BOOKWORM
AN INHERITANCE OF IDEALS
Small Acts of Courage by Ali Velshi, St Martin’s Press, $40. More than a century ago, MSNBC host Ali Velshi's great-grandfather sent his seven-year-old son to live at Tolstoy Farm, Gandhi's ashram in South Africa. This difficult decision would change the trajectory of his family history forever. From childhood, Velshi's grandfather was imbued with an ethos of public service and social justice, and a belief in absolute equality among all people – ideals that his children carried forward as they escaped apartheid, emigrating to Kenya, and then ultimately to Canada and the United States.
In Small Acts of Courage, Velshi taps into 125 years of family history to advocate for social justice as a living, breathing experience – a way of life more than an ideology. He relates the stories of regular people who made a lasting commitment to fight for change, even when success seemed impossible. His heartfelt exploration of how we can breathe new life into the principles of pluralistic democracy is an urgent call to action.
AND SO IT BEGINS
May It Have A Happy Ending by Minelle Mahtani, Doubleday Canada, $34.95. Minelle Mahtani had taken a leap of faith. A new mother in a new life, she’d moved across the country for love, and soon found herself facing the exciting and terrifying prospect of hosting her own radio show.
But as she began to find her place in the majority white newsroom, she was handed devastating news: her Iranian mother had been diagnosed with tongue cancer. Just as Mahtani was finding her voice, her mother was losing hers.
The mother who taught her to speak up, and to speak well.
“You’re going to have to slow down how fast you speak, and learn to speak clearly. Even now you’re talking too fast.”
What does it mean to amplify the voices of others while the stories of your ancestors are being buried in your mother's mouth? Why do we cling to superstition and luck when we’ve lost all faith in healing those we love? And how do we juggle bearing the burden of looking after an ill parent when we are trying to parent our own children?
It’s about the lessons we absorb as children that we then pass on, often unconsciously, to our children in turn.
The first of many mixed-race lessons: keep quiet when you’re humiliated –to protect yourself, and the people you love.
There were other aspects to her personality that came from being of mixed race. “Of always watching, learning, picking up clues to learn about the other side, the other way of being. Mirroring the opposite.”
But then she realizes this affects her work – she’s been mirroring the voices of guests on her show, which does not make for great radio.
“I’d been working so hard at sounding standard – at sounding white – that I sounded like nobody at all.”
After her mother’s diagnosis, Mahtani describes herself as freighted down. She lays bare her fear and her love, in all their raw beauty.
It’s a searing, intimate and blisteringly honest memoir about mothers and daughters, grief and healing, finding your voice. And listening, making the time to be present.
I think about how her last words to me really held no sound, just her mouthing the words, “wish come true” as she drew a heart with her fingers in the air.
The poet Rumi writes, “There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.”
When her son asks if he can tell her a story now, she writes that she finds herself “saying, again and again, ‘Yes, junam, I’m listening’.”
TOME AND TOME AGAIN
Once Upon A Tome by Oliver Darkshire, W.W.Norton & Company, $23.99. When Oliver Darkshire stepped into London’s Henry Sotheran Ltd. to apply for a job, little did he know that the store would become his life.
Henry Sotheran, founded in 1761, is one of the oldest book-shops in the world.
A novice in this ancient, potentially haunted establishment, Darkshire was soon unteetering stacks of first editions and placating the store’s resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran, hit by a tram).
As he gains confidence and history, he discovers Sotheran’s brushes with history (Dickens, the Titanic), enchanting stories of rare volumes, its weird and wonderful clientele, poisoned books, unlabeled keys, and the unspoken rules of this old-fashioned trade.
TREASURE HUNT
Treasures of India from Antiquity to Modernity, DK Penguin Random House, $54. A definitive, visual exploration of India’s rich cultural heritage.
The book features more than 150 of the country’s celebrated works of art, artifacts and architectural gems, from the striking Dancing Girl of Harappa to the magnificent riches of the Sikh empire, the imposing chola bronze of Nataraja and the exquisite structures of Khajuraho and the Taj Mahal.
KILLER SECRET
The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves, Random House, $24.95. Cate Winter has discovered a cure for Alzheimer’s. On the verge of selling her biotech company for an obscene amount, she’s also carrying a secret that could derail the deal: She grew up at a treatment facility for psychopathic children.
As far as she knows, she’s the institute’s only success. And then she discovers the existence of another outlier from the institute who might prove that her success isn’t a fluke. Cate tracks him down and discovers a kindred spirit, a driven and brilliant innovator. But could he also be a killer?
CRACKS IN THE FACADE
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q Sutanto, Berkley, $39. When cracks start forming in an influencer’s curated life, she finds that jealousy is just as viral as a video.
Meredith Lee taught Aspen Palmer how to blossom on social media only to be dropped as soon as Aspen became big. So can anyone really blame her for a little stalking? When she finds one of Aspen’s kid’s iPads, she gains access to her social media accounts.
And with just a little tweaking of things here and there she begins to take back what she believes is rightly hers.
Things get crazier when Meredith goes missing and Aspen receives mysterious threats.
A fascinating look at the frenetic posturing that lies behind the seemingly picture perfect lives that will do anything for more likes.
BOMBS AND BOOKS
The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan, Ballantine Books, $38.99. Another book about the efforts to save a library – this one in London during the blitz – based on true events.
New deputy librarian Juliet Lansdown has to prove to the men in charge that a woman is up to the task of running the library.
Katie Upwood is only working at the library until heading off to university.
Sophie Baumann, a young Jewish refugee who came to London on a domestic service visa only to find herself working for an abusive man, escapes to the library every chance she can.
When bombs destroy the library, Juliet relocates the books to the local Underground station where the residents shelter nightly, intent on lending out stories to keep spirits up.
Will Julie, Katie and Sophie be able to save the library?
FAMILY TIES
The Other Daughter by Caroline Bishop, Simon & Schuster, $24.99. Jess discovers a shocking secret about her late mother. “I became a different person only because I walked around a corner I hadn’t intended to.”
Will all the history embodied by those family photos be hers to cherish again?
Possibly.
Because Jess learns that biology isn’t everything. And that she was always meant to have the life she had.
Her search will lead her to Switzerland, where her mother travelled as a young journalist in the 1970s.
With intertwining themes of social expectations of women, female friendship and motherhood – especially the right to choose to become a mother – The Other Daughter found a place next to Looking for Jane on my shelf.
A PAGE AND A TURNER!
The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln, Dial Books For Young Readers, $31.99. An immersive tale about two kids – one named Page and the other Turner – that is, but obviously, set in a library!
Magic builds in books, the prologue informs readers. The older the book and the more books around, the greater the magical pressure.
With villains escaping from their books and threatening to destroy the library, it’s up to Page and Turner and a mysterious Night Librarian to save the library.
BELONGING
I’m From Here Too by Kashmira Sheth, Peachtree Atlanta, $24.49. As Anoop begins grade 8, aspects of his identity, specially his long hair covered under a cloth – the patka – draw attention in new and uncomfortable ways.
As attacks on American Sikhs accelerate, he is reminded of his grand-father’s experiences during the Partition of India.
Can the tenets of his faith – equality, justice, service, honesty – help Anoop navigate life?
Police and protection
have become such a part of our lives
At the airport,
Dad and I got selected for
extra screening
because they thought other travellers
need to be protected from us.
But today, the police were at gurudwara
to protect us from other people.
Ironic? Maybe
Reality? Definitely.
An eloquent verse novel about a year of change, challenges and growth.
DEEP DIVE
Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen, Alfred A Knopf, $24.99. Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather salvaged shipwrecks for a living.
When he comes across a speedboat that has run aground, and meets shady strangers, he discovers he’ll have to dive deep to escape this tangled net.
TEEN REVIEW
By AKSHAYEN JEYASEELAN
The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway, Penguin Random House, $42. The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway is a guide to understanding how to build wealth, not just in terms of money but also success.
Galloway, a professor of marketing at NYU, shares personal stories and research to give practical advice on how to get rich in four main steps: focus, hard work, relationships, and luck.
What I liked most about this book is its realistic tone. Galloway doesn’t sugarcoat things. He talks about the real truths of success, and his sense of humour keeps readers engaged. The mix of tips and life lessons made it feel much more than just a finance book.
It can feel repetitive, though, especially if you’ve read similar books like The Millionaire Fastlane. Both highlight the importance of taking risks, but Galloway’s approach is far more balanced with advice on personal well-being.
My key takeaway is that wealth isn’t just about money; it’s about having options and freedom. I found this concept very impactful because it changed the way I view success.
I recommend it to anyone who wants a simple guide to building a successful life.
• Akshayen Jeyaseelan is a youth volunteer at Brampton Library.