Nathan H
Not as good as the Titan's Curse but still better than the first two books of the series. For a penultimate finale, I was disappointed by the lack of stakes... The new characters in this one don't really get to shine due to the constant flip-flopping of timelines and locations.
There is a mental-barrier I have when I encounter political books between Trump's 45th and 47th administration... The events of January 6th-- as significant as they felt at the time-- had more precedence in 2022 than they did in 2025. Unfortunately, people didn't care then and they definitely don't care now. There's a naive innocence to many of these post-1/6/21 books that just loses all messaging and severity in the 47th administration.
This book, specifically, falls victim to that naivety. It focuses on the radicalization of the Latino population, but offers no insight to improve the situation. It uses January 6th as a morality check, despite the corrupt pardons that took place at the beginning of the year.
I think back to The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory, an excellent book by Tim Alberta that uses personal experiences to investigate the radicalization of the American Evangelical Christian community. That book carries personality and stakes, spanning the early '80s to beyond the 2024 Presidential race. Defectors does the opposite. It's solely focused on Trump-ism and lacks the personality and emotional depth that I was searching for, in addition to offering little insight to solving the problems it highlights.
Words cannot describe how frustrating this book was. Felt like the first draft was published... Little to no character development, overarching narrative, or stakes. Such a disappointing book.
An incredibly frustrating book. It is ridiculously long and outstays its welcome, but not before completely fumbling the plot altogether. The entire cast of characters act unlike their previous iterations and subplots are even recycled (how many times will Hagrid be banished from the school??)
One positive, and perhaps the ONLY positive, was the portrayal of Black's death, especially compared to the film version. I was really struck by the sudden death without much dramatic buildup... Which only made it hurt more.
I think this is the first Stephen King book I've ever read...
Off the bat, it was good! It was such a fascinating read because of the way King writes in his characters voices', no matter how fucked up it gets.
It took a while to get going, but when it did, the story was pretty captivating. I was not a fan of the finale though, to say the least.
At first, I wasn't sure I would finish this series but I'm leaning towards picking up the next book.
Cannot stress enough how incredibly written this book was. So memorable, so quotable, and at times gut wrenching.
A must read, even if the subject of Lebron James and basketball are not your thing.
The “Ben-Hur” of basketball books. An expansive and detailed epic of one of the most fascinating teams in NBA history. Glad I've FINALLY finished it
It does not phase me that I have finished this book on the eve of the anniversary of Hamilton's death. What a painstaking, masterful commemoration of a life this is. It's difficult to not rely on the musical's story as a crutch, but this book paints a clearer picture of history on a global scale, as well as the relationships that remain hidden from the main stage.
Well worth a read, even if it takes some time!
Solid beginning to the series. The first issue was a bit slow but it's really picked up steam the further I got in the volume. Very interested to see where this goes...
Contains spoilers
"If you are homeless or unemployed, a person with disabilities on a fixed income, if you have been exploited and excluded, incarcerated or evicted, this is your fight. If you are an undocumented immigrant, giving this country your sweat, your very body, but receiving few rights in return, or a worker shortchanged and kicked around by your company, this is your fight.
If you are one of the tens of millions of Americans scraping, pinching, living paycheck to paycheck, floating somewhere between poverty and security, this is your fight. If you are a young person fed up not only with impossibly expensive cities and $100,000 college degrees but also with polite excuses and insipid justifications for why things are the way they are, this is your fight.
If you have found security and prosperity and wish the same for your neighbors, if you demand a dignified life for all people in America, if you love fairness and justice and want no part in exploitation for personal gain, if all the hardship in your country violates your sense of decency, this is your fight, too."
Did a monologue off of a Biff scene but ended up reading the rest of the play to get some more context. Definitely a well written play for the time and there's some clear relevance even after all these years, even if it sways into “goofy” territory for theatrical reasons.
Bit all over the place but interesting tidbits about the creation of 12 Angry Men and Network
The translation I read was a bit odd, but I appreciated the tactical lessons that Tzu wrote. I kept this tiny book in my OCP top pocket during my time at Lackland Air Force Base so I could have something to study when I was away from my phone in a waiting area.
Thought provoking and innovative! I think the twist at the end left me with some pause, but overall-- An incredible piece on resiliency and the power of code-switching.