You’re Managing Memorial Day Trip Logistics

Are a history fan or have attended a murder mystery party

Hi friends,

I was happy to see Salman Rushdie attended the PEN America Gala last Thursday night. It was the author’s first in-person appearance since he was stabbed last year. Rushdie, who has faced threats since publishing The Satanic Verses in 1988, accepted the PEN Centenary Courage Award.

In his acceptance speech, he said, “And I have one last thing to add. It's this: Terror must not terrorize us. Violence must not deter us. La lutte continue. La lutta continua. The struggle goes on."

One programming note: Next week’s newsletter — which marks the start of Summer Reading Bingo (!) — will go out on Tuesday.

And, now, what to read if …

You’re Coordinating a Memorial Day Group Trip

Hey Ladies by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss

In my experience, organizing a getaway with friends or family requires a lot of back-and-forth to work out the details — who’s bringing what, when everyone is arriving, where we should go, when. Hey Ladies, a book written in emails, texts and DMs shows that’s a near-universal experience.

Hey Ladies follows a group of eight 20- and 30-something women over the course of a year as they plan birthday and bachelorette parties, a bridal shower, a summer vacation, a wedding and more. There are group emails attempting to choose dates for getaways, determine party themes and share selfies — and one-off text messages to dissect the thread.

The cast of characters is both distinct and familiar. There’s Caitlin, a burgeoning self-help influencer, the perpetually broke Nicole who offers to repay her friends in Forever21 gift cards and the level-headed Gracie, who pushes for low-key game nights instead of over-the-top nights out. I think we all strive to be Gracie but have a bit of the other seven ladies in us.

This illustrated epistolary novel is a fun, fast read that celebrates — and mocks — the rituals of female friendship. If you’ve ever had an email thread debating the number of loaves of bread to purchase for a group trip or attempted to find the date for a party on a group thread with 30 people, Hey Ladies is for you.

Bonus rec: If you’re already a Hey Ladies fan, please enjoy this update about them trying to plan a Zoom happy hour early in the pandemic.

Reminder rec: If you’ve got a creepy AirBnb for the weekend, throw Kat Rosenfield’s No One Will Miss Her in your bag.

You’re a History Buff

Wake by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martínez

Wake, a graphic nonfiction book, combines history and memoir to tell the story of women who led slave revolts and historian Rebecca Hall’s quest to uncover their fight for freedom. Hall, the granddaughter of slaves, discovered rebellions took place on one in 10 slave ship voyages. And, as she writes, “the more women on a ship, the more likely a revolt.” Yet, previous historians dismissed this finding as a weird fluke, rather than a cause.

Hall offers possible pasts for the women warriors, showing how they may have become enslaved and the horrifying conditions they rebelled against. I was particularly interested in the behind-the-scenes look at her research, which took her to courthouses in New York and an insurance company in London, and how her studies — and family’s history — continue to shape her.

As Hall writes, “Like at a wake, a wake as in a funeral, we speak of the dead and for the dead. At this wake, we must defend the dead. Our memories must be longer than our lifetimes.”

Hugo Martinez’s stark black-and-white illustrations draw the reader in and demonstrate how interconnected the history and the contemporary story are. It’s a brilliant read, reminiscent of Maus in both format and its commitment to showing how our past affects us.

You’ve Been to a Murder Mystery Party

All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon

A friend and I (hi Jordyn!) went to a 1920s-themed “interactive theater experience” at the Congressional Cemetery this weekend where guests were tasked with solving a mystery. Unfortunately, the heavens opened before we solved the case, but we still had a load of fun. It reminded me of Jill Gagnon’s All Dressed Up, a murder mystery that takes place at a 1920’s murder mystery theme party (I’m sure you can see why).

Becca’s husband Blake arranged for the couple to spend the weekend at a hotel, donning period garb and seeking out clues, to help them recover from his affair. When one of the inn’s staff members disappears, everyone assumes she ran off on the job, except for Becca, who finds evidence of something more sinister. As the game continues, Becca attempts to understand what’s a clue in the puzzle and what’s a hint explaining the employee’s sudden disappearance.

All Dressed Up is a multi-layered mystery that kept me guessing till the end. With each character playing a role in the game, sussing out what was relevant and what wasn’t was a fun challenge. Fans of classic whodunnits won’t want to miss this one.

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Thanks, as always, for letting me into your inbox. You can catch up on last week’s recs here and my Q&A with Bookshop.org CEO and founder Andy Hunter here.

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