Starred Review Roundup (4/10/2024)

Stars all around! These titles all received multiple starred reviews:

THE STARDUST GRAIL by Yume Kitasei
9781250875372 | 6/11/24

“Broad in scope, covering everything from the rise and fall of alien civilizations to what it means to be a person, this is a luminous work, vacillating between the highs and lows of human experience and how they might translate across alien worlds. Sympathetic, flawed characters demonstrate how individual actions can reverberate through the past and future. Wondrous, new, and altogether alien.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Kitasei’s outstanding sophomore outing clears the high bar she set in THE DEEP SKY combining a high-stakes space adventure with exquisitely crafted worldbuilding and plausibly imagined interspecies communication.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

FOUL DAYS by Genoveva Dimova
9781250877314 | 6/25/24

“Dimova melds Slavic folklore, murder, and mystery into her fast-paced, magical debut, with detailed world-building and thoughtful consideration of matters related to trauma, the immigrant experience, and trust.”—Booklist, starred review

“Dimova dazzles in her immersive fantasy debut. Dimova’s atmospheric worldbuilding and well-shaded cast make it easy to sink into this fantasy adventure. Kosara is especially vividly rendered and her witty narrative voice is sure to get readers on her side. This is a standout.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

BURY YOUR GAYS by Chuck Tingle
9781250874658 | 7/9/24

“Self-publishing sensation Tingle burst onto the traditional publishing scene with one of the best books of 2023 (CAMP DAMASCUS), but his follow-up is even better. Tingle’s effortless narrative flows from an uneasy tone that steadily builds to full-on, existential terror, along the way taking readers on a highly entertaining, fast-paced ride, filled with thought-provoking satire, original monsters, and some of the most realistic characters they will encounter on any page, all to prove that love is real and horror itself is, at its core, a celebration of life.”—Booklist, starred review

“Tingle’s vivid, visceral storytelling combines with prescient insight into the corporate dynamics that rule mainstream media. The result is smart, subtle, and a bloody good time.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

THE WAY THAT LEADS AMONG THE LOST: Life, Death, and Hope in Mexico City’s Anexos by Angela Garcia
9780374605780 | 4/30/24

“In this astute and harrowing chronicle, anthropologist Garcia takes the reader into a world few have ever heard of, the anexos, mostly unregulated treatment centers, primarily in Mexico City, where people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness, and other challenges are often sent. Given ongoing arguments over immigration, drug use, and legalization, Garcia’s outstanding book adds compassion and insight to this important social and political discussion.”—Booklist, starred review

“Garcia’s narrative is fueled by an insatiable curiosity about the unique ethos of anexos, which sometimes seem to serve as spiritual retreats from a world gone haywire. It’s a luminous, immersive account of an unseen social safety net.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

CODE-DEPENDENT: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia
9781250867391 | 6/18/24

“A study of how artificial intelligence ‘is altering the very experience of being human.’ Murgia, a British Indian tech journalist, has been investigating AI for a decade, and her exploration takes readers to Nairobi, Amsterdam, the rural Indian village of Chinchpada, and the city of Salta, in Argentina, among other destinations. Throughout, the author writes with clarity and compassion in equal measure. A fascinating, sobering, wide-ranging examination.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“In this mordant debut exposé, Financial Times editor Murgia goes into the global trenches where artificial intelligence is being rolled out and finds a proliferation of lousy jobs, impenetrable red tape, grotesque misogyny, and tyrannical surveillance. Murgia’s vivid, sympathetic reportage looks beneath the grandiose promise of AI to get at the mundane reality of systems that merely automate the inept, callous, and unaccountable mismanagement and dispossession that ordinary workers and citizens already endure. The result is a biting and skeptical look at the brave new world of AI.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

THE GREAT ABOLITIONIST: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union by Stephen Puleo
9781250276278 | 4/23/24

“The story of a haughty and courageous senator who was dedicated to racial equality and the extinction of slavery. Puleo cogently and vividly demonstrates why, and his book is required reading for anyone with even a slight interest in Civil War-era U.S. history. A wonderfully written book about a true American freedom fighter.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner’s lifelong devotion to equal rights according to this rousing biography from historian Puleo. Puleo’s easygoing narrative style is peppered with insight, including into how the ‘personality difficulties’ that made empathizing with others impossible for Sumner contributed to his relentless, fact-based argumentativeness. Readers won’t be able to get enough of Puleo’s indomitable Sumner.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

DESPERATELY SEEKING SOMETHING: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls by Susan Seidelman
9781250328212 | 6/18/24

“Movie director Seidelman’s memoir is a breezy read about her life from childhood through the present day. Her stories are compelling and offer a glimpse into a little-known independent-film world. There are also vivid descriptions of the New York City artist culture in the late 20th century. A quick and easy read about the life and career of a trailblazing filmmaker.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Seidelman vividly traces the evolution of her artistic vision, combining the strong, feisty heroines of classic screwball comedies with the playful, postmodern spirit of New Wave film. It’s an enthralling look at a trailblazing filmmaker’s perseverance and vision.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review