Picks at the San Antonio Book Festival

What I’m reading this summer:

Uvalde’s Darkest Hour by Craig Garnett: Garnett’s book tells the harrowing story of the Uvalde Leader-News’ response to what would likely be the biggest story the publication would ever take on. On May 24, 2022, an active shooter entered Robb Elementary, killing nineteen young children and faculty at the school. In the hours after, the Uvalde Leader-News was tasked with gathering reactions of the community, exploring the failures of the local police department, and among other things: bringing national attention to Uvalde.

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami: Lalami’s exploration of a dystopian world in which AI can read the human mind has garnered a lot of attention in recent weeks. Its premise is interesting to me, after my exposure to the depths of the internet in recent months. I look forward to reading Lalami’s treatment of the modern era, and the future of the internet. When I was in middle school, I never could’ve imagined the current era of addiction to social media.

Bushwhacking: How to Get Lost in the Woods and Write Your Way Out by Jennifer McGaha: I purchased this book primarily to improve my writing abilities. This is probably the tenth book I’ve purchased on improving my writing, and I remain enthusiastic to read it.

Land of Women by María Sánchez: If you know me, then you know why this book is of interest to me. Women’s issues are deeply important to me. I’ve seen my mother experience subtle misogyny in the workplace, and she works in academia. My mother, ‘Dr. Ramirez,’ is probably my biggest role model. The absurdities of misogyny in the modern era should be obvious. But for many, still: they aren’t.

*Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: My father read this novel during his time away at Berklee in Boston, Massachusetts. And yes, he really read it. Sans any kind of reading companion, he’s recommended this novel to me since my adolescence. I will (attempt) to read Mr. Wallace’s magnum opus this summer.

*I didn’t actually pick this one up at the book fair. My father gave me his copy, with his marginalia.