Some very cool stuff in the Spring/Summer Soho Press catalog. Here are a few that caught my eye:
Witnessing History: One Chinese Woman's Fight for Freedom by Jennifer Zeng. Zeng was a follower of the Falun Gong spiritual practice and because of that was imprisoned by the Chinese government. The book is about her struggle to survive and here's the kicker: "she was compelled to knit for days at a time, her hands bleeding, to produce goods contracted for sale in the US market."
That's it - I really am going to try and buy things only made in countries with fair labor practices. I'm so sick of reading about this sort of thing, and knowing that I support it with my dollars. (Boycott Walmart!)
The Fat Man's Daughter by Caroline Petit. "A young woman's adventure in 1937 Manchukuo." Leah is orphaned and penniless and sent to Manchukuo to smuggle out some Imperial treaures. All sorts of things go wrong on the trip and in the end she realizes she "has become a country of one". That alone got me interested but the blurb from Jacqueline Winspear, a favorite author, sealed the deal: "A story as intricate as Chinese silk...blends a tragic period in Asian history with the extraordinary journey of Leah Kolbe."
Snapshot by Garry Disher. Part of the outstanding Soho Crime imprint, this is about a woman who is shot dead with all sorts of suspects and a massive cover-up. Sounds both sexy and violent - in the best sort of way! Hard to resist that combination from this publisher.
The Circle by Peter Lovesey. Another Crime title, this one about a writer's group who are both murder victims and suspects and a serial killer who is a big surprise. I can't resist the setting of the writer's group and I don't know why it hasn't shown up in a murder mystery before.
My favorite Soho Press author is Cara Black and I adore her Aimee Leduc mysteries set in Paris. Apparently the French government has never heard of her however; if they had they would not have been so surprised by the discontent of French immigrants and French youth who keep taking to the streets in their anger and frustration.
