Welcome to Litsy!

I‘m reading this and almost everything is resonating with me. “That‘s part of being a good teacher, I think: inspiring people to work their asses off not for you or the class or the grade, but to be better” (193). I want this, but so many high school and middle school students just aren‘t there. The love for learning in a poverty school is just not there. It‘s a means to an end and what that end is will be different for everyone.

“When do you fight and when do you cope?” Pg 167

Isn‘t this the question of the century?

“You can‘t lose a fight about your own happiness. You can‘t lose a fight about your own life.” Pg 152

LET THAT SINK IN.

110% all me. As a teacher, the absolute truth. Always ON.

We need real conversations about our bodies and our rights, in our culture and our literature and those terrifying girls only rooms with the school nurse watching videos.

I wonder if my children feel the same? I wonder if ALL children feel this way?

I‘m a big fan of books of personal essays, and this one is superb. From postpartum depression to semi-chronological snippets of her life growing up until now to examining her white privilege, Stielstra covers a gamut of life with pieces that are so well constructed. I fully expected to dip in and out of this while reading other things but I could not put it down and read it straight through.

I couldn‘t emotionally connect with this one, and I found some stylistic things a bit grating. There‘s definitely an audience out there for this one, I‘m just not one of them. Not a terrible book, just one that‘s not for me.

50+ pages in. Not sure how I feel about this one yet. 🤔

I LOVED this. Whether about her personal life, her work, or issues like privilege or gun control (a LOT about gun control, which of course felt gut-punchingly relevant today 😢🧡), Stielstra‘s writing is direct, funny, and wise. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just started this.. off to a good start!

If I could make this essay collection required reading, I would. I will read it again and again and again.

Next to pool views and beach views, this book has my full attention. It's stunning.

This is an excellent collection of autobiographical essays covering everything from marriage and motherhood to teaching and writing. Really resonated with me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I can‘t say enough good things about this book. It made me laugh and cry and read while walking and standing in line for a desperately needed chai tea latte. It made me remember the pain of being a new mom and the hope of keeping my dreams of writing alive. And above all else, it reminded me that my voice matters.

Also counts as my book of essays for #readharder2018.

Religious school is back in session which means solo breakfast and binge reading commences as well! Huzzah!

Yep. All of this. For those of us in the white majority, it‘s our responsibility to teach our children to protect those who are not, and to hold our communities responsible for the damage we cause.

My husband and I are both on staff in higher education. The moment guns are allowed on our campuses is the moment we resign.

I‘m about 70 pages in and this book is breaking my heart in the best way.

I feel as if I have read more essay collections in 2017 than any other year. This one ranks with the best of them. There was some crying in public when I read this at lunch and snorting with laughter while sneak reading at my desk. These essays made me think, made me feel, and made me want to change for the better.

Only on the epigraph and I feel like I am going to love this essay collection.

Excellent essay collection. Stielstra does this incredible thing where each essay is different -- different periods in her life, different topics, different writing styles and structures, yet there is a thread through out them all that gives you insight into her character, her beliefs, and the lessons she has learned from life. I really appreciated this collection.

"At some point, Our education no longer belongs to our teachers. It belongs to us."

I‘ll go to bed early I said.
Just one more chapter I said.
These essays are short.
Just one more.
Two hours later...

Gut punches like this are keeping me awake and reading.

Waiting at the terminal for my flight home. I don‘t enjoy flying so I‘m hoping a little apple pie and this book will ease my anxiety.

I took myself on a reading date! Perfect pairing.

Iced coffee and a new book!! I've heard so many good things about this one!

I ❤ this essay collection.

I found Megan Stielstra's humorous and touching perspective on education, motherhood, gun control and the importance of the creative force within each one of us to be inspiring in a way I have not experienced for some time.

Loving this one so far.

Happy to be working from home tomorrow. Hopefully I can squeeze some extra reading minutes in....

Here are my August stats... 📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
This month my diversity quotient took a dive (only 1 author was POC and 1 non-American) but I have some good ones queued up for September.

My favorite was a book of essays (tagged) and my most despised was Bed-Stuy is Burning.

PS I'm super impressed by the numbers all you Littens have generated. Well done!! 💪🏻🤓🤗 #monthlystats

Roxane Gay loved it and she is not wrong. Beautiful!

Thanks to @mrozzz for the continual positive reviews about this book - absolutely tempted me!
Amazing collection of reflections on life, politics, injustice, writing, relationships, sick kids and the best description of labour pains ever.
Made me laugh and cry several times! Made me want to be better.
Can always do without the hunting though. Just don't get hunting for animals as fun, never will.

I'm always grateful for the door believe me!!

Quick lunchtime read 😀 So happy when the bookmark matches!
Only have 3 days in work this so Monday doesn't seem too bad. Daughter's exam results Thursday though 😱

Great advice not just for reading or for being in school but great HUMAN advice. When you're mad or confused maybe it's you haven't given the concept or the culture or the person enough thought, maybe you haven't tried to imagine your life turned on its head. Just repeating this to myself and anyone who tries to diminish someone else's existence because it is different:

"You don't get to hate something just because you don't understand it." ?

WOW. She has perfect mantras, she slides in politics to almost every anecdote, she brings the future back to her past and ties it up with a perfectly asymmetrical bow and then lights it on fire screaming "F*CK" at the top of her lungs.

She shocked me and made me laugh so hard I cried and I'll remember her writing advice forever. Her vignettes are poignant and full even when they're one sentence.
As Roxanne Gay said: she's a masterful essayist.

#bookmail on a Sunday.
Totally brought because of @mrozzz reviews 😀

Crying as much as I'm laughing..... some tears of frustration, some of anger for my inability to make change, some quiet reflective tears for all that I couldn't know.

"My son didn't understand why your son couldn't go outside with a toy gun.... I grabbed air for words to explain, knowing that my heartbreak is a puddle compared to the ocean you swim every day."

Guys, seriously:

I started this on audiobook and today I went ahead and bought the book-book too because I liked it too damn much. Stielstra is hilarious and radical and political and I'm in love. 😍

....I want this essay to sit on the floor of the House of Representatives behind Congressman John Lewis, protesting congressional inaction on gun-control legislation... I want this essay to go online right now and look up the names of it's state representatives and see if they've taken money from the NRA and, if so, I want this essay to vote them the hell out of office. This essay is done feeling hopeless.

Been listening as I get ready the last couple mornings and glad I took a risk on an unknown book/author.

She narrates parts of it herself and I know the stories she tells are close to her because her delivery comes across as strong in the vein of spoken word. Beautiful!

Oh man, this book.

The five biggest stars for this brilliant essay collection that is so real, true, and important. It tackles so many issues: motherhood, education, prejudice and white privilege, gun control, happiness, fear, love, writing, the current political climate, etc. etc. Seriously, it's so sharp and raw and the writing is phenomenal. I will definitely be rereading this one several times. I highly recommend this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️