Welcome To A New Year From NPR Books!

Plus Rep. Jamie Raskin on his son’s death and the Jan. 6 attack a year later [View this email online]( [NPR Books]( January 7, 2022 by [Meghan Collins Sullivan]( This week, we bring you Rep. Jamie Raskin on the Unthinkable, and Pauline Boss on The Myth of Closure. Plus stories of love and friendship. [Jamie Raskin]( Andrew Harnik/AP We start the year with hope, and knowing that there are some great books slated to publish in upcoming months that will teach us about the past and inform our futures -- and others that will offer escape when times are tough. This week Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin [spoke with Fresh Air]( reflecting a year later on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. It was the second traumatic event of his week; his son Tommy had died of suicide just days before the riot. In his new memoir, Unthinkable, Raskin writes of his continuing efforts to understand the two tragedies. There was a time, he says, when "I wasn't sure whether I was ever going to be able to do anything again." "I have learned that trauma can steal everything from you that is most precious and rip joy right out of your life," Raskin writes in Unthinkable. "But, paradoxically, it can also make you stronger and wiser, and connect you more deeply to other people than you ever imagined by enabling you to touch their misfortunes and integrate their losses and pain with your own. If a person can grow through unthinkable trauma and loss, perhaps a nation may, too." NPR’s Claudia Grisales [reviewed the book here.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [Pauline Boss]( Stephan S. Kistler/W.W. Norton & Co. Meanwhile, Pauline Boss -- a retired family therapist and professor emerita of family social science at the University of Minnesota -- contends in her new book The Myth of Closure, that while people may long for closure after tragedies, as a collective we will never get over what COVID-19 took from us. But she wants us to know that's OK. In fact, she argues, not feeling closure is actually healthy as we seek to move forward with life. "Closure is a very good word in business deals where you close a deal, or you close the road if there's a flood," she says. "But it's a cruel word in human relationships." Our critic Graison Dangor [reviews Boss’ book here](. If you’re looking for a different kind of story about strength and perseverance, our [critic Bethanne Patrick says]( Nita Prose's debut, The Maid – about a neurodivergent cleaning lady suspected of murder -- satisfies on every level. [maid]( [fiona and jane]( And [critic Ilana Masad considers another fiction debut]( Jean Chen Ho’s Fiona and Jane, about a friendship that survives life’s ups and downs. She says “its precisely the fact that the women's trials and tribulations feel refreshingly life-sized that makes the book ring so beautifully, sometimes terribly, true.” Also this week, [Alethea Kontis reviewed]( Eilse Bryant's new book One True Loves. And if you happen to be searching for a book you read as a child but you can't remember the title or author, [check out our story]( on Instagram page "My Old Books." If you want more, don't forget about [Books We Love]( our annual, interactive reading guide. And if you haven't yet, [subscribe to our Book of the Day podcast]( -- short author interviews that illuminate the ideas and issues of our time, and literary conversations curated from NPR's archive. Hope you find time to sit down with a good book this week! -Meghan --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [books@npr.org](mailto:books@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]