Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

What a book! Babel tells the tale of young kids being taken from mostly impoverished upbringings and given the opportunity for an Oxford education and a life they never imagined. Sounds good, right? The wealthy white English stepping in and "saving" kids from disease, poverty, war, etc. But, is it? Just as she did in Yellowface, author Kuang is skilled at showing both sides of an issue. Read on and you'll find your judgments altered, and your impressions turned on their head.

Richly drawn characters, a deep mysterious story, and motives that go from good to bad hooked me at every stage. I'm a language major and am fascinated by language, so I particularly enjoyed the discussions around the origins of words, the duality of meanings, and the idea that words have power.