What to Read While Sipping Something Cold
We're talking about reality tv, Colson Whitehead, The Hunger Games, dosas, food media, and The Secret History (yes, again).
Hello, friends. I look forward to the day we can snack on mochi together.
This Week in Activism, Mutual Aid & More
The NDN Collective is fiscally sponsoring the Black Hills Legal Fund for people arrested while protesting the stealing of sacred land from the Lakota people (they blocked a road to the Mt. Rushmore monument).
Liberation Library, an organization that donates books to incarcerated children in Illinois, accepts monetary donations and gently used books listed in their catalog. In response to the pandemic, they also set up partnerships with independent bookstores so you can sponsor gift cards.
Dr. Nicole A. Cooke, who put together this Anti-Racism Resources for All Ages website, explains that reading is only a step on the path to anti-racism and prescribes lifelong anti-racism practices.
The Articles
Padma Lakshmi, Scars and All, Vulture (~19 min). I am delighted by Padma’s new show, Taste The Nation, in which she travels around the US to learn and teach about food from different immigrant and Indigenous traditions. This 2019 Vulture profile, which was republished this week in honor of the show’s premiere, showcases Padma and her favorite New York food spots. (The Taste The Nation episode about dosas is particularly fun since it features my favorite neighborhood institution, the NY Dosas cart in Washington Square Park.)
For supplementary reading, Food and Wine just published an insightful and timely article about how travel food shows tend to “evoke the image of the swashbuckling, adventure-seeking, gluttonous, raucous, foul-mouthed white male chef who swaggers around the globe,” and that they only recently started having POC hosts. Taste The Nation stands out from this trope: “The framework of the show is not about Lakshmi’s personal discovery journey, but about using her platform to give space to communities to speak for themselves.”
Particularly relevant to letting communities speak for themselves, Alicia Kennedy put out an essay about the distinct lack of translation in food media, which indicates “a matter of believing that what is produced in the United States doesn’t need to be accessible around the world and that what is being produced around the world in languages other than English isn’t worth the effort.”
The Reality Behind ‘Below Deck,’ New York Times (~16 min). I do not typically watch Bravo shows and I have never seen a full episode of any Housewives franchise. Below Deck is the exception. This behind-the-scenes look at the show’s production illuminates its insane constraints since it is literally FILMED AT SEA and gleefully exposes the mechanisms that crank out “reality television” tropes. Even if you haven’t watched the show, this article is a ride.
Gilead Is Now: For Feminist Authors, Dystopia Is Already Here, Bitch Media (~3 min). During a mid-week funk, I decided to watch The Hunger Games movies. Why is it that, during a particularly funky funk, I was drawn not to the goofy sets on Netflix’s Floor Is Lava or an equivalent halcyon escape, but to the horrific realization of a post-apocalyptic future society run by a televised murder game? This article from Bitch talks a bit about dystopian fiction as a mechanism to parse the wild ways of the world, and why women authors are particularly successful in the genre.
The Books
This week I read This Is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew, a short book from Penguin’s Pocket Change Collective of “non-fiction, pocket-sized [texts] by some of the world's leading changemakers” (via Teen Vogue). It is her story about “loving art so much that you want to see it change for the better,” and traces her experiences in the art world. Her latest project is a fantastic daily art newsletter, and she also has a forthcoming book, Black Futures, which is co-authored with the NYT’s Jenna Wortham. (I am a big fan of both.)
Because I am an ass, I would also like to point out the Jezebel article titled “The Ideal Summer Quarantine Book Is That Donna Tartt Novel Where the Preppies Start a Sex Cult,” which readers of this newsletter know I have been saying for WEEKS. Also, The New York Times clearly subscribes to this newsletter in which I included a Vice article about dark academia aesthetics on Tik Tok; they just put out an extremely similar one that has been making the rounds. Last, I will note that my mom’s book club read The Secret History last month and early reviews say they all really enjoyed it, so let’s just call me the CEO of taste and call it a day.
Here, have a photo of a cat as a joyous non sequitur.
Your Recommendations
I’ve asked my favorite live-in editor to stand on his soapbox about a book he feels passionate about this week. A reminder that you can complete this Google form or reply to my emails any time to let me know what you’re reading. Maybe you’ll end up here.
Amateur Bibliotherapist: Martin
Favorite Bookstore: The Strand in Union Square
The Book(s): As the resident public radio shill, I need to inform you that WNYC’s daily culture show ‘All Of It’ has a monthly book club! ‘Get Lit with All Of It’ is led by Alison Stewart in partnership with the New York Public Library.
The July pick is this year's Pulitzer Prize-winner, The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead. It is a short read (under 200 pages) and was easily my favorite book that I read in 2019. Also, since the book club is partnered with NYPL, the library has put thousands of additional ebook copies into circulation for free 3-week downloads.
If you decide to join the club, be sure to finish the book by July 29: Stewart will be holding an interview/Q&A with Whitehead, and you can submit questions. The free live streamed event will also feature a to-be-announced musical performance. I hope you’ll join me!
If you’re on a quest for a different read, I have some more options for you. Book Marks outlined 13 of the most anticipated books by Indigenous authors coming out later this year; WIRED compiled a summer reading list of the “weirdest” and “wildest” books that captivate otherwise-unfocused brains; and Book Riot recently listed 18 books like The Hunger Games (I refuse to apologize for this).
Enjoy the rest of your day. It is officially too hot for me to leave my home, so I cannot relate to those of you who plan to sunbathe; please picture me here, luxuriating with my next read.