Scary how relatable this still is. The integration of multiple kinds of visual media was very interesting and how a lot of them were positioned was really evocative. Perhaps a bit of over-generalization about "the youths" but most of the insight on tech is scarily spot on, especially for something 50 years old.

This was cute! And a great companion to a lot of the reality TV I've been into for the past while. I was laughing a lot at the references, like the judge's names and the "best friends race" bit. 

Like Adiba Jagiridar's other books, it balances the tough issues it talks about well with levity. I do think the writing got a little repetitive at times, especially when it came to the judge's dialouge in the later part of the book. However, I had a lot of fun with this! 

Haunting, visceral, and a really interesting format. 

Parts of this made me feel like I have been rating most poetry I have read too highly because wow! Especially near the beginning of the collection, the ways that the words sounded were so evocative even before I registered what they all meant - on a sonic level. 

It is also incredible and depressing how much of this still feels so relevant. Change the names of some technology and a few of the countries/cities and it's today... 

I originally picked up How to Eat Well for Adults with ADHD by Rebecca King after flipping through and seeing the chapter on kitchen organization and groceries, but the majority of the book's focus on intuitive eating has been even more helpful. 

While the focus is on people with ADHD, this would be really helpful for anyone who struggles with executive function, interoception, or disordered eating. It walks you through what intuitive eating is, how to listen to your body, navigating dopamine and a variety of relationships one might have with food because of this, before getting into nutrition that is less nunbers-focused and then organization and planning. 

This was very helpful for me, but I do have some critiques. While the author mentions studies around nutrition, only some are noted by name. While I like a lot of what she said in these parts, I would feel a lot better had there been an actual works cited page. Additionally, there is a small section in the meal/grocery planning section that mentions using AI for lists. Generally speaking, I don't like AI but there is also not a thorough enough warning about its shortcomings when it comes to food in particular. Thankfully it was a very small segment. 

Lesbians in Germany 1890s-1920s edited by Lillian Faderman and Brigette Eriksson begins with a solid introduction that walks us through the condition of culture and literature for lesbians in Germany (and nearby places, such as Austria). Then we get excerpts from novels and nonfiction from the time that illustrate much of what is said in the intro. Of course some of these works would not have been accessible to the English-speaking world prior to this because of the language barrier, but more pressing is the supression of queer voices in Germany under Hitler's rule. Berlin had an incredible gay scene and even advanced medical practices and wrinting before gays became one of the early groups targeted by the regime. So, this book aims to bring into light some of lesbian culture at the turn of the century, before WWII.

Each excerpt included looks at a different experience or viewpoint common in the "lesbian" Germanaic world at the time. I put lesbian in quotes here because the understanding of lesbianism in 1890 vs that of 1980 (when this was first published) vs that of 2025 are all quite different. For many at the time, "lesbian" was more about specific acts than an identity as we see now (though differences in how people understood this are evident in this, as one of the writings makes a distinction between bisexual and lesbianism that many in here did not). And a word that was used quite a lot was "Uranian", which may have originally have been used to refer to gay men, but quite a few people used it in these works to refer to gay women as well. Additionally, several people in this anthology saw themselves as third sex or primarily masculine, and there was even someone who emphanized their intellectual and spiritual connection with women while denying any physical intimacy. Lots of words could be used to describe the people in here. Might some of them consider themselves trans, nonbinary, or asexual had the language been available? Maybe, maybe not. One of the fascinating parts about queer history is this mix. We cannot properly detangle one part of the community from another, especially when looking back when our understanding of self was so different. 

Another big thing that I pulled from this collection was just how similar some of the conversations they were having are to what would be talked about 50 or 100 years later. One of the big points of discussion was whether or not homosexuality is biologically innate (our "born this way" discourse, their discussion on Richard von Kraft-Ebbing) and the implications for policy -- a conversation that continues to be recreated. There is also a facet of what would decades later be refered to as policial lesbianism ("New Woman" then). There was also so much discussion of marriage that I could see playing out so similarly to what was said in the US even in the 80s. While there certainly was a contingency of people with internalized homophobia or ourity culture of the time, there was an insistence of pride and authentcity from others. Certainly there are stark differences in how we understand gender vs sexuality as well as some of the scientific conversation, specifics about marriage, not to mention the difference in what is a mature age. But much of these discussions were still remarkably familiar -- and opinions within the community were not (and continue to not be) a monolith

Bizarre and deeply chaotic, this is a surreal tale of heartbreak and deep personal mess. I have so many questions but it is still so compelling. Sarah Schulman's fiction continues to intrigue me. It also makes me more excited for her stuff that seems to be the more noir/detective type.  

Looking though the other reviews, I saw that some took note of how this relates or could have been meditations that led to Conflict is Not Abuse. That makes me want to read that even more and come back to some of these novels again to look at the interpersonal issues and violence. 

An interesting meditation on rest and going slowly. Part memoir, part essay on culture and nature, this was a really neat piece of writing. It was relaxing and reassuring, while also giving me a lot to think about. 

I could've done without the casual (uncritical) reference to Margaret Thatcher but it was a small encounter later in the book and not really overtly political (or as close to it as you can be while evoking a notorious politician in any context, but it was small in the scope of the rest of the book which was great overall)

A journalist who has been documenting the intersection of Evangelism and contemporary conservative politics shares her story and the story of many others who have stepped out of evangelical Christianity. Lots on contemporary politics, but also mentions things as early as the 60s. Makes me even more interested to (finally) read Jesus and John Wayne which focuses on the early iterations of this.