Banned books, your v-jay-jay, & ted lasso
It’s ~spooky~ szn. October. So for people who actually enjoy horror movies this is for you! (not me) Sherin and I might dress up on the PowerPuff Girls this Halloween so get ready. ;)
Anyway, this week my life consisted of Lion Babe (give em’ a listen! #thisisnotanad), improv (YAS, i’m taking a weekly two hour class folks), Reservation Dogs (watch on hulu!) crisp fall air, Only Murders in the Building (I know off brand but it’s funny and good, s/o Selena Gomez), Ted Lasso (I was wondering why Ted Lasso literally won so many emmys (7 to be exact) and now I see why. Rebecca and Roy are two fav characters), and as always some good ole fashion reflection. I also met up with one of my managers and she brought up Women Code Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source by Alisa Vitti and it was nice to hear that there is a reason why I was sad, laying on the floor crying, listening to Adele for no real reason last week but this week i’m on Cloud 9 because of flow. But also a friendly reminder that “they’re on their period” is never a sanctioned response to anything.
The last week of September is also…...Banned Books Week, which also aligns with our values! Banned Books Week started in 1982 in response to institutions banning books that are “unorthodox or unpopular”. A lot of independent bookstores have separate sections about banned books. Think: when an airline or multiple airlines offered Booksmart but cut the bathroom sex scene. A banned scene if you will. A bunch of bullshit. Some of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020 included Stamped: Racism, Anti Racism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. (TELLING!)
xoxo
Books where you save yourself, Bird of Paradise How I Became Latina A Memoir by Raquel Cepeda, another great coming of age story featuring Cepeda who talks about her transient life as a kid to how she grew up to be a resilient force of nature to how society portrayed/she consumed media around Latina women. Cepeda opens up a transparent conversation of her journey through self awareness, trauma, and struggle. Often, it’s hard to look back at the darkest parts of your life and in this memoir she’s able to revisit those in a beautiful reflective way. The book is broken up into two parts and she shares the stories of her immediate family, how their narratives impacted her story.
Read if: you’ve ever asked yourself the question, who am I?
Not your typical eat pray love, This is How You Vagina by Nicole E. Williams, MD, Dr. Nicole E. Williams is a gynecologist and is the sex education teacher we always wanted in high school. All kidding aside, she breaks down the vag-ay in an easy to read book (with pictures) to understand the vagina. We don’t learn enough about our bodies and anatomy until we’re older. Similar to another book, Pussy Power, knowledge is power--let’s get to know our vaginas. She opened her Gynecology Institute of Chicago in July 2013. We love to see it.
Read if: You want to get to know your vagina a bit better.
On trend, Dominicana by Erika Martinez; we actually are in the middle of hispanic heritage month (September 15-October 15) so I think it's super important to give space to those stories-not just this month but every day. Dominicana focuses on Ana as she grows up in rural Dominican Republic, to a married teenager navigating a new life in New York City with a husband who is twice her age. The book explores the fight for freedom on various planes and the limits a girl’s life can be based on familial expectations.
Read if: you want to see the flowers and thorns of migration
Books I wish I read in high school, Misfits: A Personal Manifesto by Michaela Coel, I love Coel. She created I May Destroy You and sees things *clearly,* which really is a miracle that few people possess. She has now come out with her debut nonfiction book about her life: growing up in London, recognizing trauma, dealing with the beast of fame. Something tells me this is a book best devoured in two days and when you’re feeling a little raw.
Read if: sometimes it's nice to hear that life can be conquered, that this is a moment and that the best stories are the one you can look back on like Coel and say I fucking did that and I’m able to reflect with maturity about how hard that shit was.
Decolonize your mind, Sex at the Margins: Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry by Laura María Agustin, I was listening to the podcast “Why Won’t You Date Me” and she interviewed two escorts (one male, Troy and another woman, Alexis) and it made me think more about the streotypes we Sex Work. (have you seen the Hulu documentary about Only Fans?) Before the shut down of March 2020, I went to a great event in the city around Sex Workers of the World, Unite SO it made me think about books we can read that decolonize our mind about sex work. There are a lot of great organizations out there that protect the rights and safety of sex workers.
Read if: you know sex work is work.
Local bookshop spotlight: Casa Camino Real Book Store & Art Gallery, I love a bookstore that doubles as a creative beacon and community space. If you’re in Las Cruces, New Mexico--check out this bookstore! They celebrate and highlight the arts in the borderland region of New Mexico. They also are an active part of the community. For example, they held a Crayola-thon for children when they are traveling to family in the US.