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Welcome to my hands-down, no-contest favorite month of the year. It's easy to start thinking about endings. The end of this month? My favorite holiday. We're in the final quarter of the year as 2021 is hurtling towards us. Many politicians' careers will be ending soon (from both parties.) But this month, I wanted to think about starting.
In many ways, life feels like it's been on pause since March. Sure, we found some at-home workouts, baked literally all the sourdough, and downloaded (but never opened) Duolingo. But for most of us, if we're honest with ourselves, those were distractions as we hoped that our 'old normal' would return soon. But maybe it's time to make the world as we'd like it and not just reset to what life was like in February, treating the last 7 months as though they didn't exist.
But how? How do we start?
I can't answer how for you, but I do know when: now. This month, I've got three books to help jump-start conversations in each of three areas that could really use a new normal, an unexpected perspective on the diminutive titan we lost last month, and a reverse primer on the internet (think of it as a follow-up from last month's book).
You don't have to be ready. You just have to start.
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What I'm Reading (x3!)
Tressie McMillan Cottom
Dr. Cottom shares her in-depth research on who for-profit colleges are "for" and how they operate. This was fascinating.
Alex Gino
This is categorized as a YA book, so I was mostly expecting (and this is telling of my own biases) a fairly tidy account about an LGBTQIA+ student going through a reasonably standard/relatable process of questioning and wondering as they try to understand their identity in this world. And I am really happy to be wrong. This is a wonderfully complex story that starts giving language to the conversations we want to have, but don't know where to start.
Ijeoma Oluo
A handbook for everyone, no matter how comfortable (or uncomfortable) you feel about having conversations about race. It's frank, it's clear-eyed, and it's extremely practical. One of my personal favorite strategies is not just saying, "that's racist," but explaining how that comment/belief is perpetuating systemic racism. From the book: "Why are black people always late?" isn't just racist, it contributes to systemic and chronic underemployment and race-based employment discrimination.
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Around the Web
Margaret Carlson
I'm sure over the last couple of weeks, you've read (and watched) plenty about 'the Notorious RBG.' Seemingly, many have focused on how she's a 'liberal icon' and a 'great feminist.' But maybe it's time to step back and get a wider lens for RBG's actual vision for the role of law in shaping our daily lives? As two quick examples, it's worth noting that she thought Roe v. Wade was a mistake, not in the ruling but in pushing on that issue too hard, too fast without setting up a scaffold of precedent. In 1998 as part of her nomination and confirmation, this approach was called "too conservative" and she was labeled an "incrementalist."
Take a few minutes to read, perhaps from a surprising source, a slightly more contextualized picture of 'the Great Dissenter.'
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Just for fun
You can certainly enjoy this video on its own terms or you can appreciate how well it has integrated multiple facets of internet culture. Dog + Doge speak + Karen + food reviews + ASMR. Bet you didn't have that on your 2020 Bingo card...
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