ASK Musings

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Yearly Archive: 2016

Thursday

29

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

My Year In Books

Written by , Posted in Reviews

At the end of each year I try to look back at the books I’ve read. This year I read 73 books, which is 15% more than my previous best of 63. I have Pajiba and the Cannonball Read to thank for this, because I know that if I hit 52 in a year that helps fund the fight against cancer. But because we also must review the books, it means I spend at least a few minutes reflecting on everything I read. It’s made me a better reader, it’s exposed me to books I wouldn’t have previously considered reading, and it’s introduced me to a lovely community of fellow readers.

So – what did my year look like?

Starting with the most obvious … I read a lot of white women authors. Nearly 60%, in fact. That’s not great. 20% of the books I read are the thoughts of white men, which means that just over 20% come from non-white authors. Most of those are women, but clearly I need to make a more concerted effort to read diverse voices. So next year’s goal: never read two white authors in a row.

Another yikes here – I read SO MANY books from authors who are from the USA. Eighty-six percent, to be precise.

Okay, this is much better. There are clearly some types I gravitate to, such as memoir and sociology. I like to learn about people and things, apparently. But look, there are 17 different genres or types of books on here, including a play, a collection of short stories, and even a cook book. And I know one of those memoirs was also a graphic novel, so that’s 18. That’s good!

Finally, how wisely did I choose my books?

Eh … not bad. Not great – a lot of middling books. But only a handful of bad choices and nothing so wretched that it earned the not-at-all coveted one star.

What can I do better for next year? I do not want to stop reading white women authors altogether, mostly because I just ordered Carrie Fisher’s entire catalogue. But I need to be more intentional in my choices of books, and step back more often to see if going on a ‘kick’ has really meant that I’m just reading a whole lot of the same type of author or book.

As far as my favorite book this year, my recommendations are:

Alright, on to Cannonball Read Nine!

Thursday

29

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Three Stars

Quick Take-Away:
On the cusp of four stars, but something didn’t click for me. The middle 350 pages or so really pulled me in, but I felt that the last 50 pages fell short.

Longer Review (with the mildest of spoilers):
The writing in this book is beautiful. I believe this is the first of Ms. Atkinson’s books I have read, but I gather she is someone known for her prose. The premise of the book, for those who are unfamiliar, is that Ursula is born in February of 1910 in England, and immediately dies. And then she is born again, but something slightly different keeps her alive. This replays over and over again, without any real sort of pattern that I could detect; we don’t always get to a certain age and start over, or always start at the same point, or even necessarily get clued into *exactly* what it is that she may have changed to prevent her death.

Ursula dies at least a couple dozen times if not more, and only a few of the storylines get in-depth treatment. One of the more fascinating stories is of her choosing to marry a German in the early 30s and what that leads to; a different route leads her into a bad marriage. There are also some moments that at the time seem important, but now that the book has ended I can’t figure out what purpose they served (was her mother having an affair in one of the storylines, and did it matter?).

I think the most frustrating component for me was that everything felt like it could be more developed – I wanted to see more connections, learn more about what Ursula was thinking and feeling that lead her to make a shift in her life that prevented her death. I just don’t think we got that, so even though I found myself sucked in, upon reflection I can’t quite recommend it to others.

Sunday

25

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

What I’m Reading: December 25, 2016

Written by , Posted in Feminism, Politics, What I'm Reading

Fight Back:

  • “Access to the franchise is now the object of an all-out political battle. Those committed to protecting people’s right to vote — as well as their actual ability to exercise this right — must organize accordingly.” The voting rights manifesto: a state-by-state plan to defend democracy (via @Vox)
  • ““I believe it was voter suppression laws from the state government that crushed turnout,” said Milwaukee County Clerk Joe Czarnezki, one of two officials who oversees local elections. “They tend to hit hardest on people who are poor, who don’t drive and don’t have a license, who are minorities.”” Election officials focus on whether voter ID laws contributed to Hillary Clinton’s defeat (by Jaweed Kaleem, h/t @greenhousenyt)
  • “A day after Vanity Fair published a negative review of Trump Grill, the steakhouse at Trump Tower in New York City, Trump mocked the magazine for having a low circulation and personally attacked the publication’s editor by name as a “no talent.”” Trump smears magazine editor who published a critical review of Trump Grill (by Josh Israel, via @thinkprogress)
  • “A group of activists protesting the proposed construction of a new youth detention center interrupted King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray during the press conference. Activists, many of who were people of color, called on Constantine and Murray to use their power to oppose granting a master use permit to begin construction on a proposed replacement facility, which would have “112 [beds], about half the capacity of the current complex,” The Seattle Times reports.” While WA Politicians Declare State a “Hate-Free Zone,” Protesters Make a Call for Action (by Ana Sofia Knauf, @asknauf)
  • “So, for her final photography assignment, she created #SignedByTrump, a jarring NSFW collection that features Trump’s derogatory comments he’s made about women, including fashion models, previous Apprentice contestants, and talk show hosts. She uploaded the images to her Tumblr after they were deleted from Instagram and Facebook.” These Photos Put Trump’s Sexist Words On Women’s Naked Bodies (by Patty Affriol, via @bust_magazine)

Racism

  • “Hey—hey America, can we talk about racism for a second? Everyone else, feel free to listen in, but America . . . we really need to talk. Why? Because you seem to think the only racism that counts is the kind that involves crosses being burned on lawns by people in white hoods. In reality, it’s the way that racism is passed down through generations—the way that it is taught passively and overtly—that should concern you. And one of the many ways this happens is via our deeply flawed education system.” We Need To Talk About Racism In Education (by Mikki Kendal, @Karnythia)

Supporting Diversity

  • “As an industry, we’ve made some progress, but not nearly enough to where newsrooms look like the diversity of the places we cover. And while we are in a moment of reflection about how we could have collectively done better covering white working class and rural white Americans, many of our newsrooms are still lacking diversity of thought, race, gender, ethnicity, class and disability.” How newsrooms can stop being so white (by Tanzina Vega, @tanzinavega)
  • “On Monday, the organization unveiled Backing Black Business, an interactive map and directory of online stores where customers can purchase food, health and beauty supplies, entertainment, and lifestyle goods — all from retailers owned by black people. The site also includes nonprofits, and allows business owners to add themselves to the database.” Black Lives Matter launches site to support black businesses across the country (by Carimah Townes, via @thinkprogress)

Civil Rights

  • “Fractured and short-fused before Christmas, the North Carolina legislature adjourned Wednesday evening without repealing a law that had polarized a national debate by restricting transgender people’s use of certain public restrooms.” North Carolina Legislature Fails To Repeal Bathroom Law After Deal Breaks Down (by Dominic Holden and Mary Ann Georgantopoulos, via @dominicholden)

Reproductive Rights

  • “In a move that could affect thousands of low-income women, state health officials on Tuesday delivered a final legal notice to defund the organization from the Medicaid program through which it provides family planning and women’s health services to the poor. Planned Parenthood had previously received $3.1 million in Medicaid funding, but those dollars will be nixed in 30 days, according to the notice which was obtained by The Texas Tribune.” Texas officially kicking Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid (by Alexa Ura, h/t @evanasmith)

Sexual Assault

  • “Saying publicly that you were sexually assaulted can open you up to scrutiny and to the pain of having to repeatedly defend yourself from all corners against claims that you are lying or seeking attention. You also risk becoming narrowly defined not only as “the woman who was raped” but also “the resilient survivor.” You are both simultaneously what happened to you and recovered from it, too. There is no room to exist somewhere in between. To be not just a survivor, but someone who is actively surviving.” The Ballerina Who Accused Her Instructor of Sexual Assault (by Jessica Luther, @scATX)

Sunday

25

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Three Stars

(This is a review of the audio version)

I think I would have enjoyed this better in written form, because I had a hard time following along and staying interested to the audio version. Essays especially I think lend themselves well to paper (or electronic) versions because they can be read in chunks; the audio version for me meant stopping it a lot right in the middle, and not being able to listen again until I’d forgotten what I already heard.

That said, what I do recall I did enjoy. Ms. Rae is a writer and now actor (her show Insecure debuted on HBO this year) who tells a good story. This book is a memoir that covers her life in mostly chronological order. I chuckled a few times, and found her descriptions to be very vivid.

I can’t offer much more again because apparently I just didn’t absorb a lot from the audio version, but I do think I can recommend it, especially if you are enjoying her TV show or enjoyed the web series that preceded it.

Saturday

24

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Somehow, I hadn’t heard of Ms. Ajayi until a couple of months ago. Clearly, I have been missing out. Thankfully I learned of her via this great collection of essays.

When, after seeing the entertaining cover, someone asked what I was reading, I described it as a little bit silly but a lot serious. Some of the topic areas might be considered lighter fare, which is what I was expecting for the whole of the book (again, my fault, as I wasn’t familiar with the author). But it’s so much more than an amusing frolic through modern-day ways people act like asshats; it’s also a collection of essays on serious topics.

These topics benefit from Ms. Ajayi’s talented way with words; she can drop in a clever aside or snide remark into a very serious essay without breaking up the flow. It doesn’t lessen the impact; instead it reminds the reader that these issues are not so esoteric that we can’t all have a vested interested in addressing them.

Ms. Ajayi discusses rape culture, racism, religion, fame, feminism and more in this collection, and I felt I either related to or learned something from nearly every one. The only section where I felt some measure of disagreement (and it was such a tiny measure) was with her description of atheists. I appreciate that as an atheist I was already going to be a bit sensitive to what anyone says about this group, and others might read it and totally agree with her take on us. Regardless, even that bit was edifying to a degree.

I was expecting an entertaining etiquette book and instead got deep social criticism, and that ended up being exactly what I needed.

Sunday

18

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

What I’m Reading – December 18, 2016

Written by , Posted in What I'm Reading

Fight Back

  • “So yes, this is major. But let’s catch our breath. We don’t know yet for a fact that these allegations are true. Both stories came from anonymous intelligence community sources, and in all such cases, the sources need to be considered. So the Obama administration and the CIA should put this information out there publicly.” World War III: Democrats and America vs. Trump and Russia
  • “For us, it’s been really clear—we’ve had really great support from black women. Of course we’ve seen the “ultra-left” have a problem; all of a sudden, making money is a problem—when black women are the ones doing it. And, of course, we’ve seen a lot of white fragility—many white women in particular are taking issue with having to pay for our content, our work, our energy, our time.” The Co-creator Of Safety Pin Box Explains Why You Should Pay Black Women (via @ESTBLSHMNT)

Ableism

  • “Bill Peace, a professor at Syracuse University, says his wheelchair has been “damaged in every way humanly possible” by the airlines. Peace says he has never once been reimbursed for repairs, and considers the airlines to be “openly hostile” to wheelchair users. For this reason, Peace has instituted a “1,000 mile rule,” meaning that if he has to travel less than 1,000 miles, he drives or takes Amtrak. When I pointed out that he is opting for a mode of transportation that is statistically more dangerous, he agrees there is a tradeoff. But he adds, “Flying is an invitation for abuse of all sorts, physical and social.”” Wheelchair users hate to fly. Even more than you do. Here’s why.

Anti-Semitism

  • “When you say that Hitler is “to your left,” what do you mean by that? What was too liberal about Hitler? Did the gas chambers somehow help the environment? This is a serious question.” 10 Questions For My Anti-Semitic Trolls (via @ESTBLSHMNT)

Politics

  • “Before Obama triumphed in 2008, the most-famous depictions of black success tended to be entertainers or athletes. But Obama had shown that it was “possible to be smart and cool at the same damn time,” as Jesse Williams put it at the BET party. Moreover, he had not embarrassed his people with a string of scandals. Against the specter of black pathology, against the narrow images of welfare moms and deadbeat dads, his time in the White House had been an eight-year showcase of a healthy and successful black family spanning three generations, with two dogs to boot. In short, he became a symbol of black people’s everyday, extraordinary Americanness.” My President Was Black (via @TheAtlantic)

Sexism

Sexual Assault

  • “At least 368 gymnasts have alleged some form of sexual abuse at the hands of their coaches, gym owners and other adults working in gymnastics. That’s a rate of one every 20 days. And it’s likely an undercount.” A 20-year toll: 368 gymnasts allege sexual exploitation (h/t @scATX)
  • “It’s time to ask—and answer—what does justice after rape look like? Unfortunately, this conversation about what justice would look like after rape has been largely absent in sexual assault coverage this year. This must change: The mainstream idea of “justice” after rape in our society is ridiculously limited.” Why Apologies Are A Powerful Tool In Combating Rape Culture (via @ESTBLSHMNT)

Sunday

11

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

What I’m Reading: December 11, 2016

Written by , Posted in What I'm Reading

Fight Back

  • “Your commitment doesn’t have to be the same thing every day,” Seling and Hoffman write on the website for Our First 100 Days. “Your project can be as loose as it needs to be to keep you going … [it’s] more about committing to taking a small amount of time every single day to put something positive and thoughtful in the world.” What Should We Do During “Our First 100 Days” Under Trump? Fight Back. (via @TheStranger)
  • “Thousands of women [including me] — and those who love them — gathered in Volunteer Park Saturday afternoon for a march against hate organized to counter a tide of misogyny and stand up against efforts to roll back women’s rights under the incoming Trump administration. Thousands take to streets of Capitol Hill as ‘Seattle Women March Against Hate’

Fake News

Feminism

Anti-Muslim Bigotry

  • “If you’ll allow me to be cynical for a moment, imposing state restrictions on what women may and may not wear in public has not, historically, been a great foundation for feminist liberation.” Angela Merkel’s burqa ban is sexist, racist and wrong (via @PennyRed)

Reproductive Rights

  • “#ShoutYourAbortion is working to destigmatize abortion by creating a network of voices and a platform for women to tell their stories.” #ShoutYourAbortion Official

Racism

Saturday

10

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

Bellevue by David Oshinsky

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Four Stars

Even if you don’t live in NYC, it’s possible you’ve heard of Bellevue hospital. If not by name, then by the stories told about it. It was the facility that treated the man who had Ebola in New York, and it is the one that had to evacuate patients in plastic medical sleds down over a dozen flights of stairs during Hurricane Sandy when the building lost power. And that’s just the headlines from the last five years.

Bellevue is a public hospital, providing care mostly to those who cannot pay or who other facilities will not see. It has been providing this care in some form or another since the 1700s, which, given how relatively young the U.S., is impressive as hell. It was on the front line of so many outbreaks, including the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. But it’s the stories from the 1700s and 1800s that I found to be especially fascinating. I know we’re all familiar with the fact that anesthesia didn’t used to exist (but amputations did), and that germ theory took a while to catch on, but reading the background behind these discoveries and their introductions, set against this amazing institutions history, is just incredible.

I’ve started a couple of large histories of medical conditions or healthcare facilities this year. I gave up on Emperor of All Maladies, and I’m struggling to get past the first chapter of Blood. However, this one, released just four weeks ago, was not hard to get through at all. If you have any interest in New York history, or medical history, or just good non-fiction, I think you will find this a worthwhile read.

Sunday

4

December 2016

0

COMMENTS

What I’m Reading – December 4, 2016

Written by , Posted in Feminism, Politics, What I'm Reading

Fight Back

  • “Here’s the thing. You either believe in justice and equality or you don’t. You either believe that people of color are human beings deserving of full rights or you don’t. There are no preconditions to that. There are no exceptions to that. You believe in my humanity or you don’t.” You Don’t Have To Like Me—You Just Have To Believe I’m A Human Being (via @IjeomaOluo)
  • “Now is the time to confront the weak core at the heart of America’s addiction to optimism; it allows too little room for resilience, and too much for fragility. Hazy visions of “healing” and “not becoming the hate we hate” sound dangerously like appeasement. The responsibility to forge unity belongs not to the denigrated but to the denigrators. The premise for empathy has to be equal humanity; it is an injustice to demand that the maligned identify with those who question their humanity.” Now I the Time to Talk About What We Are Actually Talking About (h/t @alexisgoldstein)
  • “The language could not be any more specific or clear. Donald Trump will breach the contract on Jan. 20, when, while continuing to benefit from the lease, he will become an “elected official of the Government of the United States.”” GSA’s Trump Hotel Lease Debacle (h/t @JuddLegum)
  • “The truth is that social justice and economic justice are not mutually exclusive. Those who would sacrifice one for the other will end up with neither, which is of course what the unscrupulous narcissists manspreading at the gates of power are counting on.” No, identity politics is not to blame for the failures of the left (via @PennyRed)
  • “Indeed, the parallels between the conservative and liberal movements right now are chilling: On both sides, white men are controlling the narrative. And on both sides, these narratives are relying on the scapegoating of minority groups, and the repudiation of a fight for civil rights (because, to be clear, “identity politics” is code for civil rights).” Why Are ‘Liberal’ White Men Asking Us To Stop Fighting For Our Rights? (via The Establishment)
  • “Not everyone can, or wants to be, this public about their political views, however. “I’m an introvert and don’t feel comfortable putting myself out there.” “Making my political views public will get me fired.” “It’s not safe for me to talk about opposing Trump.”” 5 Ways To Be A Silent Trump Protestor (via The Establishment)

Health Disparities

  • “The New York City Department of Health report on maternal morbidity, which is based on similar information as Howell’s report, found Black women experienced a rate of near misses of 386.9 per 100,000 deliveries, or more than a third of all near misses in the city. The highest rates of near misses are experienced by women living in the city’s neighborhoods with high percentages of residents with African heritage.” Segregation Increases Black Women’s Risks for Severe Birth-Related Injuries (via @Rewire_News)

Representation in Media

  • “The black actors of Gilmore Girls rarely get to speak. Except here.” Gilmore Blacks (h/t @margeincharge)
  • “If White Supremacy is ever going to be abolished, those who created and maintain it—white people—must remain accountable and fully invested in its abolishment, which includes dissecting the films and shows we create and the stories we tell. And after watching the new series, we’re left wondering: Were these stories worth telling?” ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life’ Has A White Feminism Problem (via The Establishment)

Reproductive Health

  • “Price has voted for extreme bans on abortion care and coverage and vowed to end Obamacare. This nomination is yet another signal that Trump plans to make good on his promise to repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, and punish women who have abortions by making the Hyde Amendment permanent,” Destiny Lopez, co-director of All* Above All, said in a statement. “Trump has no mandate to take away women’s basic rights and we plan to fight these heinous proposals every step of the way.” Trump Taps ‘Entirely Unfit’ Anti-Choice Congressman to Lead HHS (via @Rewire_News)

Sexual Assault

White Supremacy

  • “Avoid using the term generically and without definition, however, because it is not well known and the term may exist primarily as a public-relations device to make its supporters’ actual beliefs less clear and more acceptable to a broader audience. In the past we have called such beliefs racist, neo-Nazi or white supremacist.” Writing about the ‘alt-right’ (via @AP)

Monday

28

November 2016

0

COMMENTS

It’s back! What I’m reading … for the last 12 months

Written by , Posted in Feminism, Politics, What I'm Reading

I used to post a weekly update of articles I was interested in and thought you might care about too. Given the state of things right now, I think it’s time to bring it back. Some of the below are a bit old, but still relevant.

Fight Back

  • “Create a home base for the evening, where folks who are protesting can take physical and emotional breaks indoors with others.” 26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets (via @A_S_Alexander)
  • “All of these guidelines are intended to help you: spend your time and energy in an effective way, build psychological safety so the potential ally feels comfortable asking questions and expressing doubt, serve as a role model by consistently acting warm and compassionate while also sticking to your values, continue the discussion only as long as the potential ally is still making progress, and end in a way that makes them feel safe coming back to talk to you again.” A Guide To Changing Hearts And Minds—Without Starting A Fight (via @ESTBLSHMNT)
  • “Protect our progress. Support each other.” Feminist, LGBTQIA, Race/Gender Inclusive, Anti-Ableist, Progressive Volunteer Opportunities and Organizations, State by State (via @remember_the_e)
  •  “A lot of these ideas are about building strong communities and connections, stuff everyone can do, even if you don’t have a lot of money, power, or influence. It’s about working in small ways, and big ways, and taking time to make sure we stay safe and loved in Trump’s America.” 10 Ways to Resist Donald Trump (via @bitchmedia)
  • “A daily email of suggested actions to help others and reduce the impact of racism, sexism, class and income inequality, disability discrimination, and more.” Actions (via @mikkipedia)
  • “Now is the time to affirm our support for those whose lives are in danger. Bigots are not in fear for their lives because they are bigots. People of color are. A “difference of opinion” is how you like your coffee, or debates over trade and economic policy. Opinions that dehumanize others, that incite violence against them, cannot be treated as merely “opinions.” They must be called what they are: bigotry.” Syllabus for White People to Educate Themselves (h/t @prisonculture)
  • “We recommend the following books for all families, but especially for parents of white children who may be struggling to talk about racial injustice with their kids and teens. We intentionally only featured a handful of “history” books and did not include the many wonderful biographies and histories of movement leaders because, though we carry those books in our store, too often discussions of racial justice and racism focus on the past, on the Civil Rights Movement in isolation or on individual heroes. Change begins now, with white people, in this present moment.” Books to Teach White Children and Teens How to Undo Racism and White Supremacy (h/t @SisterSong_WOC)

Feminism

  • “Despite all the work we do towards sex worker safety, there is also a lot of organizing being done that makes things worse for sex workers. Prohibitionists, or people who seek to, in their view, “rescue” sex workers actually make sex work more dangerous. They claim that they have the best interest of sex workers in mind, while simultaneously destroying our safety nets. These “rescue” attempts fail, because criminalization only feeds crime against us and because they’re based off of failed Drug War ideas.” Want To Be An Ally To Sex Workers? Here’s What You Need To Understand To Help Keep Us Safe (via @BGDblog)
  • “Some of these works—fiction, non-fiction, and poetry—are engaging with feminism directly, and some are just inherently feminist. Of course, no list could fully address all of the feminist books out there, so simply consider this a starting point. But get started quickly, before Pence gets his hands on a uterus near you.” 40 New Feminist Classics You Should Read (h/t @Bookriot)

Racism

#NotMyPresident