Ok, this is strangely meditative. Augmented by silence…
The Secret to Superhuman Strength is a graphic memoir. It’s the first book I have ever read by Alison Bechdel. She’s a wonderful cartoonist who became well know through her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For (1983–2008). She went on to produce two previous graphic memoirs, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic and Are You
I subscribe to Jenni Monet’s online newsletter, Indigenously. It’s a great resource for information concerning Native American issues. She often makes suggestions for further reading. Based on Monet’s recommendation, I read Ada Blackjack. Her story is a page-turner about early exploration in the Arctic. In 1921 four young men and one Native American woman, Ada
I first learned about Michele Goodwin on a zoom program sponsored by the Beverly Hills Bar Association and Writers Bloc, “The Future of Reproductive Rights in America.” The conversation included Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and moderator Jessica Mason Pieklo, Editor at Rewire News Group. Goodwin is the
I loved The Night Watchman, so I wanted to get my hands on Erdrich’s new book ASAP. There was a ghost in The Night Watchman and there is a ghost in The Sentence, but they are very different ghosts in very different stories, both rewarding reads. The Sentence begins on All Souls Day in 2019
Reading this book with the sun at my back on a Sunday — there’s a lot to unpack here. I’ll post a description from City of Asylum where I learned about this new read: “Humans are storytelling animals. Stories are what make our societies possible. Countless books celebrate their virtues. But Jonathan Gottschall, an expert
This is a very moving documentary about the women survivors of Chernobyl who refused to leave their homes after the area was legally condemned because of the danger of radiation poisoning. The film was made in 2015, but I did a bit of research, and I think some of the women are still living. I
Padraig O Tuama explores this poem in a June, 2021 episode, which is so apt today. Sixteen minutes of listening–but not enough. https://onbeing.org/programs/ilya-kaminsky-we-lived-happily-during-the-war/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit%20Hub%20Daily:%20February%2025%2C%202022&utm_term=lithub_master_list
A promise made by Pa to Ma when she is on her deathbed is not kept by Pa, and that failure is the underpinning of this multi-decade family story. Ma, Pa, Anton, Astrid, and Amor: parents and children. The book’s setting is post-apartheid Pretoria, South Africa, on a family farm. The Swart family is white
Bingo! Summer Reading 