Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Obama knew what he was talking about.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

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This book has been on my radar for a while for a number of reasons, one of which being that President Obama listed it on his summer reading list in 2018. (Remember when presidents would share their summer reading lists? George W. Bush had a hefty reading habit as well. The current administration hasn’t shared one. So there’s that). I’m going to kick it over to President Obama’s one-sentence summary to get this review started. “An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is a moving portrayal of […]

“I’ma wade through the waters. Tell the tide ‘don’t move'”

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors

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This book was a very difficult but necessary read. It belongs in college curricula and book clubs. Your racist family members should read it but never will, though you can get a couple of fact bombs from the book to drop in the middle of an awkward Thanksgiving dinner. This memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors will give a deeper understanding of the often fraught nature of modern Black life in America and firsthand account of the #blacklivesmatter movement. One of the most significant activist groups of […]

Color me surprised: Someone on the internet thinks this book is racist

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

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First things first: I want to give a shout out to the Little Free Libraries of the world. A few weeks ago I picked this up from one in my neighborhood and it was my first time borrowing anything from one of those tiny bibliotecas. I’d heard of this novel but might not have been prompted to borrow it if I hadn’t seen it through the friendly little window. I’m inspired to pay it forward by adding something from my “already read” stack when I […]

Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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This won’t be a long review. I don’t have anything substantive to add to what’s already been written and said about Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, and I’m not sure it’s appropriate for me to say anything at all. As a middle-aged, middle-class white guy from the very white Deep Midwest, I’m several degrees of separation from this book’s intended audience, but that’s exactly why it’s an important read for people like me. Starr lives in a rough neighborhood where everyone knows her because […]

THUG Life Well Worth Reading

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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Verdict: Angie Thomas’ first book is a gem.  Although aimed at young adults (YA), it is sharply written, entertaining and packs a real punch on social issues. Review: A member of my book club chose this for our first read of 2019 and I’m so glad she did.  I was reluctant to dive in because I thought the subject matter- the police shooting of a young black man and ensuing fallout – would be heavy.  While the subject matter was heavy, and deservedly so given […]

Your Master Class in allyship and recognizing privilege: attempt once you’ve read Ta-Nehisi Coates

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A few weeks back, I was engaged in a discussion on Pajiba about a certain American administrator’s relationship to black people and racist assumptions. One of the comments recommended a book: Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson. I was immediately intrigued. I’m trying to read more diverse work in order to be better informed and a more effective ally. This is a highly recommended book, though I will say this: if you haven’t read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the […]



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