RaveBookPageVital ... Essential reading for considering how the country can end this cycle of irreparable damage and move toward a more just future.
Ross Perlin
PositiveBookPage[Perlin] opens up the world of endangered languages to monolingual mainstream Americans by bringing compelling and driven native speakers of those languages to the table, as well as taking care to provide historical and cultural detail. However, the volume of information in the book, including geographic specifics of both New York and the world, can occasionally feel dense despite an approachable tone and clear explanations of concepts.
Lauren Markham
PositiveBookPageMarkham’s unfussy yet detailed style provides an engaging read as she moves from research to reporting to memoir. A Map of Future Ruins is more of a meditation on a theme than an exhaustive dive into a topic. While it may not be the best fit for someone seeking a deep investigation into immigration, the book is uniquely suited to nudge readers into considering where their ideas of national identity originated, and whom these ideas disenfranchise today.
Jenni Nuttall
PositiveBookPageEach chapter roves through time, picking salient points that result in a narrative, not a glossary. This makes Mother Tongue feel better suited to someone wishing to muse and draw connections than someone concerned with mapping changes over an exact interval ... This easily digestible and scenario-rich depiction of the evolution of language we take for granted is still done with care and compelling detail.
Matthew Desmond
PositiveBookPageDesmond makes a convincing argument that poverty is a sinkhole too powerful for anyone to pull themselves out by their bootstraps alone ... A solid primer for those living in relative comfort about how the suffocating tendrils of poverty work, and who they benefit.
