As a preteen, Roxane Gay experienced horrific sexual trauma perpetrated by a group of neighborhood boys. Hunger is a memoir about how her body was used and exploited and what has happened to her body since. Her writing is candid and open about the reasons she’s gained weight as a result of her trauma. She also shares what it’s like to navigate a world that cares little for folks they deem overweight.
This book has so much to say about sexual assault, trauma, how society treats larger bodies, and believing women’s stories. Here is some expanded material on these themes…
Finally, one of my favorite things about Roxane Gay is that she’s a prolific reader! So, if you want even MORE extended reading after Hunger, there’s no better person to turn to than the woman herself…
HERE she breaks down her 2018 in Reading and Writing. So there’s a TON of material to pore through to find your next great read. Enjoy!
Last week, we learned a bit more about the author of The True Memoirs of Little K. I shared some of her other books, and a few interviews, which hopefully highlighted how Adrienne Sharp’s experience with ballet strengthens her fiction.
Today, I’d like to offer some extended reading about the historical context of our current book. While the work is fiction, it is based on fact. Mathilde Kschessinska is an actual person and her place in history is well documented. Let’s learn a bit more…
Last week, we learned a bit more about Kamala Harris by way of some additional content. I linked to interviews, articles, and videos that I hoped would help further your understanding of this political powerhouse.
Today, I’d like to use Kamala’s story as inspiration for other stories and messages I think are worthy of our examination. Below, you’ll find books about politics, fierce female leaders, feminism, and justice. Add these to your reading list if you drew power from The Truths We Hold. I think you’ll find their pages have a similar effect.
I’ve also included a round-up of documentaries that serve as excellent supplemental material for Kamala’s book. Watch the trailers and choose what looks most interesting. (Or watch all six!)
Finally, there’s a playlist of Kamala’s favorite jams (for our musically inclined readers) and a call to action to get involved with your favorite 2020 hopeful. Enjoy!
Get the deets on ALL the 2020 presidential hopefuls! Read as much you can and stay informed on the issues. Look into what they’ve done and what they’re promising to do.
Find one you like? Get involved! This can be as simple as talking to friends about why you’re down for this particular person or as involved as hosting watch parties & volunteering with their campaign office.
Today, I thought I’d share some resources that I’ve found incredibly inspiring and informative on my own “menstrual cycle optimization” journey! If you’ve read WomanCode and want to dig deeper, these links are definitely for you. BUT — they’re also for those of you who HAVEN’T read the book. (My reading list is mile’s long and sometimes a topic interests me long before I have time to crack the spine of a book on the subject, ya dig?)
So, whether you’ve read WomanCode or just popped it on your Amazon wish-list for later, let’s dive in…
Understanding Your Inner Seasons – a 90 min video class (Note: This really helped me conceptualize the cycle phases by thinking of them as the four seasons.)
Incorporate a new recipe for the different phases of your cycle — FOLLICULAR // MENSTRUAL // OVULATORY // LUTEAL (Note: There’s a specific recipe for each phase but each video also points out other optimal foods for the phase and the info is garnered straight from WomanCode!)
Journal your cycle — HERE are some free resources to help!
…and for more experiences, stay tuned to FindingDelight.com. Part 3 of this series will feature a 3-day meal plan for each cycle phase and Part 4 will show you how to make a cycle syncing calendar!
Last week, we learned a bit more about the man behind Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower. (Well, the author, Tom Krattenmaker. Not Jesus. LOL) I shared some of his other work, and a few interviews, which hopefully placed the book in the broader context of why Krattenmaker, again and again, finds himself turning to the figure of Jesus.
Today, I’d like to widen the horizons of that context even further and offer some extended reading. Perhaps these pieces will bolster the book’s argument for where to find inspiration and input in your own life, perhaps not. Either way, I hope they are illuminating.
I must admit, Krattenmaker’s NOTES section made the process of discovering “further reading” super easy. Most of what follows was pulled from those pages; I selected the ones I felt best broadened the scope of each chapter and linked them for you here…
* QUICK INTERMISSION *
So much to read and take in, amirite? How about a little break in the action for some tunes! Click HERE for my Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower playlist on Spotify. 🙂
For a greater understanding of the “urban age” discussed in Chapter 6– America’s Urban Future
Ok, that should keep us all busy for a bit. Happy reading!
And, one more time,…here’s the link to the Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower SPOTIFY PLAYLIST.Enjoy!
Happy Friday, Delight seekers! I hope you all have had a fantastic week. My sister, Beth, asked me to step in this month for the extended reading portion of her virtual book club! As a self-professed expert and undercover anthropologist of the adolescent and teenage psyche, I jumped at the offer to put my knowledge to good use.
Why undercover, you ask? Well, it’s not difficult to see that I can slip into the world of teenagers very easily. I look young. Just last weekend I was asked if I would prefer a child’s menu at a restaurant. In one month I will begin playing a role which is a whopping 10 years my junior. I get carded every time I try to go to an R-rated movie. Therefore, it is incredibly easy for me to slip into the pubescent mind set and see firsthand the effects it could have on an individual. I can’t even count the number of times I got the up and down look from high school girls at the mall while shopping for an Easter dress just yesterday afternoon! Being a 23 year old woman, it didn’t affect me (“Honey, in 8 years you’ll want to wear an old man sweater, too,” my mind said with a hearty chuckle…), but imagine if I had been the 16 year old that they believed they were judging! It could tear a girl down! I am using this research and my own experiences to write a musical about a girl’s battle to find her true self. And we all know that I am utterly obsessed with coming of age stories. I believe they are one of the great human connections that bring us together as a species, because every one of us has gone through the trying time that is adolescence. Therefore, reading this book has been a (wait for it…) DELIGHT, and I would be honored to share with you some extended reading to further enhance your experience and knowledge. Let us journey together through the cafeteria fringe…
Let’s start with some further reading about the book and Robbins’ Quirk Theory from around the web:
An interview with Robbins on Live Science, an educational website targeted at students.
A review on the book by New York Times reviewer and Journalism professor, Jessica Bruder.
Not feeling like cracking the spine of a novel? That’s ok too:
Non-fiction:
Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman – The book that launched a thousand gifs by inspiring the CLASSIC movie, Mean Girls. Forever one of my favorite works of cinematic genius. Thank you, Tina Fey.
Poetry:
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan – I read this collection of poems while I was performing Spring Awakening every night…talk about getting me in the right state of mind! Angst! Heartbreak! Drama!
Plays:
Spring’s Awakening by Frank Wedekind – I could write a 30 page paper about…oh wait. I did that my senior year of high school. Just read it and then listen to the cast recording of Spring Awakening the musical and let your inner 14 year old laugh and cry along. Because it really is just the bitch of living.
And finally, Alexandra Robbins has many more books for you to read, because life actually does go on after high school! I know which one I’m checking out of the library next:
Happy reading, and CONGRATULATIONS! If you’re reading this, I am proud of you. Why? Because you got through the trying time that is adolescence. It was probably really hard. It probably changed how you acted and how you viewed yourself. You probably lost friends. You probably felt some really intense and angsty things, and probably acted on them. But you made it, and you became an incredible, ever changing human being.
-KT
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Thanks so much, Katie! Wanna get involved in the Finding delight. book club? Email me: ebeth.berger@gmail.com. Let’s talk books! ❤ And tune in next week for my final review.
Our journey towards discovering a positive female road narrative is almost complete. The summit is on the horizon! If you’d like to catch up, you can learn more about the lack of this particular literary genre here, get the book here and participate in some extended watching here. Today, I’d like to bring you some extended reading in the form of articles, interviews and blogs, as well as some book recommendations to keep you moving forward in our quest towards setting the precedent for women on the road to appear in American literature in a heroic light.
…and the inspiring Wikipedia page of Ida Laura Pfeiffer; Austrian, solo female round-the-world explorer and travel writer. (For those of you who enjoy going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole!)
Appalachian Trail ~ An Extraordinary Hike (this solo female hiker did not summit Mt. Katahdin but I still think her blog is an awesome account of a lady setting off on her own and a powerful example that our journeys don’t always lead to our intended destinations.)
Next week I will be writing a final review of “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” by Cheryl Strayed.
AND…
all this reading and research about travel and hiking, along with the smell of Spring in the air, has me itching for a hiking trip. Do you have any trail recommendations? Long or short, near or far–I’d love to hear!
Finding delight. 