January 2021 Reads
It is a new year and time for a new reading goal (34 books—and I’m off to a strong start!). This month is punctuated with a series of automated suggestions from Goodreads and one holdover from December that squeaked in on the last day of the year.
I want to emphasize the importance of reading books by people who do not look like you. Books are one way that we, as white people, can acknowledge and study the experiences of people of color in a comfortable environment. If that is all you can do, DO IT! I’m not asking you to make friends of different backgrounds (though you’d find that experience enriching), but at least read their words and think about them—and you don’t even have to wait until Black History Month in February.
Hopping off my soapbox, picks this month are:
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
Love is the driver of protest in support of the most vulnerable members of society. Protest is a move of last resort and it says something powerful about American culture that the Black community has lived on a hair trigger for so long. Memories of Rodney King and O.J. Simpson come to mind as I think of one of my former homes, Southern California. Participants in Black Lives Matter demonstrations have been likened to domestic terrorists—and for what? Wanting their own piece of American Pie? The writing style is engaging and constantly asks you, yes you, what you can do better. While I did not enjoy this book as much as others read this month, it is objectively the best book I read in this period. Also, Angela Davis needs more mainstream attention for pioneering the concept of intersectionality, which has been hijacked by so many movements without attribution. The Davis foreword was a good start to the fire.
I am just going to say it: Jessica Simpson is not a very interesting person. Even her version of alcoholism, while real and valid, is bland (and for the sake of her kids, I am actually thrilled about that). Her memoir read fine, but I think it is one more in a parade of memoirs written too soon—even if her greatest fame has probably already wrapped up. Not bad but definitely a speedbump on the way to more interesting endeavors.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
In her inaugural novel, Kate Elizabeth Russell takes a common story and attempts to embellish it with modern touches and some twists and turns. The namesake of the novel, Vanessa, lacked some depth. She was the object of affection and struggled with what it meant, but how she ended up in her present situation is unclear, yet seems pertinent and highly influenced by this relationship she had. I felt like I was on the kiddie-coaster, it was an enjoyable read but it only had a few moments of excitement. I think Russell, however, has a promising career ahead of her—practice makes perfect.
No time like the present to read a book about a pandemic wiping out most of the world’s population. While the vector and the disease process differ, the context and contagion felt eerily pertinent. The book was a pleasurable read but, coming in at over 800 pages, it is a long haul (and a lot to do with why this list is so short this month!). It does pay homage to other, similar novels like the Stand and many of the characters are recognizable archetypes.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
So I’m going to sound like a hypocrite, but that is a chance I am willing to take over this book. Written by 33-year-old George M. Johnson about his coming of age in a loving, strong, queer-affirming (even if sometimes got awkward) black family is time well spent. It is targeted to young adults, even though there are periods of strong sexual content, I think it is important to include that information. My takeaway is that we dramatically fail queer youth when it comes to understanding sexuality and how intimacy can look—heck, I could have used that as a heterosexual woman. This is tied for the first title as the best book I read all month, and it was a quick read, clocking in at about 3 hours. There is no excuse to miss it!
