Ms. Moayeri's Book Talks
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Book Talks on Ms. Moayeri's Reading Challenge for the 2022 Year Summer Break
Book 15: 17 July 2022View this post on Instagram
Zora Neale Hurston: "Their Eyes Were Watching God"
Arguably the most talked about book from this literary giant, I read a graphic novel biography of Zora Neale Hurston's earlier this year which re-sparked my interested in her, an interest I've had since I was assigned to read some of her writing way back in undergrad. Their Eyes Were Watching God, is, at its core, and at its surface, a story about a woman looking for love and her place in the world, and her challenges in finding both. The historical and racial context of the book is such a subtle yet vital aspect of this book, which is unflinching in its honesty and portrayal of its characters, warts and all.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Malinda Lo: "Last Night at the Telegraph Club"
View this post on Instagram
Book Talks on Ms. Moayeri's Reading Challenge for the 2022 Year Spring Semester
Harry Harrison: "Dreaming in Yellow: The Story of the DiY Sound System"
The story of one of the UK's most well-known sound systems, known for its free parties and anarchic attitude told by one of its leading figures. This book has been a long time coming and it's been worth the wait as Harry Harrison's combination of humor, wonderful storytelling, finely drawn descriptions and inherent understanding of how to put intangible feelings into tangible words is second to none. Even for those who are far removed from the hedonistic and life-changing music-based experiences of the early '90s, this book is still relatable.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Sally Rooney "Beautiful World, Where Are You"
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Book Talks on Ms. Moayeri's Continued Reading Challenge for the 2021 Year
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
A story ripped from the headlines, specifically the #metoo movement. A high school senior wins a contest to write a cover story for a high profile entertainment magazine and ends up with the responsibility of exposing a big Hollywood producer who has been abusing people who work with him and for him for years. At the same time, she is working toward acceptance of all parts of herself, physical and mental. Garrett herself is almost as young as her main protagonist and personality comes through in her words.
Read my listicle "An Exciting Year for Black Young Adult Authors" and my interview with the illustrator of the book's beautiful cover, Erick Dávila, both for Book and Film Globe.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Book 42: 20 September 2021
Jessica Anya Blau "Mary Jane"
A delightful, warm and wonderful story set in Baltimore in 1974 about 14-year-old Mary Jane who has a summer job looking after five-year-old Izzy. Mary Jane comes from a conventional family with a lawyer father and a homemaker mother who are very regimented and rigid and restricted. They are not demonstrative and show very little emotion, but, still, Mary Jane has learned a lot about how to manage life from her mother. This comes in handy when she starts looking after Izzy as Izzy parents, Dr. and Mrs. Cone live in a chaotic household where nothing is clean or in its rightful place, meals are not homemade and nothing is as it should be. But there is a lot of love and a lot of emotion and a lot of room for being oneself. Mary Jane brings order and organization to the Cones and they, in turn, value what she has to offer and show her love and affection and acceptance. Also in the Cones' household for the summer are rock star Jimmy and his television star-turned-movie star Sheba who also show Mary Jane appreciation and so much love. Mary Jane's world opens up to new ideas and new possibilities, but it clashes with her parents' traditional ways, exploding when the two finally collide. I fell in love with this book on the first page and only got more and more connected to the characters and their intertwined lives, so much so that I missed them when I finished the book.
View this post on Instagram
Book 43: 29 September 2021
Lita Judge: "Mary's Monster: Love, Madness and How Mary Shelly Created Frankenstein"
A non-fiction biography on Mary Shelly, the author of "Frankenstein" written in free verse with extensive, beautiful illustrations on every single page. These illustrations are as beautiful and as powerful as the poems and portray Shelly in a realistic and painful way that might be new for her fans. A wonderful insight into a timeless writer.
My write-up on Mary's Monster for my listicle for Book and Film Globe on YA non-fiction books for Women's History Month.
View this post on Instagram
Book 44: 4 October 2021
Tiffany D. Jackson: "Allegedly"
Mary is taken to jail at nine years of age when she allegedly kills a 12-month-old baby. She's put into isolation at an adult prison and much later put in a group home where we meet her. She is extremely bright and working toward taking the SATs and putting together a life for herself once she is released. What she doesn't know is that her alleged crime has made her (in)famous. There are books written about her and papers based on her at universities. Her life at the group home is horrific, as are the people who are supposed to be taking care of her, yet she finds advocates in her SAT tutor and a pro-bono lawyer, but will they be enough to allow her to rise above her alleged crime? Absolute page-turner.
View this post on Instagram
Book 45: 19 October 2021
Winifred Conkling: "Radioactive: How Irene Curie & Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World"
A non-fiction, science-heavy account of two pioneering women in physics: Irene Curie, Marie and Pierre Curie's daughter and Lise Meitner, both of whom made great strides in their fields and were responsible for the discovery of nuclear fission, and the eventual use of their findings in the creation of the atom bomb. A deep look into their lives, mainly from a scientific and sociological and historical perspective and less on a personal level. Also talked about in this book is Meitner's persecution as a Jew during World War II in Germany and both hers and Curie's challenges as women in a male-only setting.
My write-up on Radioactive for my listicle for Book and Film Globe on YA non-fiction books for Women's History Month.
View this post on Instagram
Book 46: 20 November 2021
Natasha Preston: "With the Band"
Known for her fantastic suspense novels, author Natasha Preston's romance novels leave a lot to be desired, no pun intended. Texas is the lovechild of a rock star and a supermodel who is raised by her single father, the aforementioned rock star. Now in her first years of adulthood, she is on the road, on tour with her father's band and the band he is mentoring, whose lead singer she is in love with. Sounds fabulous except the dialogue is crass, the sexual imagery is vulgar and what is disguised as sex-positive is just gross. It took me forever to finish it as I disliked it so much. Do not recommend.
View this post on Instagram
Book 47: 14 December 2021
Laila McKenzie and Ian Snowball: "Lady of the House"
A collection of short personal essays from a cross-section of women in dance music from multiple generations speaking about their discovery of and journey into music. Long overdue topic and collectible coffee table book, but leaves a lot to be desired as far as giving a narrative view on women's impact and experience in this genre of music.
View this post on Instagram
Book 48: 19 December 2021
Cecil Castellucci: "Beige"
Katy aka Beige comes to Los Angeles to live with her father, whom she doesn't know very well and is judgemental of, for a couple of weeks in the summer where she is resentful of being left by her mother, and super-miserable, mainly because of her own attitude. Constantly in her discomfort zone, she starts to, unwillingly see the positive aspects of people who are different to her and grudgingly admires and starts to accept, and maybe change a little herself.
View this post on Instagram
Book 49: 19 December 2021
Maia Kobabe: "Gender Queer"
Graphic novel memoir from a gender queer individual who traces eir life's journey from a very young age and the questions and confusions ey had in different stages as ey begin to understand who ey are, what ey want and how to fit in. Tender and necessary, told with raw honesty with wonderful illustrations.
View this post on Instagram
Book 50: 23 December 2021
Angeline Boulley "Firekeeper's Daughter"
Multi-layered story about a Native American girl, Daunis, who is working as a confidential informant for the FBI who are undercover at her former high school to figure out who is making and distributing the crystal meth that is making members of her community addicted and in some cases, turning up dead. The overlaying storylines include family, community, friendship, relationships, traditions and customs, all cleverly interwoven.
View this post on Instagram
Book 51: 27 December 2021
Susan Orlean "The Library Book"
A love story to libraries and Los Angeles Public Library Central Branch in particular, including the infamous fire of 1986 which destroyed so much of the building and its collection and its alleged arsonist. Whether you're a lover of libraries or not, this in-depth look at libraries, their functions at different times and the services they provide, the ins and outs of their operations, their adaptability and the personalities of the various library workers makes for an engrossing story.
View this post on Instagram
Book 52: 31 December 2021
Mindy McGinnis "The Female of the Species"
In a small town in Ohio, Alex acts on instinct stopping any wrongdoing she sees, generally in violent ways. On the one hand, the behavior she is reacting to is heinous, particularly when it takes advantage of women, and should be stopped. On the other hand, her violent and ruthless approach to dealing with the perpetrators is disturbing. Intriguing exploration of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
View this post on Instagram
Book Talks on Ms. Moayeri's Personal Summer 2021 Reading Challenge
Book Talks on Ms. Moayeri's Personal Reading Challenge Spring 2021 Semester
My extensive review of "An Emotion of Great Delight" for Book and Film Globe here.
My write-up of "Muted" for my listicle: "An Exciting Year For Black Young Adult Authors" for Book and Film Globe here.
Book Talks on Ms. Moayeri's Personal Reading Challenge Fall 2020 Semester
This is the third novel in verse from the author of Poet X, wonderful story about sisters with the same dad who didn't know anything about each other, one living in the Dominican Republic, the other living in New York, impossible to put down with minimum words with maximum impact, this is a quick but powerful read.
Week 10: 25 October 2020
Sally Gross and George Musgrave "Can Music Make You Sick?"
The result of four years of research, unpacking the hard truths of being a musician and some recommendations on how to be realistic as well as how to make some genuine change in the structures of the music business. Recommended if you're trying to be a music person, either creating or on the business side.
Book Talks From the Start of the Pandemic to the Start of the 2020-2021 School Year
"One Of Us Is Next" by Karen M. McManus
"Royals" by Emma Forrest
"Imaginary Friend" by Stephen Chbosky
"Attachments" by Rainbow Rowell
"I, Claudia" by Mary McCoy
"Normal People" by Sally Rooney
"On The Come Up" by Angie Thomas
"Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds
"All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
"Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
"Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi
"Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
"Black Boy" by Richard Wright
"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
"Caucasia" by Danzy Senna
Great descriptions, wonderful imagery, makes Los Angeles feel like a living, breathing, tangible entity, much as it is today.
Kathy Valentine "All I Ever Wanted"
Awesome memoir from Kathy Valentine, the bass player for the legendary and groundbreaking Los Angeles group The Go-Go's. Honest, heartbreaking and uplifting in turns, highly recommend this one. Published this year, in March, it's a super fast read because it's so good.
Another memoir from another Go-Go, this one from lead singer and accomplished solo artist Belinda Carlisle, which focuses heavily on her 30 years of addiction to drugs and alcohol. Humorous and painful at the same time, this books was published in 2010 and is a quick read.
Yet another memoir, this one published in 2016 about the author's experience growing up as a "hillbilly" in Jackson, Kentucky and Middletown, Ohio, the impact of his family and socioeconomic circumstances on his outlook and the factors and situations that guided him first into Yale Law School and now as a celebrated author, public speaker and investor.