Review 707: Dreamland

Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The book begins with the author explaining his own disturbed sleep and how he wanted to learn more, and hope to stop it.

This lead to investigations into many different aspects of sleep. Some of which being interrupted like himself with sleep walking, or other manifestations, such as eating or cooking entirely while asleep. One of the more extreme cases discussed a man in Canada, Kenneth Parks, entirely asleep, drove to his in-laws house and killed his mother-in-law and thought he’d done the same to his father-in-law. Upon awaking he took himself to the police and confessed, not entirely sure how or why it happened.

The book doesn’t linger on this part of sleep only. It goes into a myriad of topics like difficulty breathing while sleeping (sleep apnea), dreaming, sleeping pills and mattresses and the connection between sleep and sports performance. This is not all, Randall covers many topics all related to sleeping. Since it is a wide breath there is hardly any depth found in the book.

It does cover some ways to improve sleep, and while that was the goal for the author and his own sleep, it isn’t the best book for that information. It just doesn’t go into enough depth. However, it can be helpful to some degree.

I listened to the audiobook, and it is not the best way to read this book. The narrator was one of the stranger ones I’ve encountered, being overenthusiastic at times and doing character voices when someone is quoted. Some of the accents the narrator does aren’t well done either, which did give me a chuckle. For a non-fiction book it was all very odd. Perhaps this narrator is better suited to fictional books. In any case it didn’t detract from the material too much.

Review 706: Burn Down Master's House

Burn Down Master's House by Clay Cane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



In the introduction the author states this book will make you uncomfortable and he definitely achieved that. We have four stories that could be four individual short stories. However, they build on each other. The main character in each story changes, but in the last they all come together more fully. The book takes place in the time of slavery in the South in United States with the main characters being enslaved, with a couple of exceptions.

The first story introduces us to Magnolia Row, the plantation, one of the cruelest in the area. After the events in this story the slaves scatter. The characters in all of the stories are all related in some way to Magnolia Row. In the last story the civil war has begun.

Each character finds a way to fight for their freedom, often in brutal way, paying retribution on their masters. But not always. In one story we have Charity Butler who is gains her freedom (for a time) by the laws in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This story in particular is based on true events.
Several other aspects of these stories are historically accurate. It does take some of the more brutal parts of history, but also shows how people persevered and reclaimed their lives. The book overall feels one sided, with very minimal white people being decent. The characters are not very nuanced. However, it does have one black man being just as cruel when becoming a slaveowner himself.

I listened to the audio which is narrated by the author, but did not really enjoy the narration style. It made a difficult book even more difficult to get through. The words were enunciated very deliberately and slowly, with a pause after every word. I had to speed up the narration more than I typically would to find a better reading pace, which helped. If there is any interest in reading this book my suggestion is to avoid the audiobook.

Review 696: The Dark Frontier

The Dark Frontier: Unlocking the Secrets of the Deep Sea by Jeffrey Marlow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book is full of scientific discoveries and information about the deep ocean. It also is a bit of an autobiography for the author, but mostly not. Several different people and aspects are discussed throughout the book. This is very cursory and not much of a review...

The last portion gets a bit too much in the weeds about treaty negotiations to protect the ocean floor. Unfortunately, too often money influences when instead an ecosystem should be looked at, or science.

I made a mistake in listening to this book via audio. The narrator was not a good fit for the book.
Normally I don't let a narration influence how I feel about a book, but this one is long, and I became annoyed. I really should have switched to print. Perhaps one day I will return and read a print version, but I don't expect that will happen anytime soon (if at all).

Review 682: Upward Bound

Upward Bound by Woody Brown
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars



This is a fictionalized autobiography, but with many viewpoints. The author and main narrator is autistic and has trouble communicating, only his mother understands him by using a letter board. Seeing a clip of Brown and his mother using the board and communicating, it appears that she interprets heavily, so maybe there are actually two authors for this book.

Despite that, the book on it’s own is heart-felt. It shows how people with disabilities can connect even when they have a hard time verbalizing words. One of the characters is so heart-breaking as he tries to communicate with blinking but no one seems to notice.

The book has the point-of-view with several of the people who go to Upward Bound, a day-care facility for adults with disabilities. The book also includes several of the people who work there, and one who does not. This one is a worker at Target, where the Upward Bound group visits every Friday morning.

There isn't a plot, but there is a trajectory of sorts, and through the different voices one can understand what this place is like. And the book while emotional, is not all heavy, there is some bits of humor as well.

I listened to an audiobook of this and it has a different narrator for each character. Most do not repeat, except for the fictionalized author, he appears for a few chapters.

Later edit: The author is most likely the named author's mother. If interested look up facilitated communication.

Review 679: The Escapes of David George

The Escapes of David George: An Odyssey of Slavery, Freedom, and the American Revolution by Gregory E. O'Malley
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars



David George was born into slavery and named Davy. He had his own mind about how he wanted to live his live and his master was not a kind one. In 1762 aged 19 he ran away, going south from the Virginia plantation. Davy managed to escape for a time.

David, as he now wanted to be called, was helped by white people several times during his initial escape. John Green, became a sort of friend, where David lived and worked for two years. It was not in Green’s best interest to harbor a fugitive slave but he did so, and when word came the slave catchers were after David, he ran again.

This time he was captured by the Creek Peoples and was a slave once again, but of an entirely different sort. While still trying to escape his original owner, the Chappells were hot on his heels during his time with the Creeks. David somehow managed be involved with the Nachez people, King Jack in particular. It appears that Jack had brokered a deal where David was purchased by John Miller, or George Gaulphin from the Chappells. David now lived in a trading post managed by John Miller, living here for about three years.

Now around 25 David told Mr. Gaulfin and he wanted to live with him in Silver Bluff. So David ended up choosing his master, not a typical situation by a slave.

Here in Silver Bluff David settled down, had a wife and soon children. During his time here David had a profound reaction to a comment about religion and he sought this out. Over a short period of time David started to become a preacher and chose the last name for himself of George.
When the American Revolution began David George sided with the British as a way to escape slavery. Joining their forces he found that he wasn’t escaping racism and so after the war he and his family moved to Nova Scotia.

In Canada David was emancipated and became a minister with a community. Although they were technically free racism and prejudice still abound. The blacks were blamed for whatever when wrong and at point a riot of the white peoples against the blacks broke out that that destroyed many black homes. Realizing they would never be completely free the community emigrated to Sierra Leone.

David George’s life while not entirely his own, was still formed by his own decisions time and again while trying to escape a situation that he did not like.

This is a fascinating story. The book was somewhat dry at times, although the facts themselves are quite compelling. Several times there is a repetition of what was already explained, even a summing up of what came before, which detracted from my overall rating. The book takes on the wider lens of history at that time, and seemed like the book was trying to be a primer of what slavery looked like in the mid-1700’s. For those unfamiliar with the history and situation the extra material will enhance the material.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book. This is not the ideal way to read this book, the narrator does not favors to the material.

Review 670: Buckeye

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

A moving fictional account of several people, two families really, over several decades. It starts with Margaret, a baby abandoned at an orphanage and ends with her child Thomas Salt.

The book’s title comes from the nickname of the child - Thomas Aquinas Salt, so perhaps the book is more about him than anyone else, but the book starts with his parents and stays there nearly for the entirety.

A good portion of the book takes place during WWII, but the war is not front and center. We remain mostly stateside, in the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio.

Another long section is later, during the Vietnam war era. Some years are glossed over, described in quick sentences, but with such a long time frame all can't be detailed out. The book is well written, engaging and very moving.

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated quite well, with emotion and emphasis that adds a little extra to the story

Review 661: The Wager

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This tale is a true account, as much as one can know, of the disaster that occurred with British naval warship The Wager and it’s men. It was 1740 during a war with Spain, and The Wager was deployed engage enemy ships. When approaching the horn of South America the wild seas and severe storm punished the ship severely, and without realizing how close they were to the rocky shores the ship was destroyed.

The men were already weak from scurvy even before the battle of the fierce seas, then shipwrecked, now with lack of provisions. Once on the island the men were starving and keeping the rank was difficult.

Some of them do survive, but not many. After finally leaving the island, now called Wager Island, their ordeal was not yet over.

David Grann dug up the different accounts, some buried by time, others purposefully lost. He puts together this narrative that has been long forgotten. There are different scenarios of what happened, told by those few that survived. Grann gives both accounts, which does make the narrative less linear, but more truthful.

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated a bit dramatically. At times I thought more than was necessary as the story itself was dramatic enough.

Review 659: Vigil

Vigil by George Saunders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book reminded me of Saunders surprisingly popular book Lincoln in the Bardo. There are a multitude of voices and most are not of this world, they have passed on.

One reason I liked the earlier book was its novelty, but in a second book with something similar, they style is not new. Yet the story line was more contained and seemed to fit this story somewhat better than the earlier book.

A young woman, Jill Blaine, sits with people as they are dying. She already has passed onto the other side, and once there you can inhabit others. This dying man has several that come to visit him in his last hours, some living and some not.

The story is not all about this man, as Jill has her own journey finding out about her own death and what became of her young husband and the man that killed her. It also poses some philosophical questions about how one acts and effects the world. Also are these actions due one's choice to act or inevitable due to circumstances?

I listened to the audiobook and felt swept along with the story. I’m not so sure I would have liked the book as much if I read this in print. Honestly, the ending was the most interesting part of the book.

Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.

Review 638: Artemis

Artemis by Andy Weir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like Weir's books, as they can be fun science fiction and high octane. This one is also high octane and off-world located on the moon, a small city called Artemis.

The main character is Jazz Bashara who is a porter, moves things for a living, and on the side is also a smuggler for extra cash. She’s young and maybe mouthy, stands up to just about everyone. When her top client offers a million credits (slugs) for disabling some heavy equipment she says yes, even though that type of job is way outside her norm. And things go sideways, of course it does.

This plot device of things failing to go as planned seems to be Weir’s m.o. in writing. Then goes into how to fix things. And since you’re in a small enclosed area where live is easily endangered things are amped up.

It usually works in his books, but didn’t work as well here. Not sure if it was the character who seemed unbelievable, or just the plot line overall. I did like how there were many women as the main characters and major areas, but they mostly acted like men just with female names.

I listened to the audiobook, which is the best way to read Weir’s books as they do enhance the reading experience.

Review 624: The Tree Collectors

The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession by Amy Stewart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Listened to the audio, which was not the best way to read this book. I have a print copy on hold and will reassess this book once I get a chance to view that copy.

January 2026 edit: 

This is a book to be read via eBook or print copy. Audio is not the way to go. The text includes color drawings of each of the people who are profiled, and at times images of the trees and environment. The images are a big enhancement. The book is not like a typical linear style book, as it has many entries with very loose organization.

This book profiles people from around the globe that have a passion for trees. Each entry is fairly short, less than a page really. Most specialize in one type of tree, but not all. Some people collect trees, whether they actually own them or not. I'm still not certain how this is, maybe similar to bird watching, like collecting a list?

I was hoping the book was more in-depth than it was. Every entry was cursory, even the entries that expanded on a topic. I have read another of Amy Stewart's books before and it was of similar vein, so I should not have been surprised. Her books remind me of a specialized encyclopedia, but not exhaustive.

Review 619: Hotshot: A Life on Fire

Hotshot: A Life on Fire by River Selby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the third book I’ve read this year about a hotshot firefighter, the second one about a woman (see: When it All Burns and Wildfire Days). There was also a fourth book about firefighting in general, just called Fire, which is fictional. It is hard for me to not compare this book with these other memoirs.

Here, Selby goes deeper into her own personal life than the other two, while weaving in the specifics of the history of an area of a current active fire. These three memoirs also discuss how damaging the total fire suppression activity is for the environment and health of the forest. Selby’s account seems to take on a more fervent tone of the damage this is doing, despite it being her job.

Not surprisingly, women are not common as hotshots. There are some, but it is a male dominated job. It is also one that tends undermine the women that do show up. Selby dives into this a bit more than Kelly Ramsey, likely due to her experience with men behaving badly. Ramsey had some of that too, but maybe minimized it. The guys on these crews are usually quite young, and are guided by their superiors, it appears this abusive behavior is systemic. Reporting it generally means losing ones job, as it becomes worse for the woman.

Selby spends quite a bit of time discussing her mom, and that relationship. Like Ramsey who also lost a parent while being a firefighter, they had a tough relationship. Selby didn’t have another parent to lean on though, and the result was a messy adolescence. Firefighting was a way out of some of that self-abuse and giving her a tough job that helped her. In some ways this book is much more about Selby than being a hotshot, unlike the other two.


I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author. She did a decent job of it, but honestly, I thought it was too slow and had to speed it more than I usually do to find a decent listening pace. Otherwise, it went well.



Thanks to Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.

Review 611: A People’s History of the United States: 1492–Present

A People’s History of the United States: 1492–Present by Howard Zinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A history that needed to be told. A history that about the people who get abused, ignored, discriminated against, and worse. And why we got to where we are today – a dysfunctional political system, dispirited citizens, and blame put in the wrong place.

There is so much that can be said about this book, but I don’t want to write a long essay. Much of the material was not new to me, and maybe won’t be to many others. However, I suspect there is many historical facts that many people do not know. Some of the book was a little confusing, as it generally was linear, but not entirely. For example, while discussing the early 1900s, Zinn would backtrack to a specific incident that took place in the late 1800s. I wish the book was organized better.

Just want to note one specific item mentioned in the book about how few eligible voters actually vote a president. Since the 1900s, generally around 33% of the eligible voters actually vote in the president. While the most recent past two presidential elections turn out has been slightly higher, it hasn’t effectively changed the fact that around a third of the population gets the president they voted for. Which means two-thirds of the country voted for the other candidate or not at all. Dismal.

The version of the book I read ends around 2001, so today it is already over two decades past. There was an earlier version. It appears this book gets updated every couple of years, but usually only with a new introduction or foreword, the overall material isn’t changed.

I listened to the very long audiobook and do not recommended to read the book this way. The author’s son narrated it and he is definitely not a professional narrator. The narration is uneven and awkward in many places. I only got through this by going slowly, and it took me months to get through.

Review 588: Two Old Women

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This oral story of the Gwich'in band, one of eleven groups in the Alsakan Athabaskan People. The story has been told for generation. Wallis felt the need to write it down and share with a larger audience. It was one story her mother told her of the many stories she shared. Wallis grew up as a Native person in the same area where this legend takes place.

The tale tells of a village of The People facing a particularly hard time of starvation and winter upon them. The chief makes the difficult decision to leave behind two old women while they move camp, leaving the women behind to die of starvation and cold. What the women do next perhaps surprises even themselves.

I've this print book for so long, over 20 years, that I’m not sure why I hadn’t read it until now. When I discovered my local library had an audio copy I decided to listen to it. Since it was originally an oral story I think this may have been the better way to read it. Except my print book did come with line drawings and a couple of maps that enhanced the text.

It is a short book, not much over two hours in audio and under 150 print pages. Again, I’m not sure why I overlooked this book on my shelves. Easily able to read this in one day, which I did. One thing the audio did not have was Editor’s note at the end. It shared briefly a little about the author but also explained how they had difficulty getting the book published in the late 1980s. One problem was the author was a women, the other that the native peoples thought the story made them look bad. Finally they were able to find funding to get the book published through a subscription model in 1993.

Review 579: When It All Burns

When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World by Jordan Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While working on a graduate degree Jordan Thomas takes a break from research to understand fire better and joins the hotshots and battles wildfires for a season. He didn't put it this way, others and himself questioned why he wanted to join this elite firefighting team. One of his explanations was simply he needed money. But there are a ton of ways to earn money. Thomas was also interested in fire and wanted to understand it more thoroughly, and why not experience it by fighting it.

The book is not only about working as a US Forest Service Hotshot, it also delves into the history of fire and environmental changes being seen due to the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

The book was a blend of personal story, history and more, but it also felt somewhat uneven. The history aspect turned into outrage against corporations, while it may be understood, it changed the tenor of the overall book.

It was fascinating to get an inside look at this dangerous job, that is being even more necessary as more of these firestorms and super-heated wildfires will increase in the coming years.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which was narrated by the author. Oftentimes author narrators don’t do this very well, but this was an exception and was well done.

Thanks to Penguin Group Riverhead and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book, and PRH Audio for advance access to the audiobook.

Review 566: The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue

The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street by Mike Tidwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a mix of personal story and climate change. Tidwell focuses on what was happening on his street and neighborhood, particularly the trees. The oaks dominated the streets, which had been thriving there for over a hundred years, and now were dying. Why? Tidwell finds out.
The answer to why happens to be yes from climate change, but not in a direct way such as it was hotter and the trees didn’t like the heat. No, instead it is a bit more complicated, and he shows the connections. It felt almost like a mystery the way it was laid out.

While the focus was on Tidwell’s neighborhood he isn’t entirely contained there, as he explores some of the science of solutions. The book is also fairly autobiographical, which makes it quite personable along with the other people who appear in his book, such as some of the neighbors.

Overall the book was quite readable and didn’t get bogged down with too many facts and figures or scientific jargon. One aspect that had me give this book a better rating was the book went beyond the effects of climate change and included solutions. Tidwell explored what is being done now to help get us out of this mess from all the carbon-dioxide that is already in our atmosphere, and how to prevent it from getting worse. There was a heavy focus on one of his scientific neighbors who won an X-prize for his idea of tree sequestration. This was a new concept to me, so I didn’t mind the extra pages devoted to this one solution.

I read this book from a published audiobook version that I got from my local library. The narrator did an excellent job and this could be a good way to read this book. However, I also had an eBook copy, which meant I got to see the images that are included at the beginning of each chapter. Some of the photos include his neighbors too.


Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 563: The Ride

The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a short biography and history about a famous transformative night, the ride that changed everything. Paul Revere was not alone on April 18, 1775 riding out to warn that an attack was imminent by the British soldiers, but his story is the one that best known. Revere’s ride was also the most effective, where William Dawes was a bit slower, or maybe not as personable as Revere.

The book provides a small amount of biography of Paul Revere. He was named after his father who was also Paul Revere, after he changed from his French name Apollos Rivoire. Revere was a bell ringer in 1750, a teenager then and pledged himself along with several other boys to always ring the bells at Old North Church at least one evening a week for a year.

Revere was given to joining societies and at twenty-five joined the Masons, the St. Andrew’s Lodge which was formed in dissent to the elite St. John’s Lodge whose members were mostly loyal to the Crown. This group of men grew close friendships through the years and tended toward rebellion and independence through the 1760s. It was through this group that Paul Revere became the man who rode the horse on that fateful night.

It felt momentous to read this as we approach the 250 year anniversary. While I knew about Paul Revere and his ride, as we are taught as children, this book filled in many details of the man and the night. The book is somewhat narrow, but not exclusively focused on the ride. I enjoyed learning a tidbit about his many generations later descendants who have been named Paul Revere and are carrying it through the years, with the youngest now being the 4th, although the Patriot Paul Revere is his six-times great-grandfather.


I listened to this book on audio, but did not particularly enjoy the narrator. The way he had of speaking is not a style that I liked, almost like shouting but not loudly. Perhaps it is a just a quirk of mine and others will have no problem with the narrator.



Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 561: The Sound and the Fury

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a challenging book, one which I would have appreciated more in a lit class. I had to look up notes to understand what was going on. It is a stream of consciousness book, which is a format I tend to not like. This book is a good literary example of the usage and has been influential in the literary world. Perhaps this was an experimental book at the time, and I can appreciate author’s stretching the bounds of the novel, but typically they are a challenge to read. While I may appreciate it, my enjoyment is another matter.

Add to this mix, I listened to a newly released recording of the book. It made the challenges in the book even more so. The editing and narration of this version perhaps may have helped. There are multiple narrators. The first part which is of Benjamin, or Benjy’s voice, is the most confusing. It truly is all over the place, in time, place and had many different characters, all of this to represent his diminished mental capacities. In the narration there were many voices in the book, so it did help to separate out some of this confusion.

In the written text Faulkner used clues, such as colored text or italics to help the reader understand the shifts that were going on. This is not possible in audio, so the route I took was the more difficult one, or perhaps I should admit to making a mistake.

I also found out there was an appendix Faulkner wrote many years later that he wished would be included with all subsequent editions. Some call this the fifth part, and it may help to understand the family and the dynamics that are portrayed in this book. This was missing from the audio.

This is a book that needs multiple readings to fully understand and appreciate. Had I known what I was attempting by reading the first time in audio, I would have not done so, would have opted for a text version. That said, I do think this newer version with the multiple professional narrators did an excellent job. If this book is one to be revisited or already a favorite, audio may be the way to go. Or just plan on relistening to passages multiple times.

Review 557: Octavia E. Butler: H is for Horse

Octavia E. Butler: H is for Horse by Chi-ming Yang
My rating: 4.25 of 5 stars

This is a slightly academic biography, not only the author, but also of her early writings as well. Yang dove deep into Butler's archives held at the Huntington Library and have presented here an insight into how Butler's writing grew into the published books. Yang provides summaries on many of Butler’s juvenile writings, as she was writing stories since grade school.

The book is short and presented in 26 chapters, one for each letter of the alphabet, such as the subtitle. It’s a different way of organizing a biography, as it goes forward or backward in time as it fits into the chapter letter.

Any fan of Butler can find something here to appreciate and help to understand the author, and the origin stories of her books.

I listened to the audiobook which was well narrated. My only complaint is that there were references to images I could not see. I may have to seek out a copy just to peek at the images I missed while listening.

Thanks to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for an advance review audiobook.

Review 554: Gut

Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was an informative book, with a somewhat entertaining writing style. Although the focus was the gut, it covered much more, starting with the mouth and worked downwards. Although the book was comprehensive still felt like there was parts left out. I'm tempted to read another book about the same topic, but not sure I'm fully interested enough.

I read this in small bites, so as to not be overwhelmed by too much information all at once with an unfamiliar topic. Also, followed along with the eBook occasionally while listening to the audio. The book has line drawings by the author’s sister, sprinkled throughout, they are cute images.

It was a bit odd as the audio and the eBook were different in some areas, definitely some heavy editing between the two. The audio was European, (the author is German) while the eBook was for an American audience. But there were more changes than just changing a phrasing or measurement for the American audience. Nothing that really changed the content, just found it interesting.

Review 548: Rental House

Rental House by Weike Wang
My rating: 3.25 of 5 stars


A relatively short book about a marriage, about navigating life and in-laws. We meet them when they meet each other, their last year in college. Keru comes from an immigrant family from China, an only child. While Nate is from a poor white family he calls himself white trash. He amazed his family by getting a full scholarship into this ivy league school, it was unexpected.

Both sets of parents, particularly the mother’s have the same sort of discussions of most families: when will you have kids, when will you visit, why can’t you live closer to me? The issue of will they have kids comes up between Nate and Keru several times. Instead of child they have a dog which is a character in the book as well, Mantou.

A few thorny issues are here in the book, such as race, but this and political type issues are raised it felt very natural. It was pushed into the story, but part of what life is about.

 
The book is split into two parts, with a very short three-page interlude between. There are some paragraph breaks, but no chapters.

I did have a copy of the print book, but I listened to the audiobook. I liked the way the narrator stressed some of the words and sentences. Not sure I would have print read it in the same way, so it added another dimension to the story.