By Jake Weatherill from Lewisham Branch
Hello all! Welcome to part four of my of 30 Books to Read Before You’re 30! We’re past the halfway point now (in hindsight I probably should of gone with a Bon Jovi reference in last months intro but we live and learn) and I have five more books to share with you today. Without further ado let’s get this show on the road!
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| Library Copy of Akala |
Natives by Akala
The first time I came across Akala was on an old club night compilation album I had got as a present. I don’t know if it was a Birthday or Christmas present, but when I heard the song Shakespeare I found myself hooked on Akala musically. His flow was impeccable, like nothing I had heard before. The fact it was peppered with Shakespeare references only further enticed me. It’s arguable that without Akala I may not have gained the appreciation for British Rap that I have. Beyond his music I hadn’t known too much about him until four or five years ago when a friend introduced me to TeD Talks. One of the first we watched was Akala doing a talk on rap and Shakespeare.
The talk blew my mind.
Akala was eloquent, erudite, and incredibly intelligent, explaining the iambic pentameter as well as how Shakespeare and rap shared a relationship I hadn’t known about before, let alone considered.
Naturally when Natives was announced it more than piqued my interest, but life has a way of throwing obstacles at you, so it remained on my reading list, getting pushed further and further down by other books that caught my eye. When I planned this blog out I knew it was going to make the cut.
Natives itself is a true work of brilliance. Akala gives an unflinching critique of how race, empire, and class effect today’s society. A combination of memoir, opinion and study Natives is a bold work. It doesn’t shy from difficult subjects, or hide from challenging pre-formed opinions. A few preconceptions I had prior to reading are no longer so firmly held, which really is the highest praise you can give a book of this nature. Natives is designed to make you feel uncomfortable, because talking about difficult subjects should make you feel uncomfortable, and challenging ways of thought should be tough, but it doesn’t take away from just how important this book is.
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| Jake's copy of Kingdom Come |
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid & Alex Ross
Despite being regarded as a classic of the medium I had never actually read Kingdom Come. Quite frankly I am an appalling geek. I had sampled some of Mark Waid’ work through his run on The Flash, and quite frankly I would truly be the worst comic book nerd if I wasn’t aware of the artist Alex Ross who is a living legend in the industry. Yet as is becoming a pattern, this blog gave me a chance to finally get around to reading it.
Set in the not too distant future, the golden generation of superheroes has given way to a more brutal era. Batman hides in the Batcave, Superman is in self-imposed exile. Less concerned about civilians and collateral damage the current generation of superheroes are reckless.
When Magog, the new generation's Superman, and his Justice Battalion's carelessness have serious repercussions, The Man of Steel decides to come back to the world he left behind to show the people what heroes really are. But can The Last Son of Krypton save the world one last time? Or will he find himself treading a darker path?
Dealing with issues of responsibility, legacy, and power Kingdom Come is a masterpiece, largely because, much like with the Alex Ross penned Marvels, we see this through the eyes of the everyday person. In this case our narrator is Norman McKay, a preacher. The use of biblical language with the imagery of modern gods is powerful in itself, but when left in the hands of master storytellers like Waid and Ross it’s elevated to a higher level. Impeccable writing combined with the photorealistic art style makes this not just a great comic, but one of the best pieces of literature of all time.
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| Library Copy of Death Note |
Death Note by Tsugumi Obha and Takeshi Obata
If you were a teenage with the power over life and death what would you do? Would you use it for good or evil? To build a better world, or to elevate your own power? This is the question Death Note set out to answer.
When high school student Light Yagami finds a notebook which gives him the power to kill anyone whose name he writes in there he is terrified. Slowly he contemplates the power which the notebook offers, writing in the name of a few criminals and being pleasantly surprised with the results.
That is until the owner of the note book shows up. Ryuk, a Shinigami (or a Death God to you and me). Ryuk reveals he dropped the notebook, called a Death Note, into the world of humans because he was bored, but finds Light’s actions amusing. However when it becomes evident the deaths of major criminals around the world could be linked, an investigation begins to hunt down the mysterious individual behind it. Death Note takes a look at the deeper questions around morality and power, while giving it a detective twist. What you get is a cat and mouse tale combined with a truly superb overall narrative. Exquisite art, compelling characters, apples, Death Note has it all! A great manga for those who have never given them a try before.
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| Library copy of Handmaid's tale |
The Handmaid’s Tale by Magaret Atwood
Set in a dystopian future where the USA has been replaced by The Republic of Gilead and a strict social class system has been put in place. Gilead is a theological totalitarian dictatorship. Women find themselves subject to strict controls. They aren’t allowed to read or write. They can’t handle money.
And they have no control over their own bodies. We follow Offred, a Handmaid. In the polluted and irradiated world Handmaids are fertile women who are expected to produce children with/for the Commanders who rule society.
The Handmaid’s Tale is at points bleak, but with smatterings of hope through. It’s gripping, arguably Atwood’s finest work. It is also an award winning book, most notably of which is the 1986 Booker Prize. A timeless literary classic, the Handmaid’s Tale has managed something that very few novels achieve. It has become both timeless and creatively transcendent.
 Library Copy of A Contract With God |
A Contract With God by Will Eisner
Shockingly I had never read Will Eisner before this project. I know, I know, I am basically a terrible geek, but hey I got there eventually. A Contract With God was actually bought for me by my friend Joe (Hi Joe!) who is a massive comic nerd like me and was desperate for me to read it. Set in a New York City Tenement on 55 Dropsie Avenue. Having grown up in blocks on Council Estates Eisner captures the claustrophobic feel of this kind of living perfectly. The sense of everyone knowing everyone’s business being. Of being both the show and part of the audience as life plays out in the rooms of those who live in the tenement. Dramas, triumph and tragedy.
Eisner captures these over four stories.
A Contract With God deals with religion, betrayal and how one reacts to that. Eisner sews a sense of injustice throughout his opening story. This is followed up by The Singer, as two people try to make their place in the world while playing the other. The Super is arguably the darkest story (although each story has a kind of darkness in its own way), while the Cookalein looks at what happens on a vacation. I feel that my words don’t do it justice, so I am partially stealing Joe’s. A Contract With God is Real Life, captured on the page in black and white.
Stay classy out there! !
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