Book Report

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

  

Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing by Lauren Hough – A series of essays by a remarkable woman who was raised in The Family (horrible patriarchal sex cult), joined the Air Force and was kicked out, survived on low-wage jobs, did a stint in jail, had mental health issues, and is a lesbian. Her writing is riveting. As one reviewer said, “fiercely honest, funny, brazen, brilliant.” I quoted a piece of her writing on my FB, just because it seemed very trenchant when thinking about US voters: “We (Americans) fetishize poverty, as though it makes you a better person. The truth is all it does is make you mean. The constant stress of it. The never-ending f** shame of it. It makes you angry and hateful. You’re not jealous of those who have more. You’re just exhausted by the *** humiliation they will not hesitate to throw at you. There’s a world of opportunity you’ll never reach. College. Jobs. A network of contacts ..” Grade: 8

 

There is No Ethan by Anna Akbari – Wow. I could not put this book down. It’s a real-life account of three women who uncovered and unmasked a catfisher. Truth really is stranger than fiction, and I had to keep reading to see what would happen. (I even did some googling after finishing the book to see if there was any follow-up). Grade: 8

 

Loot by Tania James – This is a very interesting novel. Set in 18^th century India, it tells the story of young Abbas who is a master woodworker, and who comes to the attention of the sultan. It’s one of those books that is well-written and engaging enough, but I suspect that in a year or so, I won’t remember it. Grade: 6

 

Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends by Marisa G Franco – Solid, well-researched book about the importance of friendship. There’s nothing surprising in here but it’s a good reminder. Friends are just as important as romantic partners! Full disclosure: the topic was awesome but the book wasn’t always that compelling and I may have skimmed a few parts. Grade: 6

 

Rest in Power by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin – This book is written by the parents of Trayvon Martin and is about their struggle for justice after his murder. I got it from a Little Free Library. I think I will write more about my reactions to the book than the book itself. First, racism and police brutality are still as bad as ever. “Stand Your Ground” is still law in Florida, and in fact it was changed several years after Trayvon’s murder to make it even easier for the shooter to justify his actions. (wtf) Trayvon’s killer is still free, and according to Wikipedia he is making shittons of money selling crappy confederate “art”. A racist is set to take the highest office in the land, in January. What the hell is it all for? Yet the book seems to suggest that the fight for justice is still the right thing to do, even if it seems like justice is never attained. While reading this book, I did do a post on FB asking for ideas. My post basically said: I’ve read a lot of books about racism but how do I do more?? Me reading books doesn’t feel like it changes anything. I asked the AI at work for ideas. First it listed more books to read. I said that I already read most of them and I wanted to take more action. So then it gave me a bunch of ideas on conversing with people on the topic. But that poses some problems too, such as the fact that most of us live in bubbles and rarely interact with a diverse range of people. (As I said on FB, come on I have 3 friends, and all of them feel the way I do on this topic). So then the AI gave me ideas on how to get out and socialize more. Which I can do, but again I live in a big city and you won’t find many folks here saying that Stand Your Ground is a great law or copping to purchasing confederate “artwork”. I feel like I landed back at square one in terms of my activism goals: keep canvassing and campaigning for candidates who support racial justice.  (Again, apologies that this review is more about my reactions and actions, but I am assuming that anyone reading this report already knows at least a bit about Trayvon and the events surrounding his murder. Grade: 8)