I had no plans to read this as I am already a supporter of Whitmer's and didn't think I would learn anything new from this book. The timing of when itI had no plans to read this as I am already a supporter of Whitmer's and didn't think I would learn anything new from this book. The timing of when it came out felt a bit like she was jockeying for a place at the top of a future presidential ticket so it felt a bit opportunistic. But two things changed my mind about wanting to read it 1) My uncle who inspired me to become a teacher recommended it to me 2) Whitmer was on an episode of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast and she managed to be both funny and earnest in a way that made me see her in a new light. She regaled Glennon, Abbey, and Amanda with a story of the time she got so drunk in her high school parking lot that she threw up on the principal and then proceeded to say, "I was the girl that people thought wouldn't amount to much." OK Big Gretch, you've sold me. I'm gonna read your book.
I highly recommend listening to the audio. Listening to Whitmer's endearing comforting Michigan accent for three and a half hours will put you at ease and make you feel like an old friend is regaling you with stories and giving you life advice. Her leadership style is incredibly inspiring and has the perfect balance of not taking herself too seriously while also fighting hard for the people she was voted in to serve. I want to take a masterclass from Big Gretch on how not to take things too personally because she is an expert at it... so expert that she even has even hired her ex-husband to photograph many campaign events. Talk about not holding grudges. ...more
I can't believe that this is my first Jodi Picoult book I've ever read. It definitely will not be my last. I had heard in passing in college that ShakI can't believe that this is my first Jodi Picoult book I've ever read. It definitely will not be my last. I had heard in passing in college that Shakespeare might not actually be the writer of his plays but after reading this, I am fully convinced he was the not the writer. While Picoult admits in her author's note that she embellished and did a great deal of presumptions, the die was cast for the dubious nature of Shakespeare being the original writer. I am so happy our school has a staff book club because I never would have read this had it not been. Kudos to Jodi Picoult for her meticulous research that made me want to go down my own rabbit hole of Shakespeare's "works."...more
Reading about Taylor’s career was interesting but the writing style was way too self-indulgent. It personified one of my favorite Taylor Swift lyrics:Reading about Taylor’s career was interesting but the writing style was way too self-indulgent. It personified one of my favorite Taylor Swift lyrics: “sanctimoniously performing soliloquies.� ...more
If you like shows like Abbott Elementary and English Teacher, this book will be your jam. Just be aware that this is not a plot driven novel. It’s morIf you like shows like Abbott Elementary and English Teacher, this book will be your jam. Just be aware that this is not a plot driven novel. It’s more like a series of short stories where each chapter focuses on a different staff member at the high school. The intention is to show the heart and humanity of the people who work in schools who have good hearts and good intentions despite the absurdity we face on a daily basis....more
ETA: I mistakenly said this was Ribay’s second book and was incorrect, he has a couple other books prior to Patron Saints of Nothing
What an absolutelETA: I mistakenly said this was Ribay’s second book and was incorrect, he has a couple other books prior to Patron Saints of Nothing
What an absolutely beautiful multi-generational story that pairs historical fiction with contemporary fiction that meets in modern-day Philadelphia at the start of the pandemic. Randy Ribay is proving to be one of my favorite authors with this sophomore effort. He somehow manages to do something completely different from his debut novel, Patron Saints of Nothing, while still being equally emotionally resonant, which is extremely difficult to do with a second book. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for his writing career if his first two books manage to be this beautiful and impactful....more
This book is important and heartfelt but it’s also a really hard read. The cover is deceiving and makes it seem like it will be a fun and humorous booThis book is important and heartfelt but it’s also a really hard read. The cover is deceiving and makes it seem like it will be a fun and humorous book so just be prepared this deals with poverty and a parent abandoning a child. ...more
Even though I’m not a cat person, I AM a dog person and as someone who has given my dogs distinct voices and personalities, I can tell you Lucy KnisleEven though I’m not a cat person, I AM a dog person and as someone who has given my dogs distinct voices and personalities, I can tell you Lucy Knisley’s tribute to her surly cat Linney will charm any pet lover. ...more
A gripping memoir of Brittney Griner's brutal experience of being arrested and imprisoned in Russia for mistakenly carrying a small amount of cannabisA gripping memoir of Brittney Griner's brutal experience of being arrested and imprisoned in Russia for mistakenly carrying a small amount of cannabis oil in her bag. Rather than a full review, I thought I'd share some of the most memorable and thematic passages from the book:
"[Russia] felt like a second home, but only because I'd never actually been inside that house. From my place on the porch, I couldn't see the dirty politics, the corruption, the old-school views of women." (p. 44)
"As the world teetered toward a global crisis, I sat alone in a personal one. The invasion [of Ukraine] changed everything for me. Suddenly, my arrest wasn't just an arrest, and I wasn't just another prisoner. I was a possible chess piece in a showdown between superpowers. The timing of my episode couldn't have been worse. The stakes had just been raised." (p. 46)
"It's clear how the world sees the average Black person, and mostly that it doesn't. When others do look our way, it's often to confirm a stereotype, that we're ignorant, uncivilized, aggressive. Putin didn't create that stereotype. He was just gearing up to exploit it." (p. 70)
"You know a Black woman only when you know her hair journey. They two are tightly interwoven." (p. 209)
"Before my imprisonment, I'd raised my voice by taking a knee. Breonna Taylor's and George Floyd's murders sliced open a wound as old as our homeland. My protest was decades in the making. I knelt for the Scottsboro Boys, the teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women and sentenced to death in 1931. I knelt for the thousands lynched in the Jim Crow era. I took a knee for James Byrd Jr., Amadou Diallo, Sandra Bland, Ahmaud Arbery. I knelt because the values signaled by our flag didn't align with how Black people were treated. Along with my teammates, I dedicated the 2020 season to social justice. Black Lives Matter was our point. Kneeling was how I then chose to make it. At the time, I was criticized for not standing during the national anthem. That backlash intensified after I regained my freedom. Some asked how I could have 'disrespected' the national that brought me home.
My kneeling was a sign of just how much I love our country. My ancestry helped build this nation. My father spent his career defending it. I take pride in being American, especially after being imprisoned in a country where public dissent can get you killed. Here, freedom of speech is our right. Exercising that right makes me more of an American, not less. Sit. Stand. Kneel. Protest. The beauty of our homeland is that we have a choice. (p.280)
"A better question than why my ordeal happened is how I'll use it. That's my focus on this side of my nightmare." (p. 273)...more
I normally dislike romance but I love Abby Jimenez (and her dogs) on Instagram and TikTok so I decided to give one of her books a try and it did not dI normally dislike romance but I love Abby Jimenez (and her dogs) on Instagram and TikTok so I decided to give one of her books a try and it did not disappoint. The highly accomplished career woman in a big city who meets a small town guy and falls in love is so overdone and cringey, but Jimenez finds a way to not make it cringey somehow. Probably because the people in the small town are equally as loveable as the main characters of Alexis and Daniel. I will definitely be reading more of Jimenez's novels in the near future. ...more
This book is three stars for me but four for anyone who isn’t chronically online in a political space like I am. I didn’t really learn anything new inThis book is three stars for me but four for anyone who isn’t chronically online in a political space like I am. I didn’t really learn anything new in this book but I appreciate how easy to digest it is for people who are just dipping their toes into civic life. Democracy in Retrograde’s central thesis is that civic life is self care and expounds on how you can become more involved in politics in healthy ways. It’s an important message for Americans who have buried their heads in the sand and are just coming up for air to the realization that we have to hold the elected people in power accountable. But it’s done in a very lighthearted and accessible way. No shaming or alarmist rhetoric is found in this book. ...more
I will now read everything Abby writes. This book was absolutely delightful, heartfelt, sweet, substantive, and feel-good. I highly recommend reading I will now read everything Abby writes. This book was absolutely delightful, heartfelt, sweet, substantive, and feel-good. I highly recommend reading Part of Your World and Yours Truly first. Even though they’re all more companion novels than part of a series, you can fully appreciate all of the characters more if you read them in order. ...more
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