Staff Reviews

Much of Stephen King’s work is as iconic on the screen as it is on the page. Many King fans no doubt remember terrifying scenes from the film versions of Carrie, The Shining, Cujo, Pet Sematary, and many more, but they can now add two more adaptations to that list. The Dark Tower, which stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, is set to hit theaters on August 4, while the first part of the two-movie adaptation of It will be released on September 8.

Both books have seen a notable rise in interest, with The Dark Tower placing as No. 10 on Amazon’s Most Sold list last week.
You can check them both out via JDL below.

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger

It

In recent years, the terms “millennial” and “baby boomer” put an extra emphasis on characteristics that have little to do with age. While millennials might be associated with safe spaces and emojis, there is also a new narrative surrounding young people in the workplace. As Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse argues in his new book, The Vanishing American Adult, there is an existential crisis in the American workforce that has left young American adults unequipped for life after high school:
Raised by well-meaning but overprotective parents and coddled by well-meaning but misbegotten government programs, America’s youth are ill-equipped to survive in our highly-competitive global economy.
Many of the coming-of-age rituals that have defined the American experience since the Founding: learning the value of working with your hands, leaving home to start a family, becoming economically self-reliant—are being delayed or skipped altogether. The statistics are daunting: 30% of college students drop out after the first year, and only 4 in 10 graduate. One in three 18-to-34 year-olds live with their parents.
Sasse’s book was released to widespread acclaim, but many readers suggest that his critique is too broad to span an entire generation. Either way, The Vanishing American Adult is an interesting introduction to a conversation that could last for decades.

Michiganders might recognize the name Josh Malerman for a few different reasons. First, music fans might remember him as the lead singer of a band called The High Strung—a national rock act that toured the United States and even penned the theme song to the Showtime TV series Shameless. But Malerman also proved himself to be a talented novelist in 2014 with his debut novel Bird Box, which follows a mother and her children as they try to navigate a world dominated by an ominous force that, when seen, turns its victims suicidal. The book gained widespread acclaim due to its breakneck pace and minimalist prose, and earned praise from countless publications. The guy is multi-talented, to say the least.

Last month, Malerman released his follow-up to Bird Box. The novel, titled Black Mad Wheel, follows a washed-up Detroit rock band that is tasked with uncovering a dangerous noise in the heart of an African desert. With Malerman’s own experience in the Detroit music scene and Bird Box’s reputation, it’s one of my most anticipated books of the summer. You can check it out (or revisit Bird Box) in the links below.

Black Mad Wheel
Bird Box