What Joanna Is Reading Right Now

Name: Joanna
Age: 21
Where from: Chicagoland
Occupation: student

Currently reading: Black Boy (Richard Wright)
Why this book: Part II ("The Horror and the Glory") was assigned in a course as an illustration of Black Communism, and I liked those chapters so much that I went back and started reading the first half ("American Hunger").

Thoughts: Wright describes the physical poverty and emotional isolation of his formative years in a way that's completely compelling without being pathetic, or too painful to read. This is an essential perspective on America and her social ills (chiefly racism, but with a fair amount of commentary on materialism and misplaced individualism), from a man whose passion for writing is not only the central point of his narrative, but also evident in every line. Wright somehow manages to turn his autobiography--normally a pretty self-indulgent activity--into a philosophical and historical statement that transcends the personal, yet never loses its narrative momentum. This goes on my list of "books more people ought to have read."

Other Recommendations: The other book on that list is Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, for people who enjoy novels with evident implications for our current reality. Also, Gilead (Marilynne Robinson), for everyone. Period.