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jamgrl's Reviews (197)
I read this book for my book club. I was really excited to read a book that takes place in the South and has a major wlw relationship! It was promising at first, with a snappy and fun tone and style. I knew ahead of time that this book deals with some heavy stuff. I knew the movie, even though I hadn't seen it, was very popular and well received. Lots of books have problems, and I can get past that most of the time, but, ultimately, I couldn't like this book because it has PROBLEMS. Detailed below...
RACE: This book does not shy away from talking about racial issues in the South, particularly in the 1930's-40's. It does a bad job. This book is riddled with racial stereotypes (Mammy/Uncle Tom archetypes) and racist descriptions of black characters, and the story lines around race ultimately left me with a foul taste of white saviorism. There is one interesting story line about a black character, but it is overshadowed by everything else.
GENDER: I was excited to read a book that included wlw written by a queer woman! And the romantic relationship is very clearly there, with it being (albeit tacitly) acknowledged by the other characters, and these two women even co-raising a child. And yet. One of the women in the wlw relationship is a mysogynist, and her partner is a delicate flower whose only trait is that she is "beautiful". There are also some dicey messages about love and sex, which I won't repeat here.
FATPHOBIA: There is a character in this book who is going through a severe depression, dealing with suicidal thoughts and an eating disorder (though it is not named such). I thought this was dealt with well until the resolution, when it became a complete joke and was resolved through fat camp and becoming a successful Mary Kay saleswoman. This was so disappointing because the book actually depicts depression and dementia (in a different character) in a poignant way, but all of that was thrown away in a way that I felt was ultimately harmful.
All things considered, it made for a good book for book club because BOY did we have a lot to talk about. And the movie actually fixes a lot of the problems from the book! It still doesn't deal with race great, eliminating most of the race problems simply by eliminating most of the black characters and story lines and leaving a few minor Mammy/Uncle Tom characters, but the misogyny is removed and the women characters given some more depth and personality, and the ending for our depressed character feels a lot more like someone taking control of their life than "weight loss + make-up = happy".
My recommendation: maybe check out the movie (so exciting to see wlw in an early 90's movie!), skip the book.
RACE: This book does not shy away from talking about racial issues in the South, particularly in the 1930's-40's. It does a bad job. This book is riddled with racial stereotypes (Mammy/Uncle Tom archetypes) and racist descriptions of black characters, and the story lines around race ultimately left me with a foul taste of white saviorism. There is one interesting story line about a black character, but it is overshadowed by everything else.
GENDER: I was excited to read a book that included wlw written by a queer woman! And the romantic relationship is very clearly there, with it being (albeit tacitly) acknowledged by the other characters, and these two women even co-raising a child. And yet. One of the women in the wlw relationship is a mysogynist, and her partner is a delicate flower whose only trait is that she is "beautiful". There are also some dicey messages about love and sex, which I won't repeat here.
FATPHOBIA: There is a character in this book who is going through a severe depression, dealing with suicidal thoughts and an eating disorder (though it is not named such). I thought this was dealt with well until the resolution, when it became a complete joke and was resolved through fat camp and becoming a successful Mary Kay saleswoman. This was so disappointing because the book actually depicts depression and dementia (in a different character) in a poignant way, but all of that was thrown away in a way that I felt was ultimately harmful.
All things considered, it made for a good book for book club because BOY did we have a lot to talk about. And the movie actually fixes a lot of the problems from the book! It still doesn't deal with race great, eliminating most of the race problems simply by eliminating most of the black characters and story lines and leaving a few minor Mammy/Uncle Tom characters, but the misogyny is removed and the women characters given some more depth and personality, and the ending for our depressed character feels a lot more like someone taking control of their life than "weight loss + make-up = happy".
My recommendation: maybe check out the movie (so exciting to see wlw in an early 90's movie!), skip the book.
This was a book that I made me excited to get into bed at night just so I could read it. Trevor is so good at story telling and had me laughing out loud! At the same time, this book was poignant and moving. I’m so glad I got to know Trevor (and his mother) a little better through this book. I highly recommend it!
I love this play! It is so funny and witty and it is a very quick read! I felt like a reread, so I borrowed it from the library and read it in one sitting, laughing through it!
Emma is a b*tch and I like her so much (insert John Mulaney gif).
I love flawed characters, and boy is Emma flawed!
Pride and a Prejudice is the most popular Austen book, and for good reason. However, I like Emma better. We all think we are Elizabeth Bennets, but how many of us are actually Emma Woodhouses?
Emma is spoiled, self-centered, and thinks very highly of herself and her opinions. As the richest young lady in town and as a young lady universally thought of as “sweet” (since the townspeople don’t hear her inner thoughts complaining about all of them), she is well loved by everyone. Only her brother in law, Mr. Knightley, sees her for who she is and is bold enough to criticize her.
Of the Austen books, this one has the most queer subtext! There has been much speculation on the queer nature of Emma’s relationship with her protégé, Harriet Smith, her relationship with her governess, Miss Taylor/Mrs. Weston, as well as speculation about Emma as a woman uninterested in marriage and generally able to have a more “male” position in society thanks to her financial independence.
I’ve also read speculation that Emma could have ADHD, which I think tracks well with her character.
This book is very funny, spending much of its time poking fun at our principal character, while also seeing her discover her flaws and make necessary changes to support her friends.
This may be the longest Austen book, but it is worth the time!
I love flawed characters, and boy is Emma flawed!
Pride and a Prejudice is the most popular Austen book, and for good reason. However, I like Emma better. We all think we are Elizabeth Bennets, but how many of us are actually Emma Woodhouses?
Emma is spoiled, self-centered, and thinks very highly of herself and her opinions. As the richest young lady in town and as a young lady universally thought of as “sweet” (since the townspeople don’t hear her inner thoughts complaining about all of them), she is well loved by everyone. Only her brother in law, Mr. Knightley, sees her for who she is and is bold enough to criticize her.
Of the Austen books, this one has the most queer subtext! There has been much speculation on the queer nature of Emma’s relationship with her protégé, Harriet Smith, her relationship with her governess, Miss Taylor/Mrs. Weston, as well as speculation about Emma as a woman uninterested in marriage and generally able to have a more “male” position in society thanks to her financial independence.
I’ve also read speculation that Emma could have ADHD, which I think tracks well with her character.
This book is very funny, spending much of its time poking fun at our principal character, while also seeing her discover her flaws and make necessary changes to support her friends.
This may be the longest Austen book, but it is worth the time!
This is sort of like a novel length editorial mixed with a memoir. A large amount of the time in the book is dedicated to Oluo’s anecdotes, which she uses to set the stage for statistics and arguments. The stories are poignant and the topics very relevant.
If you are already pretty keyed in to racial issues, some of the topics and explanations will feel basic: the book spends a lot of time laying out why particular racial issues are valid and important. If you are new thinking about racial issues, this is a really good starting point for getting a deep dive into everything you have been missing. Regardless, Oluo’s stories were emotional and impactful and make the book worth a listen or read even if none of these topics are new.
I’m not sure I would recommend this book to your aunt who doesn’t believe in White privilege. I think the audience for this book is people who are willing to do the work and get uncomfortable learning about systemic injustice. This isn’t a research book, it is the voice of one person’s experiences and opinions, so I would say it is not perfect, but it is a good conversational overview of issues specifically related to Black Americans, and occasionally by extension, other American POC.
If you are already pretty keyed in to racial issues, some of the topics and explanations will feel basic: the book spends a lot of time laying out why particular racial issues are valid and important. If you are new thinking about racial issues, this is a really good starting point for getting a deep dive into everything you have been missing. Regardless, Oluo’s stories were emotional and impactful and make the book worth a listen or read even if none of these topics are new.
I’m not sure I would recommend this book to your aunt who doesn’t believe in White privilege. I think the audience for this book is people who are willing to do the work and get uncomfortable learning about systemic injustice. This isn’t a research book, it is the voice of one person’s experiences and opinions, so I would say it is not perfect, but it is a good conversational overview of issues specifically related to Black Americans, and occasionally by extension, other American POC.
This book is simply beautiful.
It is easy to get caught wondering and wallowing about what could have been and this book tackles that head on. The protagonist, Nora Seed, is wonderfully complex and undeniably human. This parallel universe/magical realism story explores regrets, following Nora as she experiences the lives she wishes she had had. She learns important lessons about life, love, and possibility along the way. It’s expertly and beautifully written, thought provoking, and compelling the whole way through.
I think this book hits particularly profoundly in times of Covid. It was both relatable and inspirational, especially for me as I reach the end of my 20s. I saw someone say that the end is predictable, and that is absolutely true, but for this book, that is very much not the point.
Warnings: This story gets pretty heavy at times, so tread carefully. Suicidal ideation is a major theme and the book deals with depression and anxiety throughout.
It is easy to get caught wondering and wallowing about what could have been and this book tackles that head on. The protagonist, Nora Seed, is wonderfully complex and undeniably human. This parallel universe/magical realism story explores regrets, following Nora as she experiences the lives she wishes she had had. She learns important lessons about life, love, and possibility along the way. It’s expertly and beautifully written, thought provoking, and compelling the whole way through.
I think this book hits particularly profoundly in times of Covid. It was both relatable and inspirational, especially for me as I reach the end of my 20s. I saw someone say that the end is predictable, and that is absolutely true, but for this book, that is very much not the point.
Warnings: This story gets pretty heavy at times, so tread carefully. Suicidal ideation is a major theme and the book deals with depression and anxiety throughout.
I was both moved and inspired by this beautifully told memoir. The writers do an excellent job of showing how internment was experienced through a child’s eyes (seeing the situation with a childhood naïveté and wonder) while also showing the tremendous difficulty the adults were facing in this reality. The reality is brutal. I have read about Japanese internment before, but I still learned a lot in this book and got emotional throughout it.
The art is in black and white, which surprised me at first, but as I got into the book, I forgot about color. The art is really nice and fits with the narrative. It really helps shape the emotions and give us a fuller picture.
I really appreciated that we get to see Takei’s youth after the camps and how reliving and remembering his time in internment and understanding his father’s experiences better as he got older launched him into activism. It made me think hard about what I am doing now and how I can better fight to defend and uplift vulnerable communities.
The book ultimately ended on a note that was both hopeful and oddly patriotic- it leaves us thinking about the resilience of humanity, the strength we have when we stand up together for justice, and the ability we have to enact change.
The art is in black and white, which surprised me at first, but as I got into the book, I forgot about color. The art is really nice and fits with the narrative. It really helps shape the emotions and give us a fuller picture.
I really appreciated that we get to see Takei’s youth after the camps and how reliving and remembering his time in internment and understanding his father’s experiences better as he got older launched him into activism. It made me think hard about what I am doing now and how I can better fight to defend and uplift vulnerable communities.
The book ultimately ended on a note that was both hopeful and oddly patriotic- it leaves us thinking about the resilience of humanity, the strength we have when we stand up together for justice, and the ability we have to enact change.
An excellent companion to Every Day; I loved getting some extra time with A!