Cassie Hanwell is one of the best firefighters Austen, Texas, and one of the few female ones. The book begins with her being the youngest and first woman to receive an award for Valor. However, at the ceremony, the man handing her the award is an alderman she hasn’t set eyes on since high school, who happens to be the reason she doesn’t do relationships. When he gropes her onstage, she loses it and beats the crap out of him. And thus, her perfectly curated life begins to unravel.
The next day, her estranged mother calls, asking her to move to Boston because of her health issues, and Cassie's boss gives her an ultimatum: give a public apology to the alderman, or else be terminated. She chooses Boston. Her first day at the Boston firehouse, she’s struck with an unwanted attraction to another rookie, which is against all of the rules. Firefighters don’t have feelings, and they most certainly don’t date other firefighters. A few months later, she starts being stalked by one of the men from her firehouse, escalating the raw emotions she’s not equipped to deal with, until everything she’s worked so hard for blows up in her face.
Will she have the strength to overcome the obstacles? Will she let the cruelty of others dictate how she lives her life? Will she learn that having emotions can make you even stronger? You'll have to read it to find out, but I can tell you it's worth a look.
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In an alternate universe, Superman lands in Communist-controlled Ukraine and become a symbol for the U.S.S.R. rather than the United States. In the coming decades, as Cold War tension mounts, American genius Lex Luthor leads the attempt to stop him and his ever-spreading ideology by any means necessary.
Given the increasing number of retakes on superhero origin stories, especially in recent years, its odd to find one as refreshing as Red Son. Perhaps this has to do with Millar’s refusal to rely on tropes, cliches, and pre-established lore, or perhaps it's because Superman seems to truly believe in his Communist ideology, much as he usually epitomizes the American Way.
One of the more interesting aspects of Red Son is how similarities can be drawn between it and real world tensions. Superman, normally a hero, is in many ways the villain of this story, both as an enemy to Americanism, and in his ethics. Influenced by his near omnipotent power, he goes so far as to lobotomize criminals to create peace. Luthor, the “hero” in that case, isn’t much better, manipulating the American people to raise funding for super weapons, turning DC heroes into his own soldiers, and creating twisted clones and monsters to try and stop Superman. Given this, who then, if either of them, is really fighting for good?
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During their senior year of college, Lucy and Gabe randomly come together on September 11, 2001, before going in separate directions. They reconnect years later and fall into a passionate love affair only to be separated again, but this time because Gabe accepts a job as a photographer with the Associated Press overseas and Lucy refuses to leave her job in New York City. Both wanting to make their mark on the world, neither wants to give up their dream for their relationship. Keeping a light friendship post break-up through the years, they are once again reconnected, though in tragedy, thus leaving Lucy with an important decision to make.
This novel had me fully invested after the first page. It's an original idea, a recount of Lucy's life with Gabe, as told by Lucy herself. A story of first love, The Light we Lost is a melancholy story with realistic undertones that make it completely relatable to the reader. To be read with a box of tissues, you will be instantly immersed in Lucy's life from the very beginning through the end.
Check out our e-book or e-audiobook copies of this book through Library on the Go (Libby/Overdrive) or eReadIllinois (Axis360).
