Books of July–2025

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A work that weaves together stories from different parts of the world and shows just how close we are. I heard a lot about this book before I fully knew anything about it. I saw the interviews and questions. My step-dad had given me Between the World and Me, and I loved it. I knew that Ta-Nehisi Coates was an incredible and evocative writer. This book was amazing. I cried while reading it (but it is not that hard to get me to cry). This is one of the best books for understanding the importance of intersectional activism. The horrors of colonialism, imperialism, and bigotry are not a thing of the past. The people perpetrating these atrocities create new groups to vilify and dehumanize those who they wish to subjugate. This is a must-read for people interested in the intersection of some people in the Black diaspora and the Palestinian diaspora.

Finna by Nino Cipri

This is a short story about two exes who travel through a rift in space together. I have been in an Ikea only one time. I had driven my mom to the doctor, then I decided to go to the Ikea a few miles down the road. As soon as I went inside, I became overwhelmed and went to watch a movie in the car. This book reminded me of that time. This story follows two people who work at an Ikea-esque store. On this unfortunate day, an old woman gets lost in a space rift. It turns out that the store has a plan for circumstances like this. But due to budget cuts, the two newest employees have to take a beeping machine into unknown lands to find this woman. Along the way, they meet pirates, Mother, and (not so) cool plants. I would recommend you read this if you like space travel books and relationship drama.

Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina

Is this a book about alligators? Yes. Is this about the importance of holding onto cultural roots and traditions? Also yes. But is it also about how our brains make us really sad and the importance of mental health? For sure. I went into this book without knowing much about it, and that made the story feel richer for me. This book was a wild ride. I was not expecting the different perspectives and timeline jumps, but I got used to it quickly. The story opens with a young woman driving, listening to Taylor Swift, and drinking Starbucks. I almost put the book down because I was worried that she was going to be our main character, but she is just the vehicle (pun intended) for the start of the story. I loved this story. It is a story about how generations of people can live with the same horrors. An uncle and his niece try to make sense of situations that perplex the mind. This is a must-read for people who enjoy horror stories that are about people being the horror. There are also supernatural horrors, too!