 Despite never having touched a musical instrument, Sunny and his friends pretend to form a successful rock band in "Super Fake Love Song." Photo credit: Alejandro Ortiz. By Anya Shukla I recently read a description for a BIPOC-centered arts criticism workshop. It specified that the goal of a critic should not be to judge a book, but to serve as a medium between a novel and the reader. Clearly, I’m doing something wrong. I admit that these reviews are judgier than they “should be,” but that’s my style, and I’m sticking to it. I do try to save my choicest commentary for books that have received critical acclaim and gained a wide following—that way, my opinion is just a drop in the New York Times/Washington Post/Goodreads-infested waters that are arts criticism.
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 Zitkála-Ša, the author of "American Indian Stories," at age 22. Photo credit: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. By Anya Shukla Be warned: this review reads more like an English essay than my previous snarkfests. Zitkála-Ša’s writing feels more formal (probably because this book was published a century ago), and my analysis reflects her tone. Sorry if you miss my “fun” voice… hopefully, it’ll be back next week. Review: Born in 1876, Zitkála-Ša, a member of the Yankton Dakota Sioux, began writing and publishing work in her early 20s. An accomplished activist and lecturer, Zitkála-Ša spent her entire life advocating for Native American rights: hosting voter registration drives, authoring articles about the exploitation of Indigenous people, and preserving Native culture.
 In "Mexican WhiteBoy," Danny's baseball abilities lead to unexpected consequences. Photo credit: Mick Haupt on Unsplash. By Anya Shukla I spent the bulk of this week using autocheck to complete the New York Times crossword puzzle rather than actually doing work. I now know that “bidets” is a term for “toilet,” so I am sure to impress at any dinner party. All this crosswording may result in these reviews utilizing an updated, thesaurus-like vocabulary. Don’t worry if you see a sudden increase in words like “erudite” and “egregious”: I’ve probably just completed another Monday puzzle.
 What if the only way to save your world was to precipitate global destruction? Photo credit: Dave Goudreau on Unsplash. By Anya Shukla This book centers around people who can start and quell earthquakes. As someone who lives in Seattle, home of the long-awaited Big Quake, this really got to me. My family is horrendously underprepared for an earthquake. Unlike those in “The Fifth Season,” we have not been storing food underground, nor do we have a hanging frame in our house (which is an earthquake-safe building structure, according to this novel). So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ve been a little stressed out lately. |
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