I actually finished the third of Alexandra Fuller’s memoirs, Leaving Before the Rains Come, right after the other two. But while I loved the other two and couldn’t wait to write them up, I felt a lot more “meh” about this one, so I’m just now getting around to it… “You always think there will be more time and then suddenly there isn’t. You know how it is. You have to leave before the rains come, or it’s too late.” This third memoir focusing primarily on Alexandra’s marriage, and […]
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 book that way outgrosses the movie in misery porn
I know it’s popular in Pajibaland to hate on The Revenant, but I found the movie to be really quite interesting. It provoked quite a conversation the weekend The Chancellor and I saw it together with my youngest sister, and it’s gorgeously shot. Also, it’s a misery-porn marathon, and make no mistake about it. I mean… I knew the film was inspired by a true story (Hugh Glass is part of a fur company, gets attacked by a bear and has mortal injuries, is left […]
Malala’s Story
*I’m deeply ashamed to say that I read this something like a month ago and have been sitting on this review for awhile. The end of semester has hit me hard, and reading has been way easier than reviewing. So, you’ll be seeing a lot from me tonight…* I remember hearing about a young teenager who was shot in the face by the Taliban, survived, and went on to become a global advocate for women’s education in countries oppressed by extremist religious regimes. It felt […]
Wonder Bread, Leave it to Beaver, and Eisenhower. Thrilling times for everyone.
It’s always been difficult for me to gain much traction with Eisenhower. Bookended by the tumultuous era that began with FDR and extended through the Truman administration and the turbulent civil unrest of the JFK/Johnson/Nixon administrations, Eisenhower has always been the eye of the storm. Much of what happened in the ’50s happened behind the scenes: covert missions in Iran and Guatamala, unbridled tension within the party over Sen. Joseph McCarthy, in-fighting over whether or not a nuclear response was required in various hot spots […]
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 […]
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