ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

Monthly Archive: June 2017

Saturday

10

June 2017

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COMMENTS

Life Moves Pretty Fast by Hadley Freeman

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Three Stars

Best for: People who enjoy pop culture analysis that is serious but not too serious.

In a nutshell: Film critic explores some of the top movies of the 1980s, focusing on what made them good and why we don’t see them anymore.

Line that sticks with me: “Nineties teen makeover scenes are all about stamping out a teenage girl’s awkwardness and unique personality, whereas the girls in the eighties teen movies celebrate those two qualities.” (p76)

Why I chose it: Book club!

Review: First, thank you everyone who voted for this as our CBR book club pick. It’s pretty much made for me: nonfiction, essays, humor, pop culture, written by a woman. Huzzah!

I haven’t read any of the other reviews of this so I might be repeating other folks, but I wanted to go into without any preconceptions. And overall, I enjoyed so much of it. I appreciate the author’s honesty about her feelings about the films, and the fact that she didn’t remove herself from the analysis. It’s apparent — and she acknowledges — that much of what she has to say is based o personal taste, yet she’s able to back up her assertions.

So instead of focusing on the good (and there is so much — especially her analysis of teenagers and teenage girls specifically, and the overall way these films tackle sexism), I wanted to share a couple of things that bothered me, and they are intertwined: the discussion of race (or lack thereof) throughout, and the Eddie Murphy chapter, where Ms. Freeman seems to put much of the discussion of race.

Ms. Freeman spends so much time providing good critical discussion about the depiction of women in film (ten of the eleven chapters, while not each focused on gender issues, at least touches on it), but she glosses over racism in nearly every other one. She does mention the issue in the chapter on Ghostbusters, and sort of makes an attempt and looking at it when talking about John Hughes, but mostly she seems to just be making excuses for filmmakers.

But any movie set in NYC that she discusses, for example, should at least be questioned if there aren’t any non-white characters (When Harry Met Sally … I’m looking at you. And I love you, but that’s a pretty white NYC). And sure, John Hughes may not be able to speak personally on the experience of a person of color, but perhaps he could seek to include at least a couple of non-white, non-stereotypes characters?

And then there’s the Eddie Murphy movies chapter. Ooof. Just not great. And I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about it, but it feels ironic to have nearly the entire discussion about race shoehorned into a single chapter. A chapter with the subheading “Race Can Be Transcended.” Oh Ms. Freeman, no. Just…no. You would have benefited from a sensitivity reader here (of course I’m assuming she didn’t have one, but I could be wrong). Or perhaps just a read over of this article.

Because of that, this otherwise four-star book gets three stars from me.

Tuesday

6

June 2017

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COMMENTS

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell

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Four Stars

Best for: Fans of decent memoir writing.

In a nutshell: Comedian and political commentator offers some insight into his perspective on life.

Line that sticks with me: “If there’s one thing that I learned from both of my parents, it is that you don’t need the paper to get the information.” (p33)

Why I chose it: The cover and subtitle (”Tales of a 6’4”, African-American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian”)

Review: I’m trying to figure out the best way to describe this book and my reaction to it. It was a nice, fun (thought not especially funny – which I think was the point), fairly quick read. It offered insight into Mr. Bell’s life. It tackled topics like race and sexism in a nuanced and clever way. But it didn’t leave me raving. It was like a perfectly fine dinner at a decent restaurant. Not going down in the top five meals (or books), but also not necessitating that I warn off others from experiencing it.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some rough parts – this isn’t a fluffy book. He tells some sweet stories, but also some challenging ones. Like his experiences being a Black star of a show dealing with heady topics like interviewing the KKK with a white showrunner who doesn’t really get it. Or his honesty in recognizing that some of his jokes, while spot on in the racial commentary category, were missing it with some thinly veiled (and unintentional) misogyny.

I also appreciate that, while I believe that books like this are often turned in pretty far in advance of their publication, I’m guessing he either edited or added some things to address the 2016 election.

Mr. Bell is a talented writer, and I enjoyed the stories he chose to tell. I would recommend this as a library book read for sure, or maybe pick it up when it’s available in paperback. I think if you enjoy memoirs, this is a good one to add to your list, especially if you want something refreshing and honest but not annoyingly self-deprecating.

Sunday

4

June 2017

0

COMMENTS

What I’m Reading – June 4, 2017

Written by , Posted in What I'm Reading

Fight Back

“”Americans are not walking away from the Paris Climate Agreement,” the billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor said on Thursday, according to the Washington Examiner. “Just the opposite — we are forging ahead.” Bloomberg believes that “non-state actors” will be able to achieve the United States’ 2025 emissions reduction target without the federal government’s support.” Michael Bloomberg Offers $15 Million to Make Up for Washington’s Share of the Paris Accord Costs (by Ryan Kilpatrick for Fortune)

This is amazing:

Horrific Executive Action and Legislation

“The new leadership at the Environmental Protection Agency, for instance, has proposed eliminating its environmental justice program, which addresses pollution that poses health threats specifically concentrated in minority communities. The program, in part, offers money and technical help to residents who are confronted with local hazards such as leaking oil tanks or emissions from chemical plants.” Trump administration plans to minimize civil rights efforts in agencies (by Juliet Eilperin, Emma Brown and Darryl Fears for Washington Post)

Racism

“American society is so racist and misogynistic that it has convinced itself that attacking and threatening a Black woman for criticizing the words and actions of an abuser is the moral high ground. That silencing the voices of those who can see that the Emperor has no clothes is the proper thing to do. And that free speech should protect those who seek to hurt the marginalized, but not the marginalized themselves.” When It Comes To Free Speech, The ‘Whites Only’ Is Silent (by Talynn Kel for The Establishment)

Criminal Punishment System

“After the deadly incident, it was reported by BuzzFeed News and other media outlets that Loehmann, who had only joined the Cleveland police eight months prior to the shooting, was not forthcoming about his employment history in documents provided as part of his application to the department.” Cleveland Cop Who Shot And Killed Tamir Rice Has Been Fired For Lying On His Job Application (by Mike Hayes for Buzzfeed)

Islamophobia

“Christian screamed out that he was getting off the train at the next stop, and that “if anyone (expletive) followed, they were going to die,” Macy recalled. Namkai-Meche turned back toward Christian and briskly walked over to him, and loudly implored him, “You need to get off this train. Please, get off this train.” Portland MAX hero’s last words: ‘Tell everyone on this train I love them’ (by Maxine Bernstein for Oregonian)

International

“”Everywhere was dark and everybody was….they were just shocked,” said Karimullah Khan, who works for the Roshan telecommunications company near the site of the explosion and whose brother was among the wounded. “I opened up my eyes and I was just looking after my brother.” A 32-year-old survivor named Saminullah said one minute he was in his office, then next he was in the hospital.” Kabul Bomb: Explosion Near German Embassy Kills Dozens (by Ahmed Mengli and Mushtaq Yusufza for NBC)

Good Stuff

“”My view is that all kids should feel safe to be who they are culturally and in terms of their sexuality, because we know that if kids can be who they are in a whole range of areas they will achieve better,” he said.” Teachers’ union proposes gender-neutral school uniforms, toilets and changing rooms (by Simon Collins for Daily Post)

Saturday

3

June 2017

0

COMMENTS

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

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Two Stars

Best for: I can’t think of a reader I’d recommend this to.

In a nutshell: Life Coach re-purposes classic self-help book recommendations into multiple short chapters that say very little that is new or original. Also, she swears.

Line that sticks with me: None.

Why I chose it: Embarrassingly, the “Badass” in the title drew me in.

Review: From a quick CBR search, it appears I might be the only person to have reviewed this book so far. Good. If this is in your TBR pile, I recommend returning it, as your time is more valuable than this.

As I’ve mentioned in other reviews, I’ve read many a personal growth / self-help book, and can usually find something to like in them. And I have to say that for a couple of pages, I was into this book. Mostly because I appreciated that the author said fuck a lot.

But then it became apparently to me that the author has read a lot of books on personal growth, and this is just a rearranging and distilling of the some of the genre’s greatest hits. I’ve never read “The Secret,” but fuck if this doesn’t read like what I understand to be the main thesis of that book. I just cannot take seriously anyone who says things like (direct from page 33) “In order to truly raise your vibration, you’ve got to believe that everything you want is available to you. And the best way to keep this belief strong is by staying connected to Source Energy.”

I’m sorry. Did I just wander into a Scientology seminar?

Also, Ms. Sincero seems to think that capitalizing a couple of nouns makes them something real. Source Energy is not a thing. Stop trying to make Source Energy happen, Gretchen. It’s not. Going. To happen.

I have to admit that I was turned off just pages in because this books seems to take a page out of Alcholics Anonymous: I have to believe in some “higher power.” Nopety nope nope. And that’s not to say that one shouldn’t believe in a higher power, or that I’m not super wrong in my lack of belief, or that it can’t play a role in this type of book, but I wish there had been some mention of this requirement on the back cover, because that would have let me know this book definitely was not for me, and saved me the time and money and Ms. Sincero this review.

There are like a million chapters, and each one is distilled down to a list, as though Buzzfeed decided to write a book based off of its early, less well-edited work.

Also, at one point the author talks about her life-changing visit to India. (She’s white. I know, you’re shocked.) White women (and men)? Can we please collectively agree to stop putting these types of things passages in books? No problem with traveling the world and learning about different cultures, but maybe keep it in your travel journal.

There’s a sort of odd recurring theme of money, as though that should definitely be a primary motivating factor. I know that we all have bills to pay and that we live in a society where money still matters, but I didn’t realize I’d picked up a ‘make money now!’ book. Sadly, that’s on me, because the line on the back cover is right there: “Make some damn money already. The kind you’ve never made before.” That should have been sufficient for me to put this back on the shelf, but alas, I missed it.

I can’t with this. This book isn’t one-star bad, but I’m having a really hard time thinking of someone I’d recommend it to, because if a person really is interested in finding good ways to make changes in their lives, I want better for them than this cobbled together treatise that seems to think that if we just wish hard upon a star and Stuart Smalley ourselves, then everything will fall into place.

 

Saturday

3

June 2017

0

COMMENTS

We Are Never Meeting In Real Life by Samantha Irby

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Five Stars

Best for: Anyone who enjoys a great collection of essays.

In a nutshell: Samantha Irby shares stories from her life that are at times so funny you’ll stop someone on the street to read a passage just so they can share in your joy.

Line that sticks with me: “No one ever tells attractive children how much they suck, and then the rest of us get stuck with insufferable, narcissistic adults who can barely tie their shoes because someone else is busy either doing it for them or congratulating them on their effort.”

Why I chose it: The cover. Seriously, look at it.

Review: I’m writing this review fewer than 24 hours after buying this book. I read it all evening on the walk to an event this morning, on two bus rides, and wile I inhaled my lunch. I kept yelling out passages to my husband, who kindly paused his video game and then found himself laughing along with me.

I’m late to the Samantha Irby game; this is her second collection of essays. But oh my god it is brilliant. There are parts of her life I can relate to (like just wanting to stay inside and not interact with others) and parts I can’t (like her experiences growing up) but I found myself riveted by every single essay.

I don’t want to spoil it for you, but there is an essay about the start of her relationship with her now-wife that I was not expecting but that was candid and hilarious and real. This is one of my favorites of the year for sure, and will likely get many re-reads in the years ahead.

Friday

2

June 2017

0

COMMENTS

Dying in the Twenty-First Century by Lydia Dugdale

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Three Stars

Best for: Philosophers who will have a chance to discuss the contents.

In a nutshell: Bioethicist and doctor compiles essays addressing how we die and if there is a way to revive the art of dying well.

Line that sticks with me: “We can’t talk about the art of dying without first accepting that we will die.” (p 174)

Why I chose it: A lot of folks who are dear to people who are dear to me have died over these past 18 months, so I decided to get philosophical on it and picked this out.

Review: This collection of essays seeks to answer the question of what role bioethics has in helping people ‘die well.’ This doesn’t mean people dying in a way that is convenient for others, but in a way that allows someone to make some sense of peace with the reality of their death and the life they have lived.

Some of the essays look at how death has been handled in the past, with ceremony and ritual. We still see some of that today, especially after the fact, with certain religious funeral services. But how much of what death means today involves things other than ‘extraordinary measures’ in a hospital room? One of the essays explores the concept of hospice and palliative care, examining whether the way it is practiced now allows people to be as present as they would like to be as they experience the end of their life.

Other topics explored are how far we should be going to extend lives. Just because a life can be extended, should it be? One author specifically argues that we shouldn’t require people to live beyond what they could have expected before medical technology took off in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s interesting to contemplate for sure.

One essay that the editor chose to include frustrated me to no end, as it took the position that the Catholic hospitals and health care practices are the best for compassionate care while examining the issue of end-of-life-care. I live in a state where many private hospitals are being purchased by Catholic ones, and these facilities have been shown to repeatedly cross the line when it comes to making the ‘death with dignity’ options known to their patients, not to mention the horror stories of women denied proper reproductive health care because abortion. I fully recognize the very important role that religion plays in death for so many people, so I’m not suggesting that the Catholic piece is what made this a bad essay; it was jut so ironically ignorant that I remain baffled at its inclusion in an otherwise fin collection.

If you are interested in this topic, I think this is a fine book to read. However, I would urge you to find a fellow reader so that you have someone to talk about each essay with. Some works can be fully absorbed and process internally (although you might want to tell the world about it, you don’t need to in order to really understand it); this book requires some internal and external reflection to really get the most from it.