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Hello,
This week, we bring you two engrossing and insightful memoirs that offer different perspectives on coming of age within a family and community.

Our First Impressions readers review Free, in which author Lea Ypi explores her experiences growing up in Albania among loved ones as the country was undergoing political shifts.

Meanwhile, our book club members are discussing My Broken Language, where award-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes tells of her formative years in North Philly with her Puerto Rican relatives.

We also have an excerpt from Honor, Thrity Umrigar's latest novel, along with a cookbook book club interview, and upcoming online discussions!

Thanks for reading,

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher
First Impressions
Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every 3-4 months. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.
Free
by Lea Ypi

"What is freedom? Could freedom be different depending on where one lives and works and the time in history? Lea Ypi, professor at the London School of Economics, has written a memoir of her life during the period of the downfall of the Stalinist government in Albania, the civil war that ensued, and her leaving the country to study and live abroad. The book is divided into two parts — before December 1990 when the government fell and after — and covers her life from the age of 10 or 12 until 16 or 17 when she leaves Albania...the memoir is an important addition to contemporary writing about Marxism, socialism, communism, liberalism, capitalism." - Marion M. (Mishawaka, IN)

"Ypi is a gifted writer who creates a vivid picture of her coming of age during the political and cultural changes in her home country of Albania. The stories she tells personalize the effects of these dramatic changes on her family and others in her community. She is at times humorous and witty, always passionate and seeking the truth. I think this would be an excellent choice for a book group, allowing discussions about how the adults in her life protected her by not telling her the truths about the system under which they lived, but also exploring the ways in which political philosophies are distorted by those who claim to be creating a society based on them." - Rosemary C. (Golden, CO)

"This book is a beautifully written memoir reflecting not only the author's emotions but the formation of her strong political beliefs...While I was unfamiliar with this topical area, it expanded my perspective on the impacts of changing political conditions on ideological beliefs." - Mel F. (Auburn, MA)

W.W. Norton & Company. Memoir. 288 pages. Published January 18, 2022
Readers' Consensus: 4.3/5 Number of Reader Reviews: 22
BookBrowse Book Club
My Broken Language
by Quiara Alegría Hudes

From the Jacket

A Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright tells her lyrical story of coming of age against the backdrop of an ailing Philadelphia barrio, with her sprawling Puerto Rican family as a collective muse.

From the Discussion

"I loved the author's poetic ability to embrace her heritage, to grasp it and share it with the rest of us. Her musical talent was so great, and to think she wasn't content to rest on her musical laurels, but then had to attack playwriting and drama...What a story! What a life!" - dorinned

"I enjoyed this book very much...it is beautifully written. I just love the command and use of the English language. What a treat! The book is so descriptive, I found myself visualizing the author's surroundings and family members, which added a different dimension to the various storylines." - melissa c.

"I really enjoyed My Broken Language, with many of Quiara’s struggles resonating with me as I have many friends who straddle cultural borders and myself grew up in a Latin American country. It was interesting to read along as Quiara navigated her two worlds and, ultimately, found a way to express herself in music and the arts." - Gabi

One World. Memoir. 336 pages. First published April 2021.
Paperback released this month.
For Members: The BookBrowse Review
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BookBrowse Excerpts
BookBrowse offers excerpts of almost every book we feature so you can read a little and decide if it's a good fit for you or your book club. Here is an excerpt from Honor, a novel about two women navigating cultural and gender politics in India by Thrity Umrigar.
CHAPTER FIVE

Smita's heart began to flutter, and her hands turned clammy within moments of strolling down the Causeway. Her anxiety wasn't caused by the vendors at the roadside stalls who begged her to examine their leather purses and silver jewelry and wooden statues. It wasn't because she heard her own distant laughter in the laughter coming from the schoolgirls walking ahead of her, saw her former self in the way they half skipped, half walked down the sidewalk. It wasn't because she passed Metro Shoes and remembered going there with Mummy at the start of each school year. It wasn't because she passed shops selling schoolbags and remembered Papa buying new backpacks for her and Rohit at the start of each school year. It wasn't even because she walked past the Olympia Coffee House and remembered the egg bhurji breakfast that Papa used to sometimes treat her to on Saturdays.

Her hands went clammy because she was close to the one street that she'd hoped to avoid forever.

Spencer Road. ...

Book Club Q&A: How to Start a Cookbook Book Club
Do you enjoy reading and cooking? If so, have you ever thought of combining the two into a book club focused on cookbooks? In this extensive Q&A, Marie and Sally share everything you need to know to start your own cookbook book group!

Current & Upcoming Book Club Discussions
Discussions are open to all, so please join us! If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your group among our more than 150 past discussions.
About BookBrowse
With so many new books published every month, it's difficult to find the standouts, the ones which are really worth your time. This is why hundreds of thousands of readers rely on BookBrowse to do the hard work of sifting though the multitude of titles to find the most promising new books, with a focus on books that entertain, engage and enlighten.
BookBrowse Highlights is one of our four free newsletters. We also offer Publishing This Week every Sunday, and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.
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