The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I slowly read this in pieces as I juggled a few other books through out May and June. It was interesting reading this while going through a global pandemic and racial injustices happening in the US. Although The Grapes of Wrath isn’t about race, I feel like there were themes that played out in this story from the 1930s that were still playing out today. The hardest one to swallow was the theme of man’s inhumanity to man. So often, Steinbeck pointed to the fact that the Joad’s (or migrant worker in general) suffering wasn’t due to bad weather, inability or motivation to work but due to their fellow man. There were several instances in the book where people in powerful positions refused to see their own privilege. A chapter that sticks out to me had a discussion between a worker and land owner on how the farmer gets relief from the government but that relief doesn’t make it to migrant worker. “We pay sales tax and gas tax and tobacco tax,” this little guy says. An he says, “Farmers get four cents a cotton pound from the government - ain’t that relief?” An he says, “Railroads and shipping companies draw subsidies - ain’t that relief?” "They’re doing stuff go to be done,” the deputy says. “Well,” the little guy says, “how’d your goddamn crops get picked if it wasn’t for us?" While I enjoyed this read, it was a heavy time to read a heavy book.
Piecing me Together by Renee Watson: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was our book club pick for July, and it was a refreshing read. It’s a young adult book so it was nice to be able to pick it up and just breeze through pages. This book was about a black high schooler from Portland and the difficulties she faced from the “opportunity” of getting into a mostly white, private school. While I feel like the book was unrealistic in how perfectly things would play out, it was refreshing to read a hopeful story on race, and the struggles she faced and the outcomes that came out of the hard conversations she had. It was interesting reading this at the same time as going through Me & White Supremacy, as this book hit on some of the same topics. A big one was on white saviorism - the belief that people white people have an obligation to “save” BIPOC from their supposed inferiority and helplessness. And how often times even though it is well meaning, it leads to “fixing” a problem from the white person’s perspective without listening to and partnering with the people they intend to help. So in the end, it isn’t truly a “fix” for the community in need. An example from the book was how the mentorship program Jade was in focused on giving the girls wealthy, cultural life experiences when what they really wanted was help understanding basic life skills like how to save money and have a budget, or how to run a small business. If you’re looking for an easy, feel good read on race, this book is for you!
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(⭐️/2)
It took me a couple of months to read this book, because it had a lot of hard pills to swallow. This book is setup almost like a workbook, where each day there is a small section to read and 5-6 journaling prompts at the end. Being completely honest, just the title of this book felt a little extreme for me but I’m glad I picked it up and dug in. If you’re like me, there will probably be lot of things that are really hard to read. And a lot of the journalling prompts that were uncomfortable and hard to answer. I found myself starting on some subjects in an argument with the book. This kind of self reflect is really challenging, but extremely important. Here are some things I’ve learned from this experience:-Sometimes I’m going to make mistakes when I talk about race. That’s ok. Be ready to listen and be ready to say I’m sorry. -There is a lot that I don’t know about race (I’ve added quite a few books to my to-read list this year to learn more!).-White feminism is a thing, and I’m guilty of it. Saad referenced a ton of black feminist leaders that I’d love to learn more about. (Kimberle Crenshaw, Audre Lorde, Bell Hooks, Alice Walker, Angela Davis) If you are open to the work, I’d highly recommend this book.
Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay by Phoebe Robinson: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Y’all. I am a fan. This is a collection of essays that ranges from body image to feminism to anti-racism and blends it all together with comedy. It’s beautiful. Also what a delight to read something that makes you laugh out loud when most things you read or see online make you want to scream and/or cry. I’ve added Phoebe’s “You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain” on my to read list and can’t wait to read/listen to more of her work.