Honestly, this is just a must-read. It's SUCH an important and all-consuming topic that the ~mainstream media~ is just not reporting accurately. And Michelle Alexander is a GENIUS, honestly, her argument is so so clear and concise. It's well-documented and well-researched but easy to read/understand (if still difficult to think about).

I'm not really sure how to rate this. It was really boring and kind of a chore to read, but I wanted to read it because I respect his scientific research and I wanted some of that knowledge imparted on me. This was James Hansen's first book written for non-scientists, and like... you could tell. Every so often he would kind of put in an aside apologizing for it being too dense. It's clear that the information was good and that our planet is royally effed. Also I learned a lot about nuclear energy and how governmental science works.

But dang it took me a long time to get through all of that.

Read this for our library book club & I'm sure that I'm going to have a hard time not taking over the conversation with astute observations like "Seriously, anti-malaria meds FUCK YOU UP."

Anywayyyyy I'm always nervous about the narrative of 'Mericans voyaging into the Jungle for Research. This did not do the world's best job of humanizing the Lakashi people. Whatever, though, they're only there for the doctors to learn from! Truths about medicine and motherhood and what it means to be a human!! (I'm only like 50% sarcastic here.)

Overall, this was fast-paced and enjoyable. The ending felt a little... contrived... and there were some concerns that I just mentioned in the last paragraph.

I read the first chapter of this in an English class (high school maybe?) and for some reason I thought "The Things They Carried" was just a standalone short story? But I remembered LOVING the short story. And then, embarrassingly late in the game, I realized there's a whole book of it. It's all amazing. Beautifully written & unafraid to tackle huge human truths. Highly recommended (if you didn't already know that this was a book).

OK it probably goes without saying that you should only read this if you are already a pretty big Beatles/Lennon fan. If you are, you will probably like this. Hunter Davies does a good job of providing context for the letters which vary wildly from short postcards to his aunt to letters to fans to diatribes about art to grocery lists. (He likes yogurt.) Sometimes John seems like a real dick in his letters, which by all reports he sometimes was in real life. You can understand why he would be that way, given all the insane amounts of celebrity & pressure surrounding the Beatles, but still--a dick. But sometimes he seems like a sweet, funny guy. Sometimes he seems like a true radical and I loved reading his thoughts about songs like Imagine and Revolution and their potential for being forces of change.

I will probably buy this book for my dad for Christmas and he will probably like it. Don't tell my dad. You might also want to get this book for your dad, if your dad like the Beatles. 97% of dads do.

PS I forgot to say that my favorite letter was one he wrote in reply to a letter to the editor someone wrote saying that TV was making kids dumb, and John wrote a really smart defense of Sesame Street <3

Oh wowwww, this was one of those audiobooks that was so good I didn't want to get out of the car when I got to places. It's a "true-life novel," written based on stories and memories of Walls's grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, who was a 100% badass lady. It's written in first person and she has such a strong voice, and I think listening to it read by the author brings it to life even more. Seriously a lovely, fun, moving read. (Or listen.)

I saw this on the list of the library's new ebooks and I was excited to read it because I'm pretty interested in consuming ethically. Presumably anyone who picks up this book would already be interested in these issues, but it's written to a... less educated consumer audience? Does that make me a snob? Whatever, like, fucking duh you should bring your own mug to coffee shops. It did have some interesting insights about the companies it was evaluating. Also, I was surprised by how lenient it was in its rankings. Like, Hawthorne's conclusion for Trader Joe's is that it doesn't deserve its good reputation for corporate social responsibility, "but who cares?" I mean... I kind of care? That's... kind of why I wanted to read this book? Will Naomi Klein please write a book on this subject? (I mean, I know she already wrote No Logo. You should probably just read [b:No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs|647|No Logo No Space, No Choice, No Jobs|Naomi Klein|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317792732s/647.jpg|621375] if you're interested in businesses & consumerism & such.

I love David Rakoff's whole tone & style so much. I'd read what he has to say about pretty much any topic, including a thorough trashing of my favorite musical (;-;). I liked the audiobook because it's great to hear him reading his own stuff, but also he can be a bit wordy & sometimes I would space out while driving? My loss.

So, I obviously only picked this up because of my love of Friday Night Lights the show, and I only got into FNL the show because so many people insisted that it didn't matter that I didn't care about football. (And also because of my undying crush on Kyle Chandler.) Anyway. This, I think, is a little more football-involved? And I cannot stress how little I care about football. But it's still really fascinating. I admire Bissinger's tone... observing everything that's totally effed-up in the town but not necessarily judging? There are a lot of factors at play in Odessa's culture. Hmm. It's not as heartwarming as FNL by any means. But it is a very interesting and fairly readable sociological study.

My impulse is to say that Berendt got lucky in meeting such a cast of characters, but really I guess that's part of the art of narrative nonfiction--letting yourself be open to all the weirdos. This is a perfectly-observed page turner. Even the first third or so--before the "crime drama" sets in--is totally compelling scene setting.

PS: the movie is so bad. Stacey warned
me that it was terrible but I had to check it out anyway. I was so curious about how they were going to put such a complex story into a 2-hour movie and the answer, of course, is very badly. I advise just watching clips of the Lady Chablis on YouTube.