Sad and disturbing. The parallels to our current national crisis in the United States (the consequences of social media posts, political violence, authoritarian leaders, corruption in the courts, bribery, …) make this book so important. In an NPR interview with Scott Simon aired on June 6, 2020, the author Megha Majumdar commented: “I think what feels remarkable to me right now is that I started writing this book several years ago, paying attention to how the state’s systems of oppression bear down upon marginalized groups. And here we are, you and I, chatting today when the mood in the U.S. is so remarkably similar. And the parallels between India and the U.S. are stunning. I mean, there are scholars and journalists who have written about the links between Hindu nationalism and white supremacy.

So I think there are these really close links between what’s happening in India and what’s happening in the U.S. And I hope that through this book, which, yes, is about oppression and yes, is about systems of discrimination, I hope that people also do pay attention to how the characters in this book dream and make jokes and strive even in conditions of great oppression, and I hope that feels meaningful to anybody picking up the book in the U.S.”

Technology changes our world faster than humans adapt. What should we do?

Nerds and love vs. evil in the DR. Read by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Swing Time by Zadie Smith from Libro.fm on Vimeo.

Moonglow by Michael Chabon