“Oh Gosh. How do I explain all of my thoughts on this beautiful story? Okay well — It’s my favorite book from my childhood. It was something my father used to read to me as a kid, so its extremely linked to the beginnings of my love for literature. Beyond the connection to my childhood, it’s just this gorgeous story of extremely complex and beautiful female characters. They’re complicated, dynamic, flawed, and so lovable. The story shows real life tragedies and hardship, but not particularly in a way that takes away from the strength and power of the women. I think from an academic and writer standpoint as well — looking at the time this story took place and when it was written — that’s a very powerful statement. Obviously, it’s one story of a bunch of white ( potentially all straight, but I will fight people on this ) women. So many times, popular stories of underrepresented individuals rely on extremely lazy and problematic tropes. I mean — look at all the popular movies about queer individuals that have one of them die in the end, or the fact that the only Oscar nominated movie with a Black main actor was a story about slavery. This story didn’t. I’m really looking forward to see these new writers and novels, that, like Little Women and Alcott, are able to break through and tell the stories we often don’t hear. Real stories that are beautiful and tragic and complex. Swing by Hailey’s Comet Monday through Wednesday from nine to four if you want some recommendations.”
