nomadreader

The backstory: The Blazing World  is on the 2014 Booker Prize longlist. The basics: Visual artist Harriet Burden and her work have long been in the shadow of her artist husband. When she recruits three young, male artists to show her work under their name, the men are heralded as brilliant and inventive artists. My thoughts: Hustvedt arranges this novel as a series of (fictional, obviously) texts put together in an edited volume. There are contributions from Harriet's journals; art critics; previously published interviews and reviews; narratives from her children, her therapist and best friend; people who knew the male artists; and the male artists themselves. The degree of difficulty in this novel is incredibly high. Hustvedt made me forget I was reading fiction. This novel reads like nonfiction or journalism. It often felt investigative; I wanted to see where the story ended, and I had to keep reminding myself Harriet Burden and her experiment aren't real. It's a...

The basics: This collection of personal essays from a varied collection of writers (mostly women) illuminates the a-ha moments when feminism "clicked." Edited by J. Courtney Sullivan and Courtney E. Martin, the idea for this collection arose when J. Courtney emailed a group of friends asking what their a-ha moment of feminism was so she could give a character in Commencement  ( my review ) a particularly powerful one. My thoughts: I've been meaning to read this essay collection for years, but now I'm glad I read it while I'm pregnant. A common theme running through many of these essays was the impact of a mother's (or mother's and father's) feminism on a personal embrace of the word, if not its meaning. As one half of a feminist couple about to have a baby, I kept wondering when my baby's "click" moment would be. And, yes, I also found myself browsing collections of feminist onesies as I read. One of my favorite things about this c...

The backstory: 20 Feet from Stardom  is nominated for best documentary at this year's Academy Awards (and the Independent Spirit Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, and already won the Critics Choice Award.) The basics: 20 Feet from Stardom  goes behind the scenes of the last fifty years of music to showcase the backup singers behind some of the biggest hits in pop, rock, and R&B. My thoughts: Admittedly, the description did little for me. I finally decided to see it because it keeps getting nominated for so many awards. I should have paid attention earlier because 20 Feet from Stardom  is the best documentary I've seen this year (and I've already seen fifteen.) While the description is certainly true, what makes 20 Feet from Stardom, like so many great works of art, so special are all of the other intangibles. It's not a coincidence that the backup singers are overwhelming black and female. This powerful social narrative moved me deeply. The stories of these ind...

The backstory: The Invention of Wings  is the third selection in Oprah's Book Club 2.0 . The basics: Based on the life of suffragist and abolitionist Sarah Grimke, The Invention of Wings  begins when Sarah is eleven and receives her own slave, Hetty "Handful," as a gift. Told in alternating chapters, the novel explores the lives of both Sarah and Handful. My thoughts: As soon as I heard Sue Monk Kidd's new novel was based on the life of Sarah Grimke, I was eager to read it. I've long been fascinated by Grimke and wrote papers on her in college (yes, I took the time to find and re-read those papers after I finished this novel.) When Oprah chose it for her book club, I was thrilled. I hope this novel brings the life and work of Sarah Grimke to more people. Because of my familiarity with Grimke, I initially found the novel's pace a bit slow. I appreciated the insight into her childhood, but I was eager for the action to move along to where I knew it was g...

The backstory: Jessica Valenti founded feministing , a blog I read long before I started this one. The basics: Why Have Kids? A New Mom Explores the Truth About Parenting and Happiness  is more true to its subtitle than its title. Valenti combines her own experience as a new mom with research to convey the realities of modern parenthood, including the negative parts. My thoughts: I have clear answers to the question "why have kids?" and its opposite. In the pro column, I believe our child would make the world a better place, whether it be in a large or small way. In the con column, there's the cost, emotionally and financially. I know Mr. Nomadreader and I would be happy taking either track in life; both options would allow us to do things we couldn't do otherwise, and both will leave us feel as though we're missing out. Both would be good choices, and I expected Why Have Kids?  to dive into the complicated intellectual and emotional arguments for and again...

The basics:  "Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential." (from publisher) My thoughts: I chose to use the publisher's description because it's not the kind of book I would normally read (or enjoy), based on its description. Yet I kept hearing trusted friends and colleagues rave about it, so I decided to give it a try. And I am so, so glad I did. Not only did I like it, I loved it. I loved it so much I think it should be required reading for anyone. Period. Hear me out, my fellow nonfiction and business book ...

The backstory: As a huge fan of Tina Fey's work in television and film (I miss you like crazy, 30 Rock! ), I was eager to see how her memoir/advice/humor book would fare. On the recommendation of Florinda at The 3 R's blog (among others), I opted to listen to the audio version, which Fey narrates herself. The basics: Fey recounts her life and work with humor and a few tips for women. My thoughts: One of the things I loved most about Tina Fey's performance reading this books were the little ways she adapted the text to clearly reference the audio. At times it was less obvious, such as when she referenced the audiobook you are listening to rather than the book you are holding. At other times, though, Fey would clearly deviate from the book to offer audio listeners an aside, particularly when referencing the photographs (which you get as a pdf with the audiobook. Fey is often prone to self-deprecating humor, but in Bossypants  she reserves most of that humor for her chi...

The backstory: Commencement  was one of my book club's July picks. The basics: Commencement  tells the story of four friends, Celia, Sally, Bree and April, who met at Smith College and remained best friends as life took them in different directions after graduation. The four meet again at Smith for Sally's wedding and the novel unfolds in the present, as well as through flashbacks of their time at Smith. My thoughts: There's a feeling I get sometimes when I read that the writer gets me.  I don't only read to not feel alone in this world, but I celebrate when I come across a book that leaves me internally shouting, "yes!" in reaction to a character or a passage of writing. I lost count of how many times I felt affirmed by both her writing and her characters. J. Courtney Sullivan is one of those writers I celebrate, and although Commencement  is not a perfect novel, it was an utterly delightful reading experience from its first pages: "It was a hab...

The backstory: The Sealed Letter , originally published in the U.S. and Canada in 2008, was released in the UK last year and was longlisted for the 2012 Orange Prize . The basics: Tracing the troubled marriage and divorce trial of the Codringtons, The Sealed Letter  is the story of women's roles in marriage and life in 1860's England. Emily Faithfull, a first wave feminist belovedly referred to as Fido, is a dear friend of Mrs. Codrington and finds her personal and professional reputations compromised in the ensuing drama. My thoughts: After reading and utterly adoring Room ( my review ), I was curious to read Emma Donoghue's historical fiction and see how it compared. I was immediately captivated by the setting, London in 1864, and with Fido. Donoghue is a wonderful writer of character descriptions: "What in another woman would strike Fido as hyperbole has in Helen Codrington always charmed her, somehow. The phrases are delivered with a sort of rueful merrimen...

The backstory: In the Last Analysis  is the first mystery in the Kate Fansler series written under the pseudonym Amanda cross. When Rose City Reader reviewed the second mystery in the series, The James Joyce Murder , I was intrigued enough to try this series. The basics: Kate Fansler is a literature professor at Columbia. When a student, Janet Harrison, of hers asks Kate for a recommendation for a psychoanalyst, Kate recommends her dear friend Emmanuel. When Janet is found dead on Emmanuel's couch,  he is the prime suspect. Kate never doubts his innocence, and she throws herself into the case when she believes the police aren't considering alternative suspects. My thoughts: I instantly enjoyed Kate as a character: "As is the unfortunate habit of the literary person, she already imagined herself retelling this extraordinary event." Although in the Last Analysis  is a mystery, the mystery is not always the focus of the novel. Kate still has to teach, research and a...

The backstory: Many people recommended Bound , one of Sally Gunning's previous novels to me, but I never got around to reading it because I seem to favor newly released books . When the chance to read Gunning's latest novel appeared, however, I eagerly said, yes please! The basics: Jane Clarke is an intrepid young woman in 1769 in Satucket (Cape Cod), Massachusetts. Her rebellion begins when she decides not to marry the man her father wants her to. Her father sends her to Boston to take care of her aunt, and Jane finds herself in the midst of a political battle. My thoughts: This book could just as easily be called The Rebellions of Jane Clarke  or  The Rebellious Jane Clarke  because there are indeed several rebellions depending on one's perspective. To a modern reader, however, the title suits because her rebellion exists in the context of her world. Jane is an interesting character. She lives a rather isolated life, in both Satucket and Boston. The first fifty page...