Going Zero by Anthony McCarten

GOING ZERO by Anthony McCarten, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, is definitely a suspenseful, action-packed story that could be translated to the big screen. Ten “zeroes” have been recruited with the goal of winning a large monetary prize if they stay hidden for a month from the CIA and the private industry counterparts at WorldShare/FUSION. Some of these “zeroes” are professionals in the surveillance field and others are more “regular” folk, including a librarian named Kaitlyn Day. This is an exciting and fun read, one where I became involved emotionally and wanted to root for the underdog and where some of the technology seemed scary, disturbing, and, of course, intrusive. Will Kaitlyn win three million dollars in prize money by evading capture?  Will Cy Baxter and his company gain bragging rights and millions more in government contracts? Will privacy activists manage to upend the entire experiment? Fair warning: I personally found the ending to be a bit flat, but GOING ZERO is an intriguing read overall. Booklist gave it a starred review: “the reader is never quite sure where the story will go next. … An outstanding thriller.” I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Marin Ireland, which was very well done, reinforcing why GOING ZERO was an Amazon Best Book of April 2023 and a recommended “pulse-pounding read” from The New York Times.  

As an aside, Marin Ireland has also narrated: Remarkably Bright Creatures, The Mighty Red by Erdrich (review coming soon), The Lincoln Highway, Beartown, and several more.

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel

 INFINITE COUNTRY by Patricia Engel is one of my favorite books of the year so far and I believe the characters and action will also appeal to our students. Engel tells the story of Talia, a teenager who escapes from a rural correctional facility in Colombia in order to return to her father, Mauro, in Bogota. There, she hopes to board a plane and be reunited with her siblings and mother, Elena, who live in the United States. Talia, too, was born in the US, but her father was deported shortly afterwards and with three young children, her mother had little choice but to send Talia to be raised by her abuela. Engel shifts time and narrators to offer thought-provoking perspective on immigration (“… that’s the thing about being paperless. This country locks you in until it locks you out”) and on family relationships. At one point, Elena muses, “She blamed herself for displacing her own children, especially her girls. Karina and Talia, binational, each born in one country and raised in another like repotted flowers, creatures forced to live in the wrong habitat.” The writing is superb and INFINITE COUNTRY received starred reviews from Bookist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly (“sharp, unflinching narrative teems with insight”).

Trade is Not a Four-Letter Word by Fred P. Hochberg

TRADE IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORD is written by Fred P. Hochberg who has been involved with business and education his entire life: first, leading Lillian Vernon and more recently as President of the Export-Import Bank (2009-2017). In this new text, Hochberg entertainingly explores “How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade.” Noting that “even your copy of this book was very likely assembled using products and processes procured from as many as a half dozen countries,” Hochberg first summarizes 300 years of American trade, provides an analysis of the objectives and politics related to NAFTA, and outlines eight myths (e.g., tariffs are paid by foreigners) associated with trade.

After that background, he offers a chapter on each of those six products: the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, a college degree, and The Game of Thrones. These are filled with fascinating facts such as “the State Department estimates that almost 300 current or former world leaders have studied at American institutions,” taking advantage of what he says is arguably the most important export produced by the United States. Hochberg is clearly a proponent of trade and globalization, noting “were it not for a free flow of trade between countries, life in America would be substantially less interesting. Just as our palates have been broadened by imported cuisines from all over the world … our leisure time has been broadened by imported culture as well.” He provides numerous and varied examples to support his position, plus includes source notes and a helpful index. TRADE IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORD received a starred review from Library Journal and was described by Kirkus as a “rousing, well-argued defense of global trade in a time of isolationist entrenchment.” Look for it on our shelves.