Biographies of Louise Little, Alberta King, and Berdis Baldwin and how their experiences shaped the lives of their famous sons.
I was fascinated to reaBiographies of Louise Little, Alberta King, and Berdis Baldwin and how their experiences shaped the lives of their famous sons.
I was fascinated to read the effect these three women’s lives, interests, and values had on Malcolm X, MLK Jr, and James Baldwin. How Louise’s activism with Marcus Garvey gave Malcolm the confidence he needed to stand up and be heard. How Alberta’s faith and commitment to community drove MLK Jr to improve the lives of all African Americans. How Berdis’s love of words remained a priority in James’s life.
The author does a great job of navigating the three women’s individual lives and then backing out to address how their lives affected their son’s, their families, and their communities. She also brings these themes to the modern day and makes a case for uncovering and uplifting the lives of Black women is needed today....more
My favorite quote from this graphic novel biography of Baron Von Steuben, the Prussian soldier who came to the American colony to flee rumors of homosMy favorite quote from this graphic novel biography of Baron Von Steuben, the Prussian soldier who came to the American colony to flee rumors of homosexuality and taught the farmers how to defeat a king, is: "The first American military guide was written by a bunch of queers. "...more
An alienated young man falls in love with a girl who has a lot on her plate.
A gorgeous rendering of a first love. My favorite parts were the abstract An alienated young man falls in love with a girl who has a lot on her plate.
A gorgeous rendering of a first love. My favorite parts were the abstract emotional sections. The creative ways Craig Thompson illustrates depression, revelation, spirituality, and regret was fascinating and moving.
He also captured the instability of young relationships exactly how I remember them.
Truthfully, I was expecting a different storyline and I was disappointed not to get it, but that's completely on me. Writing it here to remind myself that this love story is brutally honest and timeless and so so personal. The author pens his rib cage and shows you his insides....more
A study of the lives of several victims of the serial killer paints a dire picture of the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago and the rampant homophobia ofA study of the lives of several victims of the serial killer paints a dire picture of the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago and the rampant homophobia of the 1970s.
I loved the angle of researching the victims' lives. I gained more insight into how poverty begets crime and crime begets exposure to the seedy underbelly of a major American city even when you're 14 years old. I was not surprised to learn the author had a background in journalism because these stories were excellently researched.
I was moved reading these boys' stories and recognizing (and living on) the streets they were taken from. David Nelson does a great job describing the gay scene of Chicago in the 1970s.
I echo other reviewers' comments that the organization of the victims' lives being told all together chronologically made it difficult to keep track of individuals at first. I got used to it though and followed along pretty easily after the first three chapters.
I thought too many of the segments ended in ominous statements like "She never saw him again" or "little did he know he'd never go to another party." Most readers will be familiar with the Gacy murders so we know what happens to most of these kids. Trying to build suspense with such statement for me felt like melodrama. Though kudos to the author for including possible victims to the narrative to keep us guessing. I really want to know what happened to Craig....more
Not really a guide to how to read like a write. More like reading someone else’s assessment. I like that it wasn’t all YOU MUST DO THIS, but I found iNot really a guide to how to read like a write. More like reading someone else’s assessment. I like that it wasn’t all YOU MUST DO THIS, but I found it a little difficult reading an excerpt of a good book, examining it closely, and then flying off to the next excerpt. I also had a hard time reading the context I needed to understand the excerpt and then read the excerpt. It felt like it ruined two dozen books for me.
I’m glad I read it. But I don’t feel like I need to read it again. ...more
I don’t usually read dictionaries of idioms as novels, but the way John Ciardi inserts sarcastic asides and jokes and criticism of previous etymology I don’t usually read dictionaries of idioms as novels, but the way John Ciardi inserts sarcastic asides and jokes and criticism of previous etymology work is engaging. I didn’t want to miss a comment, and I’m glad I read it cover to cover because I now know he inserted a made up word in there just because he wanted to. He was definitely a character.
The book was written in the early 80s or so, so some of the humor is dated. There were a couple racist comments about Native Americans and a “I have nothing against you homosexuals.”So prepare yourself for that if you choose to experience the book as I did.
Other favorite realizations were the number of words derived from the planets: jovial, mercurial, venereal. Most words that start with “sn” relate to the nose: snoop, sneeze, snore. Neither Venetian blinds nor Persian rugs were actually sourced from those places, but were the countries associated with them for Englishman because of trade routes. ...more
The book was effective in convincing me to keep genealogy as a hobby, not a profession. No offense to the authors. It was very informative and thorougThe book was effective in convincing me to keep genealogy as a hobby, not a profession. No offense to the authors. It was very informative and thorough. But becoming a professional genealogist is more expensive and complicated than I am willing to invest....more
**spoiler alert** Cain discusses how business culture became extroverted, and why it’s better with both extroverted and introverted people.
It’s reall**spoiler alert** Cain discusses how business culture became extroverted, and why it’s better with both extroverted and introverted people.
It’s really gratifying to read in words on a page the things you excel at that you’ve never really thought of but completely know to be true. This book explained so much why my career in retail was not a good fit. It explains my social choices, like what kinds of parties I go to (organized, usually with a central point like book group or game night). But it’s not all “introverts are the bomb; extroverts suck.” The author explains the strengths of extroverts and how when healthy introverts and extroverts work together, a kind of yin and yang develops.
It was also nice to read of known introverted leaders. They are some of the most successful people in the country. We have been drilled since kindergarten to speak up, participate, be active and friendly. It’s nice that this book reinforces the idea that we also need people concentrating at desks working through the world’s problems. Four stars because the end talks about raising introverted children, which I didn’t find as interesting....more
A journalist enters Scrabble tournaments to write a book but then gets hooked by the words, the culture, and his opponents.
I enjoyed the split time FaA journalist enters Scrabble tournaments to write a book but then gets hooked by the words, the culture, and his opponents.
I enjoyed the split time Fatsis dedicated in the text to learning how to compete, interviewing other tournament players, and the history of the game. Honestly, my attention waned a little when he was explaining the play by play of his games or complaining about the status of his ratings. But if you pick up the book knowing what it’s about, then that kind of talk shouldn’t surprise you. I realized pretty early on that my Scrabble game isn’t nearly as good as I thought. Tournament players spend most of their days memorizing words and anagramming letters. I like Scrabble and I’m decent at it, but I do not want to do that.
My favorite parts of the book were learning about the other players. Fatsis does a good job rounding them out with positive and negative-ish attributes. It took a certain type of person to play Scrabble professionally. As an editor, recognizing similar personality traits in other editors, I appreciate that how the same types of obsessions play out in other people.
Fatsis has an engaging way of writing even in the parts of the story I was less engaged in....more
**spoiler alert** Historian Sarah Vowell digs into the Marquis de LaFayette and his role (and his country’s role) in the establishment of the United S**spoiler alert** Historian Sarah Vowell digs into the Marquis de LaFayette and his role (and his country’s role) in the establishment of the United States. Turns out we owe a lot to the French. SPOILERS: I mean, it’s actual history so you know how it all turned out.
Filling the gaps of my knowledge of this time period with this author’s knowledge, wit, and pop culture references. We get a good look at LaFayette’s motivations and sacrifices to fight in the Revolution. I don’t know how Vowell have avoided pulling out of his narrative to describe the larger things happening in the United States and the world. I just wish it had tightened on him a bit. I guess some of that’s on me; I was expecting more of a biographical sketch. The title isn’t just “LaFayette.” It’s “LaFayette and the Somewhat United States.”
Even so, I enjoyed learning about the actual state of the American army. I appreciate the win so much more knowing how undertrained and lacking in supplies the fighters were. I liked how Vowell brought us out of the history and into modern times with her anecdotes about researching the important places in LaFayette’s life by visiting tourist traps. It’s inspired me to read up more when I visit historical landmarks....more
William Drummond Stewart was a 19th century Scottish noble, a fur trader, and likely a gay man. Turns out the American West—with its lack of social orWilliam Drummond Stewart was a 19th century Scottish noble, a fur trader, and likely a gay man. Turns out the American West—with its lack of social order and women—was probably a huge draw for gay men and other social misfits in the early 19th century.
I’m fascinated with how LGBTQ people lived their lives in the past. It ticks me off that homophobia has erased most of their stories from history. It also ticks me off when well researched books like this one come out and scholars and Goodreads reviewers dismiss the possibility of gay historical figures because of the lack of definitive proof. There will never be proof for most LGBTQ people in the past. No document will ever exist that will flatly state that someone like WDS or Abraham Lincoln or Friedrich von Steuben was gay. But Oscar Wilde and a few Greeks weren’t the only queer people to have lived. We have always existed in the world, and it does the community a disservice to pretend they didn’t. All historians can do is draw conclusions based on the facts of people’s lives. And Benemann did just that.
WDS never married and had a long string of friendships with younger men. He brought Antoine Clement, a notoriously skilled hunter and frontiersman who had never lived in British society, back to Scotland with him to be his “valet,” a position that required him to live in the manor, and not a groundsman, the only job he would be somewhat qualified for. WDS chose to spend many months at a time among men with little possibility of women being around and surrounded himself with other men who were known to be gay. Dude was gay. I’ll grant people that there is reasonable doubt with Honest Abe, but this dude was having costume balls in the Rockies. DUDE WAS GAY. And I’m very happy to have found his story.
Benemann has a very easy-to-read writing style. The book wanders away from WDS for a while, so I think it was too long. But from this story I got a very complete picture of what life was like on the frontier in the 1830s, how people could willfully ignore WDS’s and other's obvious sexual orientations, and the motivations for men in his position to make the choices he’d made....more
From Native American berdaches to ACT UP, this book follows the attitudes and treatment of LGBTQ people in the United States.
As a gay man and a histoFrom Native American berdaches to ACT UP, this book follows the attitudes and treatment of LGBTQ people in the United States.
As a gay man and a history buff, I enjoyed Bronski’s take the major events in world history and how they affected the LGBTQ population. For a long time our history was left out of history books, but Bronski does a good job and showing modern LGBTQ people how our predecessors mattered in the past, changed attitudes in their societies to allow the environment, while not ideal decidedly better than in Oscar Wildes time, in which we live today.
I would have preferred more specific stories on, say, Rustin’s contributions to the Civil Rights movement, or Eleanor Roosevelt’s sway with her husband. But since this book encompasses over 300 years I understand why some stories had to be skimmed over.
I have seen other reviewers on Goodreads comment that certain communities were underrepresented in the book. That is true, but Bronski makes a point to say in the beginning that GLBTQ history is difficult to prove. Records actively leave out or codify facts that would have gotten their subjects thrown in jail or killed. Sexualities of people from the past cannot be proven. And retrofitting common identities we know today to people who lived in sexually repressed societies would not be ethical or accurate. Plus, we can’t expect an author writing in 2011 to be up on the common parlance of 2020.
I was disappointed to find no mention of Abraham Lincolns’ possible bisexuality. But, again, it cant be substantiated. Men in that time shared beds and we cannot know if they had sex while doing so. Men and women in that time wrote romantic and emotional letters to their friends that sound very much to people living today like love letters. But we cannot know....more
A detailed account of the life of Theodore Roosevelt from the time he was 10 until his failed run for governor of New York when he was 27.
McCullough A detailed account of the life of Theodore Roosevelt from the time he was 10 until his failed run for governor of New York when he was 27.
McCullough doesn't leave any stone unturned when it comes to his subject matter. He does mostly stick to the interesting parts. I did feel the earlier accounts of Roosevelt as a child was a little redundant. The influence of his older sister Bamie was fascinating. It was interesting to see how she expanded her influence with in the family. The chapters of how he transformed from a sickly child to the hardy naturalist and cowboy we most associate with him was well handled. I liked most the stories of him in North Dakota. How he escaped the city to avoid the dual loss of his mother and wife. No wonder he could work 16 hours a day as a cowboy and a writer. The man had a lot of troubles to dodge....more
A friendship develops as an American woman buys used books from a British man via snail mail.
There isn't much to say about this book. It is based on, A friendship develops as an American woman buys used books from a British man via snail mail.
There isn't much to say about this book. It is based on, or perhaps it is, the correspondence of real people doing real things. The "characters" of Helene and Frank are charming and believable in a quirky way. But to say that is strange because they were real people. I love that Helene was a writer for TV and radio. It made so much sense in how she came across in her letters. I don't blame the employees of the book shop to be taken with her. And her generosity was astounding. Lending to the authenticity was the fact that letters skipped and time passed. It's hinted throughout that Frank and Helene's communications continued between excerpts in the book, but we don't read every letter. I like that. It showed to me how friendships are built brick by brick; the buildings aren't plonked down whole on a site. ...more
Literally the history of the game Monopoly which turns out not to be nearly as neat and tidy as the official story suggests.
There are scandals, lies,Literally the history of the game Monopoly which turns out not to be nearly as neat and tidy as the official story suggests.
There are scandals, lies, Quakers, mobsters, fraternities, and an obscure economic theory that you probably heard about in college. Reading this book really made me want to play the game....more
I don't know what took me so long to read Sarah Vowell. I like how she finds engaging angles to introduce somewhat obscure American history. For instaI don't know what took me so long to read Sarah Vowell. I like how she finds engaging angles to introduce somewhat obscure American history. For instance, she opens this book about the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley by discussing the little piece of trivia that Lincoln's son, Robert Todd, had the terrible luck of being present on all three occasions. Fascinating. That poor man.
Vowell folds in popular culture (many references to the musical Assassins! which I want to see now) and personal anecdotes (bringing her young nephew along to cemetery and statue trips) into her tales of death and change. The effect is a lighter kind of morbidity. She pokes fun at her gothic tendencies and at the way she convinces her friends to come along on her strange adventures. I will most likely be reading more of her soon....more
A nonfiction account of two Mormon brothers who murdered their sister-in-law and toddler niece and expanding outward into a history of the Mormon fundA nonfiction account of two Mormon brothers who murdered their sister-in-law and toddler niece and expanding outward into a history of the Mormon fundamentalist religion.
--------SPOILERS AHOY----------------
I've read quite a bit about Mormon history before so some of the book was not new to me. Even still, I think I would have wished for more about the killers and less about the history; or more obvious connections between the two topics.
The author made a point to discuss the complicated lineages of fundamentalist Mormon families - fundamentalists are those families that practice polygamy. He discussed the treatment of women, the problems inherent to a religious system that is based on dictatorship, and religious persecution in America.
It definitely has me thinking about the money I send the church for my Ancestry subscription. I admire people with strong convictions in their faith; but that admiration lessens when I learn that a faith condemns others for not believing, or if it doesn't allow followers to think for themselves, or when their religious culture settles into Us versus Them. Krakauer's book informed me straight away that Mormon Fundamentalism was solidly built on those three tenets.
This book is an eye-opening look at what happens when zealotry takes the wheel. The fact that Dan has no remorse because he is completely convinced he was an instrument of God when he killed his family members is chilling and unbelievable and retched....more
I remember when Barrel Fever came out, I brought it to a work party. At the time I worked for a non-profit company of only 5 employees. We sat on my boss's deck on a warm night and read the essays out loud to each other, laughing and drinking and letting the essays guide our conversation. It was a lovely night.
The first thing I noticed reading the first few essays in this book is that the tone is darker than his usual subject matter. They are well written essays; I just had to forget my expectations of reading a Sedaris book. The essays I'm used to came later, especially when he starts describing his new passport picture.
Since the last time I read a David Sedaris novel, I started blogging. I found myself picking apart the structure of these essays and being inspired to apply it to my own writing. I like how he takes two or three disparate ideas and ties them together in a meaningful way. "Loggerheads" is a good example. He combines a trip to Hawaii with his partner with memories of a childhood friend and keeping sea turtles as pets and masterfully turns it into a reverie on growing older. ...more
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