Book Review: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

Anyan Hu, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing. New York: Astra House, 2025. ISBN: 9781662603044.

Genre: memoir, Chinese

Subgenre: work, labor, gig economy, logistics

Format: ARC paperback

Source: Provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.  

 

This book is a series of essays and recollections by Hu AnYan about his experiences doing gig work. Much of the book is about his work as a delivery person for various logistics companies, but also does other jobs such as working at a logistics center for long night shift hours in extreme heat and barely tolerable conditions. Hu is pretty mobile, so when conditions in a job become too much to bear, he moves to a new gig job. Along the way, he begins to write about his experiences, and those writings form the basis of this book. 

Hu presents a look at how the gig economy works via his experiences. He describes working conditions, his coworkers, bosses, and clients who receive the packages he delivers. These jobs are often capricious, with some degree of corruption, exploitation, and/or favoritism. Hu even describes idiosyncrasies of workers,  bosses, and customers. There are some humorous moments, but not that many to be honest. It often is hard and grinding work where job quotas and number of packages delivered, and delivered without customer complaints by the way, are more important than workers' health and job conditions. This is one reason why job turnover in these jobs is so high. 

Much like the jobs Hu describes, this book can be a small grind to read. Much of the narrative is fairly quotidian and ordinary. Some parts are more interesting than others, but for the most part it is very routine. After a while it feels like you read the same over and over. One thing the narrative does well is humanize the author and other gig workers. Granted, he works in China, but his work is similar to gig workers in the United States such as Amazon warehouse workers and drivers. 

Overall, the book is OK. Interesting in parts, an amusing moment here or there, but it was just not that engaging for me. Still if you want a look at the gig economy, especially in China, this is a good option. Hu's experience  mirrors that of gig workers in other parts of the world. 

In terms of reader appeal, if you've read books like Fulfillment (link to my review) and Mailman (review link)  you may want to read this one. Readers interested in books about workers, labor, and the economy may find it interesting. For some readers this book can provide insight into how exactly their packages get to their homes. 

My library ordered it; our campus has some interest in labor and social justice issues, so academic libraries with similar interests may want to add it to their collections. For public libraries, this may go well for memoirs as well as reading about work and the supply chain economy. 

2.5 out of 5 stars. 

 

Book Review: Kentucky's Packhorse Librarians

Nicki Jacobsmeyer, Kentucky's Packhorse Librarians. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2025. ISBN: 9781467162180.  

Genre: photography, history

Subgenre: regional interest, Kentucky

Format: hardback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College 

 

This book is part of the "Images of America" series. These book are often photographic histories of towns, neighborhoods, cities, and regions. Odds are good if you've been to a small town's visitor center or a historical society, they probably have a local version in their gift shop. 

This particular volume focuses on the packhorse librarians of Kentucky. This was a New Deal WPA program that provided funding for librarians and volunteers to deliver books and reading materials to deep rural areas. They did so riding horses or mules as they often visited places that were challenging to access. During the Great Depression, these packhorse librarians bought solace, literacy, entertainment, comfort, and hope to some of the poorest areas in Kentucky and Appalachia.

The book features an introduction, seven chapters, and a small bibliography. The strength of the books is in the black and white photographs drawn from various archives. The photos show the work the librarians did, the people they served, and the region. You truly get a feel that you are stepping back in time. In addition, all photos include a text caption to describe the photo as well as tell the overall story. 

The book as a whole is relatively easy to read. It shows a bit of history not many outside the region may know. Book is very basic, almost like an annotated photo album. 

Recommended for libraries in Kentucky. Some library school programs looking at histories of libraries may want to consider it. For academic libraries, may want to consider it if their school teachers about the Great Depression. We ordered it here I am sure due to regional interest plus some of the photos come from our Special Collections and Archives department. In the end, I really liked it. 

4 out of 5 stars.

 Qualifies for 2026 Virtual Mount TBR Reading Challenge. 

 

Media Notes: Roundup for March 2026

 

  

 

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during February 2026.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

• Final Prayer (2013. Horror. Thriller.) Plot description: "A team of Vatican investigators descend upon a church in a remote area to demystify the unusual happenings, but what they discover is more disturbing than they had first imagined." I am not usually a fan of the "found footage" horror variety, but what the heck I am taking a chance on this one.  The events starr in Brazil, and at the opening, when they find the cameras, the cops are speaking in Portuguese, and no subtitles. I wish filmmakers would bother to translate those foreign language segments as needed. The start of the film is pretty slow as the team sets itself up, then eventually decide to go over to the site, which is a fairly typical small church built in the Middle Ages. We get to about halfway in the movie, and not much of anything other than a small noise here or there really happens. Seems a lot of fuss for a small paranormal moment from a video, what they are investigating, which may or not be fake. They spend more time talking than actually investigating or doing anything. Result is fairly slow and boring movie with little thrills. Oh, and filming big chunks in the dark where you can barely see anything does not automatically make for thrills. It is just slow, dragging, and it really does not offer much of anything in way of a thriller nor horror. By time it gets to the last ten minutes or so, you pretty much don't give much of a fuck, and you just want it to be over. The acting is not that good either by the way. This is one to definitely skip, so be glad I watched it so you don't have to. 0 out of 5 stars because a 1 would be charity. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/7.
• The Apprentice (2024. Docudrama. Biography).  Plot description: "A young man took over his father's real-estate business in 1970s and '80s New York, and got the helping hand of an infamous closeted gay lawyer who helped him turn this young man into a notorious legend. Based on true events." The young man here is Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) in his early days, and the lawyer is the infamous by now Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). A reason I am watching this is one of my students who saw it recommended it. As stated in the movie opening, film is based on real events and characters, but some events and characters were fictionalized for dramatic effect. So keep that small detail in mind. The film opens with Nixon giving part of his "I am not a crook speech." This serves as a nice note given that, unlike Nixon, well, Trump as we know did not exactly earn what he got and avoids scrutiny to this day. We all know Donald Trump is awful, but if you wonder where he got it from, his father Fred is truly awful, even with his family. In this film, Donald is the "apprentice" as he comes under Roy's wing. Donald was already ambitious, but it is Roy who really begins to teach him the ways of money, greed, power, so on. He also teaches him the rules Donald lives by to this day, always attack, never admit wrongdoing, and always claim victory, even if defeated. The film does portray Donald a bit more innocent than he may have been in reality at the time. Still, the performances by Stan and Strong are great, especially Strong as Roy Cohn. In the end, perhaps Cohn did a great job mentoring and teaching Trump, maybe too well. Heck, you might feel sorry for Cohn, asshole as he was, once Trump turns against him. It is an intense scene when they confront each other over Russell, Cohn's gay lover. The movie does have a lot going for it. It captures the time period very well including the music and ambiance. It is a movie that looks good overall, and it is a good drama. Powerful at times, especially in the last act. I can see why Trump wanted the movie suppressed. They do not embellish him or those around him in any way. Film takes us from 1973 to the later half of the 1980s; Cohn dies in 1986, so a bit after that. A lot of Trump's rise was him, but the 80s were also a serious time of greed, which eased a lot of Trump's initial success. Film manages to catch that balance and show in the end it was not just him; this is very much American culture where there is justice for some, and the rich are the real owners, to borrow George Carlin's phrase. I am willing to give 5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/13. 
• On a curious note, to me at least, in the very last scene when Donald is talking to the ghost writer of the book that will become The Art of the Deal, some of the music echoes or sounds similar to some of the music at the end of the film Scarface, the one with Al Pacino. I am not sure if that was intentional or not, but it is a bit of powerful music and it does a great job highlighting Donald's evil and ruthlessness.
• The Witch: Revenge (2024. Horror. War. Ukrainian film. also known as The Witch of Knotop). Plot description: "The tale unfolds around an ancient witch from the Ukrainian town of Konotop, who long ago abandoned her extraordinary powers after falling in love with a mortal man. However, tragedy strikes when her beloved is brutally murdered by the Russian soldiers as they occupy Konotop in February 2022. Fueled by grief and a thirst for revenge, she reclaims her supernatural abilities, embarking on a blood-soaked quest to mete out justice to her fiancé's killers."  The description caught my eye given how timely it is to current events, so I took a chance on this. The movie gradually builds up as it focuses in part on the group of Russian invaders who killed the witch's fiance, and they are pretty much evil assholes who we will not miss once the witch begins her revenge. The movie is a bit of a slow burner as the witch, calling on dark powers, slowly but surely targets the Russian soldiers one at a time using various violent methods, some slower than others. The film falls well within folk witchcraft. They basically called the wrath of a peaceful witch upon themselves. If you expect a lot of gore and horror, this is not that kind of film. It is more slow  horror building up, and a good amount of suspense. But you also feel for the witch as she loses herself in the dark powers she has summoned to aid her revenge. We get a complex tale of folk terror. Acting is good, not spectacular. The soldiers are pretty much bad Russians, not too much depth. The witch on the other hand has some character. To be honest, this was better than I thought it might be. The ending felt a bit of a stretch, but it works well enough to wrap the film up. Giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/13.
• Interesting detail. One of the Russian soldiers in the squad is Buryat, a native indigenous man from Siberia. He may be the only one with some semblance of head on his shoulders, less vicious than the actual Russians.  
• A small technical note: the closed caption text at times varies from the speaking in the movie. Movie is in English.
• Boiling Point (2021. Drama). Plot description: "A chef must deal with pressures in and out of the kitchen of a high end restaurant in the Christmas rush." The gimmick in this film is that is was filmed in one shot, yes, the whole thing. It is a restaurant and workplace drama where at times it is a miracle anything gets done: workers arriving late, workers not really caring and just going through the motions, personal dramas, so on. And then there are the prima donna customers. Andy, our chef protagonist, barely has his act together given various personal issues and distractions. And it all comes down on Christmas, including some celebrity chef visiting the restaurant that Andy worked with previously. Oh. and don't forget the useless influencer assholes, because in a fancy restaurant you need to have some too. Once the movie starts it moves at a quick pace, and since it is a restaurant shift on a busy evening, we have lots of things going on the viewer gets to see. Aside from the single shot technique, there is not much in this film. If you've read books like Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, or you worked in a high end restaurant, then you have an idea how the drill goes. It does have some infuriating moments in the ways the lower workers are often abused by their superiors, including superiors that are barely competent. Also included is Andy who due to his distractions, and drinking, makes mistakes and blames his inferiors. We also see a measure of corruption, games, so on that are more infuriating than anything else. And the more you see, the more infuriating at times it can get. In the end, story as a whole is just not terribly deep. Story is pretty much any high end restaurant shift in a seasonal rush. Acting is good enough, especially Andy (Stephen Graham, the protagonist) and Carly, the other main chef (Vinette Robinson). As it progresses, it just gets tiring, kind of like the shift depicted. The drama is solid, but it is a basic story, nothing spectacular. If you've been in food service, you will likely relate to a lot, but even if not, some of the evils of workplaces may resonate. Ending is a bit abrupt, but not surprising. If this was a real restaurant, it would be one to avoid. 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/20.
• Aliens in the Hood (2023. Science Fiction. Drama. Crime. Made for TV). Plot description: "A long-running struggle for control over the local drug trade becomes even more complicated when aliens touch down in the neighborhood."  That title and plot sounded seriously silly, so I said what the heck, let's have a look. About 12 minutes in, nothing really happens other than meeting some of the characters. The UFOs are in the sky, but since they just stay there, silent, most people after a while just ignore them and go on with life, crimes, etc. The aliens in the end are barely in the background; the characters just move on with their plots and various crimes. Some people get shot, but even that is kind of meh. To be honest, if they wanted to film a crime drama from the hood they could have done it just fine without any aliens. Movie moves from scene from scene with no central plot. The acting is to be honest barely on par, fairly bad. Pacing is slow. And for some reason, the sound editing is pretty bad too. Overall, slow, boring, not much of anything happens to make this worth watching, and the small attempt at the end is just nowhere near enough. About only good thing about the movie is the title. 0 out of 5 stars as this is one to skip. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/28. 

 

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• Kojak (1973-1978. Action. Crime. Drama).  The classic police drama procedural with Telly Savalas in the title role as Lieutenant Detective Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. I continue with Season 2, starting this month with episode 20. I finished seasons 2 and 3, on to Season 4. 
• In interesting details. In season 2, episode 25, last of the second season, we get a medium who dreams of murders before they happen. She does call the police, who naturally are skeptical, but soon her dreams manifest. Andrew Robinson, who you may know from films like Dirty Harry where he portrayed the killer, plays the killer in this one.  
• Again, actors seen elsewhere: In season 3, episode 1, Michael V. Gazzo, a shady loan shark and parking lots owner. You may better know him as Frankie Pentangeli from The Godfather Part II. So are Eli Wallach. who you may know from various films, and Jerry Orbach, often known from Law and Order series.
• And in season 3, episode 3, Sylvester Stallone makes a guest appearance as a somewhat gung ho cop who accidentally shoots a child, or was it accidental?  
• Again, actors seen elsewhere. Vincent Gardenia appears as a former NYPD detective now working in Las Vegas in season 3, episode 14. I remember him as the detective in the early Death Wish films.  
• In Season 4, episode 1 we see a young Richard Gere.  
• The Amish Dilemma (Documentary. PBS. 2019). Description: "Three generations of Amish make a rare decision to tell their stories after months of reflection and debate with their pastors. How can they live between an ancestral ideology and a civilization of consumption pushed to the extreme? This documentary raises questions about the notion of individual freedom, belonging to a minority, economic and social norms, as well as the place of women." An interesting detail to me is that over time the Amish make small concessions to technology, often to be better able to run a farm and/or compete as a business in the modern world. They are small concessions, for example, in one farm, the farmer has a small generator, made from an old car engine, for electricity to run the dairy farm, but he is not connected in any way to the local grid. Connecting to the grid is forbidden. So they adapt in small ways but still work hard to hold on to their simple life. This is not all Amish; there are still some who are very conservative and really refuse any modern technology. Documentary was basic. It was interesting, well done. They managed to find some Amish willing to be filmed, though shading their faces, and talk about their beliefs. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/6.

 

 

Book Review: Mailman

Stephen Starring Grant, Mailman: my wild ride delivering the mail in Appalachia and finally finding home. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2025. 9781668018040.  

Genre: memoir, work, jobs 

Subgenre: Appalachia, USPS

Format: hardcover

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College  

 

This is the author's memoir of his one-year stint working as a rural postal carrier in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. When he loses his fairly high end consulting job, he needs work that will provide some good health insurance. It turns out the U.S. Postal Service does that, and the health insurance kicks in right away once you are hired. Also, he loses his job just as the pandemic is starting to explode, he has health issues, cancer, and he is 50, so that adds to the urgency. 

The publisher describes the book as "exuberant, hilarious, and profound memoir." I would not go that far. I picked up this book for a couple of reasons. One, I thought the topic about a mailman and the USPS would be interesting. Two, the book is set in the Appalachian Region, so it has a regional interest locally. I had some high expectations, though I knew this book is another example of "someone does a stunt for a fixed amount of time then gets a book out of it" genre. I've read a few of those books. Some were good, and others not so much. This one for me falls into the not so much. 

An issue for me is that the book is not that interesting at times. The quality of interest can vary. There are some slow parts, some amusing parts, and some parts where he is just a dumbass. Some of the history of the postal service and the look at how the postal service works, especially in rural areas, are interesting. Some of the deliveries he made and the stories that go with them can be interesting and humorous as well. Yet there are some slow moments, some moments where he is wallowing in self pity, and one or two not so bright moments where you wonder how he stayed employed. So the narrative goes up and down a bit. 

For me also the book felt a bit predictable. Like we knew he was only doing this for a year, and you could kind of figure out he would go back to a more "normal" life by the end of the book. Spoiler alert: he does. He finds a new job in his field, and he leaves the postal service. Naturally, he ends up growing as a person with a better appreciation for the postal job as well as its service ethic and nobility. He ends with a bit of a promotion bit for people getting more involved in public service. In that regard, the book is not that much different than other "stunt" books where the protagonist decides, whether for fun, necessity, or other reason, to do the thing, and then writes a book about it to share their insights and growth. To be honest, fun as some of the stories were, the end just feels like another feel good story with a touch of treacle. 

Overall I liked it, but I found myself forcing my way to get to the end. It just did not keep my attention that much. However, the subject and setting have a strong regional appeal, so folks who enjoy reading about Appalachia and rural settings may enjoy this more than I did. Also if you want to learn a bit more about how the postal service works, especially the rural service that is so vital to those areas, yet few outside of those areas think about it, this may be a book for you too. I would still recommend it for all libraries, especially ones in the region. I am sure the regional interest is part of why our library ordered it. 

In the end, it was mostly OK. 

2 out of 5 stars.   

 

Books that may have similar appeal factors: 

A.J. Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically (my review).  

Josh Peter, Fried Twinkies,  Buckle Bunnies, and Bull Riders: A Year Inside the Professional Bull Riders Tour (my review).

Andrew Beattie, Sleeping Around in America: Revisiting the Roadside Motel (review, which includes a list of additional similar appeal books).

 

 

Book Review: The People's Project

Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith, eds., The People's Project: poems, essays, and art for looking forward. New York: Washington Square Press/Atria, 2025. ISBN: 9781668207024. 

Genre: politics, current affairs

Subgenre: anthology, essay, poetry

Format: small hardback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College 

 

This small book is a collection of essays and poems on what people can do given the 2024 United States elections. This is basically a collection of advice, strategies, and calls for hope and inspiration for the Hard Times. 

The book features 27 items including essays, poems, and one art piece. It features a very diverse group of authors. The pieces call forth various emotions ranging from sadness to anger, yet there are notes of hope, assuming folks do the necessary work. For me, that is the catch: are people willing to do the necessary work?  

The book as a whole is a short and easy read. Most of the pieces are relatively short, yet they are moving and powerful. These pieces may stay with you after reading the book. 

I'd recommend this book for public libraries. Some academic libraries, especially those with strong social justice interest and curricula may want to add it as well. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

 

Additional reading notes: 

Start with not abandoning yourself: 

"What does it mean to abandon yourself? It means to pretend you don't know what you know, don't hear what you hear, don't see what you see. In other words, to gaslight yourself. To stay quiet and compliant. To make nice. To compromise your values to keep the peace, which is not peace at all" (13). 

That is part of why I ended my politics/social issues/activist material moratorium. After the regime part one came to power in 2016, I needed a serious break. I was burned on politics, etc. But in 2024 I could no longer stay silent and pretend to be ignorant, or at least tuned out partially given a good librarian can never really tune out completely. So I am reading again books like this book, and sharing what I read and learn. It is my small contribution for the good of the cause. 

And by the way, once you set the intention and work to not abandon yourself, make sure you do not abandon others. 

 

On taking care of yourself: 

"For those of us who are constantly under attack, contributing requires prioritizing ourselves on purpose. When everything is set up to diminish you and insist that you diminish yourself, defending yourself will only speed your destruction. Our time and energy are better spent on whatever will allow us to embody a proactive stance more often than a defensive posture" (34).   

 

Qualifies for the following 2026 Reading Challenge: