Eleanor Roosevelt is one of my heroes! When I ran across her book, It’s Up to the Women… “tips for living well”, I knew I must read it. I loved the title, and expected the book to be much more political. It turned out to be more of a practical guidebook for women on how to survive difficult times during those Great Depression years. Although much of the book was dated, much of the advice was also timeless! She had so much respect for women, and her words were very encouraging and full of common sense ideas. The last few chapters of the book did deal more with women and politics.
“It is important that women think beyond the mere moment through which we are passing and acquaint themselves with all phases of life and conditions in our own country. I think we shall have fulfilled our mission well if when our time comes to give up active work in the world we can say we never saw a wrong without trying to right it; we never intentionally left unhappiness where a little effort would have turned it into happiness, and we were more critical of ourselves than we were of others.
Definitely one of my heroes!
This entry was posted in Heroes, Non-fiction, Resistance reading on October 25, 2018 by Robin.
Currently reading: Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, by Reni Eddo-Lodge.
This entry was posted in Non-fiction, Resistance reading on January 8, 2018 by Robin.
My first read of 2017 was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s, We Should All Be Feminists, so it was very fitting to read another short work by her, Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, to end my reading year. Wonderful bookends for 2017!
Click here to reread my review of We Should All Be Feminists. I feel even more strongly than I did one year ago, that this short book is essential reading for all! The word “feminist” is such a scary word to so many people, but this book gives you important understandings of why we need to set aside fear and open our hearts to the ideas of feminism which empower and enrich the lives of both men and women.
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions was a letter written in response to a request from Adichie’s friend about how to raise her newborn daughter. Simply put, I wish this book had existed when my daughter was born 39 years ago. I did have some strong female role models that inspired and guided my parenting of both my son and my daughter, but this little book, so succinctly and eloquently written, would have been my hand guide. I decided that I will give a copy of it , along with the knitted blanket and baby sweater gifts I make for the new arrivals of family and friends. It would be a gift of love and caring for both the new family and for the future of our planet!
These two books were excellent bookends for a year full of conflicts, contradictions, and challenges to our national norms and priorities when it comes to families and the future. There is HOPE in these two books, and ideas that can make us better people making better choices.
A photo from 39 years ago! I am, more than ever, in awe of my strong, resilient, beautiful daughter!
A photo from 6 years ago. I am also in awe of the gentle and nurturing way my son parents his own son!
This entry was posted in Favorite authors, Resistance reading, Year-in-review on December 31, 2017 by Robin.
On finishing The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the only thing I could say at first was “Wow!” It is quite a story, so very well written, so very powerful, and so very sobering…I think it will stay with me for a long, long time.
Set in a dystopian future, in what these days seems chillingly like the near future, women have lost all rights. “Handmaids” are the only women who are still able to bear children, and their existence is completely dependent on being successful in producing a child…a child that another woman of a higher status will raise.
The story is an interesting exploration of the lives of women in a totalitarian regime. It is a profound immersion into the “What Ifs” we must all ask ourselves about our society. I found it sad, disturbing, and fascinating, but not without hope! I couldn’t put it down.
I’ve been thinking about it since I finished it a few days ago and realized that I am looking at things differently now. This is a perspective-changing book, and during this tumultuous time in US history, I think it is an important book for exactly that reason. It was written in 1985, and I was aware of it but until last week was too intimidated to read it. However, I’ve been so concerned about the direction our society is taking these days and the difficult challenges we all face, that I felt that instead of “escaping” (my usual response to overwhelming news), I needed to tackle some of these ideas head on. I’m glad I finally found the courage to do so.
This entry was posted in Fiction, Human Rights, Important ideas, Resistance reading on February 16, 2017 by Robin.
60% of the way through this audiobook and I can’t stop listening. I’ve been afraid to read it for a long time now but felt it was an important one that needed to be read… The time was right and I found the courage to start it. Now I can’t put it down.
This entry was posted in Fiction, Important ideas, Resistance reading on February 9, 2017 by Robin.
This entry was posted in Art, Book notes, Classics, Resistance reading, Special quotes on February 4, 2017 by Robin.
This entry was posted in Birth year books, Fiction, Important ideas, Resistance reading on February 3, 2017 by Robin.