My Week in Books // 5-26-21

This is the last week of school and the kids are out for the summer! We made it though an entire school year during a pandemic without having a major outbreak or having to go remote. I’m incredibly proud of our school district and administration for providing these kids with as “normal” year as possible – we were able to play sports, have dances, and will have a full graduation at the end of the week! Here’s hoping we’re all the way back to normal by the fall!

*** Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City by Wes Moore and Erica L. Green

In April 2015, Freddy Grey was handled roughly by the Baltimore police – so roughly, it resulted in his death. Protests against police brutality broke out in the city, and for five days, Baltimore was in a state of unrest. Unfortunately, since then, I believe we’ve become immune to these protests and protesters as we continue to see police brutality play out in cities across the US.

In Five Days, Wes Moore and Erica L. Green retell the story of the Freddy Grey protests through the lenses of eight different people who were involved – a police officer, the Baltimore Orioles owner, a sister to another vicitim of police brutality, and many more. It’s an in-depth look at how the city handled the crisis, what they could have done better, and where they went when the protests were over.

It’s clear there’s a lot of work to be done…still, even six years since the Freddy Grey incident. I don’t have any answers, but I appreciate the authors that continue to tell these stories that enlighten me and help me empathize.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

I didn’t get it!?

Honestly, I’ve tried to read Ishiguro before (The Remains of the Day) and DNF’d it so fast I’m not even sure it counts as a valid effort.

I continued reading this one because: a.) it’s a Nobel Prize winner, b.) people are raving about it, and c.) I kept thinking there’d be a twist or a moment when it all clicked into place.

I’m sad to say that never happened for me, and I wish I wouldn’t have wasted my time.

(#partner #freebooks: All books noted by asterisks (***) indicate I received the book for free from the publisher, the author, or another promotional company to review. All opinions are my own.)