Wow! It's the middle of April and I still haven't written my "books I read last month post". Since I'm the only person who really cares what I read last month, it's not like anyone was going to sue me because it wasn't done. BUT I actually do like going over the books I read and so, I'm going to write that all out right now, dammit. Last month I was saying how I got back into the swing of reading again, and so that meant I read SIX WHOLE BOOKS in March. I had a little theme for reading, which was National Women's History Month. Every book I read except one was written by a woman. I read the one book that was written by a man, because I didn't think to do the little theme thing yet, and I was really interested in the subject matter. Anyway, so I read six books. This is what they are and how I felt about them:
1.) "Detransition, Baby" by Torrey Peters. Torrey Peters was in the Writer's Workshop here, and I always like to point that out if I know that about an author. So, as you probably already know, I hate to be ignorant. I also don't like to be an asshole (well, most of the time anyway). So, I try to educate myself about things I don't have a lot of first-hand knowledge of. I only know a couple of trans people, and this book was great for some education, but also to read about messy relationships, no matter what gender the people are. I learned a lot, I felt a lot of feelings, and I also had some fun reading this book. I highly recommend it...Unless you are squeamish about sex and messy relationships. This book was also perfect for Women's History Month.
2.) The second book I read was the only one written by a man. It is a non-fiction book called "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI", by David Grann. This was a non-fiction account of what happened in the 1920's when the land that the US government thought had no value, and therefore shoved the Osage tribe onto it after they stole the land they had previously lived on, then they suddenly found oil on that reservation. The Native Americans/First Nations people became very rich, which made white people very jealous, greedy, and homicidal. There was so much effed-up stuff surrounding this particular horrible serial killing. Then J Edgar Hoover brought in his currently forming FBI into it. I had just watched the Clint Eastwood movie about J Edgar Hoover, so it was interesting to see this version of the man. Mostly, the book was heartbreaking, and maddening, and I was very engrossed in the story and the detective work, and the travesty.
3.) Okay. By my third book, I finally settled on my read theme. I decided to read a children's book written by a woman that touched on gender norms, or the lack thereof between the two friends. I had never read "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson before. It was published after I fancied myself a little old for children's literature. This book was so sad, and sweet, and though it was pretty short, it packed a lot of punch... Punch like someone had just punched me in the heart and I had no choice but to cry and cry. If you haven't already, you might want to read this...And cry.
4.) By the fourth book I read last month, I had graduated from children's lit, to Young Adult lit. "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas was one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. I seriously read this book in a 24 hour period because I could not stop myself. Then my friend, Sarah came to visit the next day and I couldn't stop talking to her about it. The story is timely, the characters are so well written, I felt like I knew them, and wanted to take that family home with me, so I could hang out with them all the time. The subject matter was so sad, but handled very well, looking at all the different shades of gray areas in the cause. If you want to get lost in a novel, read this book and let yourself feel all of the things you need to feel.
5.) The fifth book I read was a non-fiction book called "All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's sack, a Black Family Keepsake", by Tiya Miles. This was a more academic look at a bag that was found at a flea market belonging to a family, passed down from their ancestor who had been sold away from her mother when she was still a young girl. Her mother had given her a bag before she left with some gifts for her, as she got marched away and sold off. The author tries to track down the family in archives, and give the reader a picture of what Ashley's life would have been like during slavery. It was VERY well written and researched. My ADHD made it hard for me, because it was written about in great detail, and my brain tends to skim when things are that detailed. I learned so much, and I was very interested in the story that rose from all that tragedy, and hate, and turned into incredible motherly love. It won all kinds of awards.
6.) The last book I read was called "Bookish Broads: Women Who Wrote Themselves into History", by Lauren Marino. At first I thought this was just going to be a quick little blurb about different women writers, but it was more than that. It spoke to the problems women have had since forever with creating/working, and being expected to devote themselves to being a wife and mother. It talked about women being forced to either use male pen names, or to just use their initials in order to sell their work and have it be taken seriously. It also introduced me to new authors, and told me incredible stories about women authors I've already read. It was the perfect way to end my Women's History Month themed books.
So everyone, I hope you keep reading, and buying books by women writers. We will all be rewarded by reading their stories.
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