Janika Oza’s ‘A History of Burning’

https://www.booklistonline.com/A-History-of-Burning-/pid=9771510

Oza’s debut novel, a family saga spanning four continents and nearly a century, begins in 1898 when Pirbhai, a teenage boy in need of work, naively boards a ship to Africa and ends up as a railroad laborer for the British. With rich details about the plight of Indian migrants in Kenya and Uganda, Oza describes the coolies the British relied on, tradespeople in small towns, government servants in the hierarchical colonial society, and the growing social stability of the Indian diaspora community in East Africa in the early twentieth century. Then, as Pirbhai’s descendants are forced to leave Uganda, Oza captures the brutality of Idi Amin’s anti-Asian policies and the destruction of the social fabric of the country. As the family struggles to cope with the profound, long-term emotional impact of difficult choices made in times of war and upheaval, Oza dramatizes the intimate psychological repercussions of state actions on a global stage. From India to East Africa, England, and Toronto, Oza’s characters experience the heartbreak of departures and arrivals, communities lost and rebuilt. This striking epic combines powerful characters of different generations, compelling storytelling, dramatic settings and conflicts, and thoughtful explorations of displacement and belonging, family ties, citizenship, loyalty, loss, and resilience.

Dan Morain’s ‘Kamala’s Way: An American Life’

https://www.booklistonline.com/Kamala-s-Way-An-American-Life/pid=9743664

This book set to release just as Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the first woman vice president of the United States is definitely well-timed and it is to Morian’s credit that he has used the opportunity to give us a comprehensive context for understanding Harris. Morian’s deep-rooted reporting experience with California politics is evident in every page as they are strewn with references to episodes and characters from the last 30 plus years in the state’s history. The jumping around time frames is challenging sometimes as Brown and Caen, Deukmejian and Schwarzenegger, and Villaraigosa and Newsom come and go amid the stories of California’s gun control, same-sex marriage, three-strikes-and-out legislative history. However, what emerges is a compelling story of how Harris navigated the demanding election cycles and positions as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, and US state senator from California. While there are references to Harris’s personal life and choices, the emphasis is on her professional successes, missteps, and political strategizing. The picture that emerges is of a complex person who is driven in complicated ways by both ideas and political expediency. The book is a great read for anyone interested in the political development of Kamala Harris and in getting an immersive introduction to the political landscape of California.

Xavier Navarro Aquino’s ‘Velorio’

https://www.booklistonline.com/Velorio/pid=9753680

Pulling readers into the story with an impending hurricane and a mother and her two daughters waiting in fear, first-time novelist Aquino sets a mood of charged and desperate hope. Inspired by Hurricane Maria’s assault on Puerto Rico in 2017, Aquino presents a broader examination of loss, trauma, rebuilding, and even the  notion of utopia. He constructs a tale on the edge of loss and trauma with a multiplicity of narrators: Cami, Moriviví, Damaris, Bayfish, Banto, Cheo, and, at the center of it all, the complicated visionary Urayoán. Ura’s plan to restore the destroyed island results in his establishing Memoria, a place, tragically, of danger to those who make their way there. The rituals that Ura and his followers start in Memoria recall the ostracizing instinct of the stranded boys in Lord of the Flies, and raise questions about the warring instincts of humans in the face of disaster and societal breakdown. Aquino mixes Spanish into the English text and stacks up details and characters, trusting the readers to engage with the world he creates, which is richer for all that is implied and unexplained. This is a demanding read that rouses high emotions and offers no simplistic resolutions.