Book Review- George Saunders' Liberation Day

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of George Saunders’ Liberation Day.

In his latest short story collection, Liberation Day, Saunders explores the shocking realities of human nature, making for an often uncomfortable, yet occasionally humorous, bumpy ride for readers. Saunders forces readers to confront ugly aspects of humanity, seeing those aspects of our own personalities reflected in his characters.

The title story, Liberation Day, is set in a near-future where people who are down on their luck are able to sell themselves as entertainment for wealthy members of society. This cringy situation becomes more fraught when protestors try to help, creating a savior situation and further silencing the voices of those in a potentially compromised position. This leads to the question of autonomy and whether or not it is okay to intercede in situations where you feel someone in a position of powerlessness has made a poor decision. Who gets to decide? All of Saunders’ stories are layered with complicated moral and social situations.

His story Ghoul involves groups of people living underground in Colorado. They spend their days rehearsing for a type of amusement park, where they will act out scenes for visitors. They have various themed sets, such as the wild west and a medieval banquet. They have never seen a guests, but are told the guests will come soon and to prepare, they must constantly rehearse. They are not allowed to question their reality and a strict social code keeps them in their place. If they dare speak out or question, their peers will be obligated to kick the offender to death. It’s very surprising. The main character, who plays a gargoyle type of “Ghoul” is a hilarious and self-serving narrator. As horrific as the situation is, the bluntness and wry observations had me laughing. It also makes the reader consider the things that our own society does not allow us to question for fear of repercussions.

Most of Saunders’ characters are not likable in the slightest, yet I had empathy because their situations, however bizarre, felt universal. Saunders has a keen ability to write absurd situations and make them relatable. I enjoyed how his stories felt like putting together pieces of a puzzle. He drops the reader in and allows them to figure out the situation, teasing out information, rather than spelling it all out. I was able to experience those moments of surprise when I understood what was happening and felt like a participant in the stories. While many authors can write a good plot twist, I can’t remember the last time I read something as truly surprising and mentally engaging as this story collection. I highly recommend Liberation Day.

Book Review- Lauren Graham's Have I Told You This Already : Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Libro FM for both physical and audio arcs of Lauren Graham’s Have I Told You This Already: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember. I ended up listening to the audio version narrated by Graham.

In her second essay collection, actress and writer Lauren Graham shares more tidbits from her life, including her current television gig on The Mighty Ducks, her break-up with partner Peter Kraus, and how she handled the pandemic. Graham’s memoir is both humorous and reflective, a treat for fans, but truly a book that can be widely enjoyed, even by those unfamiliar with her work.

To me, autumn means Gilmore Girls and as we don’t have any new episodes in the works, a book from Lauren Graham is the next best thing. Graham lightly addresses the desire for more Gilmore Girls, but as she really doesn’t have more info on the subject, she doesn’t linger in Stars Hollow. Graham is expansive in her topics. I enjoyed her take on the importance of making friends both older and younger that oneself as a way to expand horizons. Graham has a very lovely friendship with Mae Whitman, who played Graham’s daughter on the television show Parenthood. Graham offers interesting insight regarding her experiences behind-the-camera, with both directing a television episode and pitching a writing project.The sweetest story involves Graham getting a new dog during the pandemic, while on location in Canada. I always love a good pet/human adoption story.

Have I Told You This Already is a mostly feel-good collection of essays that made me happy during this hectic holiday season.

Book Review- Constance Wu's Making a Scene

Thank you to Netgalley, Scribner, and Libro FM for providing me with both a physical and audio galley of Constance Wu’s memoir, Making a Scene. Although I received both versions, I ended up listening to the audio book, narrated by the author.

Actress Constance Wu shares memories of her childhood growing up in Virginia, her early twenties waiting tables and studying acting in New York, and her successful acting career.

Wu gained heaps of negative press when she spoke out about her unhappiness with the renewal of her hit sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. She was seen as ungrateful and a bit of a diva. Wu addresses this incident and gives her side of the story, which is quite compelling and heartbreaking. She also explains the frustration when so many people assume that the character she plays, Jessica Huang, is similar to Wu’s own mother. Wu makes it very clear that her mother bears very little similarities to Jessica, and that the very question is perpetuating stereotypes of Asian mothers.

Although Wu shares bit of her Hollywood career, a bulk of the book involves her childhood, including fond memories of her teenage job working at a bakery and her early love of performing in community theater. She had a fairly ordinary and quiet childhood. I’m only four years older than Wu and many of her stories of growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, especially with regard to technology, rang true to my experience. Wu speaks of her pre-fame years with mostly fondness. She also shares her challenging relationship with her younger sister, which I’m sure many people would find relatable.

I’m a fan of Wu as an actor, but I think I enjoyed this more for being a memoir about a woman from my generation. I found Wu to be very relatable and down to earth, definitely different from how the media has been portraying her.