The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Dixon

THE INFINITE SADNESS OF SMALL APPLIANCES by Glenn Dixon is a relatively short (224 pages) but impactful tale that will make readers think, particularly about artificial intelligence and humankind’s relationships with machines. Set in the future, much of the story is told from the perspective of Scout, a young, but advanced model of a vacuum cleaner (like Roomba) who resides at the home of an older couple, Harold and Edie Winters. Scout is a curious and courageous soul (if machines can be said to have souls) who has chosen her name because of listening to Harold read To Kill a Mockingbird to Edie who has a terminal illness. As with any death, changes are necessary and painful. Scout appears to develop empathy for Harold, his daughter Kate, and the young neighbor boy, Adrian, who was a piano student of Edie’s. They all must learn to trust each other and the other sentient machines like Auto, Fridge, Clock and Watch. It is not easy to battle the overarching and controlling Grid which appears to have no feelings at all. Booklist sums it up well: “The plot is tender and suspenseful as Scout begins to grasp love, grief, and resistance.” Definitely Recommended. Book groups, too, would enjoy discussing THE INFINITE SADNESS OF SMALL APPLIANCES.

The Last Letters of Sally and Walter

THE LAST LETTERS OF SALLY AND WALTER by Cammie McGovern is a charming but very sad novel about two older people who find a connection through Scrabble (offering much wordplay and many new vocabulary words along the way). Walter and Sally live in an independent living facility named Golden Grove where everyone “is superficially friendly and no one is really friends.” They, however, gradually form a deep friendship where each can be vulnerable enough to share their personal stories and concerns. McGovern’s previous works for middle grade students and young adults all featured characters with disabilities. In her latest, Sally has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and learns to cope with its limitations while Walter also has a health setback. Despite these circumstances, there is hope woven throughout this book, as when Walter notes,  “These are the facts of our lives now. We both have our younger selves sitting inside of us, horrified by these developments, but I'm hoping we also have the wisdom of age. We are not defined by the limitations our bodies have imposed on us.” Both Walter and Sally experience emotional distance from and somewhat difficult relationships with their adult children who, in turn, are dealing with their own stressors related to work and family life. THE LAST LETTERS OF SALLY AND WALTER provides a unique window into a crucial time of life as when Sally gently points out, “the hardest part of aging … wasn’t the battle to retain your abilities, it was the absence of a chance to develop new ones.” This poignant novel will have readers reflecting about their own relatives and life choices. Scheduled to be Published April 7, 2026.

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

Labeled “one of the best debuts of the year,” THE DEEP SKY by Yume Kitasei is a work of science fiction deftly wrapped around a mystery and a story of damaged relationships. The adventure begins with Asuka and Kat taking a spacewalk, but an explosion means multiple people are killed and the ship veers off course. Asuka, part Japanese and part American, was a last minute addition to the crew of 80 on the Phoenix which is a desperate international effort to resettle humans on Planet X. It becomes Atsuka’s task to find out what and who caused the explosion while also trying to help the engineers reorient the Phoenix so that the mission can continue. The crew tries many plans including one with “more holes in it than an old T-shirt and certainly not as comfortable.” Kitasei alternates chapters (there are 72) between tension on the spaceship and the conflict in the many years before when Atsuka, Ruth, Gabriela, Miki, Treena, Ying Yue, Hao Yu, Lala, and the others were students competing for a chance to join the final team. That background provides reasons for believing that eco-terrorists could be involved and also offers insights into personal animosities and motivations. Puzzling and entertaining, THE DEEP SKY received a starred review from Kirkus (“a strong, character-driven, and accessible tale”).

Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder

ROUGH SLEEPERS by Tracy Kidder (Mountains Beyond Mountains) is subtitled “Dr. Jim O'Connell's urgent mission to bring healing to homeless people,” described as “a glimpse of a world hidden in plain sight.” Kidder once again provides superb narration about a selfless individual; in this case, he is telling the amazing story of a doctor who has dedicated nearly 40 years to befriending and caring for the homeless in Boston. Kidder himself spent roughly five years researching the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, at times riding along with volunteers and paid staff as they brought medical care to the streets. Writing that “a country-doctor approach for an urban population — this was the kind of doctoring that could bring in suspicious patients,” Kidder emphasizes the importance of listening to the homeless patients (for more, see his piece for the New York Times). Filled with many anecdotes, ROUGH SLEEPERS is both troubling and extremely inspiring; it received a starred review from Kirkus and was selected as an Amazon Best Book of January 2023. 

Mental Health - books on Anxiety and Depression

Have you seen the news coverage of late regarding youth mental health? Consider “All Children 8 and Older Should be Screened for Anxiety, U.S. Task Force Says” or “’A Cry for Help’: CDC Warns of a Steep Decline in Teen Mental Health.” A somewhat more optimistic view is expressed in “Learning the Right Way to Struggle” which explains how students are encouraged to acknowledge their learning difficulties, for example, saying “I’m in the pit.” There are many, many excellent resources available and below are several new and forthcoming texts which deal with mental health issues. As they invariably note, these books are intended as a supplement rather than replacement for advice from a trained health professional.

THE ANATOMY OF ANXIETY by Ellen Vora provides a unique insight into “Understanding and Overcoming the Body's Fear Response.”  Vora, who is board-certified in psychiatry and integrative holistic medicine, begins refreshingly by noting that she is less concerned with making a definitive diagnosis about a specific disorder and “more interested in exploring the particulars of each patient’s life and habits in order to start them down a path to recovery.” Next, she explores the contrast between true (related to an actual event like a death in the family) and false anxiety (perhaps driven by caffeine or sleep patterns) and then describes avoidable and purposeful anxiety in more detail. Later sections of this text explore concepts like techxiety (and social media use), the influence of women’s hormones, and role of diet and food. THE ANATOMY OF ANXIETY is well-written, accessible, and filled with practical suggestions; Vora includes extensive notes and a helpful index.

DON'T WORRY by Shunmyo Masuno, a Zen Buddhist monk and author of The Art of Simple Living, offers 48 Lessons on Relieving Anxiety. It’s worth taking the time to reflect upon these suggestions such as pare down your belongings, cherish the morning, spend 10 minutes a day in nature, or be a good listener. Readers have likely heard these ideas previously, but Masuno gathers them together and offers a two to four page commentary on each. He weaves in references to Zen Buddhism, like the Seven Gifts of Spiritual Dana, and encourages readers to develop a kind heart, practicing generosity and empathy. I can envision potentially using these short readings (one per week) with an Advisory homeroom as a way of reinforcing social emotional learning concepts.

A more specialized text, OVERTHINKING ABOUT YOU by Allison Raskin focuses on “Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression.”  Raskin, co-host of the Just Between Us podcast, describes her text as “a blend of memoir and self-help.”  She writes very conversationally with direct appeals to the reader and even provides trigger warnings for sections which deal with self-harm or body image issues. Although this text would likely be of more interest to students slightly older than ours in high school, Raskin does refer frequently to mental health experts and suggests a number of calming and/or self-reflection exercises.  She also includes a list of resources, particularly for those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

THE DEPRESSION TOOLKIT by William J Knaus, Alex Korb and others is designed to provide “Quick Relief to Improve Mood, Increase Motivation, and Feel Better Now.” It actually contains 46 activities grouped into three parts: Find Refuge from Negative Thoughts; Get Unstuck when You’re Down; and Beat Hopelessness and Low Motivation. Within each activity (e.g., Identify Sticky Thoughts or Cope with Change) the authors describe what to know, what to do and/or more to do. Unfortunately, they take a rather authoritarian or prescriptive tone, relying heavily on list making and (painful?) introspection. While some of the exercises may be helpful, it is difficult to imagine a reader (particularly a teen, like our students) being self-motivated enough to follow through. Perhaps this toolkit could work in conjunction with more formal therapy, but with so many relevant resources available, it may be more worthwhile to explore works like The Comfort Book which is less task-oriented.

In anticipation of Mental Health Awareness Month (coming in May), Random House has posted a number of recommended FICTION titles, too, including Glasgow’s How to Make Friends with the Dark.