Dolen Perkins-Valdez: offers some intriguing angles in Take My Hand.
TAKE MY HAND, by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Hachette, $37.99)
While reading this third novel from American writer Dolen Perkins-Valdez, I found I was asking myself a question: is fiction the right choice when there's a cause to be fought for, a wrong to be exposed? Charles Dickens certainly believed so, but then he happened to be a genius. Some novels - The Tattooist of Auschwitz comes to mind - find enormous success more because of the gripping real-life stories they tell than their writing style or the depth of their characterisation. But what are the literary risks when a book's message, the immensity of its concerns, dominate and the author isn't a Dickens?
Denne historien er fra April 23 - 29, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra April 23 - 29, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
