It was a decent reading month, with a couple of really great reads and the rest that I was glad to have read. Here's the list of what I've read this past month.
Killfile by Christopher Farnsworth: The mind-reading aspect of this gave it an interesting twist on your standard thriller, but ultimately it came down to more of the same: morally gray white men focused on money, power, and technology punching each other, blowing things up, and treating women as objects. Not badly written or plotted and an interesting thought experiment regarding how these kinds of special powers would work practically, but ultimately not really my thing.
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 by Garrett M. Graff: This was my Best of the Bunch for the month of March. It's an incredible achievement, both in its original construction and in the care that was put into the full-cast audiobook. Graff really tried to provide a complete history of the day from every angle, and I think he succeeded.
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris: On the positive side, this is quite comprehensive and non-stigmatizing. It covers topics ranging from anatomy, puberty, and sexual intercourse to masturbation, contraception, STIs, abortion, sexual abuse, and the challenges of young parenthood. The primary downsides to this book are its cisnormativity and heteronormativity, at least in the 2007 copy I had. We're reading You Know, Sex now and I think it's going to be a better option for 2025.
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green: This is a genuinely excellent work of nonfiction contained in just over 200 pages (or 5 1/2 hours on audio). Green covers everything from the history of tuberculosis to the ways that our systems of injustice in medicine and beyond explain why TB still kills over a million people every year. The topic is important, the writing is engaging, and you'll definitely learn something new.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan: I can clearly see why this is frequently read in schools; between the historical setting, the plentiful themes and symbols, the coming-of-age elements, and the dilemmas with no clear right answer (e.g., should the characters strike or continue working?), it's rich with topics for discussion or essays. This would be a great addition to any middle grade bookshelf.
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings: I had a difficult time following Strings' immediate train of thought through the majority of this book, but I still think it's valuable in how Strings complicates the notions that thinness has always been valued, that it has always been related to health, and that it is unrelated to ideas of race. I wish she'd synthesized it a bit more to articulate and support these main points.
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy: This book had a lot of great elements that, ultimately, didn't hang together the way they deserved to. I'm not surprised this was made into a movie because it has the potential to be great if tightened up into a more cohesive plot and given actual on-screen chemistry between the characters. Murphy tried to do a LOT here, and the end result was that no single element grounded the book the way it needed.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Breakup Lists, The Polyamory Paradox, and Cemetery Boys
Five years ago I was reading: Team of Rivals and We Need to Talk About Kevin
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Angle of Repose, Baby-Led Weaning, and Finding Your Own North Star
