One of the best parts of summer -- with its quiet weekends and long hours of daylight -- is catching up on the reading I've missed. Are you still looking for books to take with you on summer vacation? From my bookshelf to yours, here are a few of my favorites:
Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election That Changed Everything for American Women, just released in paperback, is a must-read for anyone curious about the status of women in American politics and the future of feminism. Tracing the historic 2008 Presidential election from a feminist perspective, Rebecca Traister brings familiar characters and history to life in a spellbinding way -- even for those of us who had front row seats. She is smart, funny, and at times controversial but my favorite part of Traister's bestseller is the unexpected optimism she has for the future. This book is a good reminder that three steps forward and two steps back still means that women are further along than we were when we started.
When Mrs. Barrington unrolls a big poster with all the U.S. presidents' pictures on it, Grace Campbell wants to know, "Where are the girls?" Her teacher admits "The truth is, our country has never had a woman president." Grace decides she would like to be president herself, and the Grace for President campaign at Woodrow Wilson Elementary begins. Young readers will learn about the electoral college, hard work, leadership, and courage as they turn the pages to cheer Grace on through Election Day. With its determined girl protagonist, this charming picture book has become one of my favorite gifts for children. Written by Kelly DiPucchio and Pictures by LeUyen Pham for children ages 5-9.
With states enacting a record number of abortion restrictions in the first half of 2011 it seems like a perfect time to reread Margaret Atwood's classic dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale. In the author's own words: "This is a book about what happens when certain casually held attitudes about women are taken to their logical conclusion." The most chilling aspect of the work for me is how easy it is to stretch our minds to see the plausibility of Atwood's misogynistic near-future Republic of Gilead. Her writing is bright, funny -- and terrifying: "But we lived as usual. Everyone does, most of the time. Whatever is going on is as usual. Even this is as usual, now. We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. Nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heated bathtub you'd be boiled to death before you knew it." Indeed.
Have you ever watched a film and then wished you could tote the images around with you? Lynn Hershman Leeson gives us just this chance with a graphic novel drawn from her documentary film, !Women Art Revolution. Raucously illustrated by cartoonist Spain Rodriguez, this book is an artful curriculum guide for the film and also a compelling retelling of some of the most memorable scenes from the feminist art movement. !W.A.R documents the early sparks of interest in art by women whose work had been forgotten or overlooked. Hershman Leeson shows how the feminist movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s fused free speech and politics into an art that has really transformed art and culture. Now I just need the film's fabulous soundtrack by Carrie Brownstein.
Follow Barbara Lee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BarbaraLeeSays
Kari Henley: Summer Reading and a Balanced Budget: The New Oxymorons
Thank you!
I like Joanne's suggestion as well. I may pick that up.
http://www.amazon.com/PunditMoms-Mothers-Intention-Revolutionizing-Politics/dp/1933979941