Four Stars

Best for: Fans of quality anecdotes and fairly snappy writing.

In a nutshell: More stories about Carrie Fisher’s life.

Line that sticks with me: “I’ve always wished that I was someone who really didn’t care what I looked like, but I do. And yet, even though I end up caring about it almost more than absolutely anything, it takes way more than a lot to get me to do anything about it.” (p 28)

Why I chose it: I bought all of Carrie Fisher’s books after she passed, because that was when I learned she was also a very prolific writer (whoops).

Review: Fun!

Oh, you want more? Okay. Well, there are anecdotes in here. Interesting stories. Any of them could have been part of Wishful Drinking; I think maybe only a couple of them actually take place in the time between the publishing of that and the publishing of this. Perhaps these were cut from that, or she just realized that with her rich life experiences, she had plenty of material. The framing is that some of the memories may be a bit messy, what with her undergoing electro convulsive therapy to address her mental illness, although the stories themselves come across as clear as can be.

In this books, she talks about going toe to toe with Ted Kennedy (yes, the Senator) while on a date with a different Senator (I think she won), time she spent with Michael Jackson (including her opinions on the charges he’d eventually face), and how she and her former step-mother Elizabeth Taylor buried the hatchet. For me, the most interesting chapter is the final one, which details her time with her father near the end of his life.

While the review pull line they go with is “A Nonstop Laugh Riot,” I don’t think that’s accurate. I definitely laughed – and even guffawed – but more I just enjoyed some good storytelling and clever turns of phrase.

4 stars

Best for: White people interested in antiracism work (so, hopefully, all white people, but I’m not that naive).

In a nutshell: Academic (and white person) Robin DiAngelo breaks down many of the problems white people have in confronting our own socialization in the racist reality we live in.

Line that sticks with me: “Because of white social, economic, and political power within a white supremacist culture, whites are in the position to legitimize people of color’s assertions of racism. Yet whites are the least likely to see, understand, or be invested in validating those assertions and being honest about their consequences. This leads whites to claim that they disagree with perspectives that challenge their worldview when, in fact, they don’t understand the perspective – thus confusing not understanding with not agreeing.”

Why I chose it: Dr. DiAngelo led a training at my office a few months ago, and it was both brutal and fantastic. During her introduction, she made a comment along the lines of this: “I have spent years researching race and racism. I’ve taught college courses and workplace trainings, and have a PhD in the work. But that said, I welcome challenges and corrections from any person of color in this audience. However, I do not welcome the same from the white people in this room, because I can almost guarantee that none of you have spent as much time thinking about racism as I have.” One friend called that cocky, and it possibly put a lot of white people in the room on the defensive. But really, I think that statement is going to be true 99.9% of the time when talking about race and racism.

Review: This book is nearly 350 pages long, and while it is written by an academic, Dr. DiAngelo makes it as accessible as possible. The target audience is white people, because we are the ones who need an education in how we are socialized in a racist society, and the implications it has for how we navigate the world and contribute to it.

The first half of the book may seem somewhat elementary to folks who aren’t brand new to antiracism work, but it is necessary and I found it mostly interesting to read. Each section starts with a couple of quotes from white students she taught – they are responses to questions she asks at the start of the term, and the quotes are startling both in their lack of depth and their similarity to each other. Nearly without fail, the students grew up in segregated all-white neighborhoods, with parents who taught them “everyone is equal.” They all say they aren’t racist, and that racism doesn’t play a role in their lives.

Mmm hmm.

It’s hard to write a review without rewriting each of the chapters, because they build upon each other well. Dr. DiAngelo doesn’t even get to defining race or racism until a third of the way through the book, but it works. She eases readers in with examples of sexism, which she likely thinks white people are more willing to accept as a reality. Each chapter builds upon what she introduces in the previous one, making it easier to bring all the components together.

Some chapters really stand out, including the one on intersecting identities using class as an example. Ms. DiAngelo grew up poor, and so is well-positioned to offer rejection of the idea that ‘it’s really class, not race, that matters.’

The final chapters, however, are what I found to be the most interesting. Discussions about white fragility, white narratives that deny racism (and appropriate ways to shut them down), the real problem with repeating certain stories, and the danger of white silence are all relevant to those of us who are white and invested in antiracism work. You will cringe because you or people you love will have said or done most or all of these things, but Dr. DiAngelo wants you to get beyond the defensiveness that comes from a place where white people act like being called racist is worse than doing something racist.

One caveat – if you are someone who is white but grew up in a home where racism was discussed in depth (as literally one of my white friends was), and grew up with and still have many cross-racial relationships, this might not give you what you need to take your antiracism work to the next level.

Four Stars

Best for: Those who enjoyed Arrival; people who aren’t totally sure that they are into science fiction but want to see.

In a nutshell: Eight short stories connected only by the fact that they are science fiction.

Line that sticks with me: “What he insists on is that they not love God under a misapprehension, that if they wish to love God, they be prepared to do so no matter what His intentions. God is not just, God is not kind, God is not merciful, and understanding that is essential to true devotion.” (pg 234)

Why I chose it: I saw (and loved) Arrival, and immediately added this collection to my list.

Review: I don’t usually pick science fiction books. Fiction in generally isn’t usually in my rotation, so adding a layer of complexity by narrowing it from generic literature to a specific genre means there are a lot of great books out there that I’ve not even considered reading. I tried reading a famous author’s most popular work earlier this year and couldn’t get past all the new words. I didn’t find the concept difficult to understand in the context of the stories; I just don’t enjoy having to learn new vocabulary created by the author.

This book, however, I found to be mostly accessible to someone who isn’t traditionally a science fiction reader. In fact, the first story, “Tower of Babylon,” is based on a story in the Bible. I read it in one sitting, and found myself reading almost all of the other short stories in one sitting as well.

My least favorite essay was easily “Seventy-Two Letters,” but even that one I mostly enjoyed. Again, it suffered from having a lot of new vocabulary to learn, but there were a couple of twists that I did not expect. That one also didn’t end in a way that I found satisfying.

I enjoyed the essay Arrival was based on, called “Story of Your Life;” I think the storytelling was elegant. It’s slightly different from the movie, and I understand why it was adjusted for the screenplay. But because I’ve seen the movie, I couldn’t help but read it all picturing Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.

The essay I enjoyed the most was probably “Hell is the Absence of God.” The premise of this one fascinated me: there is no question of whether the is a heaven, or hell, or god; the question is only will individuals be devoted to god. People literally see flashes into hell (and can see if their loved ones are there at times), and angels come to earth on a regular basis.

I can’t say whether these short stories are demonstrative of most science fiction as a whole, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed them, and so would at the very least recommend this to anyone else who is interested in seeing if they like science fiction but aren’t sure of a good starting point.

Four Stars

Best for: Those interested in some fairly dark but also interesting personal essays.

In a nutshell: Columnist Meghan Daum writes multiple essays on fairly mundane topics, but with a more unexpected voice.

Line that sticks with me: “I am convinced that excellence comes not from overcoming limitations but from embracing them. At least that’s what I’d say if I were delivering a TED Talk. I’d never say such a douchy thing in private conversation.” (p192)

Why I chose it: My sister recommended it. So far, she’s never steered me wrong.

Review: I’ve previously reviewed a book associated with Ms. Daum; she edited “Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed,” which, if I recall, I mostly liked but found the selections frustratingly focused on a particular type of childfree person. This book contains Ms. Daum’s own essays, covering topics from her mother’s death (which kicks off the book, so you should know what you’re getting into right off the bat) to the love of a dog, to career and life choices.

The topic areas are mostly relatable, but her take on them is unique in many ways. Her thoughts on her mother’s death, for example, are authentic in their honesty. She doesn’t go on and on about their special relationship, or talk about all the things she’s going to miss about her mother; she uses the essay as opportunity to talk about how complicated their relationship is.

My least favorite essay – and what I found unpleasant enough to drop this from five stars down to four – is called “Honorary D**e.” I’ve censored the slur here not because she did, but because as someone who doesn’t identify as a lesbian I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to say. But Ms. Daum doesn’t hold the same opinion, and I find this entire essay extremely tone deaf. She also uses some other words in the book that I feel she might not use if she were to write this today (such as a slur for transgender people), but who knows.

Some of the essays end anti-climatically, with sort of trite, let’s-wrap-it-up-ness, but others end with a perfect gut punch or laugh. And the essays themselves more than make up for the occasional poor ending.

My favorite essay is probably “On Not Being a Foodie,” which the quote above comes from. But I found myself relating to many of the essays, even with their ‘unspeakable’ nature.

Five Stars

Best for: Readers interested in learning more about the history of the women’s movement from a race and class perspective (it’s right there in the title).

In a nutshell: Brilliant academic and activist Angela Y. Davis provides a thorough history of the women’s movement, with a focus on the contributions of Black women and men and a deep analysis of the ways that white women in particular failed to support the needs of their Black sisters.

Line that sticks with me: “Yet there were those who understood that the abolition of slavery had not abolished the economic oppression of Black people, who therefore had a special and urgent need for political power.” (p73)

Why I chose it: Angela Davis is amazing. Also, I wanted to learn more about the history of the women’s movement outside the white lens.

Review: This book. I need to read this book again. Maybe twice a year. There is so much within it to unpack, to think about.

Ms. Davis starts with slavery and the entire concept of womanhood, looking at how the Black experience of womanhood in the U.S. differed from the experience of the white woman. She continues on through abolition and suffrage, focusing a large portion of her time on the 1850s-1930s. Each chapter feels like it could have been the start of a seminar on the topic; I assume there are (or at least could be) entire graduate-level courses constructed around examining each of these essays.

I didn’t really learn much about the U.S. suffragettes in school, so when I saw this article (http://the-toast.net/2014/04/21/suffragettes-sucked-white-supremacy-womens-rights/) a few years ago, I remember thinking ‘oh fuck.’ You may have seen a few of the more recent articles – like during the election – pointing this same thing out. But Ms. Davis gives so much more context to this, providing a detailed history, full of great original source material from speeches and other documents. It is frustrating and fascinating and infuriating, all at the same time.

She also focuses chapters near the end on the racial implications of rape (“Rape, Racism and the Myth of the Black Rapist”) and on how racism factored into and colors how Black women view birth control and reproductive right. Holy shit, people. These chapters are SO GOOD. Rage inducing, but critical to understanding this nation’s race relations history.

Not that I’m in any position to disagree with Ms. Davis on anything, but I did have a bit of a problem with the final chapter, on housework. Once you read it, you might understand when I say that I don’t disagree with her, but I think that she missed a big part of the picture. In that chapter, she takes issue with the fight for women to earn wages doing housework. She raises valid points, but in this area, I think fails to take into consideration what could bridge the gap between the current (bad) situation and the ideal situation.

But that’s one minor issue – and one I might change my mind about once I think on it more. The whole book is just fantastic. Go get it.

Three Stars

Best for: Fans of Lauren Graham, fans of Gilmore Girls. If you’re just a fan of her work on Parenthood, there’s only one chapter in here for you.

In a nutshell: A loosely chronological collection of essays by Lauren Graham, discussing how she got into acting, her time on Gilmore Girls, and her time filming the recent series of films for Netflix.

Line that sticks with me: “What was it I’d encountered that day, and those other times? Why would anyone assume I’d need help with, or take credit for, something that wasn’t my work? Was it … sexism?”

Why I chose it: I really enjoy the characters of Lorelai Gilmore and Sarah Braverman, and I’m a sucker for a memoir written by a woman.

Review: I read this book in an afternoon plus one 30-minute session on the elliptical. It’s well-written, amusing, and offers some very sweet insight into Ms. Graham’s experiences as an actress. She even (for the first time) sits and watches all seasons of Gilmore Girls to give us readers her insights.

This book was fine. It’s definitely not bad, so I’m not sure why I’m leaning towards three stars instead of four. Maybe I was hoping for more? I’m not sure why – Ms. Graham seems extremely guarded (which is totally her right), and this book fits with that. I don’t think I learned anything surprising about her from her, although I made a few inferences of my own from what was included – or not.

The stories she tells are fun (thought rarely laugh-out-loud funny, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) and kind and generous to her colleagues. I did thoroughly enjoy the Gilmore Girls-specific chapters, but did wish there was more about her time on Parenthood.

As an aside, there was one section, however, that might just change my life as far as my writing is concerned. In one chapter, she shares advice she received from a fellow writer, called “the kitchen timer.” It’s obvious as hell once one reads it, but I’m using it right now and honestly, it’s really helpful.

Four Stars

Best for: People interested in learning more about the real cost of solitary confinement.

In a nutshell: A collection of essays about solitary confinement, with the vast majority being authored by those who have actually experienced it.

Line that sticks with me: “I could see grass through the window at the end of the hall. When they found out I could see it, they put a plate over it. We are way worse than other countries.”

Why I chose it: This was a recommendation from my husband.

Review: Each essay written by one of those who has been placed in “SHU” (Secure Housing Units, a.k.a. solitary confinement) is heartbreaking and infuriating in its own way. Solitary confinement has always sounded horrible; these stories confirm it. From the absurd reasons guards – and judges – find to lock people away for 23 hours a day in a tiny cell, to the long-term detriment this causes after just fifteen days, it is all bad.

All of it.

And it’s mortifying that in the U.S., we put more people in these tortuous cells than anywhere else on earth. People are denied human contact. They must jump through absurd hoops just to get access to the occasional book. And some have been in solitary for thirty years.

Can you imagine?

I don’t buy into the idea that people who have committed crimes deserve to be tortured. Yet it seems that so much of the U.S. prison system is focused on revenge fantasies instead of finding ways to rehabilitate people.

The only reason this book isn’t getting five stars is because I didn’t find the final section to be as compelling. It’s a few essays about the psychological and legal concerns about solitary confinement. It felt a bit unnecessary, but I do understand why it was included. It just took away from my experience.

Four Stars

Best for: Humans of earth. Seriously, this woman was a national treasure.

In a nutshell: Celebrity shares memories of her youth, her mental illness, and her substance abuse.

Line that sticks with me: “But no matter what the dictionary says, in my opinion, a problem derails your life and an inconvenience is not being able to get a nice seat on the un-derailed train. Given that, I’ve had three and half problems. A dead guy in my bed, substance abuse, and manic-depression.”

Why I chose it: I’m working my way through Ms. Fisher’s catalogue this year.

Review: Ah. So good.

I think at this point most of us are familiar with how witty and honest Ms. Fisher is. In this, the first of her three non-fiction works, she tells entertaining stories that also manage to be insightful and blunt without feeling preachy. Yes, she uses sarcasm, which isn’t for everyone, but I enjoy it when it’s deployed with this level of skill.

I recently watched the HBO documentary about Ms. Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, so some of these stories were familiar. But it didn’t matter, because the stories were still great. Ms. Fisher has an ability to share what are objectively challenging moments with a self-awareness I aspire to.

I will definitely be re-reading this when I need both a laugh and a reminder that

Four Stars

Best for: Someone looking for a quick, wit-filled read.

In a nutshell: Film actress Suzanne enters rehab, leaves rehab, attempts to figure out her next move.

Line that sticks with me: “I just want you to feel something, in between all this talking and thinking that you do. I want you to lead a life instead of following one around.”

Why I chose it: After Ms. Fisher died in December, I realized I’d never read any of her writing. I ordered all her books and decided to start at the beginning.

Review: This book isn’t exactly what I thought it would be, as my familiarity comes from the movie. I’ve not seen it, but I had the impression that the book would focus on the relationship between the main character and her mother. That’s not the case.

But the book it actually is was fun to read. It’s broken up into a few sections, starting with a back-and-forth of two characters, one of whom is consuming a whole lot of drugs. Ms. Fisher can write from different perspectives and make each feel equally real. I almost wish the rest of the book played out in the same way, but I understand why she made a different choice.

The main character is interesting and self-aware. Ms. Fisher somehow makes a woman with addiction issues who is also a famous and successful-enough actress that she doesn’t have to stress about working relatable. The description of drug use in the beginning was intense, and given Ms. Fisher’s life experience I’m guessing it’s accurate.

One thing that I enjoyed in this book is that as I’m writing this review, I can’t come up with more of a plot summary than the little nutshell I provided above. It feels unfinished, but it still left me satisfied. I didn’t think was possible in a book, but here we are.