No One is Here Except All of Us Book Review

Ramona Ausubel
“I almost remember you.” Every single sentence lands with poetic grace. I couldn’t stop mouthing “wow,” as this book grabbed my hand and led me, running, through a dreamlike and devastating fantasy world. For the residents of a tiny Jewish village, the fantasy is a self-imposed coping mechanism: a new creation story that wipes generations of pain away and allows them to start fresh. While World War II rages around them, the village of Zalischik is spared… for a while, at least. Safe as long as their luck holds, the residents must re-invent everything, re-imagine their relationships, and learn to make a new world together.

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The Three-Body Problem Book Review

Cixin Liu
This novel relies too heavily on exposition to really draw me in. The characters are somewhat flat and although it’s a page-turner, this feels more like a thought experiment dressed up as a story. The interviews and techincal explanations put the brakes on the plot’s momentum. I think the story would be better served by focusing just on Ye Wenjie’s experience and letting the reader inhabit her world more deeply.

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The Golden Gate Book Review

Vikram Seth
With a taste of Tom Wolfe nihilism and romantic verse reminiscent of Byron, this novel-in-sonnets is a delight. It’s a love story with a less-than-loveable main character, whose selfishness eats into his relationships (both romantic and platonic). Take your time with this slim novel: getting lost in wordplay and rhyme schemes is just as enjoyable as following the story.

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Station Eleven Book Review

Emily St. John Mandel
The post-apocalyptic genre is a tough one to get right. But this novel avoids clichés, envisioning a collapsed society where art is still, somehow, paramount to surviving. A satisfying twist near the end, plus deep dives into the characters’ hopes and regrets, make this story a stunner.

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Tri-City Hip Hop

Explore the places in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge that have shaped local hip-hop culture. Featuring music videos and first-hand stories from the artists themselves.

https://tricityhiphop.com

Bylines

Subscribe to your favourite Canadian writers no matter which publication they appear in.

https://bylin.es

Contexts

Slides from a presentation I prepared about software architecture in the real world. Tech isn’t a bubble. It’s affected by, and affects, a user’s environment, social biases, business models, and the other software it interacts with.

http://samnabi.github.io/contexts

Traction

A self-hosted, file-based solution for mass email campaigns. Traction was developed for Hold The Line Waterloo Region’s campaign against Bill 66. We coordinated with dozens of local advocacy groups. Community members sent over 18,000 emails to local mayors, councillors, and members of provincial parliament. In less than a month, Bill 66 was amended to respect our demands.

https://github.com/samnabi/traction