The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee As the former president of the progressive think tank, Demos, Heather McGhee spent 20 years looking for solutions to economic inequality and other big social problems before realizing she was hitting the same wall. That wall came to … Read more
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Charles Yu’s book Interior Chinatown is a swift kick to the gut—an unexpected, powerful jab at stereotypes and anti-Asian racism that manages to be hilarious as well as heartbreaking. Told entirely in screenplay format, it stars Willis Wu as GENERIC ASIAN MAN, a bit player in his own life. Willis is an … Read more
The results of a Google keyword search for “watch Academy Award movies” are full of invitations to stream and watch online using various paid-subscription platforms. In past years, the Oscars—a celebration of stories that are considered exceptional, at least by the 8,469 eligible Oscar voters—were accessible to anyone who could afford the price of a … Read more
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano On the surface, the storyline of Dear Edward is simple: a flight from Newark to LAX crashes, killing all passengers save a 12-year-old boy who loses his entire family in the crash. (Note to self: this is definitely not a book to read on your next vacation that requires plane travel.) But … Read more
A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings by Helen Jukes and Honey and Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper by Andrew Coté While the first hints of spring arouse anticipation in gardeners about seedling starts and turning the soil, as a former beekeeper, springtime still turns my thoughts to bees and this year prompted me to … Read more
Who Gets In and Why: a Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo First, a warning: If you are a high school senior or parent of a high school senior currently awaiting news of college acceptances, do not read Who Gets In and Why: a Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo. Parents of younger teens—this book is for you, … Read more
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard Everywhere you look in Whatcom County, Patagonia clothing is ubiquitous. Maybe it’s because so many of us love to spend time being active in the outdoors. Maybe it’s because the clothes are high quality and last a long time. Maybe owning … Read more
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter Among the many excellent fiction writers in Washington state putting out great work these days—Jonathan Evison and Jim Lynch among them—Jess Walter (pictured) stands out for his ability to take on a wide variety of genres and excel in each. Citizen Vince has a mobster-noir feel; The Zero is political satire; Over Tumbled … Read more
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May Life is full of times when events may cause us to drop out of the flow for a time. These fallow periods, often unexpected, can contribute to feeling isolated, frozen and cut off from others. Sounds a lot like 2020, doesn’t it? … Read more
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts Before the ubiquity of DVDs and Netflix, families wishing to share a little movie magic by watching the annual rebroadcast of MGM’s The Wizard of Oz had to keep a keen eye on the TV listings. It often ran in winter, and was a must-see before the holidays. Millions tuned in to … Read more