In this issue, we detour into the past. Instead of our usual new hardcovers, you’ll find pre-2000 gems handpicked by our reviewers.
It’s striking how relevant some of these books are to our current moment, and how applicable they could be to our future. Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac (1949) is a seminal work of environmental writing that foresaw climate disaster. The Breakthrough (1966), a science fiction story by Daphne du Maurier (of Rebecca fame), raises points about the devaluation of human lives pertinent to today’s disability justice movement.
In James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room (1956), an early work of queer fiction, an overseas American’s destructive resistance to love is arguably not so different from the oblivious and extractive culture that Leopold and du Maurier’s works address. Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, or Carol (1952), by contrast, is known as one of the first lesbian love stories with a “happy” ending.
Toni Morrison’s debut The Bluest Eye (1970) examines racialized beauty standards through Pecola Breedlove, a Black girl who desperately wants blue eyes. It remains one of the most banned books at a time when titles about Black experiences continue to be disproportionately challenged. As we approach Black History Month, this serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving the past to inform the present.
We also review Fyodor Dostoevsky’s White Nights (1848), a tale of unrequited love that’s made waves on the video platform TikTok, and Agatha Christie’s mega-bestseller And Then There Were None (1939). Plus, we bring you coverage of other classics and new paperbacks, February Books We’re Excited About, a giveaway of Adelle Waldman’s Help Wanted, and much more.
This issue causes us to reflect on many things we shouldn’t take for granted, including your support — thank you so much for being a BookBrowse member!
— The BookBrowse Team
