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A 600+ page tour de force of historical fiction. A real education on the lives of immigrants from all over Asia and beyond during the tumultuous period of 1968-1977. Each year features a new cast, but they all revolve around the I Hotel in SF’s Chinatown. Wisened old timers mix with idealistic and determined twenty somethings, on a quest to protect what’s theirs in a land where the cards are stacked against them. Really engaging. An important read.

An excellent examination of Capitalism. Its origins, how it works and often, how it doesn’t work. The author takes what could be a dense, inacessible topic and produces a text that’s enlightening and compelling. Seen through the lens of Marxist economic thought, Capitalism is shown as an imperfect, brutal force with an insatiable greed for more.

I think the takeaway with this tale is to never stop trying, to never give up. There’s no promise of something better, just the very human decision to will yourself forward. That if a better place is indeed out there, it can only be reached through effort, one step at a time.

Made up of mostly one and two-page essays on current or historical events written over a period of many years. The repetitive nature of these essays drives home the fact that the racism and violence against the Black community in America happens again and again and again. Abu-Jamal’s writing is engaging and informative. The longer form piece near the end makes me interested in reading more of his work.

I see much of this collection as an articulation of Gander’s journey through grief after the sudden loss of his wife, the brilliant poet C.D. Wright. His elevated vocabulary challenges my own (which I love) and his mix of spiritual, geological and mildly erotic subject matter is a lovely, mystical meditation on life, love and intimacy. The final section is a collaboration with the photographer Michael Flomen, a deep dive which is stunning but demanding of the reader. Well worth your time. The more you read these poems, the more secrets they reveal.