Author: Emily Leader

I have been an avid reader since Dick and Jane met Sally. At age 7, I read my parents' first edition of "To Kill a Mockingbird." I am a retired lawyer and so read almost only fiction for pleasure. I'm adding in nonfiction these days, largely on social justice matters but also history, biography, and weird topics that catch my imagination. I used to read only serially, one book at a time. Presently, I read paperbacks, hardcovers, listen to audible, listen to CDs and read online through Net Galley. Covid-19 has caused me to read a lot so I have re-upped my Goodreads challenge for 2021 and am starting to review at least my favorite finds annd, perhaps, some stinkers.

The Hilarious World of Depression – John Moe (Audible)

There's a reason people share their personal journeys about depression with John Moe, whether it's after he gives a speech or in his podcast. I frankly never heard of the eponymous podcast, nor of John Moe. I read a description of the book and saw it looked popular and grabbed the audible version to start … Continue reading The Hilarious World of Depression – John Moe (Audible) →

The Girls from Alexandria -Carol Cooper

Nadia and Simone live with their parents in Alexandria Egypt, spending their days at the beach and avoiding too much interaction with their obnoxious cousin Victor. Cooper weaves a dreamlike picture of their family and the extended community of "outsiders" who emigrated from Syria over 100 years ago. Their family is Greek Orthodox in a … Continue reading The Girls from Alexandria -Carol Cooper →

You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me – Sherman Alexie (Audible)

If you want to love this book, live this prose poetry, deepen your understanding of a profoundly sad yet moving mother/son relationship, dripping with loss and caring and snapshot after snapshot (or quilt piece after quilt piece) of reservation life in the seventies and eighties… If you want to learn more about a deeply imperfect … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me – Sherman Alexie (Audible) →

Broken (in the best possible way) – Jenny Lawson

Here's what I personally love about Jenny Lawson: She is unafraid to write about the darkest side of anxiety, ADD without the H, depression, chronic diseases, and the absolutely horrifyingly CRAPPY health care system that denies people the care they need, with absurd rules and denials. She illustrates this in ways anyone can understand and … Continue reading Broken (in the best possible way) – Jenny Lawson →

Buses are a Comin’: Memoir of a Freedom Rider – Charles Person with Richard Rooker

This is the single best coming-of-age memoir I have ever read. I have read and enjoyed many. It is 1961, and eighteen-year-old Charles Person needs his parents'' permission to become the youngest of the original Freedom Riders of 1961. James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) led up the plan to test the … Continue reading Buses are a Comin’: Memoir of a Freedom Rider – Charles Person with Richard Rooker →

When No One is Watching – Alyssa Cole

I enjoyed Cole's writing style, characters, and concept, as well as the engaging historical information about Black-owned real estate in Brooklyn with a nice little nod to Weeksville, a place HIGH on my list of NY destinations when travel starts again. Sydney's neighborhood is gentrifying a little TOO fast, in ways that seem explicitly sinister. … Continue reading When No One is Watching – Alyssa Cole →