Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Better Use of Space

Feminist City by Leslie Kern

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Best for: Urban planners, geographers, feminists. Women who live or desire to live in a city. In a nutshell: Feminist Geographer Kern shares her thoughts on on how we can improve urban spaces to the meet the needs of people who aren’t just white men. Worth quoting: “The provisions made for ‘bubble dining domes’ while homeless people’s tents were violently dismantled illustrates the stark divide over who we believe should have access to public space.” “It’s clear that the time has come to decentre the […]

Caste – A book that may change how you view society

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

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There are books one reads for pleasure or diversion. There are books one will read for school or for work. Then, there are some books one reads because they are important and can provide new insights into the world. Caste falls into the latter category. I read this because a close friend asked me to do so, she was putting together a group to discuss the book and asked me to join (and I honestly felt flattered by the request, considering the intellects of the […]

My Last Review for 2021

Going Dark: The Secrete Social Lives of Extremists by Julia Ebner

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Best for: Anyone who wants to learn a little bit more about modern-day terrorism and extremism. In a nutshell: Author Ebner adopts different identities to explore – online and in person – different extremist groups, from neo-Nazis to ‘trad wives.’ Worth quoting: “Almost everything is gamified today, and that includes terrorism.” Why I chose it: It just sounded interesting. Review: This book is interesting and deeply disturbing, but it also feels more like it should have been a multi-part investigative magazine series in something like […]

Anti-Fat Bias Explored

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

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Best for: Everyone, but especially straight-sized individuals, and people who still hold onto ideas about weight as a proxy for health. In a nutshell: CN: Diets and all things weight related. Author Gordon, who describes herself as very fat, explores all the ways in which society fails fat people, offering suggestions for body justice. Worth quoting: So much, but I’ll try to limit it… “Despite a mountain of evidence linking physical and mental health to social discrimination, the conversation about fat and health stubbornly refuses […]

Some Scientists Keep Searching for Biological Difference

Superior: The Return of Race Science by Angela Saini

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Best for: Those interested in the history of science used in support of and to further racism. In a nutshell: For centuries, racism has received some support from those who seek to use science to suggest there are biological differences (and inferiorities) among race. This book explores many of the ways they are wrong, and many of the ways they continue their racist work. Worth quoting: (I tried to narrow this down, but there’s so much good in here) “Because of the narrow way Europeans […]

Octavia Butler – Adulthood Rites, well this was disappointing

Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler

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I hate writing negative reviews, especially for authors I love, but this book did not do it for me. Middle parts of a trilogy are difficult, I understand that, but this book just felt repetitive and barely moved the narrative forward. This novel focuses on the first male child born of a human (with genetic input from the Oankali) on earth since humanity was saved from extinction. Lilith, the main character from the first book is the mother but she barely appears as Akin, her […]



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