Ikechukwu Uzondu, “Ike for short”, is the embodiment of the American Dream gone wrong. He is a Nigerian man who came to the United States as a foreign student and graduated from Amherst, prestigious enough, with a degree in economics. But he finds himself underemployed as a taxi driver in New York City, stigmatized by his accent, which he […]
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Sometimes I really wonder why I listen to other people’s recommendations as to what books to read. But how else am I to broaden my horizons if I don’t stray from my usual path right? I read my fair share of Russian children stories growing up including one of my favourite The Three Fat Men […]
The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett
“Parsifal is dead,” is the opening sentence of Ann Patchett‘s third novel The Magician’s Assistant. At first I was drawn into this story, eager to know more about the characters and whatever secrets they had. But, I will admit I never finished the book because my empathy for the characters was ever-diminishing. The narrator is […]
The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel by Cristina Henriquez
Cristina Henriquez‘ The Book of Unknown Americans tells the story of the Rivera family who leave their happy home in Mexico to come to a dilapidated apartment building inhabited by other families who have immigrated from Central/South America looking for a better life. For the Riveras, they are sacrificing everything to get their 15 year […]
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
It’s been a while since I’ve had a very good read. This was it. In fact, this is a book that has been on my shelf for at least five years. I don’t know what I was waiting for. I want to be like Abraham Verghese, a physician who is an excellent writer. I haven’t […]
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
A Tale for the Time Being is another immigration narrative though this time it’s a reverse immersion. Nao, a 16 year old who is one of the narrators is a Californian girl who is uprooted from life as she knows it and subsequently experiences major disruption to her life when she returns with her family […]
White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga
I’m quite getting into listening to audiobooks. It’s a wonderful way to spend time on my commute to work (about 30-45 minutes) while checking off books on my to-read list. It’s particularly enjoyable when the narrator is very good and you feel yourself immersed in the story, like watching UltraHDTV! John Lee is one such […]
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
I have wanted to read this book ever since I read Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies last year. So for a recent roadtrip I downloaded the audiobook from my library and hit play. It was a post-work drive in the dark and I was so ready to switch off the book when I started. It […]
Tell the Wolves I’m Home: A Novel by Carol Rifka Brunt
I really need to pay attention to how books end up on my to-read list. Case in point? This one. Tell the Wolves I’m Home is the debut novel of Carol Rifka Brunt. It tells the story of two teenage sisters, lonely individuals in their own ways, who have a tumultous relationship. I wasn’t dazzled. […]
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Where do I even begin with this one? This is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel written by Junot Diaz, a MacArthur fellow of Dominican heritage who teaches creative writing at MIT. The novel tells the story of Oscar, a sorry-sounding overweight ghetto nerd and his family’s fukú haunted epic journey from Santo Domingo to New […]
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.