I spent much of my year deepening my faith and my commitment to justice. Those priorities are reflected in my reading, with perhaps a bit of a specific focus on race within the justice sphere.
In all honesty, I thank God for Clint Smith. I find his poetry transcendent. It makes me feel that I am a part of something greater than myself. Run, do not walk, to your local (independent) bookstore to get your copy of Counting Descent (2016).
You Will Not Have My Hate (2016) is my first book that I will be reviewing for Friends Journal. It is the raw, honest, and beautiful account of a man who lost his wife in the Paris terrorist attack of November 2016. It is so readable that could have finished the whole thing in one sitting! The author's self awareness calls all of us to examine our choices just a bit more closely.
We Gon' Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation (2016) by Jeff Chang has so much beauty and brilliance in such a small package. It is full of thoughtful analysis on the racial justice movement of the last few years.
I'm not going to lie, when I found out that Chimamanda Adichie's Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017) was originally a Facebook post, I was mad that I spent the money to buy it. Ultimately, though, I'm always happy to have her wisdom in my life. She's all about equality. Generous, just equality. Hard not to buy in to that.
I genuinely enjoyed Trevor Noah's Born a Crime (2016). It is a book that just goes to show that someone being joyful and funny can belie the challenges they have faced in life. And it shows that no matter how tough you have it growing up, there is no telling how you can turn out! What a life he has led!
I read The Irish Jesuit's Sacred Space for Lent 2017 every day of Lent. It's amazing how the same story can have such a different impact on us year after year. I had the joy of attending several retreats during Lent, and they all helped me connect more deeply to my spirituality. The daily readings in the book helped me to make connections between that deepening and the themes of Lent. I've done a lot of reflection on what it means to be a contemplative in action.
It is telling that the reviews on the back of Seeking the One Whom We Love: How RSCJs Pray (2016) come from James Martin, SJ, and Joan Chittister, OSB, two of my favorite religious leaders. They are both unapologetically progressive, wondering only how other Christians could misunderstand the Gospel message. They both see themselves reflected in this text, as the Sacred Heart Sisters describe how they form their own "personal and active" relationships with God. The RSCJs feel no need to box themselves in with their prayer lives - the methods they use to pray are as diverse as each of their personalities. And it is encouraging. It is nice to know that there is not one right answer, but that we're on the right track as long as we are "seeking the one whom we love."
Like much of the country, I picked up a copy of J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy (2016) to try to understand the 2016 election. Although I wouldn't say it did that, that was also not its point. It was written as a window into the lives of "hillbillies." The push was effective in pushing me to consider the distinctions between race and class, as well as the many ways that privilege can be made manifest.
Over the course of the past nine months in which I have been savoring the experience of reading the works in Of Poetry & Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin (2016), I have had the honor of being in the room with several of the featured poets. I have a Spotify playlist called "I'm Black and I'm proud," and this book reminds me of that sentiment. The book features essays, bios, and photos of black poets, as well as featured poetry and accompanying images. The book is a powerful testament to the fact that the struggle is real, while also serving as a testimonial that we are up to the challenge.
I can't believe it's been two months since I finished a book. What a year! I spent much of that time reading The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World (2016) by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu ad Douglas Abrams. The book itself literally was filled with joy for me. I kept sending bits of it to people whom I thought either reflected or could use certain passages. It was also affirming because I do many of the practices that it suggests. Now when people ask me how I can be so joyful, I will get them a copy of this book!
My department is all reading On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (2017) by Timothy Snyder this summer. We are history teachers, and it is about how to apply history to better understand the United today and all of our role in this evolving political climate. It is a very quick, yet thoughtful read. It is certainly encouraging for history teachers, as it speaks to the importance of our work in helping people to contextualize the present moment.
My next summer reading book for work is Architects of Catholic Culture: Designing and Building Catholic Culture in Catholic Schools by Timothy Cook (2001). I had trouble getting into it at first because the preface states that the biggest difference between Catholics and Protestants is that Protestants believe that God is dead. As I am a Protestant who certainly does not believe that, I had to take a break from the book for a while before returning to it this week. Once I got into it, I found the book to be very thoughtful - it's perfect for the beginning of the year to get all my neurons firing with brainstorming! It is a workbook and so invited lots of quality reflection. The book made me genuinely excited to help build Catholic culture at my school!
I had to start From #Black Lives Matter to Black Liberation (2016) by Keeagna-Yamahtta Taylor several times before I got through it. I think if it weren't for the review I had agreed to write for it, I wouldn't have finished it this time. It is dense, but it offers a powerful history of how it we got to this moment. It is a perfect reminder of how important it is to push for systemic change.
I must admit that I did not appreciate Bitch Planet Volume Two: President Bitch (2017) as much I enjoyed the first collection. The concept reminds of a handmaids tale in which the oppressed women fight back. I love the concept. The actual plot is not as engaging for me, and I think I may be done with the series.
The wife of a friend of mine is a member of the Black Ladies Brunch Collective who collectively wrote Not Without Our Laughter: Poems of Humor, Joy, and Sexuality (2017). It is a manifestation of the fun they have with language. It is poetry about their everyday lives and it serves as a reminder that we can find awe anywhere.
It took me from late some through early winter to finish The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (2015), but once I got into the flow of it, I ultimately read two thirds of it in the past week. It turns out to be the story of women standing in their power, much like the story of 2017. And I think it the right choice of Sue Monk Kidd to tell it from the perspective of both a real abolitionist (Sarah Grimké) and largely fictionalized an enslaved woman. My two favorite lines were "I’d grown comfortable with the particulars of evil" and "the world depends upon the small beating in your heart." I fully believe that the world depends on each of us listening to that still small voice within.
I love Father Gregory Boyle. He tells the same stories over and over again, but they're great stories. And he shapes them in a way that remind me how to be the most human version of myself. Particularly for Christians, he shines a light on the heart of our faith. That is the value of Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship (2017).
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