The Inside Voice presents One-minute Book Interviews: reviews done in one minute. This set of reviews includes Derek Hutchinson, Maybelle DeHerget, Misael Triplett, Chance Deluca, and Savion Biggs Hawthorn.

Derek Hutchinson on The Underground Railroad:
Collin: So, Derek, what book are you reading right now?
Derek: …The most recent novel I read was The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.
Collin: Alright, well I can guess, but would you like to give us a short rundown of what goes on in [The Underground Railroad]?
Derek: So, I was really impressed, and enjoyed the fantastical, literal, underground railroad that [Colson Whitehead] used to frame his story about that time period. He created this actual underground railroad where slaves would escape to the north; it’s the story of those slaves, and it was surreal and different…
Collin: So, it’s fiction based on the truth?
Derek: Yeah, historical fiction.
Collin: How’d you find this book?
Derek: Well, it either won the Pulitzer Prize or the National Book Award. It’s been on my list to read, and I finally read it.
Collin: Great, and, who would you recommend it to?
Derek: I would recommend it to any student of history, for sure, but really the general population. I think the history it involves is great, and Whitehead’s approach to it is fantastic.

Chance Deluca on The Count of Monte Cristo:
Collin: Alright Chance, I understand you’re reading a book right now?
Chance: That I am.
Collin: Alright, and what is this book called?
Chance: The Count of Monte Cristo.
Henry Thomas: Collin, this is my seat.
Collin: And may I ask what this book is about?
Henry Thomas: Collin, you wanna, you wanna (indistinct mumble) it’s a three-seater, Collin.
Chance: It’s about a man, [Edmond Dantes], who’s framed for fraud. It’s set during the period where Napoleon was considered a criminal in France. [Edmond Dantes] gets framed and imprisoned by three people who really dislike him. He gets put in jail. One of the people steals his fiancee, and he’s imprisoned for 20 years or so, and then when he gets out, he seeks vengeance.
Collin: So would you say you’re enjoying this book?
Chance: Yeah, it’s a nice book, a fun adventure.
Collin: Who would you recommend this book to?
Chance: Well, anyone really.
Collin: Anyone?
Chance: I think anyone would enjoy sitting down and enjoying a good book every once in a while, and this one’s a good read.

Misael Triplett on Ashfall:
Collin: What book are you reading right now?
Misael: I’m reading Ashfall.
Collin: What’s that about?
Misael: It’s about the Yellowstone supervolcano exploding and covering the entire United States in ash. Ash begins to fall and meteors begin to kill a whole lot of people. The military decides to quarantine the zones. We don’t know why. I don’t yet know why at least. They begin taking people. The military is a great factor in this; they come in ¾ of the way through the book. For the first part of the book Alex, the main character, wanders around the wasteland looking for his family.
Collin: Do you like this book?
Misael: Yes, I do.
Collin: How’d you find out about it?
Misael: My mom slammed it in my face and told me to read it.
Collin: A decent way to find out about books. Who would you recommend Ashfall to?
Misael: To anyone who likes post-apocalyptic books.

Maybelle deHerget on Looking for Alaska:
Collin: So, Maybelle, what book are you reading?
Maybelle: Looking for Alaska.
Collin: What’s that about?
Maybelle: It’s about a boy and a girl, and this boy goes to a boarding school, and the girl is kind of crazy, but he falls in love with her; it’s their story.
Collin: Do you like this book?
Maybelle: Yeah, I like it.
Collin: How’d you come across it, how’d you find out about it?
Maybelle: It’s by John Green, and I’ve read a lot of his other books
Collin: Who would you recommend it to?
Maybelle: Anyone really. I find it a really good book, and I’m very picky about my books. If I don’t like a book, I can’t make myself read it, but this was a super easy read for me because it was so good.

Savion Biggs Hawthorne on Master & Commander:
Savion: I’m currently reading Master & Commander… I’m reading the series. I’m on the third or fourth book in this series. It’s about a captain; this is during the Napoleonic war. It’s a captain named Jack Aubrey, and his surgeon: his name is Stephen Maturin, and it’s a story about their lives.
Collin: That sounds really cool, do you like it?
Savion: I love it; it’s my favorite series. It has 27 books, I think? They’re all about 600 pages, really tiny print!
Collin: Is it an easy series to get into?
Savion: It’s an easy series to get into. It’s not necessarily an easy series to read, though.
Collin: How’d you come across it?
Savion: There’s a movie… I watched it when I was an itty-bitty boy, and I loved it.
Collin: Who would you recommend it to? What kind of person, what kind of reader?
Savion: Someone who likes really detailed, deep books, with subplots and really long words.