 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.
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