Did you ever wish Jane Eyre were a little bit more… gutsy? Then get a copy of Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye, where Jane is indeed very gutsy (and then some). It is a dark, fun, smart, and fierce take on Bronte’s classic, with gloriously imagined characters, a bit of history, a fairly high body count, sharp clever style, and enough plot twists to satisfy any historical mystery reader. This homage is a delight whether you love Jane Eyre, hate it, or have never even read it.
In How To Survive a Plague, David France is both a witness and a journalist, documenting the movement that fought to make AIDS a manageable disease rather than a death sentence. The book is not just about the collective movement, but also about individual activists, people who were faced with something unprecedented and had to fight against neglect, discrimination, and ignorance to save their lives and lives of their friends. This history is And The Band Played On for the new generation, a behind-the-scenes comprehensive work of journalism and a deeply personal account. In its depiction of activists’ struggle, it is also an inspiring book, showing us what can be done by determined and desperate people in unfriendly and uncertain times.
