Alison Kinney (Author of Hood)

Alison rated a book it was amazing Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Latest in BOOK JOY: I said that I needed to read more books about wedding planning, but didn't realize that was one of the themes of Xochitl Gonzalez's OLGA DIES DREAMING! It's a dissection of so many fairy tale narratives, starting with childhood lo ...more
Apr 25, 2026 09:20AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing Hotshot: A Life on Fire by River Selby (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I highlighted so many sections in River Selby's HOTSHOT, a memoir and expose of wildfire firefighting, from the perspectives of a person blasted by fire, smoke, misogyny, harassment, and trauma. Readers might be drawn to any number of aspects of the ...more
Apr 20, 2026 08:21AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hotshot by River Selby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hotshot by River Selby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing Luster by Raven Leilani (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I thought the writing in Raven Leilani's LUSTER was great, razor sharp and maximalist at the same time. I loved the passages about Olive Garden and crying; all the men at work the narrator had slept with; the Art Department (hahaha); the amazing fina ...more
Apr 15, 2026 01:03PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Luster by Raven Leilani. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Luster by Raven Leilani <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing God Help the Child by Toni Morrison	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Knowing that GOD HELP THE CHILD was Toni Morrison's last novel, I've held it in reserve, not wanting there to be an end to the astonishments that happen the first time you open one of her novels and ride the whirlwind. But as someone who rereads BELOV ...more
Mar 31, 2026 11:33AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of God Help the Child by Toni Morrison. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — God Help the Child by Toni Morrison <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing Anywhere Else: Essays on Florida by Rachel Knox (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm overjoyed about the launch of Rachel Knox's debut collection ANYWHERE ELSE: ESSAYS ON FLORIDA, which offers the last word on spring break, blood temperature gulf waters, Aileen Wuornos, the movie "Wild Things" (as Edgar Gomez has said, "I'll NEVE ...more
Mar 25, 2026 06:24AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Anywhere Else by Rachel Knox. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Anywhere Else by Rachel Knox <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I read my first book by Laila Lalami, THE OTHER AMERICANS, drawn in by the fact that it contained a murder mystery and stories of immigrants and families and lovers, all set in Yucca Valley, which is located amidst my favorite place in the world. I l ...more
Mar 24, 2026 10:57AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Other Americans by Laila Lalami. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Other Americans by Laila Lalami <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison wants to read Written/Unwritten: Diversity and the Hidden Truths of Tenure by Patricia A. Matthew	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 19, 2026 11:38AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Written/Unwritten by Patricia A. Matthew. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Written/Unwritten by Patricia A. Matthew <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I read Andrea Gibson's poetry for the first time this winter and can't believe such a person was among us. I read their last book, YOU BETTER BE LIGHTNING, basically highlighting everything. Here's a favorite singing from "Homesick: A Plea For Our Pl ...more
Mar 19, 2026 11:31AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing Whereas by Layli Long Soldier	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Next in Book Joy: If, in these times (and post-AWP-frenzy), we all need new bursts of hope and restoration....from Layli Long Soldier, WHEREAS: "WHEREAS I did not desire in childhood to be a part of this but desired most of all to be a part. A piece co ...more
Mar 19, 2026 11:30AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Whereas by Layli Long Soldier. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Whereas by Layli Long Soldier <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison rated a book it was amazing Wade in the Water: Poems by Tracy K. Smith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
My first acquaintance with Tracy K. Smith's work was her amazing erasure poem "Watershed," which exposes DuPont's poisoning of groundwater with carcinogenic chemicals. (It's collected in WADE IN THE WATER, which I promptly bought and never had leisur ...more
Feb 23, 2026 01:04PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Olga Dies Dreaming
by Xóchitl González (Goodreads Author)

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Latest in BOOK JOY: I said that I needed to read more books about wedding planning, but didn't realize that was one of the themes of Xochitl Gonzalez's OLGA DIES DREAMING! It's a dissection of so many fairy tale narratives, starting with childhood lo Latest in BOOK JOY: I said that I needed to read more books about wedding planning, but didn't realize that was one of the themes of Xochitl Gonzalez's OLGA DIES DREAMING! It's a dissection of so many fairy tale narratives, starting with childhood loss and questioning how one can/should power oneself toward success and love, all set within the contexts of decades (or centuries) of fallout from colonization, revolutionary acts and betrayals, the AIDS epidemic, PROMESA, and gentrification.
Some of my favorite passages: " The three-story, brick-front apartment building that cradled its left side was emblazoned with a spray-painted mural that paid homage, with improbable success, to the Puerto Rican flag, the coquí, Lolita Lebrón, Héctor Lavoe, and Big Pun, all at once. Underneath it said #respecttheanscestors and, as she read it, Olga reflexively made the sign of the cross, lowering her eyes as she did so. When she looked up, she noticed Matteo, seated at a card table outside the building, deeply invested in a game of dominos with three older, wrinkled men. They all four wore guayaberas and their bare forearms grasping at the dominos formed a melanin-rich ombré that Olga found beautiful. “Hi,” she said, finding herself a bit shy. “Hey, hey!” he said, jumping up and breaking the rainbow right in the middle. “Caballeros, you’ll excuse me, but, frankly, something better has come my way.” The viejitos surveyed her quickly. “Bendición,” one of them said to her. She winked at him in response and he laughed. It had been a while since she’d been blessed by a man, of any age, in the streets, this pleasurable spark of Brooklyn life largely extinguished by gentrification. It delighted her and made her homesick for Sunset."
And, omg, the section where Olga's crying in the Atlantic Target, buying supplies for survivors of Maria. (It's amazing, but there's a special resonance for anybody who's been to that particular Target, back in the days when folks went to Target.)
And this, in Olga's memory of an assault:
"Her grandmother had taken one look at her and said, 'Necesitas una limpia,' then took her to some bruja she knew who lived on the other side of the park. The woman had wrapped her naked body in a white bedsheet and lit velas all around her. She prayed over Olga's body and made her lie there until all the candles burned out, and then she cut Olga's shroud open with scissors and bathed her in Agua de Florida and rose water while she swatted her back with eucalyptus leaves. When it was over, Olga had never felt cleaner or more loved or more at peace. The night terrors stopped.
"That woman must be dead by now, she thought."
And SPOILER but not a spoiler, the whole ending, with more and more cleansing and restoration we all need right now. ...more

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Hotshot: A Life on Fire
by River Selby (Goodreads Author)

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I highlighted so many sections in River Selby's HOTSHOT, a memoir and expose of wildfire firefighting, from the perspectives of a person blasted by fire, smoke, misogyny, harassment, and trauma. Readers might be drawn to any number of aspects of the I highlighted so many sections in River Selby's HOTSHOT, a memoir and expose of wildfire firefighting, from the perspectives of a person blasted by fire, smoke, misogyny, harassment, and trauma. Readers might be drawn to any number of aspects of the stories here. I particularly enjoyed the ecology of wildfires; the histories of Indigenous curatorial relationships to lands and fire; the destructiveness of 20th-21st century forestry policies; and the politics of public funding (or lack thereof) for firefighting, let alone for regeneration and stewardship. I also love memoirs of the material culture of work. They're a great writer; my favorite passage:
"The adrenaline surges were intense — cresting as we drove and when we arrived, as we hiked and cut line. The four squads would split, leapfrogging each other to quickly establish fireline. By now it was all second nature to me. Load up, gear up, hike up, start swamping or digging. Rest, repeat. Dig fireline parallel to flames? Not a big deal. Reverse tool order back up the line because things got hairy? No problem. Swamp bundles of poison oak? Drink steaming water? Eat MREs for weeks on end? Done."We hiked miles every day. Frequent high-intensity fire has damaged soil systems in Southern California, and this resulted in rocks loosening as we climbed; voices yelling “rock!” as they tumbled down; those below scrambling to avoid being injured or killed. Falling rocks are one of the most dangerous elements for wildland firefighters, along with falling trees. The sound of someone yelling “rock” is like a klaxon blaring in an emergency.

"Fire tore through brush, swelling to twice or three or four times the size of the bushes it consumed, expanding and shrinking, flame-points transforming into curlicues of black smoke reaching towards the sky, towards the fireline, towards the black, searching for a point of continuation. The bulbous flame-bellies glowed yellow and white like the sun. In the darkness of night, coursing waves of embers shot upwards from conjoined flames as if the sky were reclaiming its lost stars. Flares hissed from our guns like arcing firecrackers." ...more

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Luster
by Raven Leilani (Goodreads Author)

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I thought the writing in Raven Leilani's LUSTER was great, razor sharp and maximalist at the same time. I loved the passages about Olive Garden and crying; all the men at work the narrator had slept with; the Art Department (hahaha); the amazing fina ...more

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God Help the Child
by Toni Morrison

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Knowing that GOD HELP THE CHILD was Toni Morrison's last novel, I've held it in reserve, not wanting there to be an end to the astonishments that happen the first time you open one of her novels and ride the whirlwind.

But as someone who rereads BELOV Knowing that GOD HELP THE CHILD was Toni Morrison's last novel, I've held it in reserve, not wanting there to be an end to the astonishments that happen the first time you open one of her novels and ride the whirlwind.

But as someone who rereads BELOVED every other year, I also know that the fathoming is a lifelong experience. It's never the same book twice. A teenager working at a bodega I was in recently had SONG OF SOLOMON resting on the register, and I thought about how, the second time I crack it open, I'll have 30 years' more ability to parse and understand it. That's a gift, too!

GOD HELP THE CHILD has so much world-building in its slim set of pages. "They will blow it, she thought. Each will cling to a sad little story of hurt and sorrow--some long-ago trouble and pain life dumped on their pure and innocent selves. And each one will rewrite that story forever, knowing the plot, guessing the theme, inventing its meaning and dismissing its origin. What waste."
And "Trying to understand racist malignancy only feeds it, makes it balloon-fat and lofty floating high overhead fearful of sinking to earth where a blade of grass could puncture it letting its watery feces soil the enthralled audience the way mold ruins piano keys both black and white, sharp and flat to produce a dirge of its decay."
One bit I loved spoke directly to the experience of reading and rereading itself, where Booker "visited the library often to read or reread books he had ignored or misunderstood while at university. THE NAME OF THE ROSE, for one, and REMEMBERING SLAVERY, a collection that so moved him he composed some mediocre, sentimental music to commemorate the narratives. He read Twain, enjoying the cruelty of his humor. He read Walter Benjamin, impressed by the beauty of the translation, he read Frederick Douglass's autobiography again, relishing for the first time the eloquence that both hid and displayed his hatred. He read Herman Melville, and let Pip break his heart, reminding him of Adam alone, abandoned, swallowed by waves of casual evil."
I think she KNEW that's how it is, rereading her, too. ...more

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Anywhere Else: Essays on Florida
by Rachel Knox (Goodreads Author)

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I'm overjoyed about the launch of Rachel Knox's debut collection ANYWHERE ELSE: ESSAYS ON FLORIDA, which offers the last word on spring break, blood temperature gulf waters, Aileen Wuornos, the movie "Wild Things" (as Edgar Gomez has said, "I'll NEVE I'm overjoyed about the launch of Rachel Knox's debut collection ANYWHERE ELSE: ESSAYS ON FLORIDA, which offers the last word on spring break, blood temperature gulf waters, Aileen Wuornos, the movie "Wild Things" (as Edgar Gomez has said, "I'll NEVER see "Wild Things" the same way again")--and on the aesthetics, politics, and sheer exuberance of coming from and living in a state that's maligned, misunderstood, embattled, constantly fighting state incursions on civil rights, and constantly resurging to assert the beauty and strength of being their own kind of Floridian, the loving kind, the community-building kind, the defiant anti-repression kind.
"It’s hard to tell what others have exaggerated and what I’ve internalized. The case with Florida, usually, is a mixture of both. Sometimes I set out to tell one story and remember another one, one I would never tell because I am just now realizing its weight, how deeply I buried it in my attempt to not be a person-from-there and just a person."
I particularly loved the crowning achievement of this collection, "Motel Art," an exploration of art, aesthetics, class, religion, shame, higher ed, belonging, and homecoming, with its considerations of the commerce and Christianity of Thomas Kinkade and the wondrous Floridian artists The Highwaymen, about whom she writes, "I’ve pored over the paintings in Monroe’s book, in museums, and at antique markets. It’s one of my life goals to own one of Mary Ann’s paintings. Alas, since the Hall of Fame induction, the going rates for Highwaymen originals have skyrocketed. As of this writing, I am still, myself, a starving artist. But the paintings reflect something on canvas that I’ve never been able to articulate in words: the big, irrepressible power of Florida’s topography, the way its islets and egrets and Everglades render me humbled and speechless. Where Kinkade feels like a charlatan, where he leaves me wanting, Highwaymen paintings strike some metaphorical harpsichord in my heart. They feel holy to me, in a way I can’t explain."

The collection is fantastic. ...more

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The Other Americans
by Laila Lalami (Goodreads Author)

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I read my first book by Laila Lalami, THE OTHER AMERICANS, drawn in by the fact that it contained a murder mystery and stories of immigrants and families and lovers, all set in Yucca Valley, which is located amidst my favorite place in the world. I l ...more

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Written/Unwritten by Patricia A. Matthew

Written/Unwritten: Diversity and the Hidden Truths of Tenure
by Patricia A. Matthew

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You Better Be Lightning
by Andrea Gibson

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I read Andrea Gibson's poetry for the first time this winter and can't believe such a person was among us. I read their last book, YOU BETTER BE LIGHTNING, basically highlighting everything. Here's a favorite singing from "Homesick: A Plea For Our Pl ...more

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Whereas
by Layli Long Soldier

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Next in Book Joy:
If, in these times (and post-AWP-frenzy), we all need new bursts of hope and restoration....from Layli Long Soldier, WHEREAS:

"WHEREAS I did not desire in childhood to be a part of this but desired most of all to be a part. A piece co ...more

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Wade in the Water: Poems
by Tracy K. Smith

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My first acquaintance with Tracy K. Smith's work was her amazing erasure poem "Watershed," which exposes DuPont's poisoning of groundwater with carcinogenic chemicals. (It's collected in WADE IN THE WATER, which I promptly bought and never had leisur ...more

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Alison’s Friend Comments

	Hood by Alison Kinney (Goodreads Author), Ian Bogost (Series Editor), Alison Kinney (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 119 ratings — published 2016 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Avidly Reads Opera 4.21 avg rating — 19 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	United States of Rejection: A Story of Love, Hate, and Hope (Crux: The Georgia Series in Literary Nonfiction) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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