- I Choose Elena by Lucia Osborne- Crowley
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If you’re looking for a light read, this one is definitely not for you. However, it is a moving personal essay on the effects of sexual violence and how the healthcare system is ill-equipped to support survivors. Lucia was a refined and bright gymnast at the age of fifteen, on track to represent her country at the highest level. On a night out with friends, a man took all of that and more from her by forcibly approaching her and raping her. This brutal assault not only caused Lucia to leave her body via the freeze trauma response, but it also physically damaged her to the point of painful chronic illnesses. A few moments for this man led to decades of pain for Lucia. Readers gain insight into Lucia’s healing journey as a survivor. This narrative shows the frustrating process of seeking medical help from acclaimed professionals in women’s health who had no idea how to treat her pain. This narrative just goes to show that medicine should never just be about treating the body but the mind as well. Her experience has changed the way I view trauma, and I believe it is something that everyone should read. Although a heartbreaking story, it is a powerful one.
- The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
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As the holiday season approaches, this book is a sad reminder that not everyone is surrounded by family and friends, nor is there peace and joy. While our happy L.A. bubble is nice to stay in for a while, you must see the reality that life is not like this everywhere. The ongoing crisis in Syria is shocking, and many people have fled to seek asylum. Christy Lefteri’s novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a sickeningly accurate account of what most refugees go through. The novel follows Nuri, the beekeeper, and his wife, Afra Ibrahim, as they flee Syria in pursuit of asylum after losing their seven-year-old son Sami in a bomb attack that also blinded Afrah. After all of this tragedy, Nuri tells the story of their journey to England, and the chapters alternate between life in Syria before the war and the couple’s journey to a safer country. Afrah was a gifted artist in Syria, and Nuri was an extremely skilled beekeeper. They lost not only their home but also the life they had built for themselves. It was heartbreaking to read about the nights plagued by nightmares, the perilous journey across the ocean, the grief of losing your only child, Nuri’s struggles as Afrah’s primary caregiver, and the frustrating meetings with immigration lawyers.
“I don’t like their queues, their order, their neat little gardens and neat little porches, and their bay windows that glow at night with the flickering of their TVs. It all reminds me that these people have never seen war. It reminds me that back home there is no one watching TV in their living room or on their veranda and it makes me think of everything that’s been destroyed.”
The Beekeeper of Aleppo - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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If you haven’t heard about this book, there’s a good chance you live under the rock. This book deserves all the hype, it was such a good read. Monique Grant, a 35-year-old Vivant magazine writer, is informed by her editor that she has been chosen to interview a reclusive actress, Evelyn Hugo, 79, about her decision to auction off her dresses to benefit a breast cancer charity. Monique is a junior writer who has no idea why Hugo has chosen her, but she goes to the actress’s Upper East Side apartment to meet her. Evelyn tells Monique that she wants her biography written because she has decided to finally tell the truth about certain aspects of her private affairs. The plot twist in this book was expertly executed, and I genuinely was not expecting it going into the novel.
As I read through this list, I’ve realized that my favorite kind of books is the ones that are sad, but they all leave an impression. The best stories, in my opinion, are the ones that stay with you. So, add these novels to your TBR and close out the year with some fantastic reads!