Author:  Nicola Yoon
Young Adult; cultural difference, emotions, romance

Natasha and her family are being deported to Jamaica in 12 hours.  Daniel, the "good son" of Korean immigrants, is going to his Yale interview with the expectation of becoming a doctor.  Daniel and Natasha's lives collide-- literally-- and we follow them through just one day.  A lot happens in this day! More than is probably possible, but it is fiction. 

Read this one to reconnect with the teen mindset, to understand how cultural expectations and circumstances affect young adults, and for the fun of reading a story that is engaging and moves quickly.  

Author: Christina Baker Kline
Historical fiction; England, Australia, women's struggles

Christina Baker Kline, also author of Orphan Train, writes compelling stories that are sometimes difficult to read. In this novel we are taken to 1840's prisons in England that retain women for minor offenses. Ships of lascivious men take these same women to Australia.  And Australia where they spend years imprisoned when the real crime is being poor and female. 

As in Orphan Train, Kline creates emotion and understanding through the characters and the narrative. I knew Australia was colonized with exiles from England, I hadn't thought what that experience would be for the women or the Aboriginal people involved. Good historical fiction takes you there and creates an understanding, and  that's what this novel does. 

Author: Francisco Cantu
Nonfiction; immigration and the US Southern Border

Francisco Cantu grew up in the Southwest, his mother the daughter of Mexican immigrants. After graduating from college with a degree in political science he joins the border patrol. They track humans in blistering sun and frigid nights, finding the dead or barely living. This is the personal story of agents and their experience, and of those trying to cross and their plight.

Cantu's description of this dehumanizing operation takes you into the world of the southern border like no news outlet, journalist, or politician can.  His writing is deep, almost lyrical, and often emotional. Read this one because you should.

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Author:  Ben Sass
Nonfiction. "Why we hate each other and how to heal." Conservative perspective on what our nation needs.

Ben Sass, currently US Senator for Nebraska, is also an academic-- government degree from Harvard, a year at Oxford, and US History and philosophy PhD from Yale, college president, author. His writing tracks as that of a college professor-- laying out historical data, perspectives, explaining how different segments of society evolved in their thinking. 

Conservatives will read this book and say "yes, you get me!"  Progressives will have a better understanding how and why people think differently from them.  Very readable and worth your time, even if if doesn't change any beliefs.  

To have a full picture of how this cultural divide happened, read Them with Why We're Polarized, by Ezra Klien, journalist. political analyst, co-founder of Vox.

Author: Chanel Cleeton
Drama, 1935 Florida, strong female characters

Follow the lives of three very different women in this drama/romance set in a time period of Florida rich in unknown history-- at least history unknown to me. A storm organically weaves the characters lives together, a setting provides a turbulent backdrop, and a time creates plot elements that will be new and refreshing to most readers.  

Cleeton knows how to create a plot that is engaging and educates the reader in cultural and historical aspects.  Not only are you entertained, you feel time well spent in gaining an understanding.  If you enjoy this novel, Cleeton has also written a novel which takes the reader to 1958 Cuba and the build up to the revolution.  Next Year in Havana also delivers in aspects of suspense, romance, and historical fiction that takes you to that setting and time. 

Author: Mia P. Manansala
Light mystery, Asian-American culture, fun read

After a rough break up, Lila moves back home to help with the family restaurant. "Home" is packed with amusing Filipino "aunties" and a culture built around food and family.  Add in a couple murders and you have a delightful cozy mystery. 

Are there better mysteries out there? Yes, but this one is worth your time for the bonuses it give: the language and dialogue are fun and amusing, the glimpse into Asian-American culture is worthwhile, and the story line is entertaining. A perfect summer read!

Author: Laila Ibrahim
Historical Fiction, 1920s, California & China
​FREE with Kindle download with Amazon Prime

In China, her arranged marriage starts with her family's deception.  In California, she learns her husband has secrets of his own.  Throughout the same questions emerges, "What would you do to survive? What would you do to save those you love?" 

The Paper Wife is a powerful, haunting story. The reader is taken into the mind and soul of women in this culture, during this time period.  You see the resilience and strength.  While there are parts difficult to take, it is a book you should read as it takes the reader closer to understanding.  And understanding is necessary for empathy, the core of what makes us a civilized society. 

The story of this small family is set in a garbage dump in Phnom Penh, Cambodia-- it's where they scrounge for a living, sleep, prepare meals, raise their son, are robbed, beaten.  Depressing? Yes, but it's also a story of inspiration and hope, with characters who are determined and optimistic.  You many find the reading heavy through the first few chapters, but you'll likely be full of hope at the end. 

The mom, Sang Ly, wants a better life for her chronically ill toddler, Nisay. She convinces the curmudgeonly alcoholic rent collector, Sopeap Sin, to teach her to read.  Stories of the characters within the garbage dump unfold, often with sorrow, but also with support and strength of the human spirit. The plot is both enlightening and disturbing and always keeps your interest.

I don't enjoy books written by lazy authors, and Wright is not-- his use of words takes this writing to another level. Sopeap Sin insists that Sang Ly respect and appreciate literature. And Sopeap Sin would appreciate The Rent Collector, because it is good literature.