NPR | February 19, 2021

Contributed by Clover Hope, writer, professor, and author of The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop.

Several bright, young women rappers have owned the Tiny Desk stage in the past few years, and I'm honored to highlight some of my favorites from the archives.

• I love that Chika kept her performance low-key, even with four backup singers behind her. Her set is pure charm, poetry and comedy. At one point, she pulls out a tiny tub of Vaseline and erroneously calls it ChapStick.

• Notice first (as if you couldn't) that Mulatto is sitting in an oversized, tufted, white throne in a studio and not in front of a wall of books per the usual Tiny Desk aesthetic. It's the perfect ambiance for her to suavely rap about riches and insecurity, while a violinist gives the performance an extra air of grandeur.

• Noname raps with a level of clarity and calm that hangs in the air like smoke. It's a treat to watch her perform selections from her album Telefone and talk about how we should "heal the world with vulnerability."

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Rise Feminist Books | February 18, 2021

2020 challenged all of us. A pandemic physically separated us. In the midst of loss, isolation, and injustice, we forged new paths of togetherness. We created new models of community. We developed new tools. We connected with our loved ones virtually. We took to the streets in protest.

We are not finished. There is still work to be done.

“We are a generation called to action.” (Khan-Cullors/bandele, When They Call You a Terrorist)

As we take stock of what we have lost, we must continue to fight. We must hold both in our hearts: the past and the future.

We are inspired by women who have used their voices for change, lifting the voices of other women. Women like Shirley Chisholm, Ella Baker, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Jennifer Keelan, Harriet Tubman, and Ethel L. Payne chose to lead with more than just words; they led with action.

Named to the 2021 list:
Khan-Cullors, Patrisse & bandele, asha. When They Call You a Terrorist: Young Adult Edition.
2020. 245p. St. Martin’s/Wednesday $18.99 (9781250194985). Gr. 8-up.
Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors shares life stories that have influenced and built the international movement.

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The Providence Journal | February 18, 2021

There’s a lot to like in Daniel Pyne’s “Water Memory” (Thomas & Mercer, 386 pages, $24.95), most notably a refreshing, pulse-pounding structure that narrows the landscape even as it expands the playing field.

Think “Die Hard” on a cargo ship as shell-shocked special operator Audrey Sentro finds safe passage that turns out not to be so safe at all when pirates seize the vessel. It’s almost like fighting by choice, instead of out of duty, is precisely the tonic she needs to get her mojo back. Problem is, Sentro is one more concussion away from her brain packing it in, meaning she'd better dispatch the bad guys just as she was trained to do.

“Water Memory” is original, wondrously paced and, well, memorable. At the book’s heart, it’s basically one long action scene in a manner best befitting the great David Morrell and the best book of its kind since Roderick Thorpe’s “Nothing Lasts Forever,” the basis for the aforementioned film “Die Hard.”

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Mountain Times | February 16, 2021

With a pace that will have you racing through Daniel Pyne’s thriller, ‘”Water Memory,”’ it’s no surprise that the second in the series is already in the works. Black ops specialist Aubrey Sentro won’t be held back.

Or will she? There’s a lot going on in “Water Memory,” and Pyne’s story covers a lot of ground: motherhood, memory and munitions, separately and often all at once.

When the ship, its crew and passengers are captured by pirates, Sentro comes into her own, showcasing the military skills she’s honed over decades. That those skills are tested by her dark recall and that no one is really who they seem to be — including Sentro herself, who for years fed her now-adult children the fiction that she was a well-traveled desk jockey — confound and propel the novel.

“Water Memory” is a speedboat on steroids and Pyne’s use of the present tense and blind narrative turns fuel the propulsion. Tackle this one while you’re wide awake, hang tight until the end and wait for “Vital Signs,” book two in the Sentro series, due out a year from now.

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AudioFile Magazine | February 11, 2021

Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

An epic novel enveloping a wide swath of European colonialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is deftly narrated by Robin Miles. The novel opens in Montana with the adventures and tribulations of Victor, a Crow Indian boy who, approaching manhood, is heading out on his vision quest. Victor's mother, Rosa, from Trinidad, is the daughter of a formerly enslaved father from Africa and a woman from Martinique. Miles beautifully captures numerous accents in the account of Rosa's early life in the Caribbean, voyage to the American West, and life with the Crow Indians. This little known part of America's story is riveting in itself. Coupled with Miles's stunning narration, this novel will no doubt find many attentive listeners.

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Midwest Book Review | February 9, 2021

Black ops specialist Aubrey Sentro may be one concussion away from death. But when pirates seize the cargo ship she's on, she must decide whether to risk her life to save her fellow passengers. Sentro's training takes over, and she's able to elude her captors, leaving bodies in her wake. But her problems are just getting started. Her memory lapses are getting more frequent, symptoms of serial-concussion syndrome.

As she plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with the pirates, she pushes herself to survive by focusing on thoughts of her children. She's never told them what she really does for a living, and now she might not get the chance. While her memories make her vulnerable, motherhood makes her dangerous.

Critique: A deftly crafted and simply riveting read, "Water Memory: A Thriller" effectively showcases author Daniel Pyne's impressively entertaining narrative storytelling style as a novelist.

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Deadline | February 5, 2021

EXCLUSIVE: Gil Birmingham (Twilight, Hell or High Water), Terry O’Quinn (Perpetual Grace LTD, Patriot) and Calum Worthy (Out of Order, I Was A Rat) are set for recurring roles opposite Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote in Netflix’s dramatic thriller series Pieces of Her.

Based on the 2018 book by bestselling crime author Karin Slaughter, the eight-episode series comes from an all-female creative team led by Charlotte Stoudt, Bruna Papandrea, Lesli Linka Glatter and Minkie Spiro, who will direct the season.

Written by Stoudt, who serves as showrunner, Pieces of Her is set in a sleepy Georgia town where a random act of violence sets off an unexpected chain of events for 30-year-old Andy Oliver (Heathcote) and her mother Laura (Collette). Desperate for answers, Andy embarks on a dangerous journey across America, drawing her towards the dark, hidden heart of her family.

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Los Angeles Times | February 4, 2021

When “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” was published some 15 years ago, it accelerated an unofficial crime subgenre with a rebooted style of heroine — the kick-ass female. Of course this wasn’t exactly new: Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller and other writers of previous generations wrote female protagonists who take no tea for the fever. But Stieg Larsson and the myriad 21st century writers who stand on their shoulders have taken those characters to new heights of physical prowess — even as they sometimes sucked plot, character development and even logic into their thrillers’ action-packed vortex.

Into this maelstrom comes Aubrey Sentro, the heroine of Daniel Pyne’s “Water Memory” — a former government agent who now works black ops missions for a private security firm called Solomon Systems. The blistering prologue establishes that Sentro knows her way around an exfiltration, despite a mix-up about the hotel room where the victim is being held. This time it’s a middle-aged Chinese American corporate type who’s been kidnapped at a conference in Cyprus but naively thinks he’s having a marathon lovemaking session with a beautiful woman. Sentro’s momentary hesitation about the room contributed to the mission going sideways, resulting in unintended bloodshed and something more in the aftermath: “She heard but couldn’t understand the voices, as if she were underwater.”

“Water Memory” is elevated from its genre moorings by the parallels it draws to classic seafaring literature, including “Lord Jim” (whose title character’s journey is echoed here) and even Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” excerpted for the novel’s epigraph. But neither that nor the well-placed and succinct flashbacks, illuminating the flash points in Sentro’s past that led her to this fateful moment, can distract a reader from the ripping good yarn Pyne has spun — or the prickly, endearing Aubrey Sentro, ugly scars and all.

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Gumshoe Review | February 1, 2021

Daniel Pyne's Water Memory is a violent, action-packed thriller of a desperate woman, Aubrey Sentro, who is on the verge of losing everything she loves. She is forced to become a fierce tigress in order to save the lives of innocent civilians, including her own son. Aubrey is an expert at hand-to-hand combat, having been trained in the army. She has participated in covert operations around the world. She has made many sacrifices in order to rise among the ranks. Unfortunately, she has lost her husband, Dennis Twoon, to cancer; her grown children resent her for being absent when they were growing up, and now she learns that her body is turning against her. Her memory is becoming unreliable.

Its unique setting is one of the reasons why I enjoyed reading Water Memory. Much of the storyline takes place aboard a cargo ship, Jeddah, which is owned by a Singapore shipping company. I didn't know that people vacation aboard these slow-moving ships that meander from port to port. Mostly elderly, retired people who have a great deal of free time and flexible schedules are able to vacation aboard cargo ships. Except for the bustling, hectic crowds, these vessels offer many comforts that the large cruise liners have. I've been on enormous cruise boats where I became extremely stressed from the constant rushing; I felt I needed a vacation after my cruise. Cargo ships transport about a dozen passengers, the food is good, there are libraries and gyms, and interesting ports of call.

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Forbes | January 31, 2021

Hip-hop is usually told through the perspective of men and usually emphasizes a celebration of male legends. Music journalist Clover Hope wrote The Motherlode to tell hip-hop’s story through the perspective of women—something rather revolutionary.

With over 100 quick profiles and vibrant illustrations, The Motherlode tells a new story of hip-hop through the women who made it and continue to shape it.

“People have done TikTok videos to ‘Push It’ or, you know, to J.J. Fad’s ‘Supersonic’ but don't know the history of that group or what they went through,” Hope said. “They kind of hear all these songs, and they hear these artists out of context.”

So, she created “a text where you could see hip-hop from the perspective of women.” Profiles include artists from MC Sha-Rock and Da Brat to Nicki Minaj and Cardi B.

Hope wanted to provide a historical context for trending artists and lesser known artists alike. She wanted to highlight their journeys and acknowledgement their contributions that may not otherwise get the spotlight they deserve.

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Deadline | January 28, 2021

Jessica Barden (End of the F***ing World), David Wenham (Lion), Joe Dempsie (Game Of Thrones), Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys for Life) and Omari Hardwick (Power) have been set as leads opposite Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote in Pieces of Her, we can reveal.

Netflix’s dramatic thriller series is based on the 2018 book by bestselling crime author Karin Slaughter.

The eight-episode series comes from an all-female creative team led by Charlotte Stoudt, Bruna Papandrea, Lesli Linka Glatter and Minkie Spiro, who will direct the season.

Written by Stoudt, who serves as showrunner, Pieces of Her is set in a sleepy Georgia town where a random act of violence sets off an unexpected chain of events for 30-year-old Andy Oliver (Heathcote) and her mother Laura (Collette). Desperate for answers, Andy embarks on a dangerous journey across America, drawing her towards the dark, hidden heart of her family.

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Booklist | January 27, 2021

Adapting The Great Gatsby into a graphic novel is no easy feat because the metaphor and imagery are so well known. Instead of a strict recreation of every word, Woodman-Maynard uses muted single-color panels and pages to communicate the different moods of the story, from excessive parties to melancholy remembrances. When Nick Carraway moves to West Egg, he quickly gets pulled into the world of his nouveau riche neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Over in East Egg, Nick spends time with his cousin Daisy and her hulking husband, Tom Buchanan. Nick then finds out that Gatsby’s plan is to recreate his past with Daisy, and he gets caught in the middle of their reconciliation. Woodman-Maynard chooses to turn many metaphors into literal drawings, adding to the heightened euphoria of Gatsby’s parties. Although most readers will know the story, Woodman-Maynard’s artwork brings a new perspective to the character’s histories and actions—Daisy especially benefits from this. This adaptation deftly pays homage to Fitzgerald’s iconic phrases through the artwork and pushes readers to question Nick’s status as narrator.

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Publishers Weekly | January 25, 2021

There were four Caldecott Honor Books: A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart, illustrated by Noa Denmon, written by Zetta Elliott (FSG); The Cat Man of Aleppo, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha (Putnam); Me & Mama, illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera (S&S/Denene Millner); and Outside In, illustrated by Cindy Derby, written by Deborah Underwood (HMH).

The Robert F. Sibert Award for the most distinguished informational book for children went to Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera, written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Eric Rohmann (Holiday House/Neal Porter Books). There were three Sibert Honors: How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure, written and illustrated by John Rocco (Crown); Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, written by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera (Abrams); and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick).

Three King Illustrator Honor Books were chosen: Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, written by Samara Cole Doyon (Tilbury House); Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, written by Suzanne Slade (Abrams); and Me & Mama, illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera (S&S/Denene Millner Books).

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The Horn Book | January 25, 2021

In the early morning, a young unnamed Black girl tiptoes through the house and past various sleeping family members, to be greeted by the smell of cinnamon and her mother’s good-morning song. Even though the day is rainy, it’s a wonderful time “to be everywhere Mama is.” Throughout her day, the child makes clever observations about the similarities and differences between herself and her mother. While she has less toothpaste on her toothbrush, both she and Mama know to brush “round my teeth with little circles.” As they prepare to go outside to take a nature walk, it’s noted that “Mama’s rain boots are / bigger than mine. / And they’re red”—however, both pairs make an excellent splash in puddles. The girl is also keen to acknowledge how she and her mother care for each other—after her hair is combed, she returns the favor, accentuating her mom’s thick curls with “the purply pink barrette…She calls it fuchsia.” At the end of her day (“Our day is done earlier than / Mama and Papa’s / It’s just that way when you’re growing”), mother and daughter read stories to each other. Drifting off to sleep, the young girl is content to dream, knowing “there’ll be me and mama.” Celebrating the beautiful dark brown skin of the duo, and surrounded by various hues of blue, Cabrera’s color-saturated illustrations, a mix of single pages and double-page spreads, add to the gentle charm of the conversational text. Large and small pairs of everyday objects appear on the endpapers, bolstering the celebration of the mother/daughter relationship.

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The Wall Street Journal | January 22, 2021

Picturing the Jazz Age with the classic story of American self-invention.

Something’s always lost when a book gets translated into a film, stage show or graphic novel. But something’s often gained, too, as is manifestly the case with K. Woodman-Maynard’s illustrated adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” (Candlewick, 232 pages, $24.99). The book is rendered in luxe colors of rose, gold, amethyst and aquamarine, making us feel as though we’re watching the events of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel through gems held up to the light.

Having been altered and condensed to suit the graphic-novel form, this “Gatsby” won’t be ideal for newcomers, but as an adjunct or a fresh way of experiencing a canonical story, readers ages 14 and older will find it hugely rewarding.

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Booklist | January 7, 2021

Throughout Lauren Francis-Sharma’s saga, she gives readers a cast of characters whose stories are drawn from the tangled beginnings of the Caribbean and the early American West, detailed with subtexts of racism and colonialism. Central to the story is Rosa, a strong-willed Trinidadian woman, who, as the story begins, is the wife of Edward Rose, a Crow Chief in 1830s Wyoming. How did she get here and what secret does she carry with her that affects not only her future but her son’s? Taking a circu-linear path, the players and places combine to unravel this history’s mystery. Narrator Robin Miles takes it to a higher level through her oral presentation, truly crafting a sweeping story experience. She captures the essence of each character, breathing added believability into their bones, demonstrating an amazing range of vocalizations. With a “narrator” voice that works as a plain canvas, she then paints a wide variety of accents and languages (American, Caribbean and British English, French, Spanish, and those of several Native Peoples of North America), including nuanced local dialects appropriate to the time period; she is able to effortlessly sound male and female, youthful and elderly. This is an exceptional audio production that doesn’t need any flashy special effects. Highly recommended.

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Kirkus | January 6, 2021

A 2005 classic charting hip-hop’s rise to global prominence—while navigating the entanglements of race, class, politics, and poetics that lie at its heart—gets a long-overdue redux.

Two veteran cultural critics bring the history of hip-hop to younger readers in 2021 as the infinite futures of the genre continue to expand. Readers can feel the seeds of Chang’s cultural organizing within the storytelling of this tour de force while Cook brings his decades of experience as a pioneering hip-hop journalist to give new color to this edition. They write of hip-hop’s birth in the figurative and all-too-literal fires of Kingston, Jamaica, and the South Bronx before becoming the world’s most significant youth cultural influence. Hip-hop founding father DJ Kool Herc reminds readers of the dualities of fun and responsibility at its core in the introduction. Chapters comb through the movement’s antecedents in the 1960s, traveling from coast to coast, through the South and all around the world. The authors show the oft-underrepresented ways that Black women have shaped hip-hop, and new chapters chart its championing in the 21st century as a lifestyle built around being anti-establishment grappled with commercial success, political influence, and social change during the 2020 summer of Covid and mass protest. In addition to satisfying committed fans, this stellar work could function as a supplementary text within any social studies narration of the post–civil rights–era U.S.

Required history for young hip-hop heads—and everyone else.

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New York Public Library | January 4, 2021

2020 has been an extraordinary year (as in very much outside of the ordinary) but also a great year for readers. The New York Public Library's Best Books Committees have read widely and rigorously, searching out the most innovative, vibrant, and relevant books for New Yorkers today. Today we are proud to announce our Best Books of 2020—our annual lists of recommendations for kids, teens, and adults.

Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier
Meet the first women in space! Journey with three fearless astronauts, Sally Ride, Mary Cleave, and Valentina Tereshkova, as they change the world by leaving it.

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