my rolodex

The Lamb by Lucy Rose

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dates Read: 4/27/25 - 5/7/25

if you ever feel like you're fundamentally unlovable, just know that even evil, murderous, cannibalistic, abusive, conniving lesbians can find someone who just gets them.

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The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars (4.5 rounded up)

This is a memoir set in soviet Russia that exposes the brutal reality of the Soviet prison camp system called the Gulag by weaving together personal accounts, historical analysis, and philosophical reflections. Through a tapestry of stories from survivors, the author reveals the inhumanity of a regime that sought to crush the human spirit, while also highlighting the resilience and dignity of those who endured unimaginable hardships.

I read the abridged version because I am not reading (or listening, in this case) to 6 volumes of how Russian dictators tortured their constituents. Despite this, this book could be incredibly dry at times and I often lost where I was in the narrative, due to this being a memoir of the author and also a biography of other prisoners simultaneously. I often got confused about who we were talking about, and when, and where. I can only imagine how much harder of a time I would have had with the full book (though maybe I would have been spared the elitist comments about how I'm missing half of the book by reading the abridged version, despite the fact this is the version they teach in Russian schools. If you say stuff like this, stop it. It's annoying).

Despite the pitfalls of this book and the commentary from those who dragged themselves through the full book and are upset that I chose not to, I did still enjoy this book and found it extremely enlightening, and allowed a peek into the atrocities one could commit if allowed to control an entire populous.

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Thunderbird by Sonia Nimr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

dates read:11/30/2023 - 12/3/2023

I really enjoyed this book. The fantasy was fun and age appropriate, and the author approached the topic of Palestinian occupation very gently. In the end, I ended up rating the book 4.75/5. The only issue I had was that it ended very abruptly. I don't know if that was a choice so that young readers would pick it up because it's a small chapter book, but I found it extremely annoying, especially with my issue securing the second book, and the questionability about the third's release date. To read my full review, please click here



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