intelexualmedia
Reading List #22
Published: August 9th 2018, 11:44:20 am
I have been doing *A LOT* more reading for pleasure recently. I re-discovered how amazing GoodReads is, especially the app. It allows me to track exactly how much I've completed a book, and I love the thrill of reaching 100%. I also love the Reading Challenge. I set my bar extremely low at 25 books, and so far in the past month that I've had the app I've completed four books (three listed below). I'm so excited that I'm about to start a book club just for patrons, so be on the lookout for that soon.
Now here's a list of 9 things you should read!
1. The True Story of the ‘Free State of Jones’ (March 2016) Richard Jones
Not all white southerners wanted to fight for the confederacy. Here's a story about a group of them that actually fought against it.
Read Length: Long
2. A Black Nurse, a German Soldier and an Unlikely WWII Romance (05/13/13) Alexis Clark
Did you know that the few black nurses allowed to enlist during WWII were often made to take care of German prisoners of war? Many encountered racism... and one encountered love. Yet another example of history, you can't make this shit up.
Read Length: Short
3. In expensive cities, rents fall for the rich — but rise for the poor (8/6/18) Jeff Stein
Yes, you read that correctly.
Read Length: Short
4. Millennials are so over US domination of world affairs (7/26/18) Bruce Jentleson
Say it aint so! Is American Exceptionalism dying with our generation? Let's hope so.
Read Length: Short
5. How Enslaved Chefs Helped Shape American Cuisine (7/20/18) Kelley Fanto Deetz
A fascinating look on Black American's impact on food. A good follow-up read is Behind the Founding Foodie, a French-Trained Chef Bound By Slavery
Read Length: Short
6. Black Radicalism’s Complex Relationship with Japanese Empire (7/18/18) Mohammed Elnaiem
I had no idea about the breadth of the relationship between black intellectuals and the Japanese empire.
Japan’s newfound interest in African American affairs only blossomed. As Sakashita notes, Fumimaro Konoe, a delegate at the Paris Peace Conference and future prime minister of Japan, wrote in his book that “black rage against white persecutions and insults” were at an all-time high. Fusae Ichikawa, a Japanese woman suffragist, wrote an article about the struggle of black women, which she saw first hand after touring the country with the NAACP. She called it a “disgrace to civilization.” It’s not entirely clear why Japanese thinkers glanced across the Pacific with such concern for the U.S.’s blacks. Was it love? Solidarity? Or a pragmatic way to highlight the hypocrisy of the United States?
Read Length: Medium
7. Thanks to Trump’s Family Separations, Democrats Are in the Hot Seat for Taking Private Prison Cash (7/30/18) Madison Pauley
The whole damn system is tainted, but we knew that already.
Read Length: Medium
8. White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America (June 2016) Nancy Isenberg
One of my favorite reads of 2018 so far. It confirmed a lot of what I already knew about class and divisions between lower income whites and blacks, but added to my knowledge about quote-unquote white trash heritage and how it came to be. I'll be utilizing it in a few upcoming lessons for sure.
9. Crazy Rich Asians (June 2013) Kevin Kwan
In anticipation of the movie releasing, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I finished the gossipy summer beach read in about six hours. While its satirical and fun (and therefore doesn't take itself too seriously) I learned quite a bit about Chinese culture and history. I enjoyed it. I read the sequel, China Rich Girlfriend, as well. While still fun to read, it wasn't as good as the first one but I will still read the third book in the series.
Books I'm Reading In The Month of August:
Even though I began reading the intriguing The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and re-reading Assata by Assata Shakur and both are fucking up this schedule lol. I also devoured all the Cersei chapters in A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons by George RR Martin because I was suffering from Game of Thrones withdrawals. I know, I'm a mess.
