June Staff Reads

This non-fiction book looks at hope in a slightly different way than is commonly thought. The author uses hope in the sense of, "a motivation toward something perceived as valuable, what is sometimes described as "purpose" or "meaning" "in contrast to the more common idea of a feeling of optimism or the expectation of a positive result". The author then goes on to discuss how to build a form of hope that is sustainable and benevolent and can bring people together versus keep them separate and at odds with one another.

If you love art or science, or love them both, I highly recommend this book. I just started reading Radioactive and it is visually beautiful, strange and intriguing. It follows the story of Marie Curie, her relationship with Pierre, their groundbreaking work in chemistry and their discovery of the radioactive compounds radium and polonium. It also asks some big questions about technologies that have resulted from the Curie's discoveries including nuclear weapons and radiation treatments in medicine. But it is also just a visually beautiful art book that can be enjoyed for the gorgeous illustrations alone.

I have wanted to read this book for some time and am only 13 pages into the story but so far so good! The story follows a man named Shadow who was in prison for three years and is on the brink of being released but can sense that trouble is on the horizon. From what I know the story follows Shadow once he is released from prison as he travels across the U.S. and encounters various characters along the way. There is an element of mythology that Gaiman weaves throughout the story as well.

ANG: