The City We Became, by N.K. Jemisin, is a sci-fi fantasy novel around themes of hope and belonging.

Have you ever walked through a city at night and felt that it was… alive in some way? Turns out- it might have been. In Jemisin’s carefully crafted (and scientifically accurate!) universe, when cities accumulate enough people and enough culture, they are able to sever themselves from the tether of our universe and be “born” as multidimensional entities- living, breathing organisms. However, the odds are always against it- because the Enemy, obsessed with preserving the spacetime continuum, is always watching and waiting. Each city chooses avatars to protect it- will the avatars of New York City, Earth’s newest birth, rise to the challenge?

This was one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. Jemisin writes in an easily understandable, prose-y, but uniquely engaging style that I absolutely loved. The plot was incredible too- I love slightly nerdier sci-fi type fantasy plots, and this was perfect! Another one of my favorite aspects of this book was the representation. It didn’t feel heavy-handed or overdone- but the diversity of the characters, whether in ethnicity or in sexuality, really added to the depth of the storytelling in the book through each of their unique struggles. For example, the representation of Padmini, an Indian undocumented immigrant, in Queens, or Bronca, a Lenape art curator in the Bronx, were completely different than what I’ve seen in other books like this- and very much appreciated. I also personally related to the experience of Aislyn, the primary morally-gray (and just masterfully written) character in the book.

This book is part of the Great Cities trilogy, the second book of which (sadly) won’t be released until November 2022. That being said, I would highly, highly recommend this book to anyone!

-Vaidehi B.

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

If Talon, one of the main characters from the fictional novel Downsiders, created a scrapbook, what would he include in it? What kinds of items were important throughout his journey?

Warning! This post has spoilers!!

1: Socks

Socks are an integral part of the Downside tradition. Downsiders will leave socks in certain places for people to find as a symbol of gratitude. This is because socks are fairly difficult to find in the Downside, so their value is much higher there. Talon (a Downsider, or someone living in the subway tunnels) gets offended when Lindsay (a Topsider, or someone living on the surface, as we do) does not show gratitude for the sock he left her, but Lindsay recognizes her mistake and says, “‘I’m sorry’…And she put it back into her pocket, finding herself oddly pleased that she wouldn’t be parting with it” (Shusterman 76-77). This exchange of a sock begins the story of Talon and Lindsay’s friendship, as both Talon and Lindsay have proved their liking for one another in their own respective ways. 

2: The “Bot”

Talon has broken the most sacred rule of the Downside by bringing a Topsider (Lindsay) down into the underground world. This event is the first stage of the book’s conflict, and he and Lindsay end up lost in the Bot, which “was one of the many unquestioned realities of Downside life. It was there, had always been there…the Bot was a Big Old Tunnel–a stone-lined cylinder that ran the length of the Downside and beyond” (Shusterman 95). It is said that the many tributaries of the Bot span the entire Downside. The Bot can be seen as a physical representation of the story’s plotline. Talon’s journey throughout Downside ranks is supposed to be straightforward, yet his curiosity leads him to get lost in the tributaries of his journey. By bringing a Topsider into the Downside, Talon has stumbled into an unexplored tributary, as such a grave offense has never been committed. Readers are engaged and curious to see if the tributary will be a dead-end or lead to something amazing.

3: The Sun

At the beginning of the novel, Talon expresses his yearning to see dawn, as Downsiders are not allowed to see the sun. Near the middle, he is executed from the Downside due to bringing a Topsider down, but the pipe that was supposed to bring him to his death had a break, so Talon ended up on Coney Island, where he saw and even enjoyed the sun. Finally, among the very last pages, Talon decides to make an entirely new world for his fellow Downsiders, among the abandoned skyscrapers of New York. Knowing about the Downside rule against the sun, Lindsay asks Talon about his strange decision, upon which “Talon grinned more broadly than Lindsay had ever seen him smile before. ‘Things change’” (Shusterman 242). The sun represents the beginning, middle, and end of Talon’s personal journey, just as dawn, noon, and dusk represent the stages of our day. By dusk (or the end of the story), Talon has brought the Downside population to new heights.

-Ayati M.

The Killer Angels is a historical novel by Michael Shaara about the American Civil War.  This book won the Pulitzer Prize and has sold millions of copies.  Even though the novel is fictional, the author conducted extensive historical research to write this book.  I found this novel to be very realistic, and I can understand why it has become so highly regarded.

The story focuses on the Battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863.  The book is organized into four parts, each part describing a separate day of the battle.  The author delves into great detail as he imagines how some of the main characters in this conflict may have felt as the battle unfolded.  He focuses on important military leaders such as Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet from the South, and Joshua Chamberlain from the North.  The author alternates the perspective from one character to another, so that each chapter is written in the viewpoint of a specific person.  This allows the reader to view the battle from many different perspectives.

I found this book to be thrilling and highly dramatic.  The characters seem to come to life as the author uses dialogue and inner thoughts to portray their feelings and motivations.  Even though the characterizations are fictional, the story is based on real events and was very educational for me.  This was a very enjoyable way to learn about American history.  I learned many details about the Civil War.  It was very interesting to learn about how the battle at Gettysburg was won.  The author portrays both sides of the battle very thoroughly, so that the reader can understand the war from both perspectives.  It was very helpful to learn about this war from a novel that is so vivid and absorbing.  I would definitely recommend this book.

-Oliver H.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.