Two Books About Oppression, Feminism, and Social Justice
Despite my chosen title, these books aren’t solely about oppression. They are inspiring and educational, albeit heavy reads. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 is history, biography, poetry, and introspection. Headscarves and Hymens:...Lindy West—Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema (Book Review)
Lindy West reviews classic movies from the last several decades in Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema. These are her favorites, meaning she likes to pick them apart and point out all the plot holes, weird characters, and clunky...Book Review: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
In the midst of anxiety and uncertainty, I turned to Pema Chödrön and her 1997 book, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times. Truthfully, I should probably listen to it on an unending loop right now. Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun, and has been...Book Review: The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Maggie Nelson and Harry Dodge have a non traditional family, while doing common things like struggling to get pregnant and raising two children together. In her memoir, The Argonauts, Nelson explores the unique aspects of their lives. At the same time, she discusses...Book Review: The View From Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
Sarah Kendzior has been blogging, writing, and working as a journalist since the early 2010s. Her book, The View from Flyover Country, gained prominence after the 2016 election because of her insightful tweets about the rise of the 45th President. Clearly, I’m just...Book Review: The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, edited by Bandy X. Lee
I purchased this group of essays, edited by Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M. Div., in 2017. However, this month was the perfect time to read them. The issue of President Donald Trump’s psychological makeup has been making more headlines and tweets than ever. In fact, it was his...Book Review: Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot
Terese Marie Mailhot bares it all in her memoir, Heart Berries. Nothing’s off limits—abuse, mental illness, dysfunctional family and relationships. I often say that a good memoir lets me slide inside the author’s skin. This is a rough skin to spend time in, and I give...Book Review: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill
Nikita Gill puts an adult, mostly feminist spin on common fairytales and legends in her collection, titled Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul. For me, though, the content wasn’t as stirring as promised.Gill uses various points of view, including...Book Review: What We Do Now, Essays by Various Authors
I bought this compilation of essays, edited by Dennis Johnson and Valerie Merians, shortly after the 2016 elections. I was wondering just what the title says, “what do we do know?” And, then I put the book on my shelf because I was feeling too many raw emotions....Book Review: We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler
fIn We Were Feminists Once, Andi Zeisler deconstructs recent incarnations of feminism, especially as it connects to pop culture and advertising. She mixes acerbic wit and interviews with both fellow journalists and researchers. But the crux of her work is her specific...Book Review: The Soul of America by Jon Meacham
Jon Meacham is an author, historian, professor, and commentator. He has the long view on the politics of today’s world. And he explains what that means in his latest book, The Soul of America. His premise is that our country has had many previous bouts of unrest, with...Book Review: Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
Michael Eric Dyson tells it like it is in Tears We Cannot Stop. Subtitled A Sermon for White America, it is just that. In both structure and tone, Dyson combines his experience as both pastor and professor. It is a moving and emotional book. But it’s also exquisitely...Book Review: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
No one writes quite like Ray Bradbury. Perhaps that’s an understatement, but as I was reading Zen in the Art of Writing, I was again reminded of his brilliance. He has impeccable control of the English language. But at the same time, his sentences are playful...Book Review: We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
To say Ta-Nehisi Coates covers a lot of ground in We Were Eight Years in Power is a true understatement. This book has done more to explain to me the state of the U.S. today than several of the other books I’ve read since the election combined. Coates reaches...Book Review: On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
On Tyranny shook me. It’s supposed to do that. Timothy Snyder offers 20 concrete actions to take that can resist tyrannical behavior. Some of the actions he recommends are internal – such as believe in truth. However, he also takes that thought process and...Bookshop.Org Affiliate
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Jane A. Swartz
ARNP, MSN, Rheumatology Nurse Practitioner
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