Once again, the semester will be ending soon. As much as being busy is stressful, summer tends to be boring without anything to do. Reading is an enjoyable and leisurely way to pass the time. Here are five books to read during summer break.
“Parable of the Sower” – Octavia E. Butler
It is a dystopian story about a woman, Lauren Olamina and her family living in a dangerous Los Angeles in 2024. As the world crumbles from war, drugs, famine and drought, Lauren’s father, a preacher, tries to protect what culture is left.
Lauren struggles with intense empathy, where she is extraordinarily sensitive to the feelings of others. When fire destroys her home and her family is killed, Lauren is forced to face the world. With a group of refugees, they must make their way North for safety.
“The Talk” – Darrin Bell
This graphic memoir stands out amongst the crowd from Black author Darrin Bell recounting his upbringing and trying to decide whether or not to give his own son “The Talk.” He remembers his white mother gifting him a neon green water gun at a young age, questioning why it wasn’t black.
His question was answered while refilling his water gun in a puddle on a street corner and a police officer came up to him. When young Bell goes home, he dismisses his mother and doesn’t speak about the encounter for years.
How can he tell his own son that others will think he is lesser than because of the color of his skin? Remembering how he felt as a child, this struggle is discussed in this detailed comic.
“Crying in H Mart”- Michelle Zauner
Since her mother’s death, the singer of the popular indie group “Japanese Breakfast,” Michelle Zauner, cries in H Mart.
“For those of you who don’t know, H Mart is a supermarket chain that specializes in Asian food. The “H” stands for han ah reum, a Korean phrase that roughly translates to ‘one arm full of groceries,’” Zauner says in The New Yorker.
While she was alive, Zauner had a complicated relationship with her mother. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer, she discussed how their relationship sort of flipped. Instead of her mother taking care of her, as they grew older, she took care of her mom more and more.
“Sisters in Science” – Olivia Campbell
This book follows the true story of four female physicist through WWI and WWII and their eventual daring escape from Nazi Germany. While Germany was once a bastion for scientific discovery, Hitler’s rise to power halted ended this trend and forced Jewish and female citizens out of their academic roles.
This inspiring story shows how these women fight against sexism and anti-semitism and earn their PhDs during a time of anti-intellectualism.
“The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom” by Shari Franke
Growing up the daughter of YouTuber vlogging parents of the channel “8 Passengers”, which documented the family’s day-to-day life with six children. Shari Franke shares her story growing up on camera and how it affected her, along with the abuse she endured and witnessed her brother, Chad, endure as well.
Franke has found freedom after her mother’s arrest in 2023. That day, Franke shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption only read, ‘Finally’.
Atticus Fries, Copy Editor
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