PositiveBooklistLinking the ordinary nightmare of Newhallville to the greater national community, Dawidoff shows how Pete’s death, Bobby’s innocence, and Major’s lost potential all act as symbols for contemporary American society.
Claire McGowan
PositiveBooklistMcGowan feels a connection to this part of her country’s history. She dives deep into the political, police, and social constructs that could have contributed to the lack of guilty parties ... McGowan lends her novelist’s voice to this nonfiction tale, giving readers revealing access into her mind as a writer and allowing us to sit in on the absurd lack of follow-through on the part of the Irish Gardai (police). McGowan writes for the justice of the lost and murdered women and for change in Ireland.
Audrey Schulman
PositiveBooklistSchulman occasionally flashes back through Cora’s life to give readers a fuller picture of the character’s motives, which can sometimes make for a slightly disjointed story. Still, patient readers will enjoy this novel of the human need for connection, conversation, and community.
Bob Odenkirk
PositiveBooklistAll readers who enjoy truth telling and satire will find Odenkirk’s memoir engaging, as will all his fans who want to know why and how this famous comedian transformed himself into a serious actor.
Allison Moorer
PositiveBooklistThe author’s rawness about her dreams and her use of writing in second person can be overwhelming at times, but those style choices also give readers an experience closest to what she feels day in and day out. Moorer and John Henry’s story will help readers be a little more understanding and listen a little bit closer, even when words cannot be spoken.
