Lauren
Regardless of when this was written I found the random use of the n-slur repulsing. I know people argue that it's representative of the beliefs at the time and that people insist it can has a valid place in literature, but I found it entirely unnecessary to advance the plot or character development and it made me google more about any racism present in HG Wells' other works. Spoiler Alert: there are many anti-Semitic, pro eugenics and horrifying racists statements and ideas expounded upon in other stories.
This was a peak behind the curtain at what it's like for a freshman politician to get established in their new role. What was particularly interesting about this memoir was seeing how the inner workings of someone in the Socialist Party. Here in the USA we are very familiar with two major parties, so to get an insiders look at a party no as well known was really appealing as a reader who is interested in learning more about the realities of how both State and Federal congress function.
It was a fast read, and had a few additional books/references that influenced the people involved in the Senator's campaign and their reasons for working in the political sphere. I wrote them down to check them out and thing that anyone who may be thinking about becoming more active in politics would find this book may motivate you even more.
***Thank you to IDW Publishing, Top Shelf Productions and Netgalley for providing a free copy of the eBook in exchange for an unbiased review.
This was a lovely historical fiction YA that centers on a young woman coming of age in Detroit in the '30s with immigrant parents who met during WWI. She discovers the letters they wrote to each other during that time, and their three narratives spin the story of a family who learns to grieve and grow together.
The audiobook was wonderful to listen to with a full cast narration. I thought the characters and their accents really helped create an immersive atmosphere and since the story was in verse it's a great way to hear the rhythm of the words and how it lends itself to a well paced and impactful storytelling experience.
***Thank you to Andrews McMeel Audio and Netgalley for providing a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.
What a fun ride! If you're a fan of the genre you will probably see many of the twists coming, but the journey is intriguing and will certainly keep you guessing because there is so much to unravel.
Well done Miss Feeney and the dual narration from Stephanie Racine and Richard Armitage was EXCELLENT.
It is absolutely astounding how the justice system displayed such incompetence every step of the way. Listening to the interrogation scenes and the Prosecutor's outlandish accusations was incredibly frustrating, and just left me feeling horrified at how many people must end up convicted of a crime they didn't commit because of the tunnel vision to fit a story to the evidence rather than evidence to facts.
I did find myself annoyed with the repetitiveness of the book, and think it could have been edited down to make the pacing better. There were sections in which we were getting a sort of inner monologue commentary from the Defense lawyer about how EVERY statement being made could never be believable to the Judge or Jury. After the first dozen times it was mentioned, it was just like...I GET IT.
I can see why the decided to make this into a TV series because it's very a much a truth is stranger than fiction situation.
***Thank you to Tantor Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
This was a collection of interviews conducted by the author over the course of many years. It was really great to read the wide spectrum of experiences and opinions from people with different gender identities and expressions.
Throughout the book the author's own gender identity journey is explored, and the most impactful thing I found from reading everyone's experience was just how important it is to find community and safe spaces to have open, honest, and in depth conversations about gender identity and expression. It highlights how harmful and limited looking at things through a binary lens can be.
I would highly recommend this everyone, but especially to my fellow parents so they can provide a supportive environment for their kiddos and peers.
***Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company & Liveright for providing a free copy of the eBook in exchange for an unbiased review.
I really enjoyed the art style of this. It appeared as though the images were watercolored and I don't typically see that when reading graphic novels.
This is a good starting point for middle grade students to be introduced to Rosa Parks.
It doesn't paint a rosy colored, white washed version of her story in which she's a mild mannered older woman who was too tired to give up her seat. In reality, she was an active participant in the civil rights movement, and her choice was an intentional, non-violent protest that helped to spark a massive boycott. The sacrifices Black folks had to make during the boycott was explored and how they supported the movement as a community.
Often with historical figures we often present such a narrow, one dimensional view of them. Tokenizing and rolling them out as an example. I appreciated that there was an epilogue at the end that dove a bit deeper into what happened to Rosa after the boycott because her life was very difficult afterwards including poverty, debt, chronic illness and job insecurity, and through all that she still continued to fight for equal rights.
***Thank you to Papercutz & NBM Publishing for providing me with the eBook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
As the parent of a little one, I am always looking for books to help make learning about real people and issues in an accessible age appropriate way.
Watching Amanda Gorman's reading during the 2021 Inauguration was incredibly powerful and I hope she continues to inspire folx for many years to come. For our family, it's important to us that we are including lots of books in our family library that shows lots of different representation, and that's why I decided to pickup this one.
This easy to read book gives a simple biography of Amanda's story and talks about some of the personal obstacles she's had to overcome. It discusses her path to becoming a poet, and her journey to speaking at President Biden's inauguration.
I think this series is a good option for folx with kids under the age of 6 to introduce important historical and contemporary figures to them, but it certainly shouldn't be the only thing in your collection.
I would like to point out that I recently read some valid criticism about this series that should be kept in mind:
The concern that I read was the books “present a one-dimensional, pop-cultural conception of key figures, reinforcing stereotypes and disregarding their strides as part of a collective effort. The series follows the same story arc, starting from the figure's childhood up until the one contribution (the “single story”) they've made in society. As a result, children receive a fragmented overview of the person's life racked with generalizations and tokenism.”
As a parent who tries to make informed decisions, this is something that I will consider moving forward when picking up books for our collection.
BLOG SOURCE:
https://socialjusticebooks.org/the-disempowering-impact-of-the-little-people-big-dreams-series/
***Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a free copy of the eBook in exchange for an unbiased review.
When I requested this ARC I didn't realize that it was written by the same person who had also spoken in a video that I had watched during the BLM protests in 2020. That video was so impactful, and is something that I'm still thinking about 2 years later.
Kimberly's writing is accessible and compelling, much like the video was.
She lays out the systemic issues at work, and counters them with changes that can and should be made in order to move the country forward.
This is a great primer into educating yourself about the obstacles and harm that Black folx in the USA have endured, and yet despite all that they still are making strides to rise above and making a positive impact on culture, the community, and country.
The last third is targeted to a Black audience and gives practical tips to help them thrive even within circumstances that try desperately to hold them back. The biggest take away from that section is just how important it is to build generational wealth. It creates a lot of stability and advantage that just hasn't been achievable for so many because of systemic racist policies and actions.
Would definitely recommend both the physical and audiobook.
Kimberly's narration holds your attention and the passion you read in the words is even more powerful when she speaks them.
***Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review
First and foremost, be sure to check the content warnings on this.
If you are triggered by stories about cancer, this may be one you need to pass on.
I was so frustrated by the MC's super judgmental internal dialogue, that I really struggled to get into this one. However, I'm glad I stuck it out because there was definitely an arc to her character and while she certainly was still flawed, I appreciated that there was growth and self reflection on her attitudes and behaviors.
Once I was into the story and met all the side characters I quickly became quite invested in their relationships. In fact, I would have loved to delve even more into their stories, since I found every plot point in Keira's storyline easily predictable.
Danielle Cohen's narration was delightful, and I look forward to hearing more from her.
***Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
This book was equal parts frustrating and impactful.
A story about a group of Black women who've been lifelong friends you see how each one is navigating their relationships and the wide spectrum of struggles that Black women face.
It was wonderful to read about flawed, strong, and thriving Black women, standing in their power, embracing self love, and demanding to be treated with the respect and support the deserve, while also seeing how the Black men in their lives are working to overcome the systems that do everything they can to keep them down and the ways in which that impacts the way they show their love to the people around them.
Reading about the joys and heartache of Black love and seeing these Black women lifting each other up even though their drastically different life choices made me really glad I picked up this one even though contemporary fiction is usually my preferred genre.
Eboni Flowers did a wonderful job with the narration, and by the end I felt like I really had a clear picture of these women were. I already their story will stay with me for quite awhile, and I'll definitely be interested in reading more from Tracy Brown.
***Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
3.5 stars
This was my first time reading an Africanfuturist plot line and it was very intriguing. This short story spans a wide range of topics including race, class, ableism, AI/technology advancements, government control, monopolies, and climate change. I found AO particularly interesting because of the discussion surrounding her choice to change/augment her body and how that was viewed in society.
Délé Ogundiran did a great job with the narration, and look forward to hearing more from her.
Even though I felt a bit lost at times with the storytelling in NOOR this was a great intro to the genre. I'm very interested in reading more from Nnedi Okorafor since I've heard wonderful things about her other books.
***Thank you to RB Media for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
As a Millennial who was very influenced by diet culture growing up, both directly from the those around me and indirectly by the media and society, (Weight Watchers, Low Fat diet, NutriSystem, Atkins diet, Keto diet, Paleo diet) I've worked hard the past 10 years on breaking free of disordered eating, negative body image and food thoughts.
It's been so important to me since becoming a parent to make sure I'm not passing these things on to my kiddo, and to ensure that they have a healthy relationship with food, eating, and their body.
This book really helps to guide you in shifting your thinking away from bad food vs. good foods and controlling how much and what kinds of foods your child (and yourself) should be eating to a more intuitive and food neutral approach. It gives you the language to help you change the narrative so you are creating a supportive, judgment free environment while acknowledging, it's important to still have boundaries and do what works best for your family.
The most important thing about this book is how it embraces intersectionality.
It repeatedly talks about how race, class, ableism affect the access people have to food, how they are treated by society and the medical profession, and that fatphobia fuels a lot of misinformation and manipulation which often leads to disordered eating and mental health issues.
If you are looking to change your feelings about food and model positive thinking to give your children the tools they need to feed their bodies and feel good about themselves, this is a great place to start.
***Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
Eye-opening.
For anyone interested in breaking free of diet culture and to understanding more about how the body works and how it responds to the food we do or don't put into it, you'll get a lot out of this book.
The misinformation we've been told about food and dieting, (speaking to my fellow Millennials) has completely skewed our view of food and the way our bodies should natural regulate themselves.
This was pretty meh for me.
I kept waiting for something unpredictable to happen, or a big twist, but it just never came.
The characters are flawed (which was very promising) and there certainly are family secrets and drama, again something that usually draws me in, but I just felt pretty bored and exasperated by the whole story and the ending just didn't do anything for me.
I think most people would probably enjoy this one enough to rate it higher than I have.
Audiobook narration from Barrie Kreinik was good, and definitely helped me keep listening even when I was rolling my eyes.
***Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.