Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share their mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com. – Barbara Ellis
“Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling,” by Jason De Leon (Viking, 2024)
De Leon, a UCLA-based anthropologist, humanizes the global migration crisis. He embedded himself in Honduras and Mexico with smugglers — sometimes called “coyotes” or, as they refer to themselves, “guias” (guides) — to learn about how the system works. But he learned more about the realities of the guides themselves, who became pawns to the gangs that control the migration routes. De Leon also enumerates various governments’ attempts at deterrence and/or enforcement throughout the region, in part supported by the United States and in part undermined by local corruption and gang power. De Leon’s thesis is that “human smuggling … is a violent global process that can be addressed only if we understand why it exists, how it functions, and what the dirty work looks like.” This book goes a long way to giving us that understanding. (Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction.) — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“She Who Rides Horses,” by Sarah V. Barnes (Lilith House Press, 2022)
No definitive evidence exists as to when a human first got the idea of riding a horse, but the region of open grasslands occupied now by southern Russia and Ukraine is a likely location. Barnes earned a PhD in history and taught it for several years before turning her attention to horses, riding and writing. This puts her in a unique position to imagine who that first person might have been, what kind of world she would have lived in, and what prompted her to form a bond with and climb onto the back of a horse, an animal that up until that moment had been thought of as prey.
Naya is a clan chief’s daughter who lived more than 6,000 years ago. Free-spirited, determined and different, she finds herself mysteriously drawn to a filly that shares her own striking hair color. Like the best historical fiction, the story convinced me that this must be exactly how it happened. (This first installment of Barnes’ Saga of the Ancient Steppe series won a Best Indie Book Award and a Global Book Award Gold Medal in 2022.) — 3½ stars (out of 4); Michelle Nelson, Littleton
“The House of Sand and Fog,” by Andre Dubus III (W.W. Norton & Co., 1999)
I read this novel a year ago, and I’m still thinking about it. It reminds me of “The Trial” by Franz Kafka, in which a small clerical error causes major chaos. Also, I can’t believe the character of Kathy was created by a man; he’s truly a master. She’s fully alive with flesh and bones. (A National Book Award finalist and Oprah’s Book Club selection.) — 4 stars (out of 4); Marta Soltys, Toronto, Canada
“A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian,” by Marina Lewycka (Penguin Press, 2005)
Ukrainian immigrant life in Great Britain is the unlikely source for this study of a youngish university lecturer trying to save her elderly father from the machinations of a scheming illegal immigrant. Nadia and her older sister waste months trying to unravel the usurper’s schemes, to say nothing about the appeal of the woman’s abundant breasts and tinseled charms. Clouding all discussions and decisions is the uncertainty of her legal status, along with her motivations. Father Nikolai, an intelligent engineer obsessed with writing his book about the types and development of tractors for the agricultural community, is enchanted, then repelled, then frantically worried about his manipulative companion with whom he is obsessed. The candor of the writing combined with the multitude of insights into aging, immigration, history of European armed conflicts and the impact of family disharmony provide unique insight into a multitude of life lessons. The charm of the writing style guarantees this book will be read over and over. — 4 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, Denver (bonniemccune.com)
“The Berry Pickers,” by Amanda Peters (Catapult, 2023)
A First Nations family from Nova Scotia migrates annually to Maine for the berry and potato harvests. On one of their last harvest seasons, their 4-year-old daughter, Ruthie, goes missing. The family’s and Ruthie’s subsequent lives unfold in alternating chapters told by Ruthie (now “Norma”) and her brother, Joe. Peters explores themes of keeping secrets, guilt, memories and identity. Some of her descriptions of the landscapes of Maine and Nova Scotia are truly lyrical. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver