Antiracist booklists and bookish expectations
Plus curriculum planning frustrations and books that are sweet but not syrupy
Hey readers,
To be quite honest, it feels very weird to sit here and write about books right now. The murder of George Floyd weighs heavy, protests have broken out all over the country, and in the midst of this there’s still a pandemic taking far too many lives. Today’s newsletter will look both very familiar and a little different. I hope you’ll indulge me in my desire to still share my reading—writing about books is joyful and meditative for me. At the same time, now is not the time to be using books as an escape or a “happy place.” I’m not an expert in the books that will challenge and change our racist culture, but I will refer you to some of those experts in this email.
As I’m writing this, I’m also in the midst of curriculum planning for next year. Obviously that’s even more difficult than usual given that we have no idea what the school year is going to look like. But, to be quite honest, curriculum planning is always hard: choosing books for a curriculum is inherently political and leads to a lot of discord. I feel so angry because my school’s curriculum is not an antiracist curriculum, and I don’t get to teach from an antiracist book list. If you are an educator who’s feeling frustrated and fed up, I see you. I’d love to hear from you because maybe we can spur each other on to make change.
Six antiracist activists and reading lists
Typically this is the section where I give you book recommendations based on a genre or mood. This week, instead of suggesting books for you to read, I’m going to suggest some antiracist activists to follow and antiracist reading lists by Black readers and writers.
Traci Thomas of The Stacks Podcast is one of my favorite creators to follow. Her posts are challenging and thoughtful, and I love her podcast because I love the books she selects and the way she talks about them. I highly recommend checking out Traci’s Nonfiction Antiracist Reading List. As a bonus, this is Traci’s Bookshop.org link so commissions from any purchases made through this link go to her. Also be sure to subscribe to The Stacks and follow her on Instagram. Additionally, you can support Traci’s work on Patreon and gain access to virtual events with Traci for $3 a month.
I’ve read many books because Jaime featured them her Instagram account, @absorbedinpages, and she’s never led me astray. Jaime has impeccable taste in novels, and she put together a Fiction Antiracist Reading List (the link will take you to Jaime’s Bookshop storefront where commissions from all purchases will go to her). The list includes classics and contemporary works, YA and adult fiction.
I first heard the term antiracist in conjunction with Ibram X. Kendi. Kendi wrote this list of antiracist reading recommendations right around this time last year and it’s incredibly rich and relevant. Kendi also wrote Stamped from the Beginning and How to be an Antiracist, and he co-wrote the YA introduction to antiracism, Stamped by Jason Reynolds (I’m not linking to any of those here, but they’re in Traci’s Antiracist Reading List). If you’re on Instagram and looking for a reading group to help you tackle Stamped from the Beginning, @melanatedreader is hosting a readalong with discussions from June 19th to July 20th. And of course, be sure to follow Kendi on Twitter and Instagram.
For any other educators (or home schoolers or parents or adults who spend time around children), Britt Hawthorne is an anti-bias anti-racist educator who helps teachers decolonize themselves, their curriculum, and their classrooms. Her website is a phenomenal resource and she also posts incredibly helpful content on Instagram. You can also support Britt on Patreon for as little as $5 a month.
Layla F. Saad is the author of Me and White Supremacy (also on Traci’s list). I have yet to read her book, but I want to as I’ve found her blog and podcast helpfully uncomfortable and challenging. You can also follow Layla on Instagram and Twitter, and support her work on Patreon.
My friends at Libro.fm also created an antiracist audiobook playlist for anyone (like me!) who enjoys consuming nonfiction on audio.
For any teachers, parents, or YA readers, another excellent resource is the Project Lit Community. #ProjectLitComm helps educators find relevant, contemporary, and diverse books for their curriculum and classroom libraries AND helps teachers plan antiracist curriculum. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter and check out some of their 2020-2021 books pictured here:
***To my fellow white readers, please remember to respect these individuals’ space and time as you follow these accounts. Do not DM them asking for resources or advice; Google and lots of books exist for that! Follow, listen, and learn. Layla Saad explains why here.
This week in books.
This week I read…
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner. Readers, I was prepared to hate this book but I loved it so much. You know the trend in historical fiction where all the covers show the backs of women and a picturesque (or bomb-ridden if it’s WWII) setting? This book looks like that and I was prepared to hate it. But I got it as a free ALC from Libro.fm and (full disclosure) I know the publisher was sending me an Austen inspired goodie-bag to help promote the book, so I had to at least try it. It completely exceeded my expectations. The book takes place in Chawton—which is the village Austen lived in late in her life and where she penned three of her six masterpieces—shortly after WWII. It features an array of characters who have all been somehow traumatized by the war and in their own way turn to Austen’s novels for solace. The group comes together in part to discuss Austen, but mostly to work towards setting up a commemorative museum in their little town. I found the book to be absolutely charming without being syrupy sweet. And while I loved this collection of characters (and seeing them all pair off in very Austen fashion), what I really adored was the setting. I had the opportunity to visit Chawton a couple years ago (while taking an Austen class no less!) and this book made me feel like I was right back there. Amazon | Bookshop
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. I will read, watch, or consume pretty much any villain backstory so I was super excited to learn more about Coriolanus Snow. I hadn’t read The Hunger Games in maybe 10 years and I was never a true fan of them, but still…I love seeing the making of a villain and the establishment of a dystopia. Alas, I thought this book was just okay. Snow was an interesting enough character: somewhat sympathetic at times, but always with a streak of narcissism so his ultimate character arc remained believable. What I didn’t enjoy about this book can be summed up in two main points. First, I’d forgotten how much Collins leaves out in her world building. There are so many details that don’t add up because she doesn’t give us the full context. If you (like me) were hoping this book would flesh out Panem and its history, you’re going to be pretty disappointed. We do get some basic answers about the history of the Hunger Games, but that’s pretty much it. Second, I don’t think Collins is that great of a writer. The pacing of this book is all over the place, and some of the sentences were just cringeworthy. I didn’t have high expectations going into this, and I’m not mad I took the time to read it, but it was pretty forgettable for me. Amazon | Bookshop
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. This sweet 1940s coming-of-age story is the first book Chelsey and I are covering for the summer season of Novel Pairings. Make sure you’re subscribed to hear all of our thoughts and the fun summer reads we pair with this classic when the episode drops on Tuesday, June 9th. Amazon | Bookshop
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Chelsey recommended Ghost Boys on the Beloved episode of Novel Pairings and because of the horrific racially motivated violence across the country, I felt an urgency to pick it up this week. Ghost Boys is about a 12-year-old boy named Jerome who is shot and killed by a police officer. Jerome becomes a ghost who observes his grieving family, visits the daughter of the officer who murdered him, and meets the ghost of Emmett Till. It’s incredibly powerful—Chelsey warned me that I would cry and I did—and immensely beautiful. I think this is a book that should be taught in schools and that every parent should read with their children. Jewell Parker Rhodes also does a wonderful job of depicting a traumatic experience with care and some degree of hope, which makes it accessible for children and adults who are just beginning their antiracist journeys. I can’t recommend this one highly enough. You can also get it for less than $5 on Libro.fm (I thought the audio was excellent). Amazon | Bookshop
Now I’m reading…
By the Book by Amanda Sellet. I can’t pass up a book about books and this one sounded particularly cute. It’s about a quirky 15-year-old named Mary Parker-Malcolm who loves and adores 19th-century novels. Hijinks ensue when she tries to give her new girlfriends dating advice based on Austen and Brontë. It’s a little eye-rolly and I would appreciate a more diverse cast of main characters, but it’s definitely speaking to the 15-year-old nerdy outsider who still lives within me. Amazon | Bookshop
The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe. I just started this on audio so I don’t have much to say about it yet, but a lot of my trusted recommendation sources (like Sarah of Sarah’s Bookshelves) loved it so I’m excited to get further into it. Amazon | Bookshop
And I put aside…
The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg. I really wanted to love this book as it was graciously gifted to me by Emma Copley Eisenberg herself. This book has gotten incredible reviews so I do think this is a case of the right book at the wrong time. I thought a true crime book would be a fast and enthralling read, but this book is more nuanced than that. Eisenberg uses the story of two girls murdered while on their way to a free-love festival in West Virginia to really explore Appalachian culture. I think that’s a fantastic project, it just didn’t hold my attention and I finally had to admit defeat and set it aside. Amazon | Bookshop
It’s Book of the Month time again.
Last month I skipped my Book of the Month box, but this month is on fire! The June picks include two of my favorite reads of the year so far: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and A Burning by Megha Majumdar. The Vanishing Half is perfect for anyone looking for stellar writing, a highly original story, and a thoughtful exploration of race, identity, and belonging—it’s both a timely and timeless book. A Burning is for anyone looking for a book with the pace of a thriller and the depth of literary fiction. It’s also one of the few books I’ve read set in India and it showed me how little I know about Indian politics and culture. Of course there are three other picks—I’m torn between adding One to Watch or The Last Flight—and this month more than most truly has something for everyone.
I pay for my own BOTM subscription, but I do have an affiliate link if you’re interested in signing up! I get a small commission at no additional cost to you and you can use code SUN5 to get your first box for $10…win-win!
***If you aren’t a BOTM member and don’t want to sign up, I still highly recommend these books. Preorder The Vanishing Half on Amazon or Bookshop | Preorder A Burning on Amazon or Bookshop. Both ship Tuesday, June 2nd.
Bookish reading.
The wonderful Parul Sehgal of The New York Times reviewed my favorite book of the year, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. You can also read an excerpt of The Vanishing Half here.
For the next two weeks, we’ll be celebrating YA on Novel Pairings. This list of YA books based on enneagram type is a super fun read. And Epic Reads’ list of complete YA fantasy series is perfect for the impatient readers among us.
The Reading Women’s Kendra Winchester is the queen of audiobooks and this list of happy audiobook recommendations is great—the list alone brought me so much joy! Speaking of audiobooks, the NYT named one of my recent listens one of their noteworthy new audiobooks.
JK Rowling is releasing a serialized fantasy story for kids on her new website.
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Little Women, but this movie fanart is incredible.
End notes.
Watching: Top Chef! This season is so freaking good and last week’s Last Chance Kitchen finale was the most exciting TV I’ve watched since Game of Thrones.
Listening: Pack Your Knives. Ok I’m obsessing over Top Chef right now and if you are too, you have to check out Pack Your Knives. The hosts drafted their fantasy teams at the beginning of the season and then spend each episode recapping, offering commentary, and tallying their points. It’s a fun way to spend an hour while you’re waiting for the next Top Chef episode.
Making: We invested in this sous vide earlier in our quarantine and it’s the best kitchen decision we’ve ever made. A sous vide cooks meat evenly and tenderly—and it’s insanely easy to use! This week we made a pork shoulder with the sous vide with potato salad, mac & cheese, and more quick pickled cucumbers on the side. It was all insanely delicious.
Following: Ibram X. Kendi on Twitter and Instagram
Loving: Yoga with Adriene
Readers, I hope you’re staying safe and well while you’re cultivating empathy and marching for change. I’ll be doing a lot of my own work this week and beyond, and I’m glad you’re here to keep me accountable.
Happy reading,
Sara
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