Ione Skye does say a lot, which is great in a celebrity memoir because so often they can be about making themselves look good or saying how nice everyIone Skye does say a lot, which is great in a celebrity memoir because so often they can be about making themselves look good or saying how nice everyone is. But she sure doesn't make herself look good and she's totally willing to give the goop on people like Gwyneth Paltrow. That makes it very entertaining. ...more
I worked at Target during college many years ago, and it's interesting how little changed over the years. Waldman captures the limbo of many of the reI worked at Target during college many years ago, and it's interesting how little changed over the years. Waldman captures the limbo of many of the retail workers who yearn for something maybe a little different but are sort of trapped in an economic cycle that doesn't allow people much movement. The drama of everyday life is far more fascinating and I'd implore anyone to read this just to understand what America is like for most people....more
This book is so silly. Like being trapped with the living incarnation of the subreddit "IHaveSex." Or that one kid in college who realized the censorsThis book is so silly. Like being trapped with the living incarnation of the subreddit "IHaveSex." Or that one kid in college who realized the censorship in high school was gone and used the f-word casually in answers for no reason. Or hanging out with some person who thinks they are deep because they read some Sophist self-help book once....more
I agree with everything she argues. This will never happen. And I know that people will say, "Not with that attitude it won't." But that's the problemI agree with everything she argues. This will never happen. And I know that people will say, "Not with that attitude it won't." But that's the problem. Our society is built on an appetite that will not be satisfied and a few people's idealism will not satiate the beast. But maybe I'll put a free little farm stand out or something....more
Collins can have an almost oh-shucks quality to his poetry that could be easily dismissed as closer to Will Rogers than Will Shakespeare. But then he Collins can have an almost oh-shucks quality to his poetry that could be easily dismissed as closer to Will Rogers than Will Shakespeare. But then he hits you with some gut punch idea, like imagining a child born on the day of someone's death, and I get floored....more
Coates has all the best words. The last essay on Israel is nuanced in its approach but ultimately condemning of the segregation Palestinian's face, soCoates has all the best words. The last essay on Israel is nuanced in its approach but ultimately condemning of the segregation Palestinian's face, so he'll be called an antisemite....more
There is some practical advice in here, and I am not sure there is much of a counterargument against the pervasive use of cell phones. The rise of celThere is some practical advice in here, and I am not sure there is much of a counterargument against the pervasive use of cell phones. The rise of cell phones and anxiety does seem correlated. Some of the free range parenting advice does also seem useful. At the same time, the nostalgic yearning for unparented lives totally glazes over the pitfalls of the latchkey kid life, where drugs and sex were far more prevalent. There is a privilege to his advice, and, frankly, as a teacher, I see the kids who are hardly parented and have plenty of unsupervised time to "explore" and that is a lot different than letting your kid take the subway to see the US Open on his own. ...more
There is an interesting thesis here: women are over-diagnosed with mental disorders because the mental health sciences often treat femininity as a disThere is an interesting thesis here: women are over-diagnosed with mental disorders because the mental health sciences often treat femininity as a disorder. The short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" expertly demonstrated this thesis over a hundred years ago, and maybe things haven't changed and women are still being diagnosed with psychology disorders for having emotions and feelings.
At the same time, these are abstract concepts, and, in our lives, we don't deal with abstract concepts, but real people, who may be shaped by society but still have ideas, perspectives, contradictions, and feelings. Tendler tends to paint with a large brush, and maybe her experiences have led her to the conclusions she reaches, but sometimes two things can be true: some psychologists pathologize women's mental frameworks and some women just be nuts. ...more
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