Reviews

"All the people have the right of access to library materials whenever they need them."

—Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries, Japan Library Association

As Banned Book Week 2023 has come and gone, I am reminded of a series that I first read as an adolescent, but which rings even more hauntingly now. Library Wars: Love & War, drawn by Kiiro Yumi, is a manga (Japanese graphic novel) adapted from an award-winning light novel series by Hiro Arikawa. The light novels were originally published in the mid-2000s in Japan, with the manga first published in 2008 and its English translation (by Kinami Watabe) in 2010.

The story takes place in an alternate future Japan, not so different from our world, except for one key fact: censorship has become not only accepted, but widespread, enforced by a government agency called the Media Betterment Committee. This committee censors and restricts all media, including books. In response, libraries created Defense Forces, which protect libraries' freedom to acquire and circulate materials in their collections and to thereby resist censorship, a last bastion of intellectual freedom. 

Iku Kasahara, an athletic airhead and passionate bookworm, is not only the first woman in her library's Defense Force, but also the first woman on the Task Force—an elite group of Defense Force members who are charged not just with protecting the library and its patrons, but also with day-to-day desk work done by non-combatant librarians and library staff. She has dreamed of joining the Defense Force ever since an agent saved one of her favorite books from censorship when she was a teenager. However, will her grumpy superior officer Sergeant Dojo and condescending fellow recruit Corporal Tezuka wear her down? (And how do you find that one book, anyway?!)

Inspired by the Japan Library Association's Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries, Library Wars is a fun, light mix of science fiction, drama, workplace romance, and food for thought. While the reader learns, laughs, and struggles along with Iku, they simultaneously must consider the ethical quandaries of censorship, and where (or how, or if) a line must be drawn.

While the original Library Wars novels have not yet been translated into English, readers interested in Arikawa's work may enjoy The Traveling Cat Chronicles. For another fictional work centered around censorship, try Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Fans of Library Wars may also enjoy the live action films and the anime adaptation of the same name. (The anime is available on Crunchyroll via the International Roku Stick).

Tiger, Tiger is the first print volume of the 2019 Eisner-nominated webcomic (ongoing) of the same name, by Petra Erika Nordlund. Nordlund, a Finnish comic creator, is also the author/artist of the webcomic Prague Race. Gorgeously illustrated, Tiger, Tiger is a swashbuckling fantasy adventure story about a young noble named Ludovica, who dreams of the marine world far from her mansion home. One day, she sneaks out of an opulent party celebrating the return of her twin brother, Remy, and absconds with his ship and his identity in order to study her beloved sea sponges. Accompanying her as a reluctant but concerned accomplice is Jamis, Remy's best friend (and Ludo's fiance). However, as Ludo learns more about life at sea, she begins to realize that the world as she knows it may be more complex than it seems.

Depicted in beautifully rendered grayscale (with a vibrantly colored cover), Tiger, Tiger contains both whimsical, bubbly humor, and dramatic hints foreshadowing the monsters to come. The worldbuilding is intricate and the characters lovable, while the lore (and Ludo's fascination with sea sponges) are an ode to the beauty and mystery of the sea. Nordlund also includes bonus gag comics between each chapter as lighthearted interludes.

Fans of Tiger, Tiger may also enjoy: Monstress by Marjorie Liu, The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz, Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, The Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag, and The Girl from the Other Side by Nagabe.

Even for those who may not normally pick up "Beach Read" titles, Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto is an excellent introductory novel to the quick, entertaining, binge-read vibe. Part rom com, part amateur/cozy mystery/suspense, this novel follows Meddy Chan and her quirky mother and aunts as they do their best to pretend that everything is fine when everything is not, in fact, fine. After a blind date gone wrong, Meddy ends up with a body in her car. Her very caring family of course will help her with the body--but first, work. The Chans, who run a very successful wedding business, are about to run the most high profile celebrity wedding of their lives--a wedding that could make or break their careers. To further complicate matters, the guy in Meddy's trunk is the wedding venue hotelier...or is he?

In a novel that blends genres in a fast-paced and entertaining manner, Sutanto explores themes of family, love, and devotion, all while giving the reader a rollicking good time. (Fun fact: The chaotic aunties may or may not be based on Sutanto's own family...) The novel won Sutanto the UK "Comedy Prize for Women in Print" prize, and the film rights have been acquired by Netflix. Fans of Sutanto's books may also enjoy the sequel to Dial A for Aunties, Four Aunties and a Wedding, and her other cozy mystery novel, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. (This title is also slated for a TV adaptation, to be produced by Oprah and Mindy Kaling.)

Readers who enjoy Dial A for Aunties  may also like Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala, Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen, and Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. For more cute romances and chill vibes, try The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

Part typical narration, part epistolary fiction, part news broadsheet, and with liberal quotations of Tennyson and other classics, In Memoriam by Alice Winn combines a forbidden romance with World War I historical fiction. The story chronicles the lives of Sidney Ellwood, a young Jewish man, and Henry Gaunt, his half-German friend, beginning with their student lives at an elite British boarding school. Ellwood and Gaunt come of age during the early stages of the Great War. At a time when patriotism and war are glamorized, Ellwood and Gaunt struggle not only with their own disillusionment of the war and the world, but also with their feelings for each other.

Winn, in her riveting debut, shies away from neither the horrors of war, or the diversity of those affected, ranging from gender, sexuality, nationality, class, and more. While there are a plethora of authors and creative works regarding this complex era, Win chooses to explore this complexity through the eyes of youths and adolescents, from the starry-eyed boys at home to the veterans in the trenches to the soldiers in POW camps. The vivid writing style reflects Winn's background in film and screenplays, while her literary references reveal her academic background in English Literature at Oxford University.

Readers who enjoy this novel may also enjoy other works with similar themes, such as The World and All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. A more fantastical book set during World War I is The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, while a more contemporary novel with a similar tone is Ghost Town by Kevin Chen. A comedic re-imagining of (WWII) POW camps is depicted in Hogan's Heroes. 

Classic works referenced in this novel include: works by Herodotus and Euripides; Adam Bede by George Eliot; and various works by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, most prominently featuring In Memoriam, A.H.H and "The Charge of the Light Brigade."

"Professor Schreiber told him history happened in cycles. One thing happens, something reacts to it, it all disappears from consciousness only to return later" (p. 243).

If any quote could most concisely summarize the intricacies of Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen, it would be this one. It captures no only the struggles of the characters, but also the cyclical writing style Nguyen incorporates so skillfully.

The novel follows a family of three--Hương, Tuấn, and Bình (who also goes by Ben)--as they flee the chaos and terror of the Vietnam War and resettle in New Orleans. Immigrant and refugee experiences are not a monolith; this is clearly depicted through each character's narrative: Hương, a single mother of two who hopes to one day reunite with her husband left behind in Vietnam; Tuấn, who seeks balance between his Vietnamese heritage and American home; and Bình, who desires community but embraces solitude. Through graceful prose, Nguyen navigates the complex aftermath of the Vietnam War and the diversity of New Orleans in a tale spanning roughly three decades, from 1978 to 2005. Nguyen's debut novel, Things We Lost to the Water is a masterpiece in its own right, but especially poignant during Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.

Audiobook fans may enjoy the audiobook version of Things We Lost to the Water, which fluidly incorporates both the Vietnamese and French dialogue present in the novel. Readers interested in reading more about the Vietnam War and Vietnamese immigrants in the United States may like The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui, Vietnamerica, by G.B. Tran, and Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran. Those interested in a firsthand account of a twentieth century Communist government in Asia may find In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park enlightening, while readers seeking information about the complexity of Asian America may enjoy Which Side Are You On by Ryan Lee Wong, Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, and The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee. For Vietnamese American authors, consider Ocean Vuong and Nghi Vo.

Although this graphic novel may look daunting, with its 500+ pages, it is actually a very quick read. A standalone story comprising six (6) years of Egyptian comic artist Deena Mohamed's work, Shubeik Lubeik (translated from Arabic) combines three short stories into one overarching plotline: What if wishes were not only real, but a consumable product? And--as a consumable product--what if they come in different levels of quality and price, respectively? Finally, because wishes can come true, one must be especially careful what one wishes for. The title, Shubeik Lubeik, is an Arabic phrase that means (fittingly) "Your Wish is My Command."

Stylistically, Shubeik Lubeik is told in a combination of grayscale and color panels, and no page is left unincorporated, not even the endpapers (look back at them after reading all the way through--the beginning will hit different). Mohamed also features gorgeous Arabic calligraphy at various points throughout the book, truly an art form in and of itself. 

This book pairs well with The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker; Readers who enjoy books like A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark and Babel by R.F. Kuang will likely enjoy the themes of this tale, while fans of lyrical, fairy tale storytelling will likely enjoy the style. 

Ever since discovering Burmese food—a little like Thai, a bit like Indian, but still wholly unique—books discussing Burma (also known as Myanmar) have piqued my interest. Burma Chronicles is a stand-alone graphic novel documenting the author’s year-long sojourn in Burma with his wife and infant son. Guy Delisle, a comic artist, has lived in several countries around the world; his spouse is a physician in Doctors Without Borders. Delisle’s layman, foreigner’s perspective offers an outside look at Burma’s diverse society, and its complex history and politics. While much of Burma’s recent and current circumstances are grim, Delisle provides a frank, easily understood depiction of his experiences and observations; this is balanced by the whimsical chaos of being a “stay-at-home dad” and a sort-of tourist. The relationships he builds with local friends and other expats reflect the simplicities and complications of living abroad, and his awe and curiosity at his proximity to—and distance from—1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is reminiscent of the reaction one might have at a surprise encounter with a celebrity.

Readers interested in learning more about Burma from multiple perspectives may find these books useful (all available in the Arlington Heights Memorial Library collection): Bamboo People; First, They Erased Our Name; and You’ve Changed, among others.