Word’s pick: “What is Not Yours is Not Yours” by Helen Oyeyemi
I finished this collection and could not stop thinking about it! The first couple of stories seemed so simple, but I found myself thinking about the characters and events for days after. Oyeyami is good at getting these quiet stories under your skin. After reading one particular story, I want desperately to be a part of the Wenches — you will have to pick up the book to see what that means.
— Katelyn Phillips, Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com].
Community Bookstore’s pick: “The Child Poet” by Homero Aridjis
Memoir can be a leaden form, encumbered by fact without fancy — but in the best of hands, a life’s story can rise up off the page with the buoyancy of fiction. Such is the case with “The Child Poet,” beautifully translated by author (and daughter) Chloe Aridjis. A literary light in Mexico, Aridjis is largely unknown in the United States, which is a great loss for us. His memoir explores the moody textures of childhood with a keenly Proustian sense for the shimmering quality of novel experiences.
— Hal Hlavinka, Community Bookstore [43 Seventh Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield Place in Park Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.communitybookstore.net].
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick: “The Feminist Utopia Project” by edited by Alexandra Brodsky and Rachel Kauder Nalebuff
This collection bursts at the seams with visions for a future, some radical and some so reasonable. This book contains multitudes: an island where only women live; childcare centers at high schools; increased hourly wages for restaurant workers; a walk through the desert at night alone and unafraid; twelve-year-old musicians who refuse to be labeled a “girl band”; and sex-positive, body-loving conversations. The book’s 57 written and illustrated visions are informative, intentional, and laugh-out-loud fun. Reading this book, I felt a little closer to a utopia of my own.
— Stormy Budwig, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com].
