Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

No adultery is bloodless

The State of Affairs by Esther Perel

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I first heard Esther Perel when she was a guest on Dan Savage’s relationship podcast. She’s been a therapist for many years and has distinctive ideas regarding romantic relationships and infidelity. Apparently, there was so much interest in the chapter on affairs in her first book, Mating in Captivity (2009), that she decided to write a second book entirely on that subject. When I saw this book, The State of Affairs, on NPR’s List of Best Books of 2017, I decided to put it on my list. I found it […]

Triple bingo!

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I feel like there’s some poetic justice in my “underrepresented” selection netting me a triple bingo, I like that a story about a gay couple adopting a baby SHOULD be valued more than the umpteenth story of a basic white dude finding himself and working out issues with his dad. More non-traditional narratives, please, especially ones this enjoyable There’s not a whole lot to celebrate these days where social progress is concerned, and  god, do we still have a long way to go, but it […]

I Laughed, I Cried… It Was Better Than Cats!

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So, I DID like this book, but my title overstates how much I did a bit.  I couldn’t resist, though, because A) I both laughed out loud reading this book and shed actual tears, which is really uncommon for me when reading, and B) I think Savage himself might have found the reference funny. Anyway, thematically this book most resembles the still-great Skipping Towards Gomorrah, my least favorite of his books, but with less cohesion.  This is slightly more in depth than an average Savage […]

Adoption is a serious business, but it can be very entertaining to read about

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I’ve been reading Dan Savage’s Savage Love for years and years now, and when I’m in the mood for Podcasts (which I have to admit, I rarely am, I just can’t seem to get into them, it puzzles me greatly), I often listen to his Savage Lovecast. He’s generally quite open about himself, his life and his experiences, so I already knew that he was married and that they had an adopted child. My BFF Lydia recommended this audio book to me when I visited her […]

Musings on Live, Love, and Politics from the Sexpert

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I jumped immediately from What Do Women Want? by Daniel Bergner to American Savage (2013) by Dan Savage. I took it as a sign that Savage’s recommended reading in his introduction included What Do Women Want? I felt very prepared. Dan Savage is someone that I’ve heard of but didn’t really know much about. My friend had told me about his sex podcast, and I’d heard about his books. I’d definitely heard of the “It Gets Better” program, too, but I can’t say for sure […]

The Kid by Dan Savage

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I really, really liked this book. If you have ever read an article by Dan Savage, and found yourself shocked or disgusted, then do not read this book. If frank descriptions of  sex acts, issues with adopting “damaged goods kids” or the various reasons people procreate (Savage’s main reason – or so he claims – was the excuse to get fat, which I totally understand) offend you, then do not read this book. The man does not pull punches. I personally found his honesty incredibly […]



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