*didnt include a picture of the cover because I lost the jacket and it also accidentally got stained and warped with sunscreen in luggage* I LOVED this. Probably my favorite Wally Lamb novel. It tells the story of a weary marriage that is changing and fighting through the columbine shooting and several other catastrophic events to follow. The white male character has some dated personality traits and opinions, but I overall throughly enjoyed it.

Absolutely loved this book ! A memoir of a Muslim Saudi woman who goes from extremism to feminist activism. She tells her whole life story and shares details about abuse she‘s endured due to the “tradition”. Her determinism in education and her career and refusing to accept what life had handed her was incredibly inspiring.

Wow. Another book I did not want to end. It chronicles one summer in three strangers lives living in southern Appalachia. The way Kingsolver gives so much imagery in her details and weaves intricate relationships is always so mesmerizing. Every time I read a book by her, I crave more. This book had so much animal, bug, and plant love and knowledge I was so completely enthralled.

A good book. Baldwin tells his personal story- his early childhood, living abroad, and personal relationships and work within the civil rights movement. He talks a lot about MLK and Malcolm X (their relationships and responses to their deaths). Overall a good read.

I did not want this book to end. I listened to the author on a podcast and have been desperately needing to read/listen to her again. The way she writes about nature is unreal riveting. This book was emotional, beautiful, covering activism, indigenous roots, historical changes, and personal stories of land in America.

I didn‘t love these. Some were good, but it just wasn‘t my favorite thing to read 🤷🏻‍♀️

A very basic, beginners book on self love. The book is geared towards young girls and teenagers of color. Definitely so many important reminders that society is fatphobic, racist, sexist, etc etc. many self reflection journal prompts are provided.

Loved this book. A follow up to first book Every Body Yoga, I was so excited to read more. Everything about Jessamyn inspires peaceful justice and I adore everything she does and how she makes me feel. Her knowledge of yoga and drive for self acceptance and social change in a world that doesn‘t treat fat people, Black people, queer people, or women equally at all, culminated in a astoundingly safe and challenging book.

I adored this book! It‘s the true and quite recent story of a Yemeni American who becomes passionate about Yemen‘s historical ties to coffee. Struggles and adventure ensue to create an ethical consumer chain for farmers in Yemen. This book provides the history of coffee, the exploitative market that controls coffee, Yemen‘s political strife, and the country‘s beauty. Mokhtar is truly an inspiring person!

This book was fabulous!! I only wish it had been longer- it left me with so much curiosity. It was a fascinating look at how English is commonly spoken currently, the origins of our common speech, how it‘s been warped by sexism and how we can reclaim the language as a whole. It covered cursing, gay and lesbian voices, pet names, harassment, and the interruptions and demeaning situations women (but also other non white, cis gendered people) face.

Apparently one of the most divisive books among thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail. A love or hate type of book. I thought it was decent. Bryson himself annoyed me greatly, but I loved his writing and his soliloquies of preservationist mentality and love for trees, animals, and true, unharmed wildlife. I wouldn‘t recommend this book, but overall liked to read it. Currently nursing a terribly timed, pre long walk foot 🥲

Enjoyed this! It tells the history of Boko Haram and the leader Shekau. They remain a terrorist group in Western Africa that has been responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and kidnappings. This book meticulously outlines the events of the Chibok kidnapping of 276 school girls- their stories, strength, and perseverance. It showed an international community coming together and how it hurt and helped the cause. Overall a great journalistic read

I NEED HELP! Does anyone have a favorite book/passage/poem/quote about love? Looking for something unique to read at a wedding. Any advice is welcome!

I really loved this book! Just completely unhinged stories from a chaotic upbringing. T Kira is my new role model. She‘s proof that we can come out strong and fighting no matter how broken the world has made us ✨

Wow x1000. This was a gut wrenching memoir of a young girl illegally immigrating to the US from China with her parents. She narrates years spent in Brooklyn, from sweatshops, starvation, and navigating friendships in school. Her determination and self will is extraordinary. She tells all her stories and covers very dark territory. Wang now works as a civil rights litigator and I just can‘t get over how good this book is or how inspiring she is!

Such a beautiful story. It‘s the story of a young Dakota orphan who is brought up by white people in Minnesota. It switches narratives a few times, but not frequently, going through early childhood to adult hood. She faces many hardships on her way to rediscovering her native roots, or more accurately her seeds.

A fascinating read about the history of the death penalty in America, but more specifically in Texas

Wow!!! There are so many books about climate change to choose from. This was by far the most emotional for me to read. Although he gives statistics and remedies, this book is more of a deep dive into the emotional side of being contributors to a global disaster and the unfailing inaction that occurs. I thought this was a very engaging and introspective book. I recommend for all humans!

Ughhhhh this book was beautiful. I‘m not going to lie, it took me a really long time to read because I found the first third pretty dreadful. I didn‘t understand why my friends recommended it. But once you get to the serious parts and all the climaxes are being reached, I just couldn‘t put this down. I think I cried for two hours straight. It was such a real examination of death and grief and artistic yearning… RECOMMEND!

This was a fascinating read about how America has had different versions of denaturalization throughout its history. Almost always rooted in racism, sexism, or both. Sometimes rooted in communism. Mostly heartbreaking tales and a reminder that reparations are still owed to many.

I adored this book. It highlighted that health can exist at every size and fat is not the same as unhealthy. It delves into why the body positivity movement has left so many people behind. It has real life examples of how health care fails fat people in ways that can be fatal. It discusses how society can move forward to be more inclusive and less abusive (eventually loving) for people of all sizes! Highly recommend anyone dealing with fat-phobia

I picked this book because it had a cool cover and was NOT disappointed. It was my first ever cowboy book! All the cowboys were women and the only man ate pussy. The main character was a cowboy who was passionate about women‘s healthcare. I couldn‘t have dreamed of a better book.

Bittersweet! Mostly sweet. Finished the last book I‘ll have to read with students at my current job that I am leaving. It has been (mostly) a joy to delve into books with students. I enjoyed this book a lot and all it‘s wild twists and turns. It‘s about a clone of an evil drug lord in a strange dystopian future and the trials he faces. Some of the themes are a bit overdone and I probably wouldn‘t have picked it out for myself, but I enjoyed it!

What a magical book. An indigenous woman who has studied botany and has a PhD in ecology, she tells tales and stories about the land and plants and peoples relationships with them through the eyes of an indigenous person. It was haunting and hopeful, beautiful and totally grounding. I feel like it was the perfect time for me to come across this book

Saw this at a used bookstore and was compelled to reread it. I really enjoyed it again and it‘s probably been 15 years since I read it so there was still a lot of thrill in finding out all of the communities secrets.

This was phenomenal. A historical fiction (I don‘t normally read) about women divers, Haenyeo, on Jeju Island in Korea. Told through the perspective of Young-sook throughout her entire life starting in the early 1900s stretching all the way until the early 2000s. Her life through Japanese and American occupation is devastating and inspiring to read. The haenyeo and the war crimes on Jeju are very real things and it was so interesting to read

I adore this book. A true story of alternating chapters- one following an 11 year old boy from the mid 1980‘s in Sudan‘s civil war to the present, and an 11 year old girl in the mid 2000‘s Sudan. They each take long walks, but for very different reasons. It‘s tragic and heart wrenching but also inspirational and heart warming. YA novel but I recommend for anyone. Here is the link for the non profit discussed ! https://www.waterforsouthsudan.org

This book was so good! It examined the way lack of research and data effect women in the world. Everything from dying more in hospitals, being affected worse by pandemics and natural disasters, roles in governments, to seemingly small things like how kitchens are designed and how snow is plowed. If nothing, it highlights how sexism really is at the root of so many issues. Highly recommend!

this book was phenomenal. It had The Hate U Give vibes… honestly it could be a really good movie too. About a high school girl who is trying to free her father from death row for a murder he didn‘t commit. Meanwhile, a murder in town occurs that is closely tied to her family. The whole book has investigative journalism vibes mixed with social justice and discusses treatment of black people in America in a very poignant way. Cannot recommend more.

Another great book I got to read for my classes! Disappointed because my small class of older students weren‘t at all excited to read or interested in the book, but I loved it. About a boy who is raised by ghosts and a vampire in a graveyard and uncovering the mystery of how he ended up there. So good and definitely recommend for older students

Such a cute book! Recommended for grades 3-5. I read this with such a great class of mine. They genuinely loved reading it. It‘s a story of a young boy who is making excuses for why he didn‘t do his writing homework and it turns into a saga of this student finding their voice and passion for writing.

Wonderful, short read by one of my favorite people to listen to and follow on social media. This book provides simple and understandable definitions for all things gender related. It is a how to guide for standing up for/defending yourself or others who do not conform to the gender binary.

Oh wow, this book moved me so much. To be entirely honest, it took me about a third of the book to become invested, but after that I was blown away. Ford tells her story of growing up with a father in prison, uncertainty and violence in her home, and so many terrible coming age stories that too many young woman find relatable. She tells of leaving her family to find herself and growing as an artist and woman, not without, but far from her loved ⤵️

Simply phenomenal. Duckworth tells her story from growing up as a biracial child in Southeast Asia, living in poverty in America, prospering in higher education, finding a passionate career in the US Army, and the series of wildly challenging events that lead her to become a senator. This book was funny, tear jerking, and so so important. I am so thankful I know this strong ass woman‘s story!!!!

Tw sexual violence.This book blew me away although I feel it would have been better to read rather than listen to. A sexual, violent story about a woman making odd life choices based on haunting dreams, a tipping point for an unstable family, and the family members whose lives fall into disarray. And perhaps it all symbolizes the silent rage and contempt women hold inside- people, the world, give us violence and sometimes madness is our response

Wowowow. These poems are written mostly as obituaries. Chang tells of her parents deaths and the hundreds of little deaths we witness and experience before the big death. Death of confidence, hope, certain abilities, etc. she also has poems as if talking to her children about how she wants to be remembered. Simply: a beautiful introspective look on mourning and surviving grief ❤️

Wow, an absolutely beautiful and intense book. The author tells stories of individuals throughout Israels history (and pre history) up until almost current day- from the original citrus trees to gay clubs and drugs in Tel Aviv today. He narrates of story of how the Zionist “pioneers” systematically displaced and erased the culture and people that already existed there and how that has lead to decades of violence and turmoil. Cannot recommend more.

This book was ok. I really loved his memoir Heavy. This just seemed like a more scattered, less cohesive version of it with overlapping stories. His themes and stories about race, education, and family were fine, but would definitely recommend Heavy instead

Definitely a bit dated, but Jimmy Carter is a national treasure and has done so much work towards peace in the Middle East. He tells the history and includes personal stories about the relations between Israel and Palestine, Palestine and the rest of the Middle East, and Israel with the rest of the world. He tells of war crimes and negations and really paints a clear picture of why things are the way they are (at least 15 years ago that is)

This was a beautiful and disturbing book. A young woman, born in Korea, moves to Texas as a young child and then NYC for college a few years after her older sister. It tells the story of immigrant parents, illness and healthcare, eating disorders, the older/younger sibling dynamic, accepting toxic relationships due to lack of self worth, and there‘s even a love story. It so carefully tells a self love journey in a very extreme case.

I liked this book! At times it just seemed like a million terrifying statistics just being thrown at me. Very dooms-day vibes. The author constantly reminds the reader he isn‘t/wasn‘t an environmentalist, which makes the whole read a little confusing. However, the information is imperative and he outlines a clear future of what will happen in our current trajectory and what could happen if we change.

A great read that is important for understanding intersectional feminism and how feminist movements and Black rights movements have historically left out Black women (this book is pretty specific to the US). bell hooks explains the default human is male- the default woman is white. Ranging from slavery, to civil rights, through the different feminist waves, hooks explains to be feminist, you must also be anti-racist.

Tw: depression, anxiety, suicide, addiction

Wow I adored this book. Not the most original idea and at times the dialogue was unbearably cheesy, but I became so attached to the main character Nora and her well-being. I could not put this down. A woman spends time in an in between world, jumping between alternate realities her life could‘ve been. I liked this more than Haig‘s non-fic book, reasons to stay alive

Tw: depression, alcoholism, attempted suicide.

This book was fine, very mediocre. After a short lived pro-baseball career, Chick‘s personal, professional, and financial life slowly unravel until he finally attempts suicide. The book details the following hours where he sees his mother who has been dead for years and reminisces on the mistakes he made as a teen and young adult and details his broken family life. Easy to read, don‘t recommend.

This book was outstanding. A heartbreaking and riveting true story of a family of Hmong refugees from Laos in America in the 1980s. When their young daughter develops a seizure disorder that baffles doctors, a clash between their traditional culture and a healthcare system when culture had absolutely zero relevance to providers creates catastrophe. ⤵️

Tw for this book: depression, anxiety, suicide attempts

Decided to check this book out after hearing Matt Haig on Jameela Jamil‘s podcast iweigh. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who doesn‘t have, but wants to understand depression more. Haig speaks so honestly of his personal experience with depression and everything he went through for years and still works through

*Picture from the authors Instagram, which I totally recommend everyone follow!*
Somehow this book was available as audio on Libby even though it‘s just being released on 4/20? Unsure how that works but I absolutely adored this collection of essays. Reflections on anxiety, basing worth on productivity, family relationships, and sooo much about plants. This book made me feel so seen and so at peace regardless of all the complications and doubts 🌱

This was a fun, easy novel to read. Some teenage drama, some middle age drama, and some old people drama. It shows how easily complicated family relationships can get, how easy it is to get stuck in the ‘what if everything was different‘ reveries, and even has some awesome gay and trans story lines and coming out triumphs.
“This was the job of a parent: to fuck up over and over again. This was the job of a child: to grow up anyway.”

Wow what a life Sylvia Plath lived. Such a problematic feminist icon. This book may have been TOO detailed- it gave the history not just of her but everyone in her life as well. Listening to her evolve from a high schooler with far off dreams to a wonderfully sexual, confident, oftentimes unruly woman was fantastic. The context (other than just her death) given to her writing helps create new or realize old meaning. Now I need to reread her work!

Recommended for ages 10+. I subbed one class for another teacher teaching this book and I just... had to finish it. I could‘ve kept reading it forever and almost wish it was a book for adults and more complex. But still great. It explores themes of race, religion, and hope, a family that shares grief, and a white boy with a complicated past joining an all black school. It has a deaf main character, which is close to my heart. I totally recommend.