Book Review: August 2024
Some cool reads this month, in a variety of topics including a new annual top 5 book (Wellness)
What books are you enjoying (or not!) this month?
"Sex & Rage" by Eve Babitz
4 stars
Weird and interesting characters in LA and NYC...2 places that seem full of weird and interesting characters to begin with. It felt like fiction and non-fiction at the same time. I felt deeply connected to some of the characters for the pain they were going to and annoyed at other characters for their lack of awareness. This is a book of survivors, of a woman who is willing to be creative outside the box and remake herself on her own terms.
"Wordslut: a feminist guide to taking back the english language" by Amanda Montell
4 stars
Gender and language are so deeply intertwined. I felt this as early as elementary school. As in, "You're a good athlete...for a girl" And then dove into this intersection in Gender Comm classes in college. I really enjoy this book by (Baltimore native!) Amanda Montell. How we speak to ourselves, how we speak to others and how we allow others to create narratives around us based on gender is a deep well to fall into. How we express ourselves through the language of art and music is deeping fascinating to me too. And then there's the evolution of words in different cultural contexts and who "owns" the words we use. I think about this stuff all the time so to read it in print felt affirming, like I wasn't the only one.
"Orange is the New Black" by Piper Kerman
3 stars
Apparently it's a TV series as well but considering I don't know how to turn on my TV, I likely won't watch it. Race, gender, income, etc all intersect in various forms outside of the prison system so to see them play out "inside" was interesting. This view of prison seemed like the women took care of each other but still dealt with tough situations. I'm confident this is a white washed version of prison given the author's privileged background. While reading, I just kept thinking about all the women locked away from their family including kids because they protected or sheltered a man. Women in jail for prostitution despite the "johns" not going to jail. The prison industrial complex shows up differently for genders and races, that's for sure!
"Wellness" by Nathan Hill
5 stars
My favorite book this month and a top 5 book of the year! Wow! The details, and character development were fantastic. Heart breaking and heart warming at the same time. A few of the scenes / situations hit close to home and I found myself nearly in tears. We live such awesome yet mundane lives and it was incredible to live it through the eyes of the characters. It wasn't romantic so much as real. That we love the humans in our lives and can be dissapointed with them at the same time. That we can feel rooted in our truths while also longing for something more. It was funny and sad and for such a large book went by quickly, I literally couldn't stop!
Monthly book total: 4
Annual book total: 39