Mare Barrow is one of the Reds. The society is divided between the Silver-blooded with magical abilities and power in society, and the Red-blooded, ordinary people who are the underclass.
She is doing what she can to make money and keep her family safe. One day while thieving in the marketplace, she gets captured and is put to the test in the arena as a spectacle for the Silvers.
This is the first of three books in a YA Dystopian series. Almost from the opening pages, the reader is put into the gritty action.
There are some transitions that seem abrupt and need more explanation, though it helps to keep the story compact and not dragging with detail.
There is a mature tone to the novel as if the harsh politics of the world must immediately understood by the reader, but there are other elements of the writing that is clearly for a younger audience.
With so many years since reading an excerpt for college, I think it is time to read the full text. A biographical novel, the story is about a Black American man experiencing isolation and loneliness in the 1950s America.
It is about the racial divide and bigotry of American society, and was about the journey of one Black man from the Deep South to the basement apartment in Harlem.
Invisible Man was the first novel published by Ralph Ellison, and it would be the only one published in his lifetime. Published in 1952, it received great acclaim with the award of the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1953.
Ellison wrote what would be Invisible Man over a 5-year period while on leave from the Merchant Marine. When Ellison wrote what began as a short story, he did not consider it to be a protest novel, as many Black authors did write during the Harlem Renaissance. For Ellison himself, he resisted being pigeon-holed into that grouping of American authors who happened to have African ancestry.
He regarded T.S. Eliot as an influence, along with Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner. Herman Melville also had an important role in shaping the imagery Ellison would use to write Invisible Man.
Welcome to February 2026. I have put together my TBR for the month, and I only have one new book released this month. The rest are books I already had on my shelves.
With the longer days ahead and festivities throughout the month, it will take some planning and effort to keep up with my reading.
I have a mix of historical fiction, literary fiction, and music and cultural history. I could have included more books for Black History Month, though it will help me to spread the reads out throughout the year, while also keeping an eye on newer titles.
I also have my book club read for the month, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I will need to make it a priority, or I will not read the whole book in time for the meeting.
There is so much to get done, so here's to the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse, which officially begins on February 17.
Let's make it a fantastic year for reading!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be the next book I will start. It is about a famed actress with an eventful life. She has kept pretty much to herself and does not make media appearances.
When it is time to set the record straight about her life, she picks a young reporter to tell her life story to.
In all the years this book has made the social media rounds, I still do not know more beyond the brief description I have provided. The story is a mystery as much as the woman being portrayed.
I will finally see what all the hype is all about.
After staying away for a few months, I made another visit to Mama Rice Roll in Calgary. This time instead of a breakfast of congee, I enjoyed the beef brisket on their dinner menu.
There is a choice of the cuts of meat, as well as egg noodles or rice noodles.
The rice noodles tasted fresh and chewy, and the beef brisket is well seasoned in the broth. The lettuce was as expected for the time of the year, since I have been having the same variety at home.
On a Friday night, the place was busy with the Asian dessert side of the establishment busy with orders and diners seated in the hallway near the storefront close to the entrance of the Chinatown building.
ABOUT ME
JKStar88 Reader is an active community organizer, radio host, avid reader, and self-published poet. Interests include pop culture, current events, literature, and food. Enjoys visiting local book stores, cafes, going to live theatre, and movies. Things to work on are being more social at gatherings, and being a better friend.
RECENT READ
Bunny by Mona Awad had its original release, then it regained life when the book made the rounds on BookTok. It is unclear how some books gain the attention of online micro-vloggers, and how others don't. There must be something widely appealing to a story about a poor kid getting into an MFA program.
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A breakfast of rice roll, congee, and milk tea. With a street food style, the items are simple, and takes care to prepare. The eatery recently renovated so that it can serve savory foods, along with desserts. It would be ideal to linger a bit longer, but only had time to eat everything, then rush to catch the train. There will be another time to try the other flavours.