Book Review- Wajahat Ali's Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on how to Become American

Thank you to LibroFM and Recorded Books Inc for a copy of Wajahat Ali’s memoir, Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful recommendations on How to Become American.

Wajahat Ali grew up in the San Francisco Bay area to parents who immigrated from Pakistan. In Go Back to Where You Came From, Ali writes about being raised in America and the difficulties that his family faced with assimilation in their new country. Ali details that despite being born in the United States, he has always been seen as an outsider, an immigrant.

This impact was most profound when his parents were arrested for financial crimes shortly after September 11th, with elements of their arrest appearing to reflect the distrust that Americans have towards muslims. For a majority of his childhood, Ali lived in upper-middle class comfort, but the arrest of his parents thrust him into financial worry. He was nearly finished with college at the time and suddenly found himself in charge of the family business and caring for elderly grandmothers. I am the same age as Ali and as I was listening to him tell his story, I kept imagining our parallel lives in the years following the fall of the twin towers. I can’t imagine the stress he faced, both from the strain of his parents in prison and from his social position in American society. As a white American, I felt that his perspective was important to hear and to try to understand- to listen.

Ali’s story takes an interesting twist as he struggles to get his life back on track, becoming both a lawyer and a playwright. Boldly producing his play on the anniversary of September 11th, it features a Pakistani- American muslim family in conversations that include the terrorist attacks. Ali got started running his play locally, in the reception rooms at Indian restaurants, building a following that included bigger donations and eventually, an off-broadway run.

I found Ali’s journey in the first part of his life ( hey, we are only middle-aged, lots more to come) to be inspiring and surprising. Ali has a sharp sense of humor and a keen eye for observing human behavior. Go Back to Where You Came From is an important memoir for people, especially those who have white privilege, to read and absorb. I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles and I feel that Ali helped me better understand the immigrant experience that some of my friends and their parents might have faced living in the United States.

Book Review- David Sedaris' Happy-Go-Lucky

Thank you to LibroFM and Hachette Audio for a copy of David Sedaris’ latest essay collection, Happy- Go-Lucky.

I’m a huge, huge fan of David Sedaris and I was thrilled with the opportunity to listen to his latest collection, Happy-Go-Lucky. This is my first time enjoying an audio book by Sedaris, however, I have seen him speak numerous times. As much as I love reading his books, Sedaris reading his own stories is a true treasure. He’s a master storyteller and hearing him tell his stories adds an extra layer of delight. His pauses and inflections make each story that much more hilarious or profound.

Happy-Go-Lucky is rooted in the pandemic, but lest you think that you’re sick of pandemic related stories, this collection has much more to offer. Many of the essays involve family relationships with Sedaris handling the decline of his elderly father, a man with whom he has had a strained relationship. The seriousness of the situation is tempered by Sedaris’ trademark wry observations and his absolutely hilarious relationship with his beloved sister Amy. The world needs a show with these two, they are just too fabulous.

Sedaris’ brand of humor and his willingness to share candid, sometimes cringy, details of his life, keep me coming back for more. I always finish his books wondering how he will top it, as each seems better than the last. Happy-Go-Lucky is no exception, this is Sedaris at his best.

Book Review- Scott Kershaw's The Game

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for providing me with a copy of Scott Kershaw’s novel, The Game, in exchange for an honest review.

A group of strangers from different parts of the world are shocked when the person they love the most has been kidnapped. To save their loved one, they are sent instructions via text, which involve immediately traveling to the United Kingdom and meeting at a remote countryside inn. At this inn, the strangers all meet and must work together to play a “game” created by the kidnappers, all have the knowledge that there can only be one winner. Desperate and filled with distrusted, the strangers are uncertain if they should truly work together or if one among them might actually be involved in the crime.

The Game gets off to a strong start as short chapters ping-pong between the main characters and their reactions to the kidnappings. Mothers lose their children, a man’s best friend is taken, and another man finds that his fiancé has been snatched. The loved ones of those who have been kidnapped, each have their own secrets and guilt. One mother spends time playing online bingo and is neglectful, and another is an addict. It is not clear why they are being targeted, but they all feel certain level of guilt.

The first half of the story is compelling and fast-paced. I wasn’t quite certain where the story was headed, but I couldn’t put it down. The story is creepy and unsettling, as the kidnappers always seemed to be watching and were quite vicious in their actions. It reminded me of a much less intense version of one of my favorite film franchises, Saw. The Game was not brutal like the Saw films, but the themes of the guilty getting their comeuppance was a big part of both stories.

Although the pacing is quick, The Game is uneven in its acts. There is a lot, more than half the book, dedicated to the build-up to when the characters meet in at the Inn. Even though I was intrigued, I found my interest waning by the middle of the story. I did not anticipate the ending, including the reveal of the kidnapper, so this was certainly a surprise, but I also didn’t feel satisfied by the ending. It went a direction that was unexpected, which is a obviously a positive with a good mystery novel, but on the flip-side it felt disconnected from the overarching vibe. The kidnapper had a clear and strong motive for doling out the punishment, but the entire concept of this elaborate “game” didn’t fit with the character. I believed in their need for retribution, but not the methodology. It almost felt like two different novels stitched together. Also note that the final reveal with the kidnapper’s motives includes some very heavy and sensitive issues. It was surprising.

This all said, The Game was a fun weekend read. I recommend it to those who like mysteries that have a sinister quality. I can’t put this in the horror category, but it has a touch of that genre. I can imagine The Game being turned into a film.