Am I Blue? Coming out from the Silence edited by Marion Dane Bauer
This collection of 18 short stories by recognized children's and young adult authors that explore the various meanings of gay/lesbian identity in the lives of teenagers. The book begins and ends with thoughtful commentaries by Bauer, and each story is followed by an afterword by its author that ranges from ho-hum to fascinating; the best tell the "story behind the story" and reveal the ways in which gay/lesbian issues or individuals have touched the authors' lives. Most feature white, middle-class, suburban/urban milieus, although several stories have a more diverse cast. All seek to convey the very mixed emotions that accompany the acceptance of sexual difference at an age that places a high value on conformity to an established norm.
Cunt by Inga Muscio
An ancient title of respect for women, the word "cunt" long ago veered off this noble path. Inga Muscio traces the road from honor to expletive, giving women the motivation and tools to claim "cunt" as a positive and powerful force in their lives. In this fully revised edition, she explores, with candidness and humor, such traditional feminist issues as birth control, sexuality, jealousy between women, and prostitution with a fresh attitude for a new generation of women. Sending out a call for every woman to be the Cuntlovin’ Ruler of Her Sexual Universe, Muscio stands convention on its head by embracing all things cunt-related. "Cunt does for feminism what smoothies did for high-fiber diets—it reinvents the oft-indigestible into something sweet and delicious."—Bust Magazine
Surprised by God by Danya Ruttenberg
Ruttenberg, who was recently ordained as a rabbi, decided at the age of 13 that she was an atheist. Then in the late 1990s, she experienced a spiritual awakening, taking what she describes as a winding, semi-reluctant path through traditional Jewish practice that eventually took me to the rabbinate. Ruttenberg writes that for her the work of the religious life has been about reconfiguration and reintegration, determining which parts she has outgrown and which could grow with her. A tremendously satisfying memoir of spiritual awakening from the author of a variety of books and periodicals.
The Body Project: An Intimate history of American Girls by Joan Jacobs Brumberg
Your Average Nigga: Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity
by Vershawn Ashanti
The Trouble Between Us: An Uneasy History of White and Black Women in the Feminist Movement
by Winifred Breines
One of the leading voices of the 1960s and '70s civil rights and feminist movements, Breines (Young, White, and Miserable: Growing up Female in the Fifties) attempts to confront, understand and better relations between white and black women in this sincere and detailed historical analysis. Though she may alienate readers early on with a defensive take on the role of Caucasian women in the women's rights movement ("One of the central struggles of young white socialist feminists was to create a racially inclusive movement. ... but black women rejected and attacked the feminist movement as racist."), Breines tries to correct for misunderstandings on both sides of the racial divide, with the goal of determining why a true multicultural feminist movement never developed in the United States. There are valuable lessons to be learned from Breines, especially in her ability to mine this "marginal sector of the American political scene" for relevant commentary on American race relations throughout history, but her methodical approach is aimed more at scholars than casual history or feminism buffs.
The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop--and Why It Matters
by Tricia Rose
Hip-hop is in crisis. For the past dozen years, the most commercially successful hip-hop has become increasingly saturated with caricatures of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and ’hos. The controversy surrounding hip-hop is worth attending to and examining with a critical eye because, as scholar and cultural critic Tricia Rose argues, hip-hop has become a primary means by which we talk about race in the United States.
In The Hip-Hop Wars, Rose explores the most crucial issues underlying the polarized claims on each side of the debate: Does hip-hop cause violence, or merely reflect a violent ghetto culture? Is hip-hop sexist, or are its detractors simply anti-sex? Does the portrayal of black culture in hip-hop undermine black advancement.
Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men
by: Michael Kimmel
To a growing list of books about the myths and mysteries of American boys and young males, Kimmel, a sociologist and author of Manhood In America, adds this deft exploration grounded in research. Based on more than 400 interviews, over a four-year span, with young men ages 16–26, Kimmel's study shows that the guys who live in Guyland are mostly white, middle-class, totally confused and cannot commit to their relationships, work or lives. Although they seem baffled by the riddles of manhood and responsibility, they submit to the Guy Code, where locker-room behaviors, sexual conquests, bullying, violence and assuming a cocky jock pose can rule over the sacrifice and conformity of marriage and family. Obsessed with never wanting to grow up, this demographic, which is 22 million strong, craves video games, sports and depersonalized sexual relationships. In the end, Kimmel offers a highly practical guide to male youth.
My feminist reading so far this summer has been Margaret Mead's seminal work "Coming of Age in Samoa". I also enjoyed Annette Gordon-Reed's The Hemingses of Monticello.
ReplyDelete