1) What is the book? 
          Maria, Maria

2) Who wrote it? 
           Marytza K. Rubio

3) What is it about?
        Maria, Maria is a collection of short stories that are centered around the themes of magic, nature, and mythical animals. The stories feature wildly intriguing elements of magical realism and many feature heroines whose interaction with supernatural forces leads to new insights about regeneration and resurrection, life and death. Many of the stories deal with themes of ineffability and the realization of speculative worlds, as experienced through the lens of Mexican, Latin-American, and Caribbean cultures. 

4) Why did I read it? 
       I've always loved speculative fiction because I'm fascinated by any book that attempts to imagine possible futures or alternate realities that take the reader on a journey beyond the current horizons of the possible. Rubio's imagination was influenced largely by her upbringing in Santa Ana, California where the parrots, fruit trees, and lush gardens served as a geographical template for the kind of colorful terrain she wanted to depict in her fiction. This emphasis on lush nature and wild birds is contrasted in the stories with a focus on diabolical and macabre themes, resulting in a style that has been referred to as "tropi-gothic." The practice of brujeria, a form of witchcraft native to Latin American and Afro-Caribbean cultures, is a central motif throughout. Tarot, the magical significance of eggs, and a unique brand of Mexican-American mysticism also feature heavily. 

5) What do I think? 
          Maria, Maria is filled with fantastical imagery and literary invention. Although most of the stories take place in southern California, Rubio also takes the reader to locales such as Brazil and New Orleans. The title story of the collection is a powerful evocation of both Latinx and female agency, and Rubio's tales are filled with aunts, sisters, mothers, daughters, mermaids, vampires, and witches. The importance of familial and generational ties provides a genuinely moving emotional anchor to these supernatural flights of fancy, and even when the stories are exercises in sheer verbal brilliance, the boldness of Rubio's vision and her macabre humor transport the reader to new and exciting places. For readers who want to dip in and sample the stories, I would recommend beginning from either the beginning or the end. "Brujeria for Beginners," which begins the collection, is a brief and humorous introduction to this particular brand of witchcraft as if it were being introduced through the syllabus of a community college course. "Maria, Maria," the eponymous novella of the collection, caps the stories in a way that sees all of the previous themes coalesce. Following a family of Marias through generations, it handles themes of psychic powers, ancient technology, civilizational collapse, and self-discovery.

You can place a hold on your copy of the book by clicking on the cover below: 
             

1. What is the book? 
              Calling for a Blanket Dance     

2. Who wrote it?
              Oscar Hokeah

3. What is it about?
             Blanket dances are performed at some tribal Pow Wows as a way to collect funds to aid traveling people and groups onward to the next Pow Wow or back home. This novel can be seen as a blanket dance for one character, Ever. Each chapter can be interpreted as a contribution by family members both close and estranged, chosen and fated, to sustain Ever on his life’s journey home.

4. Why did I read it?
            Some of my favorite novels have been written by Native American/tribal authors, including Leslie Marmon Silko’s Gardens in the Dunes, which talked thematically about the Ghost Dance, an important event in the lore of several tribes. Knowing nothing about blanket dances and having this information in reserve, I was curious if there were going to be any similarities between the two dances.
            Alas, they are as different as the individual tribes that make up the monolithic moniker “Native American.” Calling for a Blanket Dance does what I hoped it would; it lifts the veil of homogeneity and challenges easy tropes, sharing snapshots of the humanity of this tribal people.

5. What do I think?
            This book is a fine example of presenting a flawed and admirable protagonist, Ever, his story told through the voices of those who know him best. It celebrates his endurance through difficulties he experiences, directly and indirectly, from infancy. More than that, coming from an outsider’s perspective such as mine, it showcases the multifaceted complexities of a multicultural, mestizo people in the Mexican American, Kiowan, and Cherokee communities in Oklahoma in such a way that the many characters’ humanity makes them seem like family to myself.
           Familiar situations are given poignancy when experienced by the people who orbit Ever’s life across five decades. In one chapter from his grandfather Vincent’s perspective, Vincent tries to make amends with estranged family members, particularly his young grandsons, by instilling pride in their Kiowan heritage and culture. Another voice, Ever’s sister Yolanda, struggles with how best to address the knowledge she acquires of Ever’s new bride, Lonnie, being unfaithful and developing a drug addiction while Ever is serving in the military. Perhaps one of the most poignant turns the novel takes is when Leander is introduced. He is a troubled child who is given guidance and stability by Ever, due in part to Ever’s own history with familial instability and the anger and confusion it produces. Ever’s connection to Leander grows roots as he eventually adopts Leander as one of his children.
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You can place a hold on your copy of the book by clicking on the cover below: ​

Guest review by Gabriel Fox 

Guest review by Hannah Krull

What is the book? 

          Ring Shout

Who wrote it?

          P. Djèlí Clark

What is it about?

          This imaginative fable centers on three friends who are intent on eradicating evil in early 20th
          century Georgia. It weaves magical realism through a historically fraught time and place for Black
          people in order to accentuate real perils those communities survived.

Why did I read it?

          I picked it up because the title evinces a spiritual, celebratory clarion that champions revival, as the
          upraised hands on the cover image echoes. However, the rest of the cover menaces with the
          haunting hood of a Ku Klux Klan member adorned by two open mouths for eyes, signifying danger
          for the congregation.

         The story also captures for me the importance of oral histories and the preservation of culture by
          those who create and experience it. The smattering of notes throughout that frame the sacred
          place the Shout holds to its members also provides context in a memorable way.

What do I think?

          Ring Shout combines history with myth, placing real dangers in the realm of fantasy. While Clark
          does this, he also reestablishes appropriated and racist caricatures back in the context of Black and
          mestiza/o folklore (bruh fox and bruh bear). He also highlights the racial malice of the film The Birth
          of a Nation and the confederate monument in Georgia, Stone Mountain, using them as beacons to
          foment racist ideologies that helped motivate the Great Migration.

         The main characters, Sadie, Chef, and Maryse, each exhibit personality traits that endear them to the
          reader and to each other as well. They share a bond as vigilant warriors against an otherworldly evil
          and their differences are what make their connection stronger than blood. Maryse is the leader of
          the three, as her history and earlier loss at the hands of the enemies fortifies her resolve and her use
          of a magical blade against those enemies.

          I am reminded of Toni Morrison’s oeuvre and the Black Panther films because this story and those
          share the theme that ancestors provide lessons, motivation, and hope to present-day heroes.
          Overall, this short work is memorable for both its shout-out to the history of Black culture and for
          its ringing knell that historical enemies resurface if given the opportunity.

You can place a hold on your copy of the book by clicking on the cover below: