Millions of women served in WWII, in official and unofficial capacities. (My mother was one of them.) The book takes a look at about 15 of them. (But,Millions of women served in WWII, in official and unofficial capacities. (My mother was one of them.) The book takes a look at about 15 of them. (But, sadly, does NOT include my mom.)
The stories, and the photos, took a tremendous volume of research. Some of these women were spies, pilots, nurses, interned in concentration camps, code breakers, romance writers, and more. They saved lives, helped smuggle Jewish people (and their fortunes) out of Germany and other Nazi controlled areas, got the backlog of mail and goodies to US servicemen, which was a huge boost to morale.
They were Jewish, white, Black, Native American. Everyone who is glad for the defeat of Nazi Germany owes a debt of gratitude to these sheroes. They often took on important roles in beginning companies or serving on corporate boards, after their formal service had ended.
My only quibble is that I found it hard to sink into the writing of the stories. The writing isn't BAD, it just didn't draw me in as much as I'd hoped. YMMV....more
She begins by separating people into two groups: those who would happily eat peaches, and peach pies, etc, from a tree growing on the edge of a graveyShe begins by separating people into two groups: those who would happily eat peaches, and peach pies, etc, from a tree growing on the edge of a graveyard, and those who would NOT.
I love her novels, especially The Proud Breed, which is SO California. So I was excited to finally pick up a copy of this. Ordered from secondhand bookstores several times before finally receiving it.
It was super-interesting, referencing lots of places most Angelenos know. Victorville, Los Angeles, Glendale. And she's always been a great writer.
But I found it very sad. Ranch life, especially in the high desert, is HARD. And reading between the lines, there was much tension between many family member. Her brother dies young, of cancer; several pets and horses die, and the ranch way of life itself, has died, or is dying. The author herself died of complications of lupus erythematosus about ten years after this was published.
So, it's good, but it also makes me sad. YMMV....more
This memoir/informational book about boobs, and boob culture, has SO much I could relate to. I, too, learned about women's bodies and sexy jokes from This memoir/informational book about boobs, and boob culture, has SO much I could relate to. I, too, learned about women's bodies and sexy jokes from my father's Playboy magazines. I, too, waited for my breasts to come in, with great impatience.
Each chapter is very personal, but book-ended with nuggets of information. I loved that part of it; even if you didn't care to read what the author shared about her own life and journey, even just skimming the end-notes would make it worth the price of admission.
There were parts that were different for me. Mother Nature came through with the milk jugs, so rather than wondering if boys/men would like me better if I had bigger breasts, my wondering was whether they saw ME, at all, or just my tits. My Breast Cancer Lite was very different, too. And I know that for women in our age group who are Black, Indigenous, Asian, or Latinx, or trans, their journeys growing up and/or dealing with breast cancer or cultural expectations, was very different.
Even so, I believe there is a lot here that any American woman can relate to, and yes, our culture IS obsessed with boobs. Either showing 'em off, or hiding them, and that aspect is well worth exploring. The author writes with a wry sense of humor I very much appreciated. Recommended.
3.5 stars. Every book on Anne Boleyn and the Tudors has a different take, and it's so interesting to see what they agree on, and where they differ. On3.5 stars. Every book on Anne Boleyn and the Tudors has a different take, and it's so interesting to see what they agree on, and where they differ. One of the most credited contemporary sources from this era is Spanish ambassador Eustace Chapuys, but each author accepts or rejects various of his reports, based on their own reasoning as to why it's probably true, or, not so much.
This author starts out rather angry in tone, but becomes more analytical toward the end. Their opinion seems to be that Anne was a stronger reformer than she is given credit for, and THAT was the main reason Henry had her executed. Of course, they also peg Henry VIII as a sociopath, rather than this being a story of True Love Gone Wrong, and I have to agree 100% there.
Real love means never ordering your wife's head chopped off (and he did it more than once). He also never blinked an eye at having some of his childhood companions executed as well, to keep up the pretense. Who DOES that, besides a sociopath?
I think it's possible this author's take, that Anne was more of a reformer than we realize, is spot on. It is also possible that some of the other Tudor authors are closer to the truth; truly hard to tell from the vantage point of 500 years. ...more
I picked this work up because I wanted to broaden my reading of Black History, and this book certainly does that.
Dick Gregory was a comedian, a nutritI picked this work up because I wanted to broaden my reading of Black History, and this book certainly does that.
Dick Gregory was a comedian, a nutritional advisor, and a friend to many prominent Black Americans, including Muhammed Ali, and others. A storyteller. But his storytelling here is meant to be from a Black man, to other Black people. When he says "we" and "our history," I know, as a white lady, that isn't meant to include me. Those of us who are white, or otherwise not Black, can gather around the fire and listen to his discourse - but don't expect it to be sugarcoated to save our sensibilities, because it isn't.
I could quibble about a few things, like his defenses of Bill Cosby, for example, but I'm not taking off any stars for that. Certainly white storytellers sometimes stretch the facts or have strong opinions with which I don't always agree.
I recommend this for Black folks, and for white folks who can stand NOT being centered, or treated with deference (for a change)....more
One of the most brilliant books I've ever read. It's very well laid out, very easy to read (writing-style wise, NOT content-wise).
The historical conteOne of the most brilliant books I've ever read. It's very well laid out, very easy to read (writing-style wise, NOT content-wise).
The historical content, the DELIBERATENESS of the way the USA has "othered" our Black citizens from the beginning, is shameful and gut-wrenching. And the horrors of slavery itself, which has long been whitewashed and hidden.
CASTE, not race, is what still rules us. It's why despite being multi-millionaires, Black pro athletes and entertainers are pulled over by cops much more often than white people. It's why an hysterical white girl *visiting* a hotel felt entitled to accuse a Black teen hotel GUEST of stealing her phone, and actually assaulted him. Black and brown citizens are assumed to be more guilty, less trustworthy, than random white person, not because of economic class, but because of CASTE.
It's a system we all grew up in, were trained in, so the way we behave by default is not entirely our fault. It is also a system we can change. Do we have the courage? ...more
I absolutely loved the movie, and as someone who almost always likes the books better than the movies, I expected to love the book.
I am simply not suI absolutely loved the movie, and as someone who almost always likes the books better than the movies, I expected to love the book.
I am simply not sure I am smart enough to fully appreciate this book. I LIKED it, a lot, but there was so much detail in there about the development of the Langley engineering departments and the technical aspects of testing the planes that simply flew over my head.
The HISTORY was fascinating, from the areas where Black people were allowed to live, and vacation, and what was going on with the civil rights movement. I really enjoyed that part, as well as the stories about the women of West Computing. Of course, there wasn't a Kevin Costner "white savior" type who smashed down the Coloured bathroom signs; the women just went where they needed to go. While there was, for a while, a "coloured" sign in the cafeteria indicating where the Black women were supposed to sit, it was one of the women herself who would fold up the sign and put it in her purse. Eventually, someone at Langley just stopped putting it out there.
It's really hard to write about such complicated subjects as the entire Civil Rights movement, the development of the space program, AND the individual lives of 3-4-50 women, over the course of the late 1930's through the early 1970's. I felt most interested when the women were onstage, and struggled when it went into techie stuff about wind tunnels and pages and pages of mathematical calculations. To someone else, those details might be their catnip.
I'm really glad this author wrote the book, and that we know, now, about so many of these brilliant women, not just Dorothy Vaughn and Katherine Johnson, remarkable as they were. And I wish I had a fraction of their intelligence, to better appreciate this work....more
This is a gorgeous and informative book. Although I was lucky enough to visit musee D'Orsay in 2018, there was so much I didn't get to see or read aboThis is a gorgeous and informative book. Although I was lucky enough to visit musee D'Orsay in 2018, there was so much I didn't get to see or read about. While mainly this coffeetable-sized book is photographs of the works of art, divided into the architecture and design of the building, the paintings (the largest section), sculptures, other media (chalk, pencil, water color) and other objects, there is plenty of text to explain the history of each section. As well as text to explain each photograph and its artist. Really enjoyed it. ...more
3.5 stars. This truly covers the period from when the Titanic was first being planned and constructed, to recent (2000's) laws and resolutions to prot3.5 stars. This truly covers the period from when the Titanic was first being planned and constructed, to recent (2000's) laws and resolutions to protect the wreck site.
I'm a Titanic buff - for whatever reason, stories and photos and movies about this ship fascinate me, and I've read an ocean liner full of them, more or less. Even so, there were some new-to-me details here.
If you love Titanic, or, if you don't have time/energy to read an entire shipload of books, this covers the story quite thoroughly, though at some points it felt a bit bogged down in minutiae. ...more
It's not true that this book made me angry. What IS true is that it showed me: anger is a healthy, reasonable response to all the crap I, and all otheIt's not true that this book made me angry. What IS true is that it showed me: anger is a healthy, reasonable response to all the crap I, and all other women, have to put up with.
And I was already angry.
"Anger has a bad rap, but it is actually one of the most hopeful and forward thinking of all our emotions. It begets transformation, manifesting our passion and keeping us invested in the world. It is a rational and emotional response to trespass, violation, and moral disorder. It bridges the divide between what 'is' and what 'ought' to be, between a difficult past and an improved possibility. Anger warns us viscerally of violation, threat, and insult."
Women are continually attacked - sexually, via medical professionals who don't LISTEN to us, by being paid less in the workplace, by taken less seriously... Everywhere.
"When a man becomes angry in an argument or debate, people are more likely to abandon their own positions and defer to his. But when a woman acts the same way, she’s likely to elicit the opposite response."
"Girls, admonished to use 'nicer' voices three times more often than boys are, learn to prioritize the needs and feelings of people around them; often this means ignoring their own discomfort, resentment, or anger."
This exhaustively documented work looks at many different viewpoints, from Rosa Parks, who said she wasn't especially tired that day, just tired of being treated as lesser (i.e. ANGRY) to Tarana Burke and the #MeToo movement, to the ways racism and ableism impacts misogyny. It and takes on the many different angles from which women are silenced, told to be nice, from in-your-face rape and death threats, to benevolent sexism. We are supposed to be GOOD victims, not angry and standing up for ourselves. (Even though women who buy into benevolent sexism, in the name of "being protected," are still raped, abused, killed.)
It's not an easy read - if you can read it without getting rage-filled, on behalf of yourself and your sisters, or on behalf of women that you love... Please stay far away from actual living women.
"In the coming years, we will hear, again, that anger is a destructive force, to be controlled. Watch carefully, because not everyone is asked to do this in equal measure. Women, especially, will be told to set our anger aside in favor of a kinder, gentler approach to change."
Charming short (112 pages) overview of Marie Antoinette's life at Versailles, and the associated estates of the Petit Trianon and her Hamlet. Nothing Charming short (112 pages) overview of Marie Antoinette's life at Versailles, and the associated estates of the Petit Trianon and her Hamlet. Nothing compares with seeing these rooms, gardens and portraits in person (and I was lucky enough to do so, earlier this month!), but it gives some wonderful added background detail.
There is a nice blend of photos, drawings, and text, without there being too much of any of the above. It's also interesting to see how things are described; the bed coverings, chairs, and wall hangings in the Queen's Bedchamber are described as having an "ears of wheat" pattern; silly me, I saw only the roses and lilies of the valley.
Fun to read and look at after a visit; would have also been interesting to read before a visit....more
Sold in the local gift shops, this is an excellent short overview of the buildings and history of the Tower of London, the people who lived there (somSold in the local gift shops, this is an excellent short overview of the buildings and history of the Tower of London, the people who lived there (some still do!), who were imprisoned and executed. The drawings and illustrations, especially of what was built when, are fascinating. The photographs, some of areas where tourists are not permitted, or are not allowed to take photos, also fascinating.
If you're looking for an exhaustive volume, this isn't it (72 pages); this is bigger than a brochure, smaller than a breadbox (do the English have breadboxes?), but I enjoyed it, post-visit, and wish I'd had it on hand to familiarize myself with, pre-visit....more
I love Tudor history, I was so excited to get this book... and it put me to sleep. Over and over again.
It's not really about the Tudors, or the peopleI love Tudor history, I was so excited to get this book... and it put me to sleep. Over and over again.
It's not really about the Tudors, or the people of England, but painstaking minutiae about every bobble and wobble in England's religious transformation from a papal country to an Anglican one. If that's what you are interested in, this is the book for you. Includes excruciating details on how people were burned at the stake or beheaded.
It's not really about the Tudors, or the people of England, but painstaking minutiae about every bobble and wobble in England's religious transformation from a papal country to an Anglican one. If that's what you are interested in, this is the book for you. Includes excruciating details on how people were burned at the stake or beheaded.
Mind you, I was already struggling to hook into this book when he said of Anne Boleyn that she was probably guilty of adultery because so many charges were brought against her. This struck me as an incredibly lazy argument for a historian, but I kept plugging on. It felt to me like the entire book was a dry, unemotional arm's length from both the Tudor family and the English people, though the writing itself was unoffensive. YMMV....more
Wow, for a short book, without too many five dollar words, this work is extremely thorough and requires a lot of work and contemplation on the part ofWow, for a short book, without too many five dollar words, this work is extremely thorough and requires a lot of work and contemplation on the part of the reader.
hooks covers so much ground, so many facets of feminism in this work. From what consciousness raising is, to reproductive rights, to the impact of beauty standards, race and gender, classism, parenting, hetero and LGB relationships... Feminism is about love, and more, it's about freedom for men and women, to get away from the toxic societal models that are literally killing us.
"Most citizens of this nation still do not understand the link between male domination and male violence. And that failure to understand is underscored as our nation is called upon to respond to violent murders of family members, friends, and schoolmates by young males of all classes."
Feminism, for those in the back, is NOT about hating men. hooks likes men; I love them - most feminists I know, love men as well as women. When hate enters the picture, it's about hating a dynamic that pits men and women against each other, that forces people into stereotypes that don't fit them. hooks addresses the problems created when feminism seemed to become white, academic, and classist, and encourages us all to learn about intersectionality (something I'm not great at yet, but am working on it).
"If feminist movement had not offered a true accounting of the dangers of perpetuating sexism and male domination, it would have failed. There would have been no need to mount an anti-feminist campaign." There's a backlash BECAUSE doing something other than the thing we know, patriarchy, is terrifying to many, and threatens those who might lose their privilege.
Yet if they did, there's so much to be gained, for all of us. Feminism is for everybody....more
I thought I knew, I thought I understood, as much as a white person can, how unfairly people of color are treated by the American police and justice sI thought I knew, I thought I understood, as much as a white person can, how unfairly people of color are treated by the American police and justice system.
I had no clue. The deliberate, systemic targeting of young black men - often while they are still in their teens - to be incarcerated and branded felons for the SAME drugs crimes that young white men commit, will horrify anyone with a soul.
Sometimes there is clear racial bias, other times it's more covert, but the outcome is the same. We have a system where the "War on Drugs" is used to prop up a whole prison industry, and financially benefit other sectors as well, while disenfranchising and making sure the majority of young black men in America are seen as dangerous criminals. It's something of a slow read - I had to stop to digest, frequently, and it is heavily researched and footnoted, but my stars... If I could MAKE every person in America read this book, I would....more
I suspect this book appeals to a specific niche audience, of which I am not a member. Heavily footnotedI love sex and politics - what could go wrong?
I suspect this book appeals to a specific niche audience, of which I am not a member. Heavily footnoted and referenced, there were still things it got a little wrong, like referring to Hillary Clinton as the first female nominee for President. She was the first female nominee OF A MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY for President. Referred to Princess Diana of Wales, instead of Diana, Princess of Wales.
I hoped for something lighter and funnier, and although the author threw in clever little bon mots, like referring to "rubbing it out" in a chapter on masturbation, and "a gilooley" in the section and Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, these felt a little too contrived.
I realized that for me, this book had become a slog, so I stopped at 350 pages in. (200 to go). YMMV....more
Picked up this book for research on a Final Draft story I'm working on, but really enjoyed the read. The history of beer-making and public houses, akaPicked up this book for research on a Final Draft story I'm working on, but really enjoyed the read. The history of beer-making and public houses, aka pubs, in the Boston area, was fascinating. This book includes photographs, drawings, recipes for beverages and common foods like frumenty and clam chowder, and much more.
Beer and taverns were very different, back in the day, but retain some of the same qualities today. Fascinating....more
Almost everyone has cancer touch their lives in some way. Either by a personal diagnosis, or that of a beloved. We know so much more about cancer thanAlmost everyone has cancer touch their lives in some way. Either by a personal diagnosis, or that of a beloved. We know so much more about cancer than we did fifty, or even fifteen years ago. (Though there is still so much we DON'T know.)
This book gives a thorough and well-written background of how we got to where we are today. I had always been curious as to how chemotherapy came about, or radiation treatments. Why does one treatment work so well, on some cancers, and fail miserably on others? So many answers to questions I hadn't known enough to ask.
It's a tome, very long, but brilliant. If you want to better understand the WHY and HOW of modern cancer treatment, this book is an excellent resource....more
For many fans, the third season of Star Trek did not seem to be as high a quality as the first two. There are many reasons this was so, and this book For many fans, the third season of Star Trek did not seem to be as high a quality as the first two. There are many reasons this was so, and this book dives into them all. It's done with great care and love, however, absolving, for the most part, the new producer who was charged with putting the show out ON BUDGET, and been scapegoated every since. It does not wholly absolve "Saint Gene" Roddenberry, who made some questionable decisions which also impacted the quality of the show.
But it finds something praiseworthy in every episode, even "Spock's Brain" and "The Turnabout Intruder." If you read this book, and then watch each episode, as I did (yay streaming video!) you will get a lot more appreciation for the show, the writers, the cast, the crew. Truly an extraordinary voyage....more
I had a hard time not checking the "horror" box as I marked the shelves this belongs on. Being an educated young woman in Kabul, when the Taliban rollI had a hard time not checking the "horror" box as I marked the shelves this belongs on. Being an educated young woman in Kabul, when the Taliban rolls in, and suddenly, you're basically on house arrest, because, female. And yet, the women of Kabul did not take this lying down. This non-fiction book tells the story of Kamila Sadiqi and her sisters and neighbors. Kamila would be a shero and business owner in ANY culture, but her ingenuity in figuring out how to do so, under the very nose of the Taliban, is remarkable.
The narration and storytelling is a little inconsistent at times, probably because the names, descriptions, and details of some of the events had to be changed to protect the women still in danger in Afghanistan. But their resilience, courage, and determination are admirable, and it's a fascinating book....more
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