Love. I love this book. I read it in under 24 hours Lindy West is a fantastic writer based in Seattle. Locals first got to know her writing in The Stranger, our funky weekly paper. Most other folks know her as a writer for The Guardian. She uses her wit and intellect to discuss issues like being a fat woman existing in the world, the prevalence and support of rape culture in stand-up comedy, and the need for access to reproductive health care, including abortion. […]
A memoir that disappointed my expectations
I’m not much of a memoir reader, so reading someone else’s personal history/confessional/testimony is always a bit of a gamble. I really do appreciate someone else’s voice giving me their story, but unless the writing is truly excellent and the tone is one that catches my attention/empathy, I’m not likely to be too moved by it. And such is the result with Paul Kalanithi’s book, When Breath Becomes Air. Read my full review for the scoop, and do be sure to check out The Chancellor’s […]
Women – Scarred and Exhausted.
I have a feeling my review of Moran’s How to Be a Woman is going to be more a discussion about these types of Feminism 101 books and the backlash they can sometimes bring. Here’s my disclaimer… we all have to start somewhere. And memoirs are inherently going to be the story of a person. This book is that, one woman’s account of how she came to deal with becoming and being a woman in the world she inhabits, today. She writes it honestly, humorously, […]
A Tale of Love, Loss and Hawks
I’m not sure how to review this book. I’m not even sure how to categorize it. Is it about a woman’s depression following the unexpected death of her father? About an intense relationship between woman and hawk? About the seemingly impossible projects we like to focus on when confronted with an unbearable reality? I guess those descriptions are all close, but they don’t seem like enough when trying to explain Helen MacDonald’s stellar H is for Hawk. Here’s the inadequate summary: After her photographer father’s […]