Book Report

My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average for what I read
1 – terrible, why did I finish it?


Shrill by Lindy West – Wow I loved this! Best book I’ve read in a long time. Writer and humorist Lindy West writes about living in a culture that demands that women be small and quiet. She is funny, biting, readable, intelligent – and determined to skewer sexists and those who hate fat people. Writer Dan Savage used to be her boss, and she writes movingly about trying (and succeeding, to a small degree) to change his mind about fat people. West also lays it all bare in terms of some of the horrors she’s experienced – like a flood of internet bullying and trolling all because she has the gall to stick up for women’s rights and, of course, because she’s fat. She’s gone toe to toe with those who defend rape jokes, and she’s experienced another flood of social media hate for it. If you ever need a reminder of how much sexism still exists, read her book. Actually if you just want an excellent read all around, this book is it. And despite the horrors she writes about, West manages to make the book hilarious and digestible. I hope she’ll write a lot more. Grade: 9


Wild Heart: A Life by Suzanne Rodriguez – The subject of this biography is Natalie Barney. I had vaguely heard of her over the years; I’d known she was a lesbian and writer living in Paris in the early 1900’s. She was American-born and a very wealthy heiress. She might be best remembered for hosting weekly salons – gatherings of writers, artists, and intellectuals. She really made that into a thing. Natalie Barney also was known for having many, many loves. Although two women were the main loves of her life (one of them was the painter Romaine Brooks), she always had open relationships and thus was involved with numerous women. Paris was a haven for lesbians in the early 20th century, and she really helped make that scene happen too. Part of me wishes the biography hadn’t been so long (370 big pages with small font!), but I will say that I sure got into Barney’s world, got enveloped in her life and times. So maybe the fact that the book was long is not such a negative. Grade: 7

Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins and Derek Walker with Caprice Crane – This true story was a fun, light read. Steve and Derek are a couple, and their story is told mostly by Steve. He impulsively adopts a “mini-pig”, and eventually learns he was duped and that Esther will grow to be a full-sized pig (eventually weighing 650 lbs). The men are animal lovers but they struggle to figure out a way to make their home accommodate Esther, who they have quickly come to love but who pisses all over the house and jumps on furniture despite her bulk. They also stop eating meat and eventually go vegan; they firmly believe in not acting judgmentally or negatively towards those who haven’t adopted their stance. They create a FB page for Esther which receives tons of likes, and still have to try to figure out how to make a difference for farmed animals like Esther while also navigating bitter debates on the FB page. They dream of opening a sanctuary for farmed animals. Great, relevant read. Grade: 8

Free Men by Katy Simpson Smith – Taking place in the US in 1788, the novel tells of three men who are on the run for having apparently committed a serious crime. One of the men is Black, one is white, and one is Native American. We slowly learn their individual stories, as well as that of the man who is tracking them to bring them to justice. I felt there was a bit of promise here, and the prose was lovely, but it dragged and I never felt that the novel fulfilled its great promise. Grade: 3

The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt – I hadn’t been aware that Gloria Vanderbilt was Anderson Cooper’s mother; I only knew her as the designer behind expensive jeans that I couldn’t have as a kid and some sort of documentary in the 80’s called “Poor Little Rich Girl”. This is an interesting format for a memoir; it’s basically a conversation between a mother and son. I liked it. Although I had to put aside being judgy – with all those heaps of money Vanderbilt has, we never hear a word of her spending any of it to help others. Maybe she does but didn’t write about it. But her life was interesting enough; the best part was the back and forth between her and Cooper. I wanted to hear more about Cooper than Vanderbilt though. I should also add that I’m glad that this audiobook was only 5 CDs long because more than that likely would’ve dragged. Grade: 6