Nightcrawling, Leila Mottley and Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta, James Hannaham

Nightcrawling Leila Mottley 4 Stars Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta James Hannaham 5 Stars I've been feeling like universality is over-rated. Like, when I read a take on how a tragic Jane Doe is facing all the same problems as you... that just feels wrong. Like we're just mooshing a difficult book into a larger story that's easier to digest. Maybe we don't need to be able to relate for a story to be relevant. Like how when I was a kid, the protagonists were always boys because boys are universal and girls are not. Until Ramona Quimby, whos fans extoll for her universality, but who also was not. But then when I see another take on how eye-opening X book is to parts of the world/nation/community the reader isn't normally exposed to... that doesn't feel right either. Like we're putting a lot of responsibility on one story to bridge a vast and ever-growing gap in experience. All of this to say, I don't know how to write about some books without feeling and sounding and probably being condescending. These two books were in no way the same, but I'm lumping them together because they were both riveting reads, with urgent and distinctive voices, and I hope that people read them, and read them without pegging them to how the books make them feel/grow/understand more about themselves. 3/5/23