Michelle Reviews: The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae

With a title like The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl one does expect a lot of social fumbling, but here’s the thing: I don’t think Issa Rae is as awkward as she thinks she is. Though maybe it is hard for me, a fellow awkward, to be an unbiased judge in this situation. I can however say with certainty that Issa Rae is very funny. I’ve been a fan of her web series, also titled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, for quite some time and was looking forward to this memoir to quell my epic sadness over the long term hiatus of the show. Rae talks about the awkwardness of adolescence (the most awkward of life’s stages) as well as navigating relationships socially, sexually, and racially – each with its own pitfalls. Rae can’t dance, she went through a cheating phase, and white people always want to touch her hair. It’s unfortunate; it’s awkward; it’s hilarious.

While the book is billed as a series of essays on being awkward and black, this book is really a memoir of a young woman navigating her early life in various and differing social climates. Issa Rae and I are the same age, and a big part of my enjoyment of her book came from exploring the similar elements of our cultural awareness as 90s kids. From A Different World to Aaliyah, I was on a wave of reminiscence. However, ABG is also about Issa Rae’s racial awareness, which is something that never occurred to me as a white kid growing up in the suburbs. Reflecting on the representation of race in pop culture in the 90s was surprising and saddening. How is it possible that in the age of technological expansion we have regressed so far in representation of minorities? Prime time television when I was a kid was full of racially diverse characters – where are they now? Why does it seem that everyone is forced to play to a stereotype? Or worse yet, to not be present at all.

Issa Rae moved from a majority white school in Maryland to a majority black school in Compton as a young teen. It was there that she learned to feel her difference. She didn’t listen to the same music as many of her peers, couldn’t dance, and generally fell outside of the cultural perception of blackness. Rae mines these years of teenage awkwardness to humorous effect, but much of the book seems to lead up to her revelation that she is just fine being awkward and black. Issa Rae doesn't have to be an Angry Black Woman; she doesn't need swagger; who cares if she is not a good dancer? It's great to be awkward. This cultural and stereotypical version of “blackness” that invalidates those who feel outside of society's definition is slipping as, in Rae's words, “our collective grasp of ‘blackness’ is becoming more and more elusive.”

Memoirs serve us best by creating awareness of a life lived by another, fostering empathy, and forcing us to realize the ties that bind us through collective experience. Rae’s memoir absolutely serves that purpose often with a self-deprecating joke or a tongue placed firmly in cheek. I laughed at Rae’s juvenile mishaps all the while mulling over a few of my own. Ultimately though, it is her success that makes this story. Issa Rae is not defined by her awkwardness or her race, she’s defined by her work. And that work, including this memoir, is pointed, hilarious, and a thrill to enjoy.

Michelle Reviews: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Much like Roxane Gay, I too am a Bad Feminist. I alternate between simpering and cowering away from the supposedly militant term to donning my angry feminist coat and seeking to squash the patriarchy. (This coat is merely metaphorical, though sometimes I wish it were real. A Power Coat. Maybe it would be made of puppies a la Cruella DeVille. Here’s a question; was Cruella a feminist? Did she Lean In? Have we been misreading 101 Dalmatians this whole time?!) I’m a Bad Feminist, but I think you can enjoy this collection regardless of how you self-categorize.

The first line that really struck me in this book was in the very first essay: “The notion that I should be fine with the status quo even if I am not wholly affected by the status quo is repulsive.” That is the summation of my indignation with society, with our culture at large, despite my overwhelming privilege. From there I knew I could follow Gay throughout her collection (to be fair I kinda knew this already because I have been following her online for quite some time); we are simpatico.

So here’s the thing…this collection of essays will not always make you comfortable. In plain fact some of these essays will make you uncomfortable. And that is just beautiful. Gay’s interests here span the dissection of race, gender, culture, and competitive Scrabble. She writes about her love of The Hunger Games and Law and Order: SVU alongside stories of rape, oppression, and the damage done by our modern fairy tales. Gay balances her frustration and anger with moments levity and pure openness. At times she seems fearlessly honest. You will probably agree with her, fervently. You will probably disagree with her, fervently. She leaves plenty of room for both. Gay states her opinions, she owns them, grounds them in fact and rationality, but she also admits to being human, being messy and making mistakes. There is a grace to that that few other cultural critics ever achieve.

If being a Bad Feminist means acknowledging the ways in which I am flawed, the ways in which feminism is flawed and yet still recognizing both the importance of the ideology and my own autonomy then I am quite frankly proud to be a Bad Feminist. I urge my fellow Bad Feminists as well as Good Feminists, Misogynists, Misandrists, and just regular folk to read this collection. Engage with it, challenge it, let it challenge you. I assure you, you will learn something. Roxane Gay is someone who is thinking critically about our world and it is a better place for it. She admits that she doesn't always get things right, that she lets herself down - that's the glory in being a Bad Feminist, you don't have to be perfect which is lucky because no one is.

Reading Group Selections - June 2014

The best books for reading groups are the ones that foster discussions - whether your book club members are boisterous or more subdued, talking about books is what those meetings are all about! Picking just the right book is always a thrill; love it or hate it - book club books are the ones that stand out.
 
Here are a few recent releases that would lead to great discussions in any book club

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Arrestingly endearing and entirely unconventional, Graeme Simsion's distinctive debut "navigates the choppy waters of adult relationships, both romantic and platonic, with a fresh take ("USA TODAY").

The Farm by Tom Rob Smith

Caught between his parents, and unsure of who to believe or trust, Daniel becomes his mother's unwilling judge and jury as she tells him an urgent tale of secrets, of lies, of a crime and a conspiracy that implicates his own father.

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of "Life" magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani

It is 1930, the midst of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty, and girls’ friendships, the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a far remove from the free-roaming, dreamlike childhood Thea shared with her twin brother on their family’s citrus farm—a world now partially shattered.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

A groundbreaking work as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.

World Book Night: The Fifth Batch

With this five I have now read twenty-seven of the thirty-five WBN choices; the final eight will have to wait for me a while as Victoria and I began our re-read of the Harry Potter series yesterday, and I’ll be in a state of Potter mania for the bulk of the summer!

Rebecca Lee’s Bobcat and Other Stories has left me with a hunger for short works. The stories in this collection are wonderful. With such a small amount of space Lee was about to fully draw me in to each story and make me care about the lives of her characters. All the while I was lingering over various lines and phrases simply admiring the prose. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Lee and I thank the WBN committee for introducing me to these stories!

Can something be both idyllic and jaded? If so, Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is a wonderful mingling of the two. This novel of an almost-but-not-quite magical apartment building in San Francisco in the 1970s was such an entertaining read. This book is full of wit, heart, and sass – it’s just a good time.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is one of those books you have to talk about. I have probably mentioned some element of this book in conversation every day since I started reading it. The idea of “little things” making a “big difference” and just what makes things tip is compelling and so interesting to talk about. Definitely a good choice for book clubs (of which it has been a staple for a while now) as it is sure to get conversations going.

 

Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon have created a perfect middle grade mystery in Zora and Me. Using facts from Zora Neale Hurston’s early life they imbued this novel with a pitch perfect sense of time and place. The imagination at the center of this story fully realizes the spirit of Zora and her tall tales – child readers will enjoy the fun and fear of the mystery while adult readers see a portrait of the child Zora who will continue to challenge established ideas, create great stories, and teach us much about race and history through her collections of folklore. And adult readers get to enjoy the fun too.

Reading Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers was a jarring experience. Myers lulls readers with the monotony and boredom of everyday life for soldiers in Iraq; then just as you settle into that idea of life catastrophe strikes. The sheer psychic rift of inaction shifting dangerously fast into violent action was the greatest thing I took from this novel. While it is still difficult for me to imagine the life of a solider I feel that this novel helped put me into their frame of mind.

World Book Night: The Fourth Batch

World Book Night has come and gone. I had a blast distributing my books; each year the process has been a little different, and I look forward to next year’s excitement!

Unfortunately, I didn’t complete the list before going out into the world on the Bard’s day, but I’m still reading my way through.

Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars is a post-apocalyptic novel with strong prose and a disregard for writing conventions thus it is frequently compared to McCarthy’s The Road but in my opinion it lacks the overall impact of the earlier novel. Hig is a pilot using a single prop airplane and a cache of weapons to maintain control of small plot of land against marauders and cannibals. Heller describes the relationship between Hig and his dog so well that it is almost painful – this relationship is the final shred of Hig’s humanity and it is stirring and beautiful.
 

Middle grade fantasy is probably one of my favorite genres and The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan is a really fun addition to the category. This novel about a young apprentice to a ranger (a sort of magician/knight) is perfect of fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Super quick, fun read!

I spent most of my time reading This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff wishing that I could talk to my grandfather about it. My grandfather used to tell me about his “wild days” with his brothers – sneaking out and wreaking havoc, and this novel about a boy transitioning from childhood to adulthood in the 1950s is something he would have understood and recognized. Wolff looks back on his memories and was able to extract exactly how he was developing into his adult self and describe all of the difficulties and confusion therein.
 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews falls into another category of young adult fiction that I love – books about outsider teens! This is sad and funny and self-deprecating with a perfect sarcastic tone, but it is ultimately life-affirming (in a totally knowing and nonobnoxious way). Great YA especially for film nerds.

Sadly, Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot may be my least favorite from this batch. This is a novel about a kid fight to save a rare species of owl in the Everglades. The environmentalism is never overbearing and I can see the humor in it, but it never really touched me on either level. I feel like Hiaasen has taken his brand of Florida quirk a little too far for me.

2014 Spring Okra Picks

Southern indie booksellers like their okra, and they love their southern books. The new list of Okra Picks --great southern books, fresh off the vine-- has just been released. A dozen new books that all have two things in common: They are southern in nature, and there is a southern indie bookseller that wants everyone to read each one! The SIBA Okra picks offer a curated reading list for every season.

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan

This is literary science fiction with a feminist twist, and it explores themes of choice, agency, rebellion, and family. Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated, conservative deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment, and death. Taking her fate into her own hands, she flees to the Gyre, a floating continent of garbage and scrap in the Pacific Ocean. This is a sweeping and harrowing novel about a girl who can't read or write or even withstand the forces of gravity. What choices will she make? How will she build a future on an earth ravaged by climate change?

 Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir by Frances Mayes

A memoir of author Frances Mayes's coming of age in the Deep South, and of the region's powerful influence on her life. Mayes delves into the power of landscape, the idea of home, and the force of a chaotic and loving family

 The Whiskey Baron by Jon Sealy

With its unforgettable characters and evocative setting, The Whiskey Baron is a gripping drama about family ties and bad choices, about the folly of power and the limitations of the law.

 Miss Julia's Marvelous Makeover by Ann B. Ross

In this marvelous addition to the popular series, Miss Julia is sure to have a summer that she--and Abbotsville--will never forget!

 Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen

Stuck near the bottom of the social ladder at "pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren't paid to be here," Maya has never been popular. But before starting eighth grade, she decides to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell.
The real-life results are hilarious, painful, and filled with unexpected surprises. Told with humor and grace, Maya's journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence, along with a better understanding of what it means to be popular.

 Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

An American writer at the height of his creative powers, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist Greg Iles returns with his most eagerly anticipated book yet, and his first in five years--Natchez Burning, the first installment in an epic trilogy that weaves crimes, lies, and secrets past and present into a mesmerizing thriller featuring southern mayor and former prosecutor Penn Cage.

 The Same Sweet Girl's' Guide to Life: Advice from a Failed Southern Belle by Cassandra King

Written with a blend of humor and practical wisdom, "The Same Sweet Girl's Guide to Life" by Cassandra King offers inspiration and solid advice to new graduates that can sustain them through life's inevitable ups and downs. In this small book you will find advice that will only grow in meaning throughout the years. It can - and should - be read again and again, by thoughtful people of all ages.

 Bird on Water Street by Elizabeth O. Dulemba

"A Bird on Water Street" is a coming of age story about Jack, the son of a miner growing up in a Southern Appalachian town environmentally devastated by a century of poor copper-mining practices. After a tragic accident and a massive company layoff, the miners go on strike. When nature begins to flourish as a result, Jack fights to protect it, but the cost could be the ruin of everything he loves.

 Between Wrecks by George Singleton

A collection of eccentric and offbeat tours of small-town America packed with heart, honesty, and humor.

 A Southern Girl by John Warley

The worlds of privilege and poverty collide in this moving tale of adoption, identity, belonging, dedication, and love.

 A Long Time Gone by Karen White

When Vivien Walker left her home in the Mississippi Delta, she swore never to go back, as generations of the women in her family had. But in the spring, nine years to the day since she’d left, that’s exactly what happens—Vivien returns, fleeing from a broken marriage and her lost dreams for children.

The Inevitable City: The Resurgence of New Orleans and the Future of Urban America by Scott Cowen

This is the story of the resurgence and reinvention of one of America’s greatest cities. Ordinary citizens, empowered to actively rescue their own city after politicians and government officials failed them, have succeeded in rebuilding their world. Cowen was at the leading edge of those who articulated, shaped, and implemented a vision of transformative change that has yielded surprising social progress and economic growth.

 Flying Shoes by Lisa Howorth

Lisa Howorth’s remarkable Flying Shoes is a work of fiction, but the murder is based on the still-unsolved case of her stepbrother, a front page story in the Washington Post. And yet this is not a crime novel; it is an honest and luminous story of a particular time and place in the South, where even calamitous weather can be a character, everyone has a story, and all are inextricably entwined.

World Book Night: The Second Batch

I am all sorts of behind on my World Book Night reading this year. I fear Victoria may have jinxed me by sharing my progress with our mailing list along with the words “will she finish in time?”

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman is definitely one of those cases of the truth being even more riveting than fiction. Ackerman writes the story of Antonina Zabinski the wife of a Polish zookeeper during World War II. The Zabinskis spent the war years hiding Jews in their villa and helping the underground in Warsaw. The book is often devastating and the sheer absurdity of the war and the actions of the Nazis are laid bare, but what triumphs over all of that is the survivor spirit of the Zabinskis and the Poles described throughout the book. Ackerman writes of interviews given by Jan Zabinski wherein he expresses that he and his wife were not heroes. They merely "did it because it was the right thing to do." Jan said "I only did my duty." To know both such courage and conviction...I can only imagine.

I was so looking forward to Eleanor Brown's The Weird Sisters. I love books about readers, and a book about three sisters raised by a Shakespearian scholar seemed right in my wheelhouse. Alas, it was not meant to be. I grew weary of this book because the sisters were so frustrating. Each of them is unhappy in a life of their own making and while the book is about them finding their way back to each other and to happiness I just sort of lost patience with them. However, the first person plural narration was a stoke of genius on Brown's part and truly gets to the root of what siblings are.

My favorite book on the list so far must be Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. I did not really expect too much from this book; I don't typically go in for comic novels. But Semple has written this truly funny work of satire that just blew me away. I remember the hype machine working really hard for this book when it was initially released and I am so sorry I ignored it for so long. Not only is this book wildly entertaining, but Maria Semple has an understanding of depression and failed promise that very few people do. I highly recommend this book!

Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale is said to be a book that defined a generation, so I was excited to read it and get a glimpse into a life that is different from my own. This book is unflinchingly honest; for all of the internet ink that goes into dissecting Lena Dunham's HBO series Girls here is McMillan's Waiting to Exhale, written 22 years ago and just as uncompromising and often unlikeable as this so-called trailblazing show. The biggest thing I took away from this novel was the reality McMillan described - these are four fully formed women. They are weak, they are strong, they are endlessly frustrating, they are lovable, but mostly they are real. The fact that I wanted to punch both Robin and Bernadine in the face is a testament to just how invested I was in their lives.

I have somehow made it to my advanced age having never read a mystery by Agatha Christie. So, thank you World Book Night for filling yet another glaring omission in my reading life. After the Funeral is the 29th Hercule Poirot mystery and it's a great whodunnit - each time I felt like I had decided which of the characters was the murderer Christie and her master detective spun my ideas on their head and had me pointing the finger at another possible perp. In the end, I was surprised and excited to hear Poirot explain just how he solved the case. The classist ideology and xenophobia were a bit hard to swallow at times, but such is as it is in classic novels.

Reading Group Selections - March 2014

The best books for reading groups are the ones that foster discussions - whether your book club members are boisterous or more subdued, talking about books is what those meetings are all about! Picking just the right book is always a thrill; love it or hate it - book club books are the ones that stand out.
 
Here are a few recent releases that would lead to great discussions in any book club!

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hope it depicts. And it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

In We Are All Completely beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler weaves her most accomplished work to date—a tale of loving but fallible people whose well-intentioned actions lead to heartbreaking consequences.

 And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran 

The thoroughly luminous autobiography of Jacques Lusseyran, a blind man who discovered the gift of inner sight and then put his gift to use in the struggle against Nazism.

Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter

In a quest to find meaning in his life, Henry travels to Afghanistan as an army-affiliated contractor, where he becomes embedded in the regiment with which his friends are serving.