Review by New York Times Review
Picture This: Scrolling through Pinterest one day, Tomi Adeyemi saw something that would change her life: "a digital illustration of a black girl with bright green hair." The image, which burrowed into her subconscious, "was so stunning and magical" that it inspired her to begin an epic fantasy trilogy that draws equally from current events and African culture. The first volume, "Children of Blood and Bone," which enters the Young Adult list at No. 1, "is an epic West African adventure," Adeyemi explains, "but layered within each page is an allegory for the modern black experience. Every obstacle my characters face, no matter how big or small, is tied to an obstacle black people are fighting today or have fought as recently as 30 years ago." Drawing Fire: Did you know that the United States Army has an artist-in-residence program? No? Neither did the novelist Brad Meitzer, who discovered it while he was filming an episode of his cable TV show, "Lost History," at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. "They were giving me a tour and showing me their art collection," he says. "I kept thinking, 'Why does the Army have all this art?' " Meitzer, an enthusiastic researcher, soon discovered that "since World War I, the Army has assigned at least one person - an actual artist - whom they send out in the field to, well... paint what couldn't otherwise be seen. They go, they see, and they paint and catalog victories and mistakes, from the dead on D-Day to the injured at Mogadishu." The idea for "The Escape Artist" - which debuts this week at No. 1 on the hardcover fiction list - soon sprang into his head. "Imagine an artistsoldier whose real skill was finding the weakness in anything. 'The Escape Artist' started right there," he says. Other research for the book sent Meitzer to Dover Air Force Base, which houses "the mortuary for the U.S. government's most top-secret and high-profile cases. I became obsessed with it. In this world, where so much of the government is a mess, Dover is the one place that does it absolutely right," Meitzer says. "It is the one no-fail mission in the military. When a soldier's body comes home, you don't mess it up." The most interesting thing he learned there, which he obviously incorporated into the novel, was also the oddest: "When your plane is going down and about to crash, if you write a farewell note and eat it, the liquids in your stomach can help the note survive the crash. It has really happened. Next time you're on a plane and hit turbulence, you're going to be thinking of me." ? 'Layered within each page is an allegory for the modern black experience.'
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [March 25, 2018]
Review by Booklist Review
This engaging book is based on award-winning journalist Leland's (Why Kerouac Matters, 2007) popular series of articles for the New York Times. He spent a year profiling six of the oldest old individuals who have passed the eighty-fifth birthday. This is not a record of the daily routines of this diverse socioeconomic group but rather of answers to questions regarding happiness, life, and death. Early chapters consider overarching themes, such as longevity, health and memory, and romance. The second part gives each elder a chapter, in which each becomes more distinct as backgrounds are filled in and characters are revealed, warts and all. Simultaneously, Leland documents how their collected wisdom impacts his actions as he faces personal turmoil because of an elderly, frail mother and his new, single status after the end of his marriage. Despite occasional repetition or bouts of dwelling on the obvious, Leland entertains and intrigues readers as six unique personalities emerge, sharing their reminiscences about love, heartache, aches and pains, and joy. This is a sympathetic and honest look at growing old.--McBroom, Kathleen Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Veteran voice actor Petkoff subtly captures the personalities of the six subjects in New York Times reporter Leland's study of the lives of New Yorkers over the age of 85. Following each of his subjects over the course of a year, Leland counters commonly held assumptions about this growing demographic and addresses the realities of aging. For the audio edition, Petkoff wisely opts outs of full-on characterizations, instead choosing to convey the individual demeanors of the three men and three women who comprise the study. His performance comes alive in the direct quotes and turns of phrases, such as nursing home resident Helen Moses's feisty refrain "bring me a gin and tonic" when conversing about her active social life and romantic entanglements. Others don't quite share Helen's zest for new adventures, and Petkoff adjusts his tone to tackle Leland's discussions of loneliness, depression, and even the wish to die. Petkoff's balanced approach nicely complements the complexities of Leland's research. A FSG/Crichton hardcover. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Leland's (Why Kerouac Matters) short book is based upon a series of articles for the New York Times about individuals over age 85, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Over the course of a year, he follows the lives of six New Yorkers in this age group. He discovers that they are mostly content and that they are choosing to rescale expectations to be happy and to live in the moment with purpose, gratitude, and an acceptance of death as inevitable. His reflection on his findings will help listeners train their minds to revel in life's joy and look back and savor. Narrator Robert Petkoff's warm reading style brings a sympathetic voice to the engaging stories. Excerpts from recorded interviews are included as bonus material. VERDICT Listeners will want to find out exactly what happens to each individual profiled after the year ends. -Highly recommended.-Karen Perry, Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
New York Times reporter Leland (Why Kerouac Matters, 2007, etc.) chronicles the year he spent communing with the "oldest old," gleaning as much of value about his own life as about those he followed.Drawn from a remarkable newspaper series, this book, though sometimes repetitive and studded with occasional obvious insights, harbors far more than advice and received wisdom. The author offers an adaptive framework for a way of thinking about aging that can be transformational, and not in the conventional self-help sense. From the engrossing opening chapter to the close, Leland gives us a felicitous though practical perspective that mines a year in the life of six people ages 88 to 92, who "came from different backgrounds and social strata." Many readers will find it encouraging to know that the future need not be all decline and diminishment. The author does not gloss over the physical and emotional difficulties of advancing years, some of which may seem insurmountable. But guided by the evolving outlooks of his subjects, Leland discovers strategies for compensating, for enrichment and usefulness at any age, including his own. Divorced at 55, living alone for the first time, and responsible for an 86-year-old mother whose only wish is to die, Leland finds his own path to acceptance and joy. If the title of the book sounds banal, it is no less valid for its (deceptive) simplicity. It is, in fact, absolutely true, as the six culturally diverse "seniors" demonstrate in their own fascinating ways. Few books about aging show such clarity and purpose or so deftly blend cleareyed examinations of social issues with a realistic but hopeful cast of mind.In this edifying and often quite moving book, Leland presents the "lessons" taught by his subjects even as they themselves are learning them, and he does so with an empathy and thoroughness that deserve our gratitude. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
