Laurie Martel

Ah, college required readings. Love them or hate them, I am forced to admit that some of these books were actually very interesting, while others… not so much. Since I am finishing college and I am finished with the required readings, I thought that I would do a good ol’ tier list of them to reflect on the highs and lows of trying to finish a book in the bus right before the test about said book. But before, let’s define each subjective rank that I will give these books: S tier- I loved this book, I maybe would have…

Iranian-American poet and writer Kaveh Akbar’s novel Martyr! came out in January 2024 and upon its release, it almost immediately became a best seller, for good reasons. The book explores the main character’s struggles with addiction, with his multicultural identity as a second generation immigrant and with his grief after losing both of his parents. This novel, which also contains some of Akbar’s renowned poetry, is so appreciated mainly because of its emotional appeal. In this book, the character’s emotions arguably matter more than the storyline and it is a sort of psychological exploration of its characters. While the point…