Whew! I haven’t posted a book review in ages, and now is exactly the time when we need good entertainment. Today I will recommend not one, but THREE books for you, as well as a thought provoking documentary and a fantastic TV series.

First, the books. I love to write and read YA contemporary, so here are a couple novels in that genre for you to sample.

Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippencott

Stella has been living with cystic fibrosis for years now, and she likes to control her world. She knows her parents’ failing marriage cannot take another family crisis, so she does everything she can to stay well, until Will ends up a few doors down from her in the hospital.

Will, another CF patient with a crooked smile and sarcastic charm, has a particularly virulent infection in his lungs. He is the last person Stella should be near, and the very person she can’t stay away from.

Five Feet Apart is a story about accepting loss and discovering what living really means. It has a positive ending, but is sad at times, so if you’re a little down from the pandemic, you might want to wait on this one. However, it strikes an interesting chord in the time of corona, as Will and Stella are constantly reminded to stay six feet apart to avoid sharing Will’s infection. The themes of finding connection while maintaining distance and living with limitations felt particularly relevant at this time. I listened to the audio book, which is well done.

What I Like About You by Marisa Cantor

In real life, Halle Levitt is quiet, anxious, and timid. Online, Halle is Kels, the confident YA book blogger with a huge following. Halle started her blog under a persona so she could establish herself in the book world independent of her grandmother’s publishing legacy, but she learns that maintaining two personalities – one IRL and one online – is exhausting and problematic. Especially when romance is involved.

What I Like About You explores the differences between online and IRL relationships and the disconnect between how we present ourselves online and who we really are. It does a nice job of pointing out the challenges modern teens face balancing virtual and physical interactions without being pedantic. I listened to the audio book which was at times painful; the narrator did a great job, but since the book includes lots of online interactions, it was annoying to listen to the dates and times of Tweets and texts. I would have skimmed over these if I was reading. It was very distracting when listening to the story.

Paradise by Toni Morrison

Paradise is one of my favorites, worthy of a reread every decade or so. (I just finished my third read.) It compares and contrasts two communities. One, the town of Ruby, was established by the descendants of freed slaves and focuses on tradition, righteousness, and fear. The other, just 17 miles away at The Convent, is a collection of unlikely female housemates, exiled and grappling with their identity and their pain.

Morrison’s writing is powerful, layered, and poetic. She tackles complicated issues: the interactions between black and white, woman and man, outcast and chosen. It’s not an easy read, but it is a worthwhile one, especially these days. “So the venom is manageable now. Shooting the first woman (the white one) has clarified it like butter: the pure oil of hatred on top, its hardness stabilized below.” Although it was first published in 1999, its themes and questions remain relevant today.

The Social Dilemma

This documentary, available on Netflix, features several former employees of Big Tech who express their concern for the negative influence of social media. These former employees of companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, call for increased regulation and attention to the hazards of giving so much of our attention to our devices. Although The Social Dilemma has come cheesy scenes of a family “under the influence” of technology, the documentary raises interesting questions about the effect of tech on our attention, our mental health, and our democracy.

Here are some thought provoking quotes that stuck with me:

“The platforms make it possible to spread manipulative narratives with phenomenal ease, and without very much money.” –

Renée Diresta, research manager of Stanford Internet Observatory, former head of policy at Data for Democracy‍

There are only two industries that call their clients “users”: illegal drugs and software.

Edward Tufte

The Gilmore Girls

Bonus recommendation: The T.V. show The Gilmore Girls, which depicts the loving relationship between Lorelai Gilmore, a strong, independent young single mother, and her precocious daughter Rory. While exploring the challenges of family and growing up, The Gilmore Girls is cheesy, often predictable, and makes me, my husband, and my 14 year old son laugh out loud. The characters are interesting and the banter is irresistible. It’s the perfect escape from our current crazy, and yet it still covers timeless topics thoughtfully.

There you go! Hopefully these recommendations will give you some valuable content to consume over the next month or so. Do you have anything to add to this list? Please share in the comments!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!