It's Monday! What are you reading?

 I'm currently reading two books over here: one nonfiction, one fiction — one published, one not published.... yet!

The first is Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. I'm not quite halfway through this absolutely essential book. I say "essential" because I think everyone should read this, especially all Americans. As Wilkerson writes, 

Americans are loath to talk about enslavement in part because what little we know about it goes against our perception of our country as a just and enlightened nation, a beacon of democracy for the world. Slavery is commonly dismissed as a “sad, dark chapter” in the country’s history. It is as if the greater the distance we can create between slavery and ourselves, the better to stave off the guilt or shame it induces. But in the same way that individuals cannot move forward, become whole and healthy, unless they examine the domestic violence they witnessed as children or the alcoholism that runs in their family, the country cannot become whole until it confronts what was not a chapter in its history, but the basis of its economic and social order. For a quarter millennium, slavery was the country.

Wilkerson is a fantastic writer, and while this is an emotionally difficult read, her writing style is engaging and inviting as she explores the caste system that has shaped America. I'm reading this one slowly and taking a lot of notes. 

The second book I'm reading, also slowly, is my brother-in-law's manuscript. He's written the first and second in the series so far, and I can't wait to see them on the shelves! He's an excellent writer, and although this particular genre (mystery/amateur investigator/humor) isn't one I gravitate toward, I am thoroughly enjoying the novel. I'm also enjoying the process of working with him as a Beta reader.

That's it for now! I'll probably be working through both of these all week, maybe finishing by the weekend. I'll be choosing something rather light then! 

Linked up with It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? — a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week.