Heartland

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
2018
Weight: 16 oz
Method of Disposal: Leave in a Lending Library

I am shocked by how negative the negative reviewers of this book are when discussing it. People seem to lose sight of the fact that this is a real woman with a real family that she bravely shared with us. They express irritation with what they seem to think is her blaming the system for not taking care of her family. I really think these folks have missed a lot but, even if they were right, what’s with the vehemence?

I guess I should not dwell on that. It is really not the point, and the book was published to high acclaim. With such a bold title, of course it has attracted some loud naysayers. I felt drawn to the story, particularly the women in her family—their resilience and their strength. They have flaws, of course, but we all do and the less we have been able to trust those who say they love us the higher the walls can grow. One thing that rang loud and clear was how much pregnancy could change the trajectory of a young woman’s life and the impact of poverty on generations of people. 

While I was not, myself, overly keen on the author writing this novel to the baby the author never had, I also felt okay about it. That baby that never existed—that she ensured that she would not have—was clearly a big force in her life and a real reason for where she is currently at in life. It makes sense even if it does not speak to me.

I would recommend reading it.

The Desert and the Sea

The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast by Michael Scott Moore
2018
Weight: 1.5 lbs
Method of Disposal: Returned to Owner

This book was lent to me by a coworker after we went to a Leadercast women’s conference and saw a woman who talked about what it was like to be a reporter that was held captive in North Korea. This book has no relation to the book by that woman, but there are obvious similarities. The coworker had this one laying around and suggested I read it.

I was scared to read it for awhile because she kept it in immaculate condition, and I just knew I would drop it in a puddle of mud or something else equally stupid. One day, I finally realized that never reading and returning the book was likely worse than smudging it so I finally picked it up. 

There was a lot that I did not expect in this book. The author struggles to let go of the idea that he is an American and will be saved and, ultimately, he is right. It takes a long time, but he is rescued. He believes he has a right to many comforts and will demand them, despite how dangerous that must have been.  I was really shocked by how inexperienced and incompetent the pirates seemed to be and equally intrigued by how many of them seemed to be legitimately caring and empathetic to Michael while also being his captors and thus his tormentors. There seemed to be a definite desire to avoid killing Michael. Given, if they killed him then they would stand to get absolutely no money for him. 

Then, spoiler alert, I was absolutely not expecting him to throw himself over a fishing ship into the ocean, not die, and to be willingly pulled back into the boat after not being rescued. This whole book is a lesson in no one knows what they will do in that situation until they live through it. Michael was willing to share his experience of being held captive for almost three years. That’s a long damn time. I appreciate you writing this book, Michael, despite how painful your experience was. 

Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me By Ta-Nehisi Coates
2015
Weight: 0 lbs
E-Book

I had not heard or read all the rave reviews about this book before reading it. I was not even sure what it was about and had zero expectations. I am a little (pleasantly) surprised by how eye opening this book seems to be for so many white people. It did not feel like new information when I was reading it, but that is not at all to say that it was not a good book. The format of a letter to the author’s son is perfect. Nothing breaks down people’s walls like children. So many people can relate over the strength of the love of a parent and that desperate need to protect your child. I am sure this being a letter to his son allowed him to delve deep within himself and write with energy and passion, and that energy and passion will be contagious to those who pick up the book.  It also puts the reader in a somewhat more indirect place on the sidelines. Despite clearly moving many a white person, it was not written for or to write people and, for some, that might make it easier for them to put down their defensive shields and listen. I am glad this book exists and that people are reading it. 

Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere

Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere By Jeanette Winterson
2018
Weight:3.2 oz
Method of Disposal: Lending Library

This is a quick easy read. There’s a short essay on women’s suffrage/feminism, then and now, by Winterson and then a speech by Emmeline Pankhurst—“Freedom or Death.”  It is fun to read and reminds me of other feminist books I read in the 90s that were equally frank, not complicated, very gender focused. There was nothing newly inspiring, but I appreciated the British touch. It is definitely white woman feminism through and through. There was not an examination of intersectional oppression or a clear, laid out call to arms, but that feels like the point. It’s a flashback to the suffragettes and a call to be involved in the fight for social justice and feminism in particular.

My favorite parts?

1. anorexia scholastica
    -What the actual fuck?

2. “When women are respected we don’t need protection.” pg 36
     -Amen. This is one of those quick, political, sound bites that rings true and stirs your inner  
      activist. It’s so simple that you think everyone should understand and get it. 

Little Faith

Little Faith by Nickolas Butler
2019
Weight: 0 lbs
No Disposal: E Book

Sometimes you just have to read something new and more modern. I don’t usually write about books that I cannot weigh and get rid of, but this year I plan to write just a little bit about any I read. I want a small record of them and what they meant to me.

This one had great character development, especially with the main character and his best friend. You just couldn’t help but like them and sympathize with them. There were moments where I wanted to shake a few characters and say, “It’s wrong to have that kid trying to heal people because it’s too much pressure to put on a little boy when it does not work!” That ends up being the least of his worries, I suppose, but I was waiting for someone to say it through most of the book.

This book is not one with a neat ending, tied up with a bow, and will frustrate some readers.  I, personally, did not think this book was life changing, but I did live in the moment all the way through it, like I was there, slowly making my way through the old man’s life.  

Red at the Bone

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
2019
Weight: 13 oz
Method of Disposal: Returned to Owner

This book was lent to me by a volunteer who told me that, even though it would read fast, to remember to take it slow and enjoy it.  That was really good advice.  This was a great book.  I cherished each word of it and got excited when my night would start winding down, and I knew I would finally have time to spend with it.  It is challenging to find a book like that.  Each word making an impression, dancing off the page, tickling my mind.  It is a beautiful thing. 

I loved the characters and how their hopes and dreams unraveled and became new hopes and dreams.  Life is full of surprises and twists, and the only thing to do is to adjust and adapt.  A teenage mom, her parents, a teenage dad, his mom, the (grand)daughter.  One family of individuals.  The story could have been told in the same way it has been a hundred times before, but it was not.  The teenage dad was so in love with his daughter and her mama, and the mama was so disconnected from them both and fixated on her self, but she was not a monster.  She was a real person who you could be frustrated with at times and empathize with at others.  You could definitely understand why she did the things she did.  The same with her daughter. 

If you are looking for something to read, try this.  It is not just a book but an experience.