2023 Reading Wrap Up | Books #86-90 | BookWhimsy

Hi everyone,
Have you read any of these? Do you have any recommendations for me?
~Cynthia

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Books mentioned:
- Poverty" By America by Matthew Desmond

- The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez

- Done and Done by Leonor Soliz

- My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route by Sally Hayden

- You Never Forget Your First by Millie Perez

Most books were borrowed from the library or purchased by me. I have indicated the ones that I received from a publisher. This is not a sponsored video.

[orelsa]

I recommend When Stars Are Scattered. It's an excellent middle grade graphic novel about two brothers' time in an African migrant camp.

[ThatsSoPoe]

Yay that you got to buddy read Poverty, by America with your husband! It sounds like a really good book. I'm about 1/3 through Yours, for Now and really enjoying it. I am loving the way Soliz writes competent heroines, and the slow burn is really nice. I don't think I'm up to My Fourth Time, We Drowned, but if you haven't read it yet, I think you would like We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled, which is oral histories by Syrians about everything surrounding the Arab Spring, including refugee stories.

[seriela]

I really want to read Desmond's book. I am soo disappointed that The Fourth Time We Drowned didn't make it into any of the "medal" winners in the Booktube Prize. It reminded me of Gourevitch's book about the 1994 Rwandan genocide in terms of the UN's roll, except that Hayden's book reports on an ongoing, contemporary issue. I finished it days before the 700 refugees drowned in the Mediterranean while the media was focused on the missing billionaires.

[RememberedReads]

Did you read or listen to the audio version of The Fourth Time We Drowned? I started reading it but when I posted a photo of the book on Instagram, three people told me to get the audiobook. The inclusion of the actual voice messages that Hayden received is extra gutting (or at least I thought so).
I appreciated the journalistic bits, but I wish Hayden hadn't oversimplified the religious demographics of Eritrea though, because that made me question the accuracy of the rest of the researched parts.