Book Report

[stormkeeper_lovesall]

 The Women of Troy by Pat Barker – First off I have to admit that I’m confused as to whether or not this is a sequel to something else Barker wrote, but let me just put that aside. This novel is historical fiction, focusing on the women of Troy after it falls to the Greeks. You know, as much as I love this genre, I gotta pause for a moment and reflect on how much of history is one group of men invading and overtaking another, killing all the men and enslaving all the women. Because that is what has happened here. The main character, Breseis, has it a bit better because she was a VIP beforehand and ends up married to Achilles. But most of the women she hangs with and visits are enslaved. I have to marvel at the author. She very gently but unmistakably shows us the banality of evil in the ways these women are treated – all the while, weaving together a solid storyline. But at the end of the day, as much as I appreciated the book, I didn’t think it came to a fully satisfying conclusion and I was never really swept away by it either. (And it pales in comparison to the next book here) Grade: 7 (or 6?)

 

White Houses by Amy Bloom – Do you ever have a book on your ‘to read’ list that you dread reading and put off forever? Then one day it comes up when you pick at random and you decide to go for it, even though you think you won’t like it?  And then you are shocked to find yourself utterly captivated by it. This book was like that for me. It’s a novel about the real relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena “Hick” Hickok. I didn’t think I’d like it very much, mostly because I’d already read a non-fiction account of their relationship. But this novel was EXTRAORDINARY. I could not put it down. Everything from Amy Bloom’s prose (which was stunning, sophisticated, detailed) to the plot just utterly drew me in. It was just wondrous. I could kick myself for putting this book off for so long. Grade: 9

 

What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon – This book could be a primer for people experienced with fat activism as well a good introduction for people new to the concept. Just when I’d been hoping that things were getting a little better on this front, Gordon reminds us that weight prejudice is everywhere and by any decent measures, seems to be getting worse. She covers a good range of topics in the 170 pages, including the idea of moving from body positivity to body justice and how weight discrimination is often coupled with racism and transphobia too. The book gets a bit repetitive at times, but still I wish everyone would read it. In fact, speaking of that….I actually purchased this book from a local bookstore instead of borrowing it from a library. I wanted to keep it, but thought it better if I disseminated it, so I took it to a Little Free Library. I was also thrilled to see a recent issue of Veg News magazine devote 3 entire pages to this book and its ideas (and it was all positive). Grade: 8

 

Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller – A novel taking place in modern day Ireland. Jeanie and Julius are 51 year-old twins, living in a remote cottage with their mother. They have very little contact with the outside world, apart from the handyman jobs Julius takes and the veggies Jeanie and her mom sell from their garden. Then the mom dies suddenly, and old secrets are revealed, and the twins look like they might soon be homeless and destitute. It was an engaging story, well-written. Grade: 7

 

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell – Brilliant, enlightening, enraging and yet fun book that does exactly what the title says. I’ve thought a lot about language and sexism over the years, and even still I learned a ton from this self-proclaimed ‘word nerd’. She even changed my mind a bit about some things (like hey, vocal fry isn’t that bad and young women often lead the way in evolving language). Grade: 7

Comments

[nytshd3]

Bummer that women of troy wasn't better, but at least it was enough to keep you reading, I guess. I always find it disappointing though when it feels like a book has a lot going for it and they can't quite bring it together.

Yay for White Houses being so good! Sometimes books have been on my to-read for so long that I only vaguely remember why I decided I was going to read them, and sometimes it's SO good that I'm mad at myself for putting it off for so long. Have you read any of Bloom's other stuff?

I got like a third of the way into what we don't talk about when we talk about fat and it was HARD. I do want to finish it but I just couldn't do it with my mental state at the time.

Ooo wordslut sounds fun too!

Glad it was a pretty good crop of books! And thanks for sharing as usual :)

[stormkeeper_lovesall]

I have read a lot of Bloom's other stuff, so I'm not sure why I didn't want to read this one. :) I think it was because I'd already read a non-fiction account of the same topic. And it truly does blow one's mind to think that a First Lady had a lesbian relationship. Even today, if someone came out with a story about Jill or Melania having done so, I think the press and twitter would explode.

Yeah, I totally hear you on What We Don't Talk About. Sometimes I think we are in denial about how bad things are and all we can do is just like not think about it. Just yesterday I was thinking about the prevalence of sexual assault and violence against women, and really thinking that I am in denial about how it is absolutely everywhere. and how somedays I just don't want to read or think about it.