February is Black History Month! To close out the month here are five of Books and Sensibility’s favorite memoirs about African-Americans who are making history today.
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Archives for February 2019
The Disasters by M.K. England
8 hrs. 33 min. | Science-Fiction | Harper Audio | Release Date: 12/18/2018
Nasir “Nax” Hall dream of becoming a pilot and moving to one of Earth’s space colonies is quickly dashed when he washes out of flight school on the first day and is sent packing with three other failed students. But instead of going back to Earth, this unlikely group of strangers find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy and on a high flying journey around the galaxy to save the universe.
I don’t always think you should give a book extra points just for diversity but I’m honestly not sure a book like this would have existed pre-WNDB. It’s a space adventure story with teens of color across the LGBTQ spectrum that is not a struggle narrative. I think this book is perfect for those looking for that representation. England creates a set of characters who we meet are at their lowest points and shows them grow beyond their “failed student”label. On a character level, this book is really interesting.
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Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
I don’t always read nonfiction, but when I do it’s for the tea.
On the surface, Bad Blood is the sensational story of Elizabeth Holmes, a young ambitious college-dropout turned CEO who used her access to wealth, power, privilege and influence to cause the downfall of Theranos, a billion dollar company.
As someone who has worked in a lot of offices and seen tons of office politics gone awry, there is something fascinating about hearing someone else’s workplace gossip, drama and scandals; all while knowing those in power are eventually held accountable. I mean it’s maddening some of the things the employees of Theranos had to live with in silence.
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