Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Golden Girls with Feet of Clay

The It Girls by Caroline Young

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Nowadays, when one thinks of someone who’s “famous for being famous,” one thinks of the Kardashians or Instagram influencers. But the phenomenon of the It girl is a long and storied one. I read this at about the same time as I read Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century, and they work pretty well as companions – that book describing trendsetting fashion, and this book describing the trendsetters themselves. Young tells the story of It girls through the centuries, who hold such diverse […]

Fascinating Exploration of Language

Wordslut by Amanda Montell

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Best for: Those interested in learning more about how our language is shaped by – and shapes – society. Everyone who speaks US English. In a nutshell: Author Montell explores a variety of aspects of language and how it reinforces and can be used to fight the patriarchy. Worth quoting: N/A (but only because it was an audio book and usually I was running while listening so didn’t have a way to note something down) Why I chose it: The topic was intriguing to me. […]

A beat-up book that made me think people need this book

Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness. by Kristen Radtke

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If you want to feel really bad about yourself, read Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness. Or, just as likely, if you want to feel great about yourself, read this graphic novel by Kristen Radtke. There are some contradictions, some places you will see yourself and see friends and/or family. It is slow reading, but busy. The book’s theme is, as the title says, about loneliness. Radtke talks about how it has its has ups and downs, in an almost poetic fashion with both […]

What is the Actual Impact of Borders?

Against Borders: The Case for Abolition by Gracie Mae Bradley and Luke De Noronha

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Best for: Those who have a feeling that there’s something wrong with current systems of immigration and borders but wants to put some facts behind that. In a nutshell: Authors Bradley and de Noronha look at all the ways that borders — and the enforcement of immigration associated with them — are a negative for society, and offer some ideas for ways to abolish them. Worth quoting: “Borders do not materialize only at the edges of national territory, in airports, or at border walls. In […]

If someone makes fun of your outfit, fart in their face

The League of Super Feminists by Mirion Malle

Feminism: A Graphic Guide by Cathia Jenainati

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When history starts to become current events again, you might be surprised at how the “old books” became “new” and recommended reading. Two books I happened to find (when browsing for something else) that were on the current event theme of feminism are League of Super Feminist (published 2020) and Feminism: A Graphic Guide (published 2019). I am assuming due to the way they were set up and presented, not too much needs to be updated, but while I haven’t finished the second, I did […]

Fine But Not What I Was Hoping For

Women Without Kids by Ruby Warrington

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Best for: People who would rather work through issues using a book than in therapy? In a nutshell: Childfree author Warrington explores the different ways that not having children influences the lives women lead. Worth quoting: “Is the meaning of life really only to create more life?” From responses to a survey the author conducted: “I saw how broken my mother was, and I didn’t agree with her assertion that her personal sacrifice should be seen as a gift/blessing to me. That rationale didn’t make […]



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