Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul: Inspirational Stories about Love and Relationships Edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Mark and Chrissy Donnelly, and Barbara De Angelis, Ph. D.
1999
Weight: 1 lb
Method of Disposal: Donating
Do you remember when Chicken Soup for the Soul books were all the rage, and you couldn't go through a life milestone without getting one? I remember being the depressed, lonely, lesbian kid in school. An old friend and her friend took pity on me, despite being in a lower grade than me, and gave me a Chicken Soup workbook along with a really sweet letter that basically expressed their concerns that I might kill myself, and that they hoped I wouldn't, though we never really talked anymore. It was a kind gesture, and it did mean something to me despite the fact that a Chicken Workbook could not have helped me on its own.
There are a million books in this series! Okay, they say over 250. They even make dog food! It is a little bit re-dunk-u-lous. The books are full of trite happy and oh-so-sad stories like you might find in a reader's digest or forwarded in a chain e-mail from your grandmother. Some of them may make you cry despite your cold, dead, jaded heart, but it all feels very formulaic. It also feels very white, hetronormative. Don't worry! They are Christian even when they aren't speaking about Christ, and you won't find a lesbian (or worse) in the safe place that is in their pages. At least not back then. So much has changed since the 90's. If we are fully included in Chicken Soup books will we have officially "made it????" A quick Google search does find me one story about a girl who refused to disown her lesbian cousin causing a large rift between her and her Catholic family. She is very upset and nervous about an upcoming Thanksgiving dinner, and a teacher at her school warns her not to drive when upset. She finds this bizarre. Dinner does not go well. She doesn't drive. She assures the reader she is not a lesbian. She survives. The lesbian has an argument and dies in a car accident. Thank goodness for that teacher! I guess that is progress.
This particular book is inscribed to friends of mine who have recently gone through a divorce. It looks like a wedding gift from 2002. 15 years. I don't think their story would ever show up in a Chicken Soup book. If it did it would need some SERIOUS editing.
1999
Weight: 1 lb
Method of Disposal: Donating
Do you remember when Chicken Soup for the Soul books were all the rage, and you couldn't go through a life milestone without getting one? I remember being the depressed, lonely, lesbian kid in school. An old friend and her friend took pity on me, despite being in a lower grade than me, and gave me a Chicken Soup workbook along with a really sweet letter that basically expressed their concerns that I might kill myself, and that they hoped I wouldn't, though we never really talked anymore. It was a kind gesture, and it did mean something to me despite the fact that a Chicken Workbook could not have helped me on its own.
There are a million books in this series! Okay, they say over 250. They even make dog food! It is a little bit re-dunk-u-lous. The books are full of trite happy and oh-so-sad stories like you might find in a reader's digest or forwarded in a chain e-mail from your grandmother. Some of them may make you cry despite your cold, dead, jaded heart, but it all feels very formulaic. It also feels very white, hetronormative. Don't worry! They are Christian even when they aren't speaking about Christ, and you won't find a lesbian (or worse) in the safe place that is in their pages. At least not back then. So much has changed since the 90's. If we are fully included in Chicken Soup books will we have officially "made it????" A quick Google search does find me one story about a girl who refused to disown her lesbian cousin causing a large rift between her and her Catholic family. She is very upset and nervous about an upcoming Thanksgiving dinner, and a teacher at her school warns her not to drive when upset. She finds this bizarre. Dinner does not go well. She doesn't drive. She assures the reader she is not a lesbian. She survives. The lesbian has an argument and dies in a car accident. Thank goodness for that teacher! I guess that is progress.
This particular book is inscribed to friends of mine who have recently gone through a divorce. It looks like a wedding gift from 2002. 15 years. I don't think their story would ever show up in a Chicken Soup book. If it did it would need some SERIOUS editing.
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