Dance of Fire by Yelena Black and American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South by Gail Jarrow

 

Just before spring break, I read Dance of Fire by Yelena Black. This book is the sequel to Dance of Shadows, which I read last summer. In this paranormal thriller, Vanessa and Justin go to London to try out for the Royal Court Ballet Company. Although Vanessa is there to look for her missing sister, Margaret, the Lyric Elite needs her, Justin, or both of them to win the contest to infiltrate the Royal Court Ballet and find the dark society of necrodancers. Vanessa can't leave behind the past few months, though, and she's been followed by the demon that Josef had her summon.

I was very excited to read this book, and it had me on the edge of my seat, wondering if Vanessa would win the ballet competition and find Margaret while she was in London. I was a little disappointed that Vanessa and Justin still had disagreements and didn't work together more, but their slow burn romance did reach a satisfying conclusion by the end and I was very happy. I also really enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Margaret after she disappeared. It was compelling reading her diary entries because it turned out that two young men helped her leave New York and make a new life for herself in London. I liked the parallel that both Vanessa and Margaret tried out for the Royal Court Ballet Company. Overall, Dance of Fire was full of suspense and plot twists and anyone who liked the first book should read it.

During spring break, I also finished reading American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South by Gail Jarrow. This nonfiction book is about the discovery of hookworm, a parasite that made people sick in the southern United States in the 1800s and early 1900s. After hookworm was found in other parts of the world, a zoologist, Charles Stiles, worked with doctors and others to treat ill Southerners suffering from hookworm and teach them how to protect themselves by wearing shoes and using outhouses in order to slow the spread of the worms. Despite the fact that hookworm is now under control in the United States, it is still a serious health issue in other parts of the world, particularly among poor people.

Although this book was seriously gross at times, it was also very fascinating. I liked learning about the science behind hookworm disease and how Charles Stiles and others educated the public about how the parasite spread and what they could do to protect themselves. I also thought it was very timely and relevant because I couldn't help but be reminded of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the struggles of misinformation and some people not taking a public health issue seriously. American Murderer has plenty of photographs and quotes from primary sources and the backmatter includes a timeline, a glossary, a list of web resources, an author's note, source notes, a bibliography, an index, and picture credits. If you have an interest in medical history or gross stuff, I would highly recommend this engaging book.