I could not get over the fact a teacher (aging, white male) was "falling in love" with a 16 year old girl. I could not get over how she was described and felt like it was oversexualizing, and comes off as not genuine.

This is one of Almond’s finest works. I loved this book and continue to foist it on anyone who will listen. Almond should be the writer we are all raving about.

I did not get to this book and as a result am removing from my list. I ended up selecting other books to read instead. This review is not a reflection of the story, but rather shows that this was not high on my TBR list, which is a factor in itself.

Special thanks to Zando books for the ARC to this book. And Netgalley, of course.

In the beginning, this was going to be a DNF but after a half hour I am so glad I stuck with it. Not only is it important, it's entertaining. Read another review because most nailed it.

I recommended this book even though political books and nonfiction are not my usual. That's how much I liked iy.

Steve Almond has written a novel? That's really good news. It's better news that this is a really powerful, epic novel.

The book begins almost as a YA angst story when two 13 year-olds from very different social and economic backgrounds are assigned to work together on a school project. The teacher believes it is good for the girls to get to know one another and see what life is like for the other. They do form a friendship which binds together not only them but their families.

But this isn't a YA novel and it twists, turns, and convulses into an anxiety filled police thriller with families torn apart, a criminal justice system that run amok, and cops that straddle the line between 'good cop' and corrupt. There are no easy answers here, and that's part of what Almond smacks the reader over the head with ... we don't always get the right answer, or the good answer, of the easy answer. And sometimes life has to go on for the survivors. And yeah, that really sucks.

The book identifies and crosses boundaries - territorial, social, gender, moral - making this a terrific social exploration that is both physically and figuratively expansive in its coverage.

I first got turned on to Steve Almond's works when I randomly picked up his collection of short stories, My Life in Heavy Metal, and I've been a fan of his work ever since (I even showed up for an in-person author discussion with Steve Almond - something I generally don't do).

Although Almond has typically written short fiction and nonfiction (Candyfreak is a must read for anyone who's ever had a favorite candy treat) this novel, sort of a debut novel if you don't count the co-authored Which Brings Me to You (and I don't), is a spectacular achievement. Its scope is broad and topical. It is no wonder that this has already been picked up to become a television series. Read it now so that you can tell your friends you read it before it was a popular show!

Looking for a good book? All the Secrets of the World by Steve Almond is a thematically heavy book but the author brings the reader into the story gently and with great curiosity before showing us the underside of the world.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

All the Secrets of the World is the story of two families drawn into dangerous waters by an unlikely and erratic friendship. When a well-meaning teacher assigned Lorena Saenz, the daughter of a single mom who is undocumented, to work with Jenny Stallworth, the daughter of a socialite realtor and a university professor) on a science project, she probably congratulated herself when they became friends. Jenny, of course, held the power in the relationship, they were friends when Jenny invited her over. Jenny’s mother was as warm and welcoming as Lady Bountiful and probably for the same reason. Jenny’s father, though, talked to Lorena as an adult, respecting her intelligence. This made him seem irresistible. She was drawn to him and he was drawn to her.

All the Secrets of the World is made up of five books and they are very different. The first is told from Lorena’s viewpoint. It was, for me, the most compelling part of the book even though presenting Lorena as a Lolita rings false to me. It absolves Jenny’s father of his predatory behavior. Lorena is too innocent to see how he is seducing her and blames herself when it all blows up in a confrontation between her brother and Jenny’s father.

Later, when Mr. Stallworth disappears, that altercation looms large. We see this through the eyes of the Latino investigator who is dependent on the approval of a racist white detective he is working under. As the story progresses, it shifts from showing to telling and its themes explore racism, police corruption and incompetence, and even religious cults. And the more it tells, the less interesting I found it.



I read Book 1 of All the Secrets of the World straight through, captivated by Lorena’s story though repulsed by Mr. Stallworth and distrustful of a narrative that put too much agency on her and too little on him. It reminds me of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” the victim-blaming song from The Police. As the book progressed, though, I found myself putting it down more often. I think it has important things to say and it was well worth my perseverance. Steve Almond had a point to make and he pounded it in rather than letting it slide in by itself. Almond places it in the Reagan 80s, which probably makes its lessons more palatable to all who read it, but if we think we have progressed since then, we are fooling ourselves.

I received an e-galley of All the Secrets of the World from the publisher through NetGalley

All the Secrets of the World at Crooked Media Reads | Zando
Steve Almond

It took me a little while to get into this book because I was reading something else first, but when I really started reading I could hardly stop. While reading I wanted to cry, throw things, in short: this book pushed all of my emotion buttons.

This was very a interesting book. I have not read anything by Steve Almond yet and I definitely enjoyed this book and wanted to see what happened at the end ASAP! It is kind of an odd story and the ending was a little disappointing to me I guess, as I thought the main character would end up doing more as she got older. Regardless, Lorena is a 13 yr old Honduran student in 1980's Sacramento attending a mostly white school. In science class she gets intentionally (by her teacher) paired with Jenny Stallworth who is wealthy, popular and comes from an upper class family as it appears. They become friends and Jenny's family takes Lorena in because her mom (an undocumented immigrant) works around the clock and her brother is supposedly in the Navy. Lorena has several encounters with Jenny's dad Marcus, who she seems to have a rush on and he her as well, but they never actually act on it or do anything although their interactions are very intense and somewhat disturbing. The current political environment with Ronald Regan as president figures prominently in the story with his crackdown on crime and deportation of illegal immigrants. So many events happen as the story progresses that I do not want to spoil anything for readers. The writing is wonderful and the book is shows the effects of these issues on families and how they are sadly torn apart because of them. Somewhat epic as it occurs over a period of time between families with different backgrounds. Do not miss this one!! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!

DNF at 12%. This might be a case of picking it up at the wrong time but this isn’t for me. After listening for over an hour I would be really hard pressed to answer anything if someone said “what’s your book about?” Too slow moving for me. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

In 1981, the science teacher has Lorena and Jenny are paired for the science fair hoping to pair two girls from different worlds. They do become friends. They go camping with Marcus, Jenny’s father and brother. Marcus introduces Lorena to scorpions. She is fascinated by the neon-like colors of scorpions. However one day Jenny wants to go to Lorena’s home. It’s an apartment that is not the best part of Sacramento. Jenny can’t believe that Lorena has not taken advantage since her mom usually works two shifts. She calls a boyfriend to come over which makes Lorena uncomfortable. After that, they go their separate ways. When Lorena’s troubled brother, Tony picks up Lorena at Jenny’s home, Tony and Marcus has tense words which drawn them into Lorena’s family
Into the criminal Justice system of America. Lorena wants the truth so she goes on a dangerous journey into the desert and through the gate of a Mexican religious cult. She discovers shocking secrets. What are they?

It’s a story that I didn’t expect. It is a true page turner. It is a coming-of-age story, procedural police, racial discrimination, and lust. With an emphasis of being barely legal. As much as I liked it, I was surprise of what was included in the novel. It’s a book I won’t forget.

Another five-star book! (Be sure to check out my GoodReads profile to see all the books I've been reading and how I'm ranking them.)

In All the Secrets of the World, it's the 1980s. Reagan is president. And Lorena Saenz has been paired up with a pretty and rich classmate for a science project. Being partners with Jenny has its perks, like being invited to stay for dinner by Jenny's mom and getting to hang out with Jenny's scientist dad. Yes, Lorena has a bit of a crush on Mr. Stallworth, and it seems that Marcus Stallworth feels the same way.

Becoming a part of the Stallworth family has its downsides, though. Like when Mr. Stallworth goes missing, Lorena's brother becomes one of the prime suspects. But Lorena knows Marcus Stallworth is still alive because she knows some of the Stallworth family secrets. Mr. and Mrs. Stallworth aren't the only ones with secrets, though.

Everyone in this novel is trying to hide something - from undocumented immigrant status to infidelities. All of this secret-keeping has repercussions down the road, a road that the reader gets to travel with hopes that the characters reach the end before it's too late.

This was a really well-told story that would be perfect for book clubs to read. So much to discuss!

All the Secrets of the World is published by Zando and is available to purchase now. I received a free e-ARC to review.

All the Secrets of the World is the debut novel by Steve Almond. With social observations on the state of our union, it was a book that I couldn't stop reading. The author makes his points without going into preachy territory. Letting the characters and the narrative point out the flaws in our judicial system. A must read.

This read made me angry and frustrated and disappointed more times than I can count - but in a good way. These characters are so well rounded that this felt so REAL. I was enraged by the injustice and heartbroken for Lorena, Tony, and their mother. This was something very different than what I was expecting. Give this one a go.

"The scorpion hunts while the rest of us dream. That's why he knows all the secrets of the world."
I'm a huge fan of Steve Almond's work. In this, his first novel, Almond hooked me with extraordinary imagery and details -- glow-in-the-dark scorpions, Nancy Reagan and her personal astrologer, Mormon clans in Northern Mexico, family secrets. This novel is ambitious in scope, woven from so many different threads: class disparities, immigration, police corruption, racism, and the foundation of today's Republican Party. It's a LOT. But Almond pulls it off. If you like sweeping social novels with a side of thriller, this will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

[Thanks to Zando Projects and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book.]

A sprawling novel set in the early 1980s. Many choices made in this novel were a direct result of the time period the novel is set in. The characters were fleshed out and you could relate to them. I really enjoyed this novel and would definitely read more by Mr Almond..

A careening drama of American rich and poor crashing together in the 1980s, "All the Secrets of the World" is an intoxicating read. When a poor teenage girl, brilliant, bookish, and tough, is unexpectedly injected into a rich southern family riven by dysfunction, dangerous currents mix and then explode leaving a scientist missing, a drug dealer in prison, an outsider cop reluctantly quixotic, and our teenage heroine plunged into a cross-country odyssey. Throw in cameo appearances by Barbara Bush and you can see that this is no standardized drama. All the Secrets of the World harnesses the redoubtable writing chops of a prolific short story and nonfiction writer, and this debut is exuberantly, buoyantly penned with a complex plotline masterfully controlled. The amazing thing about the debut novel is that it sounds like it should be a "difficult" literary novel. Instead it is an immersive, entertaining read that also illuminates our human world. A must-read for 2022.

Unexpected. Starts off as a YA coming-of-age tale but then takes off into a detective story. It morphs and twists and explores complex issues of race, politics and privilege. I found it to be very unique and different. Recommend.

This book had a tendency to run all over the place, but I was happy to be along for the ride. All the Secrets of the World focuses on a young girl, Lorena, and her dynamic with her science partner Jenny. It also features an investigation by Pablo; this novel explores themes of politics, racial identity, and adventure. The desert is also featured as metaphor for the characters' experiences. A very adventurous novel.

All the Secrets of the World sucked me in like a Hoover! It was complex, riddled me with anxiety, and had me staying up all hours of the night dying to know what happens next. It begins like an unraveling teen girl drama: we see the world through Lorena’s eyes as she visits the sprawling Stallworth home, admires the family dynamics so unlike her own, and develops a dynamic love/hate friendship with Jenny (but also Mr. Stallworth). That teen drama seamlessly switches to detective tale as we follow Pablo Guerrero through his investigation--and this is where all the anxiety began to kick in.

Reading through the Hispanic lens is something I love to see out of a book because there are so many different experiences in any given ethnicity. Plus, we love to root for our gente! So this book tore at me when Lorena and Guerrero sat on opposite sides of the law. I wanted to root for Guerrero but I couldn’t help but feel like he was in the wrong, making horrible decisions that had me freaking out a bit. Not to mention the crooked cops that controlled him and their motives as well. To be honest though, that made the book so much more exciting because it had me questioning what was real and what wasn’t. So anxious to know what the outcome was going to be. And still, rooting endlessly.

My only issue was that I felt it did a bit of telling instead of showing, especially regarding characters’ thoughts and feelings. Telling us nuances that could be picked up or inferred through their behavior instead of outright saying why they did what they did. Sometimes it’s fun to draw those conclusions on your own as a reader and it felt like the book did all the thinking for me.

But that’s very minor in the grand scheme of an exciting story. This book was unafraid, fun, and frustrating, but man was it a damn good read. I highly recommend to anyone who loves adventure, deserts, and complex human experiences.

A complex and intricate satirical novel that sheds light on the Reagan years and what they lead to.
It's the early 80's and 13 year old Lorena, a child of undocumented parents is paired with an affluent and popular girl for the science fair project. Jenny Stallworth's father happens to be a somewhat famous scientist focusing on the study of scorpions. Scorpions and the dangerous desert landscape provide much of the metaphors to this novel of cultural commentary. Jenny is hoping to work on an astrology themed project however and the current First Lady Nancy Reagan is references as an astrology believer.

Many, many events transpire and none of them good. This novel is crackling with energy and a true page turner. As advertised, this novel has similarities to the book Little Fires Everywhere with underlying themes of race, law, and politics. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy sharp commentary in their novels, this is one of the best of the year!