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Feminist Fables by Suniti Namjoshi In an interview with Meena Kandasamy, Suniti Namjoshi said, “Feminist Fables sought to question social assumptions and subvert the male-dominated literary tradition.” This collection of short stories has become a kind of modern classic. It is an amalgamation of Greek and Sanskrit mythology, skillfully packaged with Namjoshi’s own interpretations. She has also used stories from Anderson’s Fairy Tales, Aesop’s Fables, and Panchatantra. In this book, Namjoshi talks about women fighting for self-actualization, equity, and autonomy....

It should be noted that there is a stark lack of representation of women and authors of color in the publishing of books about homelessness, an especially concerning thing when marginalized people are at a disproportionate risk of housing instability due to centuries of discriminatory housing practices and social policies that continue today. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn Flynn’s memoir traces his life from his childhood with a single mother who left his alcoholic father when he was young, to adolescent involvement in crime and, finally, his time as a caseworker at a shelter in Boston....

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan In this epic novel, 11-year-old enslaved Washington “Wash” Black is jolted into adventure when he is chosen to accompany his master’s brother on a long scientific voyage. Unsure of what to expect, Wash finds himself experiencing everything from the icy North to the tropical Caribbean to impossibilities he could have never imagined. When a bounty is placed on Wash’s head for someone else’s crime, his new master vows to save him....

Last year saw their first film with non-white leads. This year, two films look to incorporate Hanukkah into the otherwise Christmas-centric film universe. Still, there is still a ways to go for Hallmark Christmas movies to better reflect cultural diversity. Luckily, these romance novels with at least one POC lead character are right there just waiting to be adapted into Hallmark Christmas movies! Holiday by Candlelight by Laurel Greer Dr....

In a Daze Work: A Pick-Your-Path Journey Through the Daily Grind by Siobhan Gallagher This whimsical book is a playful new spin on the minute and mundane decisions that make up your daily life. Each flip of the page puts you in control of the story: Will you stay in or go out? Do you wake up or sleep in? More importantly, where will your decisions take you? Bringing humor and sly self-reflection to the humdrum details of adulthood with hand-drawn illustrations and sharp wit, this relatable visual journey will help you find the extraordinary (or at least hilarious) moments in any day of the week....

I’m tired of winter weather, as I am sure all of you are. One of the things that keeps me going through these cold months is the thought of flowers coming up soon and beginning my garden. There are plenty of beautiful children’s books about flowers, including some that really dive deep into flower anatomy and scientific discovery. Here are some of my favorites!

Are you interested in reading more essays? Check out this list of short essay collections, great essay collections by women, and these 100 must-read essay collections.

As someone who is, let’s say, a bit timid, I love the safety net to exploration and excitement that an adventure novel provides me. Generally speaking, books are safe—at least compared to the realities of the world. While the characters of interest hang in the balance, I can always slip a bookmark between the pages of an overly stimulating summer adventure novel. Let Pi hang out with Richard Parker for a few beats longer while I catch my breath....

As someone who is currently drowning in his massive TBR pile, I’ve wished more than once I could learn how to read faster overnight. No matter how fast of a reader you are, though, I’m willing to bet that at some point in your life you’ve wished you could read even faster. It’s an age-old dilemma for everyone, really: so many books, so little time. How can you get through them more quickly?...

I was also fascinated by the stories of non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to help their neighbors. Many of the people profiled in the books below are honored as Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Veshem in Israel. Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally Most people have seen Steven Spielberg’s powerful adaptation of this book. Originally published as Schindler’s Ark, the book is at least as compelling as the movie....

Here, in no particular order, are 50 must-read and best medical books. I like to think that if you devour reruns of ER and House, that you’ll like these, too. They’re mostly books about medicine that are nonfiction, with fiction marked with a (*) and forthcoming books marked (**). What do you think are the best medical books? Want to learn even more about the subject? Check out “100 Must-Read Books About The History of Medicine....

title: “503 Service Temporarily Unavailable” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-20” author: “Audrey Joseph” title: “503 Service Temporarily Unavailable” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-21” author: “Robert Tignor”

One of the reasons I do this is to try to get in the holiday spirit. Truthfully, I tend to be more of a Scrooge, but I have a young, empathetic son. So I actively work to get into the spirit for him, rather than drag him down to my adult-ish holiday funk. One way I do this is by reading holiday related books. My Goodreads profile is flooded with these types of books from Thanksgiving until the first week of January....

What people call Baby sign is actually adapted from American Sign Language (ASL), a visual language used by deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing signers alike. It is a language in its own right; one that is much more than just gestures or ways to spell words visually. If this is new information to you, you may find it helpful to read the Donders Institute’s blog post on Sign Language myths or the U....

Jade, Jenny, Mads, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of—until the night of Jade’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Jade as their next target. They picked the wrong girl. Sworn to vengeance, Jade transfers to St. Andrew’s Prep. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one....

Kids naturally love learning, if it’s presented to them in an age-appropriate, play-based way. Kids are constantly learning through play, reading, talking—you name it. My son loves books, so it’s also been really nice to find books to have at home that complement whatever he’s doing in preschool. When he recognizes something they did in school, his face lights up because he remembers it from before. (Plus, I admit, I’m learning things, too, which is neat)....

Here’s a list of six audiobooks of different genres tied together by being great short listens. Also check out 6 Under 6: Quick and Engrossing Audiobooks Under 6 Hours for more recs! The audiobook is narrated by the author. You can hear how much he cares about the cause. In his tone and examples, you hear how he struggles to do his part but tries a little everyday. If you want to understand more about the climate crisis but don’t know wear to start, this book can be a good introduction....

I could do a long post about how female characters are drawn in comics: how they conform to narrow and fleeting beauty standards, how they emphasize physical beauty over physical strength, how female characters with traditionally “masculine” or “unattractive” traits are treated versus those who are more “feminine,” and so on. Or I could just introduce you to some super buff super-ladies. Let’s go with the latter. Not only are these ladies built like tanks, they will not hesitate to steamroll you if you so much as breathe funny....

His books include Tortuga: A Novel; Anaya’s most well-know work, Bless Me, Ultima; and The Sonny Bacas Novels – Rio Grande Fall is the second book in the series. In it, P.I. Sonny Baca’s investigating an accident that he thinks is murder in parallel worlds. He also wrote many plays and children’s books, per NEH. Did you know? An elementary school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been named after the author....

Here’s the thing: they don’t. At least not like this. Of all the homeschoolers and unschoolers I know, none of them have a school day that is 9–3 or anything remotely like that. They don’t do every subject every day, and they usually only spend a couple hours on “lessons.” The rest of the day is exploration, self-directed study or play, or projects. Prior to COVID-19, all the homeschoolers I know went on field trips, they took dance or sports lessons, they went to the library several times a week, and had meetups with other homeschoolers....