Andrew Benesh > Recent Status Updates

The lack of leads is incredible. The reliance on academic profilers, amateur sleuths, and extensive federal support whole constantly missing the actual criminals is downright Hannibal-esque.

I'm glad they've finally addressed the racial issues in the community, and the effects on firefighter's families and friendships. Also, the bottom of volunteer firefighting departments is getting more and more ridiculous as I read.

"In time, scientists began realizing that all women got periods, not just peasants and not just arsonists, and so perhaps a better explanation was needed to explain arson."

I'd like to see more about the distribution and there's of the fires; the police narrative is interesting but feels like it glosses over a lot of data. We've moved past the nostalgia for the 1800s, at least for now.

"Consumers began buying crazy new snacks, like the innovative and modern Doritos."

I have some concerns about how this story is being told - there's a lot of romanticizing happening here - but that line is gold.

That was an explosive ending. Harriett remains quality nightmare fuel. I'm torn on the resolution with Wren; that kid needs Miriam in ways that are hard to put words to. Hopefully that's resolved more in Vultures. Louis, Samantha, and the Baby... yikes. RIP Bird of Doom.

I love that Chuck has created the space for these characters to re explore their relationships with one another and wrestle with questions of obligation and morality. Seeing Wren as a fuller person, and Louis as someone with greater personal conflicts is excellent. Also, Samantha is almost sympathetic now. Almost. And Harriett... wow.

This has gone way off the rails, and it's fantastic! I'm bummed about Grosky, but Harriett the Hellhound is a nice touch. The crumbs about Samantha are interesting.

It's good to see Grosky back in action, and Rita or alright. I'm concerned about this direction for Wren. There's less action in this book so far, but the plot feels like it's moving quickly and gathering old threads in a smart way.

Rita seems fun. I'm looking forward to a Grosky story.

I've been doing a lot of serious reading this year, so it's time for some fun. And Wendig, as always, delivers. Also, "Land-Wang".

Done. The terminal stories - the lighthouse, the empty village, and the removal of curses - are really interesting and I wish they'd been longer. They really captures that transitional state that exists at the border, and the continued struggles between state goals and local culture.

This last part seems less focused; the 50 page chapter on Turko-Bulgarian border culture in competing police states jumped around a lot and was hard to follow. The chapter on Tako, the non-wandering gypsy seemed tighter and more impactful. Understanding how racism was used to mask economic motives and the political tension around free people is important.

Ziko seemed shifty, but I think that's ultimately more about his traumas than crimes. It's good to see people who support one another in spite of individual and historic differences. Zora the ranger is fascinating.

It's strange to see the human traffickers at a border as sympathetic, but I suppose when things are sufficiently hopeless any opportunity is entrancing. I wonder about the truth behind Ziko's claims of pro Bono aid....

Soran and Alal are really good people in an impossible situation. It really shows that desperation that leads to people being trafficked rather than waiting for slow and ineffective refugee systems to relocate them.

The Thrace chapters are a fascinating study of cultures intersecting. The strange connection between Turkish Muslims and Christians at the border, laced with historical awareness and acceptance of diversity, is really quite hopeful. And again, the spies and victims of abuse echo the fresh political and social scars of the region.

The book has solidified a lot. It's one part political history, one part ethnography, one part philosophy. The experiences of border guards who have to live with their atrocities, of men who facilitated smuggling and crime, and of families pushed back and forth by nationalism and political expedience are haunting. There's an underlying surrealism that dwells in the border scar that so hard to pin down.

This feels like a weird narrative place between documentary and fiction; the author send very enraptured in ways that are fascinating but don't feel like an objective image.

Intriguing opening section; it's somehow between Gloria Andalzua'z Borderlands and Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. There's an ever present sense of mystery and uncertainty that really captures border psychology and power. The language is excellent - when was the last time someone used the word threnody?!?

A very strong, very poignant conclusion. I really liked the honestly and uncertainty during the confrontation; I feel it captures that far remarkably well. I like that the other Sarah's are never given full explanation, and that the Don Quixote metaphor was fully developed in the end. I wish we saw more of the museum image. It would be interesting to read a Bruce or Chet perspective chapter.

Earl is actually pretty great. There's some interesting subtext in the "crazy" homeless guy being the seed of clarity.

I simply cannot dislike a book that mentions the Mütter Museum.

The truth continues to trickle out. Mom is still growing on me, but I'm wary of brother. The other Sarah's are more and more worrisome.

The violence in this book is slowly seeping in, as is the narrators sense of agency. The gradual acknowledgement of traumas makes sense. I like Mom's chapters. Still not sure what to think about 10-year old Sarah.

This is a very unusual YA novel; I can't tell if the narrator is dissociating, hallucinating, it just being creative. They do a remarkable job of capturing the frenzied stagnation that happens when families foreclose on their adolescents. This is probably going to end badly.

I found the legal conclusion really indicative of the absurdity of the system. Abdul's loss of real agency, and Asha's surrender to new mechanisms of power are disappointing. While I found the authors note informative, I wish she was more over in her critique; this book could easily have been fiction and I wouldn't have known. I want more analysis!

Meena's suicide is really saddening. The continued legal drama and effects of recession and the Taj attack are interesting plotlines, but I feel like they're not drawing out the failures of policy and programs to the extent I'd like to see. Still, the corruption and apathy are astounding.

Brief as it was, the story of Sanjay's death and the lack of investigation around Kalu is one of the most important parts of this book. When government obscures the fundamental nature of social problems, progress becomes impossible and abuse escalates.

It figures this is what happens when I finally start to like Kalu. Asha is a little more sympathetic, though I still feel more for her daughter. The newest levels of nonprofit corruption are impressive. Sonu send like a neat kid.