By Vidruma Chaavali, Christy Clark, Natalia Alvarez & Gurnish Kaur
Not to be Overlooked introduces a variety of wonderful but lesser-known books to assist readers in finding their next great reads. This week’s column covers reviews of Attitude is Everything by Jeff Keller, The Magic Border by Arlo Parks, You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue and Kololo Hill by Neema Shah.
Attitude is Everything by Jeff Keller
Review by Vidruma Chaavali
As we grow older, it is increasingly important to reflect on the moments in life that changed everything for us. Jeff Keller’s Attitude is Everything does this marvellously. His journey from being a lawyer to becoming a full-time motivational orator is reflected on inspiringly throughout the book.
The book is divided into three parts, ‘Success Begins in the Mind’, ‘Watch Your Words’, and ‘Heaven Helps Those Who Act’. Jeff Keller’s writing helps readers see beyond their fears. His objective is to show the reader that they can achieve anything they put their mind to.
Throughout the book, Keller provides examples of people who became extraordinary due to a change in attitude. His reflection on both his own journey and the journeys of others allows the reader to understand the fundamentals to becoming extraordinary: changing your attitude, positivity, choosing the right friends, confronting fears and never giving up. The reader comes to understand the most important quality for succeeding is perseverance.
Attitude is Everything is the perfect read for anyone in a negative space who often feels overwhelmed by daily tasks. With fast-paced and engaging insights, this book is an easy read that will ensure readers discover new possibilities in their own lives.
The Magic Border by Arlo Parks
Review by Christy Clark
While writing her second record, My Soft Machine, in 2022, Arlo Parks also created the poetry book The Magic Border, intertwining song lyrics and poems skillfully in a way that characterises the indie singer’s avid attention to detail.
The poem ‘Happy Queer Film’, one of the few I had the pleasure of hearing live, epitomises the collection’s mundane profundity:“We make out like teenagers in the rainstorm," she writes, offering up the hopeless, filmic ardour of teenage love that so many miss out on. Parks is reclaiming the self that has always existed and fearlessly showing it to the world.
What strikes me especially is the frequent mention of the people and things that Parks feels shaped her. Whether Elliott Smith, The Watermelon Woman or Harmony Korine, she firmly grounds her fantastical whimsy into a tangible world deeply felt through music, film and art.
Whether you are a fan of her music or are hearing about her for the very first time, Arlo Parks’ poetry book The Magic Border is testament to the kinship of poetry and music; a whole world is revealed under delicate language that invites emotion and passion until the reader becomes almost numb with love.
You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue (translated by Natasha Wimmer)
Review by Natalia Alvarez
The historical fiction novel, You Dreamed of Empires, explores the founding of Mexico City through the conquest of Hernán Cortés following the 1521 conquest of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán. This examination works in tandem with Enrigue’s previous novel, Sudden Death, which has also been translated into the English language – however a reader does not necessarily need to have read one to understand the other. In this historical examination, Enrigue establishes a narrative that not only details the political trials and tribulations of these historical figures, but does so in a way that is both comedic and digestible for readers from all walks of life. This creates moments of suspense throughout the novel where we see characters plotting behind backs and schemes being put into place. While the events that unfold in this novel take place on a single day - that of Cortés’ arrival at the palace of Moctezuma - Enrigue weaves a narrative that is complex and impossible to imagine any other way. Although the outcome is already known to the readers, we still find ourselves hoping that circumstances may change as the novel begins to wind down.
This is a novel made great by the questions it leaves behind for the readers, who find themselves pondering over what could have happened had Moctezuma simply refused to allow Cortés into his home. These what-ifs are what ultimately make this novel a must-read for all historical fiction lovers. The translator, Natasha Wimmer, has truly brought this book to life anew for English-speaking readers and I am very excited to see what Enrigue comes out with next.
Kololo Hill by Neema Shah
Review by Gurnish Kaur
Kololo Hill is Shah’s debut novel. It is a beautifully crafted story that delves into the lives of the Patel family, who were forced to flee Uganda in 1972 following Idi Amin's expulsion of Asians. Before publication, Kololo Hill won The Literary Consultancy Pen Factor Live and was awarded second place in the First Novel Prize.
Shah skillfully portrays the emotional turmoil of displacement, capturing the fear, anger and sadness that accompany the loss of home and identity. The narrative shifts between different family members, each offering a unique perspective on the upheaval. Asha, the matriarch, struggles with the challenges of rebuilding their life in a foreign land, while her son, Pran, grapples with the expectations of his heritage and his own ambitions. The author also sensitively addresses themes of racism, colonialism and generational conflict, deftly weaving them into the fabric of the story.
The strength of Kololo Hill lies in its character-driven storytelling and vivid depiction of a historical event that remains unfamiliar to most. The novel’s emotional depth and historical significance make it a compelling read.
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