Episode #2: Fave Reads of 2019
In the final minutes before publishing my debut blog post in August, I deleted a longstanding, carefully-crafted sentence that was meant to hold me accountable to me - something about how this blog will be published every month - or else. September, October, and November have come and gone without a blog post. As always I’ve had a ton to say, but I’ve been slowed, hampered by my own wish to make each post special, precious - maybe even perfect. And herein lies the lesson I seem to have to keep re-learning: moving forward, however imperfectly, beats standing still every time.
As 2019 draws to a close, it seems appropriate to reflect on some of the reading/listening that has meant the most to me over the last year.
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
This book was MAJOR. If you’re on the fence about reading it, I strongly suggest you listen to the author read it - there is substance to his narration. I felt compelled to follow him on Instagram, and I’m so glad I did. One of the most important things this book taught me was the concept of anti-black grammar and its violence. Interest in the topic actually led me to read my first academic article in over a year - check out MSU professor April Baker Bell’s October 2019 article “Dismantling anti-black linguistic racism in English language arts classrooms: Toward an anti-racist black language pedagogy.”
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
You might wonder how I ever earned a BA in English without having read or watched The Color Purple. (I know I do.) I don’t know what I was waiting for - maybe the maturity to appreciate this book as much as I did. The storyline was entirely new to me, and I cherished this read. Next up: the movie.
The Underground Railroad: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
I think we can all agree that the phrase “mindfuck” is terribly overused, especially on the internets, but in this rare instance it is appropriate to dub Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad a mindfuck. I had to re-start this book at least three times in order to feel like I really knew what was going; at the end of the book, it became apparent to me that I, in fact, did not know what was going on at all. Deeply unsettling and 100% necessary.
Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel by Jesmyn Ward
Oh man, just read it. Or read the New York Times review I linked to if you don’t believe me.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Have I mentioned how much I like young adult (YA) books? I love having a sense of the challenges today’s young adults are facing, and how they are navigating the world. This outstanding novel is actually referenced in the April Baker-Bell article I mentioned earlier.
Other books I loved in 2019:
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Becoming by Michelle Obama (+ I’m loving the guided journal companion!)
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs
The Nickel Boys: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
An American Marriage: A Novel by Tayari Jones
Can you guess the theme that drove my reading in 2019? What have YOU been reading?
