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CBR13 Archive

Saturday

18

December 2021

0

COMMENTS

Going Dark by Julia Ebner

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Three Stars

Best for:
Anyone who wants to learn a little bit more about modern-day terrorism and extremism.

In a nutshell:
Author Ebner adopts different identities to explore – online and in person – different extremist groups, from neo-Nazis to ‘trad wives.’

Worth quoting:
“Almost everything is gamified today, and that includes terrorism.”

Why I chose it:
It just sounded interesting.

Review:
This book is interesting and deeply disturbing, but it also feels more like it should have been a multi-part investigative magazine series in something like The Atlantic. Ebner does attempt to create a lifecycle across the stories, starting with recruitment, then socialisation, communication, networking, mobilisation, and attack. And I appreciate that she explored many different extremist groups, but I think it would have been a stronger book if there had been aspects of different groups explored in each of the areas. Instead, she does a deeper dive into different groups (two per section, with their own standalone chapters), which doesn’t help much with seeing how the connections work across the same group.

The book ends with some predictions (some of which have more or less already come true) and some suggestions on how to counteract these extremist groups. But given that this book was published just last year, it feels almost sweetly naive in some ways. Not that Ebner herself is naive, but things have gone so bad so quickly – the 6 January insurrection in the US, the vile racist and xenophobic anti-immigrant laws passing in the UK – many of her suggestions seem like too little too late.

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Donate it

Saturday

4

December 2021

0

COMMENTS

The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy

Written by , Posted in Feminism, Reviews

Five Stars

Best for:
Women. People with women in their lives. Feminists.

In a nutshell:
Author and activist Eltahawy makes the case for the sins women should embrace as we seek to destroy the patriarch.

Worth quoting:
“I don’t want to be protected. I want to be free.”

“I refuse to be civil with someone who refuses to acknowledge my humanity fully.”

“But who indoctrinated those Republican white women? Who taught them to submit to patriarchy? Those are questions often reserved for Muslima women, but I demand we ask them now of white women – whose votes uphold the benefits of whiteness but hurt the rest of us.”

Why I chose it:
I was looking for a little motivation, and I wanted to read some quality, bad-ass writing.

Review:
What a perfect book to reach my Cannonball Read goal on: a call to action written by a queer woman of color. Fuck yeah.

Within the first ten pages of this book, Eltahawy shares two different experiences of sexual assault, and how she has changed as a person between them. The second one ends with her beating the shit out of her assailant.

Eltahawy frames this book around seven actions – sins – that she argues women are taught to stay away from but that indeed very necessary in overthrowing the patriarchy. The sins are Anger, Attention, Profanity, Ambition, Power, Violence, and Lust. In each exploration of sin, she offers examples of how that action was necessary in fighting back against the harm patriarchy inflicts on us all. Some, I have no problem embracing – anger, profanity, even ambition. Others I do have somewhat of a negative response to – attention, violence. But Eltahawy makes strong cases for each, with the constant refrain that we need to dismantle and overthrow the patriarchy, that it hurts women and girls, and being polite and asking to be respected hasn’t worked.

We have to demand it, and take the power back, by force if necessary.

I finished this with the backdrop of what’s been going on in the US this week, where a court that includes two men accused of sexual harassment / sexual assault (Thomas and Kavanaugh) along with a woman Eltahawy would definitely characterize as a foot soldier of the patriarchy (Coney Barrett, who probably wouldn’t have to do much acting to take on a Commander’s Wife role in The Handmaid’s Tale) will help to bastardize the US Constitution and take away one of the most fundamental human rights from people who can get pregnant. Its disgusting, it pisses me off, and having such an obvious marker of the patriarchy in the background as I read made this hit a little different than it might have if I’d read it at a different time.

There’s so much to unpack here, I wish I’d read this with other women, and could discuss each of the chapters separately. But it’s one of my favorite books of the year, and one I can see myself referring back to often.

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a Friend

Sunday

28

November 2021

0

COMMENTS

Yearbook by Seth Rogen

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Four Stars

Best for:
Fans of Seth Rogen. Fans for humorous memoirs in general.

In a nutshell:
Actor, writer, and apparently former stand-up comedian (?)

Worth quoting:
Many things, but I listened while working out so didn’t note anything down.

Why I chose it:
I find Seth Rogen generally pretty funny in general, and the fact that he — and others — were doing the reading of the book sucked me in.

Review:
I didn’t know much about Rogen when I started listening to this book. I think I first saw him in Knocked Up (I missed Freaks and Geeks originally and had to watch it once it was available on streaming), and have seen others of the movies he’s written, like Superbad and 50/50. I don’t generally have a strong opinion about him either way. Or at least, I didn’t. Now, I rather like him.

The book is a mixture of stories from his childhood and stories of his life as a successful actor and writer. And of course there is a long running theme: his use of drugs like weed and mushrooms. If one isn’t a fan of stories of drug use, this probably isn’t the right book. Rogen does however seem at least somewhat aware that he was able to get away with many of his antics because he was a white kid, and that the stories might have gone very differently for a person of color.

Things that surprised me – he started doing stand-up comedy (didn’t know) at age 12! And like, kept at it all through his teen years. Fascinating. But the stories that really were interesting to listen to include his experience with mushrooms in Amsterdam, and the whole story behind the movie The Interview, about a journalist sent to assassinate the leader of North Korea.

Rogen is a great storyteller. There’s a casual tone that feels like someone funny I know just telling a story after dinner when we’re hanging out. But what really made the book for me is the fact that he got a ton of people to read whatever wasn’t in his voice. When his wife first appears in the story, she reads her part. Jason Segel features in a discussion about a ridiculous audition for 8 Mile. Even Snoop Dogg (yes, him) makes an appearance. It breaks up what can be a challenge of audio books, and keeps the reader involved.

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Recommend to a Friend

Sunday

7

November 2021

0

COMMENTS

The State of the World Atlas by Dan Smith

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Three Stars

Best for:
People who enjoy data visualizations. People interested in where various countries sit on different measures.

In a nutshell:
Six distinct sections provide the numbers on some of the most important and interesting measures, including wealth and poverty, rights, war and peace, health of the people and health of the planet, plus some basic demographic data.

Worth quoting:
“Many [refugees], despite their hardships, and despite all states’ legal responsibilities under the 1951 Refugee Convention, receive little of no comfort upon arrival.”

Why I chose it:
I am a sucker for quality data visualization, and for maps. Put the two together and *chef’s kiss*

Review:
This is primarily a book of maps and data, with very little narrative. And of course, the decision of what data to use, and what sources, carries with it the author’s own biases and concepts of what data matters most. So with that caveat, I’d argue that this is an interesting basic look at world data.

Some of the narrative provided – and some of the data, did cause me to raise an eyebrow. Mostly because of the lack of precision around language. For example, at one point the author states “Growing numbers of children and adolescents have mental health problems of some degree…” I’d argue that should read “have diagnosed mental health problems.” And the few pages on the ‘obesity epidemic’ start from some assumptions that I just don’t think hold.

Also, there isn’t a section looking at race and racism; there’s one page looking at genocide risk which, obviously hugely important, but nothing at all on de facto racism. In fact, and I suppose this is a bit of a necessity when putting together such a broad book, but the discussions around women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and global majority rights are really limited to proxies that look at the law, as opposed to how things work in practice. Like, the US is listed as being a functioning democracy, and technically all adults (depending on felony conviction status) have the right to vote, but we all know that ACCESS to the vote varies dramatically. Things like that aren’t captured here.

That said, if one approaches the data as a starting point, and then does their own research into the origin of the data and what might have motivated the gathering and presenting of the data in the way used, then I think this is an interesting book to flip through and the revisit when thinking about related issues.

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Not sure I’d recommend it, but I will be keeping it as a reference for myself.

Sunday

31

October 2021

0

COMMENTS

What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Five Stars

Best for:
Everyone, but especially straight-sized individuals, and people who still hold onto ideas about weight as a proxy for health.

In a nutshell:
CN: Diets and all things weight related.

Author Gordon, who describes herself as very fat, explores all the ways in which society fails fat people, offering suggestions for body justice.

Worth quoting:
So much, but I’ll try to limit it…

“Despite a mountain of evidence linking physical and mental health to social discrimination, the conversation about fat and health stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the possible influence of stigma in determining fat people’s health.”

“What we have long considered the health conditions associated with being fat in actuality may be the effects of long-term dieting, which very fat people are pressured heavily to do.”

“We deserve a paradigm of personhood that does not make size or health a prerequisite for dignity and respect.”

“Anti-fatness isn’t about saving fat people, expressing concern for our health, or even about hurting us. Hurting us is a byproduct of reinforcing the egos of the privileged thin.”

“Like men hearing about the pervasiveness of catcalling for the first time, thin people cannot quite reconcile the differences in our daily lives.”

“The marginalization and public abuse of very fat people is so commonplace that it has become accepted, but that doesn’t make it acceptable.”

Why I chose it:
I started listening to the “Maintenance Phase” podcast, which explores all the bullshit within the Wellness and Diet industries, and is hosted by Gordon and a writer from Huff Post. I listened to a year and a half of back episodes in about a week, and when I got to the one about her book, I immediately ordered it.

Review:
I am not fat. I mean, according to the BMI (which, as Gordon clearly lays out in her book, is utter bullshit) I am a bit ‘overweight,’ but even at my heaviest I have always been able to shop in pretty much any store and know that something will fit me (except trousers, but that’s about my height). But I’ve dieted, and still find my mood impacted by the number I see on the scale.

More importantly than this, I’ve been raised in a society that seems to think that fat people don’t deserve kind or even humane treatment. A world where Courtney Cox dons a fat suit for laughs on the most popular TV show at the time. A world where the words ‘obesity epidemic’ are shared everywhere as fact without really anything to back up the reality that, even if there is an increase in obesity, there’s literally no proven way for the vast majority of people to lose weight and keep it off. A world where everyone – thin, fat, in-between – is encouraged to judge fat people and keep them ashamed and embarrassed.

Author Gordon explores all of this and much more in her book. She is what she describes as ‘very fat’, and she has experienced a life of doctors, friends, and strangers making all sorts of assumptions about her, and judgments about her life and frankly about her worth. In the book she shares her own experiences, but this isn’t a memoir. It’s a well-researched, evidence-based look at many of the different ways fat people experience discrimination at the hands of thin people, corporations, the diet industry, and society as a whole.

One area she focuses on, which I found enlightening, was the way the body positivity movement — along with other similar areas — treat the concerns fat people raise as ‘insecurities.’ ‘You just need to feel better in your skin!’ But that ignores the reality that fat people can feel as fine as they like in their skin, but that doesn’t mean a lot if they can’t buy clothes in person, or sit comfortably in a restaurant, or receive quality health care that doesn’t assumer every ailment from an ear infection to a broken bone is caused by weight.

This quote: “We deserve a paradigm of personhood that does not make size or health a prerequisite for dignity and respect,” has stuck with me. There is so much that society has decided we need to do before we are granted respect. People are MAYBE allowed to be fat, but they have to be healthy, or actively trying to become healthy. When in reality, none of that matters. People should be treated with humanity even if their BMI doesn’t fit between 18 and 25.

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to all the people

Saturday

23

October 2021

0

COMMENTS

Around the World in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Four Stars

Best for:
Anyone who loves to travel, who loves trains, or who is interested in different perspectives on travel.

In a nutshell:
Author Rajesh and her fiance Jem take off on a 7 month trek across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Worth quoting:
“On my travels, it had become apparent that development and modernity posed a direct threat to the enjoyment of many travellers, disgruntled that the world should adapt and progress at the expense of their own pursuit of the exotic…Granted, most of us don’t travel 5,000 miles for Starbucks and KFC, but it was abhorrent to some that Chinese people might like the odd Frappuccino and some hot wings.”

“One of the greatest mistakes a traveller can make, is to believe a journey can be controlled.”

Why I chose it:
While on holiday I spotted this and it looked interesting, especially as we have mostly traveled by train lately as we’ve kept our exploration to within the UK during this part of the pandemic.

Review:
What a delightful book, and one that is a great reminder why I love to wander bookstores without a specific book in mind. I’d not heard of Rajesh before (she has a previous book – about her train travel in India), and am not sure I would have come across this book any other way, but I’m so glad I did.

Rajesh decides to take seven months and travel on 80 trains across Europe, Asia, and North America, visiting multiple countries and cities, spending countless hours on packed and empty overnight trains, and getting to know — as much as one can in a few hours — some of the different cultures she encounters. The book starts out with time spent in Europe on a EuRail pass, but most of the interesting travelling happens after they leave and move on to Russia, taking the Trans-Mongolia railway. From there they visit so many places that I didn’t even know one could go, including North Korea and Tibet. And in places like that, the focus is definitely on the cities they visit, but much of the book is focused on their time and experiences on the trains.

I also appreciate how Rajesh explores her own experiences of travel as a woman of color, as well as her observations of other travellers and tourists. I include that quote above because I thought her perspective on ‘modernization’ was interesting – this idea that people from other parts of the world want to see some version of the exotic that must fit into their preconceived notions, and are disappointed when that doesn’t come to fruition. I also loved that she didn’t talk about her visits to places where people likely lead more challenging lives than she from the perspective of making her appreciate what she has. It’s about her but not about her – she’s observing and learning, not using others on a sort of Eat Pray Love Pilgrimage.

I’ve taken a few trains for travel purposes, including within the UK, but one of my fondest memories was the overnight train from Paris to Munich that my now-husband and I took in the first year of our relationship. It was such a fun and weird adventure, and one that I’d love to replicate. I love the idea of combining transit and hotel into one to allow one to see more on their limited time off. Also, as someone who does love to travel but also cares about the environment, train travel is generally a better option than flights. I don’t think I’d want to take seven months and retrace Rajesh’s journey, but I think parts of it could be really interesting.

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a Friend

Friday

22

October 2021

0

COMMENTS

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Four Stars

Best for:
Fans of the genre.

In a nutshell:
Joy and Stan have four children, and have recently retired from running a tennis school. All of them have played tennis competitively, though none still play professionally as adults. Last year, a stranger appeared at their door, and Joy and Stan took her in. Six months later, the stranger has been gone for a bit, and Joy has gone missing.

Worth quoting:
“It happened all the time. Talented kids turned into ordinary adults.”

“The added weight of their hopes for her success was too much for her to bear.”

Why I chose it:
Wandered into the bookshop I used to visit weekly when I was working in the office and saw this was out. I usually wait for the paperback version but I needed something for the train ride I was about to take.

Review:
Moriarty has a formula: a thing has happened. We jump forward and back, slowly joining the time lines, hearing different perspectives from different characters. There is probably a twist, usually a couple, definitely a red herring or two.

This time, it worked for me.

There’s the obvious main plot, of the missing mother. Did dad kill her? Did she leave him? Did something else happen entirely? And what is the deal with the young woman they took in a few months back?

But there are also interesting character developments here, possibly more than I recall from her previous works. The children are all not just described by themselves in their own chapters, but we see how their parents and their siblings see them. The idea that parents think they still know their adult children better than the children know themselves, because they are their parents, is interesting, especially when they are so very wrong. And the dynamics between the children are fascinating as well.

I was basically sucked in from the start, and while I don’t see this one being turned into a limited series like a couple of her other books, I definitely enjoyed it.

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it.

Sunday

10

October 2021

0

COMMENTS

The Audacity by TV’s Katherine Ryan

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Best for:
Fans of humorous but also heartfelt memoirs.

In a nutshell:
TV’s Katherine Ryan shares her story, from growing up in Sarnia, Canada, to making her way in the comedy world, to the different ways she has built her family.

Worth quoting:
N/A (Audio book)

Why I chose it:
As a middle-aged white woman living in the UK, I think I’m legally required to at least watch one of her comedy specials. But I have enjoyed both of the ones on Netflix, and enjoyed her show The Duchess, so figured I’d enjoy her autobiography. I was right!

Review:
I cannot entirely relate to TV’s Katherine Ryan. She’s only three years younger than me, and we are both white women from North America who moved to the UK, but that’s where the similarities end. She has a level of unbotheredness that I can only aspire to, and it only works because she also is an empathetic and caring person. It’s very easy to not give a shit about what other people think of one when one also doesn’t give a shit about others; it’s much more challenging to figure out how to walk that line between not wanting to cause harm to others while not changing one’s life to constantly seek the acceptance of others. Ryan seems to have mostly struck that balance.

But I do appreciate her levels of sarcasm, as well as her attempt to find some more layered and interesting takes on popular culture. She doesn’t just go for low-hanging fruit; she brings something more to her discussions. And that shows in how she tells stories about her life, including things like her time working at Hooters, and her various relationships that have not always been the healthiest. She manages to dive deeply into her feelings and motivations, sharing her vulnerability. But she also is a famous celebrity, so her experience of the world is going to be a little different.

I don’t agree with Ryan on everything. Her chapter on cancel culture (because of course – I think every celebrity is required to address that in any book or article written in the coming years) seems almost naive. She has empathy for the people who misstep or straight up act harmful, but seems to overlook the need for empathy for the people who are harmed by those missteps and errors. She strikes me as someone who thinks intention is, if not all that matter, but what matters the most, and that impact isn’t nearly as important. I simply disagree. I also think she is missing some nuance around ‘cancel culture.’ I do think there is a difference between someone who tweeted something at 21 who is now 31 and has shown actual, tangible growth since then, and someone like JK Rowling, who continues to double down, is actively harming the trans community, and shows no interest in learning or growing. Whereas I don’t think Ryan really sees any difference, because Rowling could always eventually grow. I mean, I guess? But all signs point to ‘no’ at the moment.

If you are going to get this, I do recommend the audio version. It’s read by Ryan, but include a bonus chapter (30 minutes!) of her mother! It’s fascinating to hear her mother’s perspective on the same stories we’ve just heard Ryan tell. Honestly, I’d love to see more of that in places where the writers have good relationships with their parents – we all know we experience the world differently based on perspective, and I think it’d be so interesting to hear a parent or sibling’s take on things.

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a friend

Saturday

9

October 2021

0

COMMENTS

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Three Stars

Best for:
Fans of mysteries told from a couple of different perspectives.

In a nutshell:
Jodi and Todd have been together for 20 years, though they aren’t married. Todd regularly cheats on Jodi. Todd has gotten his latest paramour, Natalie, pregnant. Natalie is the daughter of one of Todd’s childhood friends, Dean. Events transpire.

Worth quoting:
Really anything Todd from Todd’s perspective was so representative of how I imagine oblivious vaguely misogynistic men think. I could quote him endlessly here, always followed with a giant eye roll.

Why I chose it:
It’d been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years and thought I’d finally read it.

Review:
Ah, this book has one of my favorite storytelling devices: alternating perspectives. Every chapter is from either Jodi or Todd’s voice. They never talk about the same events, so it’s not like we get Saturday night’s perspective from Jodi, followed by Todd’s take on Saturday night. Instead, they alternate each chapter, building on the time line.

Todd is a builder / property investor. Jodi is a psychologist. She never wanted to get married, so they didn’t. They also don’t have children. Then one day Todd is told by his lover Natalie (who is a good 20 years younger than him) that she is pregnant, and she expects that he’ll be leaving his wife and marrying her. And he just sort of … does. Without ever directly telling Jodi. She hears it from Dean, Natalie’s dad. And him leaving her, when they aren’t married, leaves her in a bit of a pickle, financially speaking.

Neither Todd nor Jodi are particularly sympathetic. I kept wanting to throttle them, telling them to use their words, act like grown-ups. Not be assholes. Todd is the primary jerk, but Jodi definitely doesn’t do herself any favors.

I can’t share more without giving away way too much of the plot. But I do think it’s worth a read, especially if picked up at your library.

(There was a sort of shoehorned in story line about possible child abuse that I just didn’t think really fit; otherwise this would have been a four-star book for me.)

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it

Tuesday

5

October 2021

0

COMMENTS

You Got Anything Stronger? by Gabrielle Union

Written by , Posted in Reviews

4 Stars

Best for:
Anyone who appreciates and is interested in very personal memoirs.

In a nutshell:
In her second collection of autobiographical essay, Union shares her struggles with fertility and more personal life experiences.

Worth quoting:
I listened to the audio book so didn’t jot down notes, but I did laugh out loud when she referred to the crackling of joints as she ages as “old age farts.”

Why I chose it:
I enjoyed her first book. (https://cannonballread.com/2017/11/great-storytelling/)

Review:
Content warning for pretty much all the things: infertility, sexual assault, racism, misogyny.

The book starts off with an intense chapter where Union discusses her miscarriages and struggles with infertility. While some chapters are lighter, most are fairly intense, and all are extremely well-written. One lighter chapter – her experience auditioning for the Matrix sequels – involved the kind of ‘oh shit’ moment that had me cackling out loud. I love that she felt comfortable enough with readers to share what was an embarrassing moment with the world.

One chapter that has received a lot of attention is the experience she and some colleague has in Dubrovnik, where they stopped into a bar that turned out to essentially be a neo-nazi enclave. The story is harrowing. The mayor of Dubrovnik has put out a statement sort of apologizing, but essentially gaslighting her and suggesting that it didn’t really happen the way she said (I’m not linking it here, but you can look it up). Even when sharing her experiences with racism, a white man basically says ‘no, that couldn’t have happened, not really.’

I chose the audio book for this, read by Union, and would recommend it for others.

Recommend to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a Friend