 A statue of Leoncio Prado, the hero whose name lives on in the Leoncio Prado Military Academy. By Anya Shukla There’s a lot of anti-Blackness and anti-queerness in this book. I can’t tell if this is a “sign of the times” or genuine commentary on racism/homophobia in Peruvian society… but either way, I don’t have to like it. If you want to read this book (and honestly, I’m not sure I would want to read this book after looking back over this review, but to each their own), be ready for some uncomfortable moments.
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 Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon) was captured by the North Vietnamese on April 30th, 1975. Photo credit: Tron Le on Unsplash. By Anya Shukla Did I enjoy Viet Thanh Nguyen’s writing style? Yes… but did it also remind me of “Call Me Zebra” and bring back some incredibly unpleasant memories? A resounding yes. These tragic flashbacks may have affected my reading and appreciation of this novel. Also, I don’t care what you say in your Goodreads commentary, Mr. Nguyen, the Philip Roth reference (not gonna describe it—if you know, you know) was very unnecessary. Why every author nowadays insists on alluding to “Portnoy’s Complaint” is beyond me.
 Support people of color with actions, not just words, says John McWhorter in "Woke Racism." Photo credit: Markus Spiske on Unsplash. By Anya Shukla I read one of John McWhorter’s other books for my mini-review six months ago, and I finally got to reading this one too. Honestly, my mini-review kinda said it all… but there are some new arguments in “Woke Racism” for a little variation. Review: Although trained as a linguistics scholar, John McWhorter has recently made a name for himself as a Black conservative voice in liberal circles. In his newest book, “Woke Racism,” McWhorter continues to provide an unconventional (compared to the traditional liberal news media) perspective.
 Much of "The Trouble With Hating You" takes place in an Indian temple. Photo credit: Sonika Agarwal on Unsplash. By Anya Shukla There’s a movie called “Indian Sweets and Spices” that’s been getting a fair amount of buzz lately. I personally don’t love the film—the plot sometimes comes out of left field, and the dialogue feels a little stilted. This book is like that movie, but twenty times worse.
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