Sam and Jo's joint August 2022 pick
“Being born on the same planet as the Beatles is one of the ten best things that’s ever happened to me.”
Sam would argue that it is in the top five best things that’s ever happened to her, and Jo doesn’t disagree. Between the two of us we’ve read a lot of books about the Beatles, like A LOT, and there is no one who writes as beautifully about the Beatles as Rob Sheffield. After fifty years, it’s hard to imagine that there is anything meaningful left to say about the band who has captivated our collective consciousness for so long, but Sheffield provides unique insights on the Fab Four, their music, and their lasting power. He is a true devotee who knows his lore well and understands the enduring importance of our Lord and savior Ringo Starr.
This book is not a biography but a meditation to the world’s favorite band and why we love them. We may disagree with Sheffield on certain points (the sheer audacity to claim “It’s Only Love” is John’s worst song when “Revolution 9” exists) but there is no one who writes more thoughtfully and intelligently about our four favorite northern lads.
And in the end, there is one thing we can all agree on: the love we have for the Beatles and their music will last much longer than the road that stretches out ahead.
Sam's March 2019 pick
There are some books you pick up and think to yourself, “Yeah, I know what this book is going to be about.” You see the comedian on the cover, recognize them from various movies and TV shows. You shrug and decide to read it anyways, hoping at the very least you’ll get a few good laughs out of it.
Born A Crime is not that book.
Trevor Noah, the host of Comedy Central’s Daily Show, writes about growing up at the tail end of apartheid in South Africa, where his very existence was illegal. Born to a white father and black mother, Noah chronicles the extreme lengths his mother went through just to be able to keep her son and her together. Noah is a natural storyteller who seamlessly weaves silly childhood anecdotes into the much darker narrative of racial oppression of an entire country.
Born A Crime defies expectations. Both hilarious and heartbreaking, this book will have you feeling the full spectrum of human emotions.