We Need to Talk

 Dear fellow white people, 

Charlottesville is on us. All of us. We all have allowed racist sentiment to fester around us and emboldened the fascist, Nazi, and white supremacists who converged yesterday on the University of Virginia. This is the result of our silence.

Before you say, "Not me. I'm not racist. I've condemned what they're doing. I speak out against such things," I ask you to think of this: How many times have you let racist or bigoted comments from family, friends, and coworkers slide? Maybe you didn't feel like getting in an argument. Maybe you were worried about alienating someone. Maybe you didn't think that they were "serious;" that they were really joking.

Every time you, and I, let those comments slide, we fed into the nationalist hatred that we saw plastered on the media over the past 72 hours.

Every time we decided that our discomfort wasn't worth standing up for people of color and other marginalized groups, we fed it.

People of color have lived with this hate for centuries.

White people, on the other hand, have that luxury of deciding when and where to engage with these people. We are protected by the privilege of our white skin--we are unlikely to ever be on the receiving end of such hatred.

But if we truly believe what we espouse, we can't stay silent. It isn't the job of the black community and others to combat racism--it's ours, because it's our communities that are perpetuating it. These white supremacists aren't hiding under sheets anymore. And let's be honest: They never really were. They're not just in the South; they're not just in backwoods small towns. They're sitting next to us at work. They're worshipping in our churches. They're policing our streets, making our laws, sitting next to us at the dinner table.

It's time we stopped letting them be comfortable in their bigotry.

It's time we stood up for all Americans, not just those who look like us.

It's time we step out of the shadows and actively work to stop this cancer in our society.

We have to speak out. We may lose friends. Coworkers may stop socializing with us. Family members may stop speaking to us. It's not going to be easy. But it's time we stepped up and really started taking ownership for the disgusting hatred being displayed around us. And we need to do it now.

It's OUR responsibility.

Rabbit Hole #65: Hi! Remember Me? A Reading Update

Yeah. . . it's been a while. Five months. Gulp. Let's just ignore that little hiatus, shall we?

2017 Read Harder Challenge Update

A book about sports: Tales from the New Orleans Saints Sideline by Jeff Duncan

A debut novel: Bright Lines by Tanwi Nadini Islam

A book about books: A World Between Two Covers by Ann Morgan

A book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative: The Love Wife by Gish Jen

An all-ages comic: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by Amy Reeder

A travel memoir: Alibis--Essays on Elsewhere by André Aciman

A book you've read before: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery; trans. from the French by Alison Anderson 

A book that is set within 100 miles of your location: The Grandissimes by George Washington Cable

A book set more than 5000 miles from your location: Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

A book about war:  The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter

A YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+: Ash by Malinda Lo

A book that has been banned or frequently challenged: Grendel by John Gardner

A classic by an author of color: Quicksand by Nella Larsen

A superhero comic with a female lead: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4 by G. Willow Wilson

A book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey: Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang (both books)

A collection of stories by a woman: Operation Monsoon by Shona Ramaya

A collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love: Rilke Shake by Angelica Freitas; trans. from the Portuguese by Hilary Kaplan 

A book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi


I'm currently reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell for the fantasy novel challenge, so that leaves the following (books chosen and on my shelf!):

A nonfiction book about technology: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

A book set in Central or South America by a Central or South American author: I, Rigoberta Menchu by Rigoberta Menchu

A book published between 1900-1950:  Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

An LGBTQ+ romance novel: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

A book published by a micropress: ??? (Anybody have any ideas? Anyone?)

That's 18/24 completed with five months left. Think I've got this. 

Rabbit Hole #64: In/Out January and February

Yeah. . . so about that regular schedule.

 

I'll keep trying to be better about that. 

Here's just a quick run-down of what I've been reading since I last popped in here: 

Black Chalk by Christopher Yates (3 stars): a psychological thriller that had a lot of promise, but fell a little flat for me. There were just some plot holes that needed to be fleshed out a little bit more. 

Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere by André Aciman (4 stars): I am a sucker for travel memoirs. The downside--I start looking for travel packages. 

Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang (4 stars for both): These two graphic novels are centered around the Boxer Rebellion in China. It does a good job of showing the two sides of the conflict, reminding us that there's always more than one story to be told. 

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (3.5 stars): I've been wanting to read more Wilde, and this was a quick, easy read. I think the satire comes across better in the viewing of the play rather than the reading of it, though. 

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice (4 stars): My comfort reads. Definitely not my favorite book of hers--it got a little bogged down trying to introduce an alien species and the lost city of Atlantis into the vampire world, but it was fun. 

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (3.5 stars): Live for six months in a prison and the other six in a gated community with your every need taken care of--for the people in this post-apocalyptic/post-economic crash society, it sounds like a pretty good deal. Maybe too good. Like the Rice book, this isn't my favorite of Atwood's, but it definitely is a good satire on our society. 

Glass Sword and King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard (3 stars for both): YA fantasy dystopia. Nothing fancy, just quick, easy, fun reads. 

The Crack-up by F. Scott Fitzgerald (3.5 stars): I FINALLY finished this. I have been dipping in and out of this book since 2015. This is an odd collection: it starts with Fitzgerald's memoir/essays "The Crack-up", then goes into about 150 pages from his writing notebooks, then finishes with letters to/from Fitzgerald, as well as obituaries. I enjoyed all of it, but the format just made it a slow read. 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (4.5 stars): This is the best fiction book I've read so far this year, hands-down; the only reason it isn't a 5 star read is that I just wanted more. The story follows the descendants of two sisters, one sold into slavery, the other married to a slave trader, and the repercussions that reverberate through the centuries. 

Currently, I'm reading The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter and Bright Lines by Tanwi Nadini Islam. Hopefully I will give you an update soon!

To My Sisters Everywhere, Part 2

You came from all over, from large towns and small, from coastal cities and the Heartland. You paid your way, organized buses, made signs. You were black, white, latinx, gay, straight, cis, trans, immigrant, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, atheist, old, young, rich, poor, and everything in between. You swarmed our nation's capital and were the heart of the largest protest in United States history.

And if you couldn't make it? You created your own marches: New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boise, Anchorage, Omaha, St. Louis, Little Rock, Sioux Falls, London, Paris, and so, so many more cities around the world, large and small, made their voices heard. The latest numbers have put the worldwide totals at around 4 million participants.

In the words of Janelle Monae, we won't be hidden anymore. Those in power MUST be held accountable; they cannot be allowed to destroy decades of hard-earned progress. There's too much at stake: health care, education, climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, free speech, our national parks. The list goes on and on.

So thank you to everyone who spoke out, whether you could attend a march in person or if you had to participate vicariously. Thank you to the allies who came out to lend their support to our struggle.

But especially, thank you to my sisters of color: you have been the unacknowledged backbone of resistance movements from the beginning. You have literally put your hearts, minds, and bodies at risk so many times for all of us; yet as a whole, we white women have let you down time and time again. We have not stood by you as we should, and the debt of gratitude we owe you is immense. I only hope that what started yesterday is a seed change toward intersectionality in all of the issues that affect us.

Don't let this be the end. As I said a few days after the election: Read. Learn. Listen. Make art. Consume art. Organize. Protest. Volunteer. Donate. Refuse to back down. Keep fighting.

Rabbit Hole #63: In/Out Jan. 1-7

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope the first week has been treating you well. Sorry this is a day late; it wouldn't be a free weekend without me getting sick. My hope is to get back on a regular schedule with these; if not every week, every two for sure.

Recently Purchased

Black Chalk by Christopher Yates

Just one this week (after the Christmas spree last week, I think that's plenty!). This is the January choice for my book club, and I have no idea what it's about. Should be interesting!

Recently Completed

What Moves at the Margins by Toni Morrison (4.5 stars)

I honestly don't know what to say. This was an amazing collection of Morrison's nonfiction work, from book reviews to her Nobel Prize acceptance speech. It was the essays on race and gender that were especially hard-hitting though--I often had to look at the date of each piece several times, because they are so relevant to our world right now. Sadly, those pieces were written 20-30 years ago in most cases, showing just how far we still have to go. The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because I wanted more--more of her words and her wisdom.

Currently Reading

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

Only about a hundred pages in, and we've already added the mystical realm of Atlantis and some type of extra-terrestrial immortal beings to the already crowded world of vampires, witches, ghosts, and spirits. I'm perfectly okay with that though; Rice's books have always been comfort food for me. They're the type of books I can just sink into and forget about the chaos around me. Looking forward to seeing where she's going to take me. 

Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere by André Aciman

I have really grown to love essay collections over the past few years, and this one ticks all the boxes: travel, memory, art. So far, an enjoyable read. 

Rabbit Hole #62: 2017 Reading Goals

Time for the new year's reading resolutions. Just as with regular resolutions, it's tempting to want to fix/do/change ALL the things. However, I want to keep this manageable (and realistic), so I've limited myself to five.

1. Read 85 books--I read 87 last year, so I'm optimistic that this is doable. (I'm still amazed that my reading has increased since moving; I would have thought the opposite would be true.

2. Complete the 2017 Read Harder Challenge--Last year I tried to complete three different challenges, but I think it was just too much. This year's challenge also includes some tasks submitted by authors and not just the Book Riot staff, so that's a fun change. If you're interested, the link is here.

3. Read 30% non-American/British authors--This was one of my goals last year, and I failed miserably. Looking at my reading pile so far, I'm not sure if I'm going to hit it this year either, but I'm going to give it a shot!

4. Read my 12 Reads for 2017 books--I've already picked up 7 of these; now I just have to read them!

5. Do an author re-read--One thing that I used to do that I hardly do anymore is reread books. I've been looking at my shelves lately and realized that there are a lot of stories I'd love to dive back into, and while I'm not sure which author I'm going to choose for this, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Gregory Maguire are all top candidates at the moment.


I really want to recommit to reading this year; I found myself sucked into endless Facebook and Twitter browsing, which ended up depressing me more than anything. So here's to a new year, new challenges, and new reads!

Rabbit Hole #61: 2016 Reading Wrap-up

2016: The year that was. In spite of all the drama that 2016 brought with it, and in spite of the fact I felt like I was just in a reading slump for most of it, it still turned out be a pretty decent reading year. Looking back on my 2016 goals, though, I realize I still could have done better.

2016 goals and results: 

1. Read 75 books this year: Nailed it. I actually read 87 this year, for a total of 24, 122 pages.

2. Read 50% books written by people of color and 50% books written by women: 46% of my books were by people of color (so close!) and 72% actually ended up written by women. I'm calling that a win (especially since my percentage of non-white authors in 2015 was only 37%).

3. Read 30% books from non-American/British authors: Fail. Less than 10%. I really do want to focus more on this in the coming year, but looking at my pile already, I'm not sure if it will.

4. Complete three reading challenges: Book Riot's Read Harder 2016 Challenge, PopSugar's 2016 Reading Challenge, and Bustle's Women and Persons of Color Reading Challenge: I didn't complete any of them, but I did come close. (Actually, if I had allowed myself to use a book more than once, I probably would have completed at least two of them, but I was stubborn about only using a book once.) I'll post the link to the full challenges and what I accomplished below.

5. Purge my bookshelves at least once a quarter: Eh...maybe not once a quarter. But I have gotten rid of probably 20-30 books this year. I've even found myself putting a book into the donate pile as soon as I've read it; it never had a chance on my shelf.

I'm still figuring out my 2017 goals, so that post will be coming soon. They're probably going to look fairly similar, but there are some new things I want to try. 

(If you're interested in my reading challenge results, the link is here.)

2016 Retrospective (non-book version!)

2016.

I think most of us would say that we are extremely glad that dumpster-fire of a year is over. After a wretched election that has left many of us truly fearful for what the next few years will bring, a record number of celebrity/notable persons deaths of people that were extremely important/influential to my generation, horrific attacks around the world, natural disasters. . . it was just too much. Personally, we lost our beloved basset Louie this spring, and my teacher, friend and mentor--the main reason I became a teacher--lost her battle to cancer over Thanksgiving. Other friends and family members had losses and health issues as well, and 2016 couldn't say good-bye soon enough. I don't have any illusions that the coming year is going to be an easy one; in fact, I have a feeling it's going to be like nothing any of us have ever seen, with a lot of things we have come to cherish at risk.

But these are some of the positive things I'm going to take with me from 2016:

We celebrated our first Carnival season and our first Mardi Gras.

We went to our first Jazz Fest.

We had friends and family from out of state visit, and we were able to show them the city we love so much.

My husband got a surprise job opportunity that has opened up some incredible doors for him.

We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary (and took a trip to Disney World to celebrate!)

Friends got married. And engaged.

Family members got engaged. Cousins are expecting their first baby.

Friends have gotten new job opportunities and are making huge life changes.

We spent our weekends cheering (and yelling at) our Huskers and Saints. (Next year!!)

We have a kick-ass trivia group.

We have amazing friends from all over the globe and are constantly meeting more.

My former students are doing incredible things and are changing the world.

My current students are giving me hope for the future.

We've laughed. A lot.

And we're surrounded by love--which is going to make the upcoming battles easier to bear.


So 2016, thanks for the memories.

2017, do better.

Rabbit Hole #60: In/Out Dec. 11-Jan. 1

Well, we made it to the end of another year. I hope your celebrations over the past few weeks have been joyous and you are ready for what 2017 had to bring. Here's just a bit of what I've been reading the past couple of weeks. (I'll also have a 2016 reading wrap-up/2017 goals post and a top books of 2016 post coming in the next few days.)

Recently Purchased

Not technically purchased, as I was given gift cards, but these are all on their way. I have very generous family members!

 

 

Yeah, the to-be-read pile just became substantially larger.

Recently Completed

The Witches: Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff (4 stars)

I've always been interested in the psychology behind the Witch Trials: what could possibly have made so many people turn on their friends and loved ones? Unfortunately, because of the lack of historical record, we may never know that answer definitively. Since I've taught Arthur Miller's The Crucible several times, I knew most of the information presented in the book from my own research. But it was still intriguing to delve into the enormous scope of the, for lack of a better word, madness. It also solidified the fact that we haven't changed all that much: one of the radical notions that the "devil" was promising the "witches" was that all people are created equal, and that terrified people. As it still does today. 

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland (3.5 stars)

This is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel about two sisters who find themselves alone in their forest home after a mysterious illness has wiped out a large portion of the population and their father dies while trying to provide for them. Hegland doesn't waste a lot of time on the outside world, focusing instead on the realities of trying to survive when everything you take for granted is gone. I liked the sister dynamic, but it felt almost too easy for these two teenagers to survive. It was a fun, quick read, though. 

The Killing Moon by N. K. Jemison (4 stars)

I was thinking this was going to be more of a science fiction novel, but to me, it felt more fantasy. Not that fantasy's a bad thing--I like that much more than science fiction! This is the first in a duology and centers on a world where dreamblood is harvested and used to cure the sick. The Gatherers take "tithes" from those who are deemed unworthy by their order (they're really highly skilled religious assassins). But of course, in the wrong hands, dreamblood can be a weapon. Political intrigue, war, alternate realms are all beautifully crafted by Jemison, and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel. 

Currently Reading

What Moves at the Margins: Selected Nonfiction by Toni Morrison

To me, Toni Morrison is the queen goddess of contemporary literary fiction. Her work is insightful, raw, thought-provoking, challenging, and inspiring: everything I need right now as we head into an uncertain time. 

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

Comfort food

I'm starting this one tonight.