Disposable City by Mario Alejandro Ariza

Miami's Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe

3 out of 5 🌟 A memoir of an environmental activist

I usually start my reviews with a short description of a book and this is a part I struggled the most while reading this title. What is it about? Each chapter tackles a different issue, either about social justice or environmental matters. The book is all over the place: from selling houses with a 30-year mortgage on sinking parcels, through shrinking Everglades and endangered households of native inhabitants, to redlining and violence towards black residents. Plus huge pythons and one octopus in the garage.

Summarizing, 'Disposable City' is about everything that is wrong with the world today with a special focus on Miami, Florida.

What I turned me off the most was that the whole book is written as a memoir. A highly detailed day-to-day journal about the author's life. It even includes a whole breakfast menu of one of the hotels. If a book can have ADD (*Atention Deficit Disorder), this one has.

However, the book shows several critical topics that are, most of the time, completely ignored by the mainstream media. I was really touched by the chapter about immigrants' problems and how they are mistreated by the officials. Also, the sinking of Florida isn't a hoax but our near Future. All these problems are gravely important but unfortunately, the message is just too hard to read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

Comments

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World by Elena Favilli

5 out of 5 💪Girl Power International Another tome of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls shows 100 portraits of female immigrants that made their impact on the world. I liked the variety of representation that doesn't focus on the United States and the UK. On the same note, the book shows women from both the past and the ones currently living, both young and old with all skin colors and background history. Each person is represented with a brief description, their immigration route, and a beautiful portrait - each painted by the different talented artists. I greatly admired that eclectic design idea. Overall, this is another great gift for brave young girls and women. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Rebel Girls for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

Songbird

by Ingrid Laguna 4.5 out of 5 🌟A wonderful and emotional story about hope ‘Songbird’ is a name Jamila was called by her best friend Mina back in Baghdad, Iraq. Now she is in Australia, a new country away from her friends and family, speaking a foreign language she doesn’t fully understand. Jamila is trying hard to succeed in school and fit in among her peers despite all difficulties. Singing is her way to escape from troubles, allowing her to be happy and careless again. Jamila’s life is hardly resembling all other middle-grade stories, telling about fear, war, and longing for a missing family member whose whereabouts are unknown. Her experience shows the everyday struggle of thousands of children that often goes unnoticed by colleagues and teachers. The story was captivating and deeply emotional, I felt Jamila's pain when she struggles to communicate and was missing her loved ones abroad. My personal experience as an immigrant is very different from hers but I know ...

Queens of the Resistance: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by Brenda Jones and Krishan Trotman

4 out of 5 💪"...She's still Alex from the block 🎶" 'Queens of the Resistance' is a series of books about modern-day politicians committed to making an impact on our everyday lives. Also, to change the existing administrative model to be more inclusive and welcome for every gender and skin color. These Queens are concerned about racial justice, everyday problems of undocumented Americans, and climate change. The volume about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells the story of AOC since the very beginning, including her childhood through the first steps in politics to her plans for the future. The book is strongly biased but that something the one can guess just by the title. It made my roll my eyes ones or twice in the first chapters but the farthest in the book, the more concrete data, and stories. I enjoyed the background story of Alexandria and all the badass stuff she's done (so far!). The biggest advantage of the series is language, pure gen Z / millennial slang...

What would Ula read?

Search This Blog