Book Review: 'Make Sure You Die Screaming' is an absurd road trip novel for modern times
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em on a multi-day, drunk-driving road trip in middle-class middle of America to find their missing father with a garbage goth girl named Yivi whom they met two weeks ago in an Airbnb basement.
That seems to be the mantra for 'Make Sure You Die Screaming,' Zee Carlstrom's debut novel from Flatiron Books. The first-person narration follows no-name Gunderson, nonbinary queer person, at what surely must be their rock-bottom. They stole their ex-boyfriend Clinton's car to drive from Chicago to Arkansas. Also the protagonist has killed their best friend, lost their job, and took an oath of radical honesty.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Kentucky school resource officers highlighted for service
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (FOX 56) — School resource officers play a crucial role in the lives of students and faculty. On Tuesday, the work of these dedicated officers was highlighted. Law Enforcement units from all over the state came to Great Crossing High School to attend the 2025 Safe Schools & Communities Conference, where part of the event included highlighting the School Resource Officers (SROs) of the year from different regions. Officer Larry Robinson is now the overall SRO of the year. Robinson serves with the Elizabethtown Police Department and is an SRO at Central Hardin High School. Off-duty Kentucky police officer charged with DUI in Hardin County Kentucky school resource officers highlighted for service Bill could make federal minimum wage $15: Kentucky among states paying less than that 'It's pretty cool. We all have the same idea about being in the schools for the kids. It's a cool part of the job,' Robinson said. Deputy Josh Sargent serves as an SRO for the Harlan County Public Schools and with the Harlan County Sheriff's Office. Sargent was recognized as SRO of the year for Region 6. 'There are a lot of issues where kids need that role model, and what better opportunity than to build a trusting relationship through my job as a sheriff's deputy, to get in there and show kids what we really mean. How we really want to impact them, work with them, and grow a bond,' Sargent said. Bill could make federal minimum wage $15: Kentucky among states paying less than that Kentucky sitting near bottom of rankings in environmental protection: Study Airbnb generates an estimated $590 million in Kentucky in 2024 This conference showcased school safety resources, with these dedicated law enforcement members being a big part of that. Mo Canady is the executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, also called NASRO. 'All across this country right now, there are state associations that are holding training for school resource officers. Next month, we'll have our national conference in Grapevine, Texas, where we'll have probably close to 2,400 school resource officers,' Cannady said. SRO of the year is a big title, but these officers say the best reward isn't just one day of the year. 'It's the most unique assignment in law enforcement, and it takes a unique individual to do it. If you look around at the SROs here, you can see the passion on their faces,' Cannady said. 'Now, we all come together to help break those chains, give them strengthening skill sets to be able to overcome the adversity that they're faced with,' Sargent added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gizmodo
4 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Airbnb Needs an ‘Illegal Settlement' Filter, Now
Company accused of war profiteering for allowing listings in Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory. Airbnb has listings all over the world, including, according to a group of human rights organizations, ones in Israel's illegal settlements within the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The groups say those rentals violate a promise once made by the company to remove listings in the region and may amount to the company profiting from war crimes. As a result, Airbnb now faces a series of legal actions in the US, UK, and Ireland led by human rights groups over its ongoing operations in the West Bank. The legal challenges are being brought by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), Sadaka Ireland (the Ireland-Palestine Alliance), and Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq. The groups claim that there are currently over 300 properties listed for rent on Airbnb that are part of Israel's settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which have been deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice. Included in those more than 300 properties, the groups allege, are Palestinian refugee properties that were taken during the Nakba, which expelled nearly one million Palestinians from their homes. The ongoing operations, the groups allege, may amount to 'money laundering by Airbnb of proceeds of Israeli war crimes.' They argue that the Israeli settlements constitute a war crime as they violate the Geneva Conventions and breach several international declarations. As such, the groups claim that Airbnb is facilitating business and handling money that is derived from war crimes, which is considered money laundering under UK and Irish law. The trio of human rights groups first filed a criminal complaint against Airbnb over its business in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in 2023, targeting the company's subsidiary in Ireland. The action, which is still being reviewed by the High Court, would be the first ever to raise alleged complicity in war crimes in an Irish court, according to the groups. Those continued actions in Ireland are now part of a multi-jurisdictional effort, as GLAN and Al-Haq have lodged a criminal complaint with the UK's National Crime Agency against Airbnb over alleged money laundering charges related to the company's collection of payments for rentals in the Israeli settlements. GLAN has also sent a 'preservation letter' to Airbnb's parent company in the United States, instructing it to preserve documents relevant to Airbnb's involvement in the settlements. The goal of the groups is to set a precedent that would discourage businesses from operating directly or indirectly within Israel's illegal settlements. 'These are the first ever cases to apply anti-money laundering legislation to business activity in the illegal Israeli settlements,' GLAN Senior Lawyer Gerry Liston said. 'They demonstrate that individual senior executives of companies profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory face a personal risk of prosecution for a very serious criminal offense.' Airbnb previously acknowledged that its operation within the Israeli settlements did not meet its own standards for safety and responsibility. In 2018, the company announced that it would remove listings in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in part of an effort to 'act responsibly.' But it reversed that decision in 2019 and has allowed listings in the region ever since. Airbnb claims that those operations do not violate any laws. 'Airbnb operates in compliance with applicable Irish and US laws,' a spokesperson for Airbnb told Gizmodo. 'Since 2019, Airbnb has donated all profits generated from host activity in the West Bank to an international nonprofit, in line with our global framework on disputed territories.' Ashish Prashar, senior advisor to the Middle East Peace Envoy, took issue with Airbnb's position. 'The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory, that includes the West Bank, is illegal. They ruled that all States must prevent trade or investment that supports that occupation. Airbnb listing property in the West Bank is in breach of that ruling,' he said. 'Calling these 'disputed territories' undermines Palestinian sovereignty, reinforces the Israeli occupation of the land and actively supports their cruel domination of the Palestinian people, which is in clear breach of international law. In Airbnb's response, I see no difference between them and Ambassador Huckabee, who is actively calling for the ethnic cleansing of Occupied Palestine,' Prashar said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Cape Cod family pushing for mandatory short-term rental inspections following Airbnb tragedy
A Cape Cod family is pushing for mandatory inspections of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors after a devastating tragedy at an Airbnb in New York. 35-year-old Shannon Hubbard and her 1-year-old daughter, Maggie Hubbard, were killed in a fire at that rental in Clinton, NY, last October. The homeowners, Dennis and Meredith Darcy, have been charged with second-degree manslaughter for allegedly lying about the presence of smoke detectors in the Airbnb listing. Tim Waldron, of Orleans, told Boston 25 News the deaths of his daughter and granddaughter have prompted him to advocate for the safety of other families. Waldron recently testified about his heartbreak and urgent concern for others at a State House hearing for the Maggie Hubbard Safety Act. It would require that all short-term rentals in Massachusetts are inspected for compliance with approved smoke and carbon monoxide detectors within one year before renting. 'I realized every single one of the towns had different laws, so it was very much patchwork regulations,' said Waldron. Waldron sat down with Boston 25 News on what would've been his daughter's 36th birthday. The Chatham Elementary teacher and her infant daughter died after what had been a beautiful family weekend in the short-term rental. It took a heartbreaking turn after Waldron left on Sunday afternoon. That night, Waldron's son-in-law, a Dennis Police officer, put a log in the wood stove and then went out into the hot tub with Shannon. 'They were out there for about 20, 30 minutes, just really enjoying the night while the kids were in. After about 20 or 30 minutes, they smelled smoke,' said Waldron. Shannon rushed into the room where their infant daughter was sleeping and got trapped inside. Her husband and their three-year-old son escaped, but firefighters were not able to save Shannon and Maggie in time. Fire investigators later determined that the home had no working fire alarms, contrary to what the Airbnb listing stated. 'If smoke detectors had gone off that evening, they would have heard them 20 or 30 minutes before they smell the smoke, and it would been no issue,' he said. Waldron is now determined to expose what he calls an unregulated self-reporting system of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in short-term rentals. He believes travelers can't trust what the Airbnb and VRBO listing says because there aren't inspections to prove it. 'We're talking about something that could prevent a death,' explained Waldron. 'You should have to have some level of an inspection done by a fire safety individual.' Orleans State Representative Hadley Luddy filed the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act in the House of Representatives, and Cape Senator Julian Cyr filed it in the Senate. 'The safety measures just really are not monitored at a level that's actually ensuring that we can go into buildings or rental situations and know that we're safe,' said Rep. Luddy with the 4th Barnstable district. Rep. Luddy's district stretches from Harwich to Provincetown, where the number of short-term rentals has increased by thousands in recent years. She said a large percentage of them aren't registered with towns. 'We don't want to see any more unnecessary deaths like the two lives lost here,' said the first-time legislator. 'If I could be a part of knowing that there would be more preventable situations like this in the future, it would mean a lot to me personally.' Rep. Luddy is working with fire departments and town managers on the Cape to determine who would do these inspections. She told Boston 25 News that it may vary in each community and would likely involve a fee for those listing short-term rentals. The State Fire Marshal's Office issued the following statement to Boston 25 News in support of the legislation: 'Working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have prevented countless tragedies in Massachusetts and around the world. They are vital life safety tools and should be installed on every level of every living space, whether it's short-term, long-term, or permanent.' 'It reminds them that there are steps you need to take, that you need dot your I's and cross your T's to make sure the home you're renting to people is as safe as it could possibly be,' said Waldron. Waldron said this law would also mean that his daughter's legacy and granddaughter's name live on eternally by protecting others. 'My granddaughter was perfect, right? She had the beautiful smile. She had the best giggle. If you saw or heard either one of them, you'd never forget it,' he added. 'It's a loss that I'll carry with me every day.' Boston 25 News reached out to Airbnb and VRBO for comment and have not heard back. The owners of the New York Airbnb rental have pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
