His entry begins:Yesterday I read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. It’s a novel in verse—a format that will often dissuade me from picking up a book. Too often the format has nothing to do with the content, and thus feels like a gimmick that slows me down as a reader without accomplishing anything that couldn’t have been done with prose. But in The Crossover, Alexander uses his poems—particularly the ones relating to basketball—with a dazzling, slashing virtuosity. I could almost hear the music as I read: a crunk beat that could as easily back a Lil Jon song as a young adult novel.About Sunrise, from the publisher:
Josh Bell and his twin brother are seventh grade basketball phenoms, leading...[read on]
The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors' constant companions.Learn more about the book and author at Mike Mullin's website.
When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survivethe ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish.
This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.
Writers Read: Mike Mullin (October 2011).
My Book, The Movie: Ashfall.
Writers Read: Mike Mullin.
--Marshal Zeringue
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