Yum & Yuk

Awesome comedian on race, immigration, and life in the US: For Comic Hari Kondabolu, Explaining The Joke IS The Joke

Some recent reads: The Water's Lovely by Ruth Rendell ("An odd book. Not really a mystery, but more of a novel about 3 or 4 intertwined lives, and the secrets and manipulations involved in each. I didn't love it, but by the end I was impressed by the feeling of fear and foreboding that had crept it's way in.") Also, I grabbed You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz off the shelf at the library, but it was terrible, and I put it down about 40 pages in - life is too short for bad books.

I finally finished Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China, a non fiction mystery and Edgar award winner. The author had clearly done a ton of research, and the book was full of interesting tidbits, and a solid underlying story. Yet something felt lacking in the structure and the writing, and it never fully came together for me. The narrative didn't move along smoothly and it was hard to keep up with the authors deep knowledge of Chinese history and large cast of characters. I think a great book is in there somewhere, but it's not this one, unfortunately.

Self promotion...but for a good cause/interesting matter! I recently wrote a summary of a big decision in Massachusetts regarding the rights of immigrants to adequate advice in a criminal setting. Check if out, if you're so inclined. Thanks to César at Crimmigration.com for the opportunity!

Image: georgiacapra: chapter 2. letters to anya.

"The Case for Reparations." I finally read this extraordinary article. Even if you disagree with the conclusion (or you assume you are going to disagree), read it for the incredible US history, the great reporting and writing, and the important perspective. I also really recommend this piece to law students and lawyers, as it talks about the way that laws have enforced and re-inforced racism, as well as the way that litigation has helped confront some issues (I had no idea of the entire contract buyers/sellers issue).

Listening: "Look Out Mama" Hurray for the Riff Raff