—Jocelyn

David Chang doesn’t do anything traditionally. Cooking at Home is a great addition for anyone cooking for a household, with its easy, versatile recipes designed for multiple mouths and week-long leftover adaptation. But it is also a philosophical treatise, a Lucky Peach–esque assemblage of articles, and an extremely entertaining (and enlightening!) discourse between Chang and Priya Krishna, page to page, on taste, technique, gastronomical identity, and how hard it is to write a cookbook with David Chang. Fun and delicious.—Jocelyn

Many aspire to the creative life, and even more find it fascinating. Here the brilliant interviewer and designer Debbie Millman shares some of her best interviews of some of the world’s most fantastically creative and influential people from her podcast Design Matters. Educational, poignant, funny, and inspiring, with creators who range from traditional designers to illustrators, musicians, directors, and more, this is a perfect gift for anyone with a creative spirit, shining a light in darker times.—Jocelyn

Don’t miss our event with Debbie Millman on November 18th, 2021.

For a man known globally for art and activism, Ai Weiwei’s memoir, in Allan H. Barr’s translation, is a surprisingly straightforward narrative, where art is a matter-of-fact occurrence, and the illustrated history of China is seemingly incidental. Starting with the life of his father, the poet Ai Qing, Ai Weiwei’s life is laid out, at times starkly heartbreaking, at times breathtakingly inspiring, but always fascinating, full of the thought, feeling, and movement of a singular life.—Jocelyn

Ignore promised photos and ephemera; you just need to know that Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl is a phenomenal writer. Each essay—stories and streams of consciousness, ranging from growing up to activism to rock stardom and, always, music—stands alone. But Grohl knows exactly what he’s doing, his prose and points nailing it like the perfect chord at the end of your favorite song, the whole an album of a singular life you’ll read again and again.—Jocelyn

If you know everything about hip-hop, Shea Serrano will give you a brand-new way to look at it. If you know nothing about hip-hop, you will learn so much and be entertained the whole time. Serrano absolutely loves what he is writing about and would like nothing more than to keep talking to you about it forever. Read just one essay, full of sly humor and sincere passion, and you just may let him.  —Jocelyn