In which everything sucks and I try to make a list of book recommendations

I mean. Everything sucks.

Well...Lyra doesn't suck.

But my husband tested positive for COVID, which meant I missed the last week of summer school and we had to cancel some stuff we'd really been looking forward to, and then yesterday the moment we all knew was coming came and Roe v Wade was overturned. So it has been just the chillest of weeks.

I've done what I'm can while sitting here waiting to see if I also have COVID, but I'm still feeling pretty powerless. I recently saw Dirty Dancing for the first time (yeah yeah, I know...I was raised mormon, I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of stuff), and while I've been sitting around thinking about how different making the choice to stay in your house and be isolated is from doing it because you have to, I've also been reflecting on how surprised I was at the depiction of abortion in that movie and how it was just like....it was the best decision for her, so she made it, and the commentary around it was about how terrible it was that she couldn't get good, safe care and not what a horrible, scarring choice it was. I was trying to think about what other examples of abortions in media and books I had encountered and how many of them presented it like that, as opposed to this earth-shattering, psyche-destroying choice. Grey's Anatomy? I can't think of any others.

So anyway, I'm doing what I do best and putting together a list of books that include abortion that I'd like to read. It isn't going to make things better for the people who have been dealing with white supremacist powers policing their bodies and harming them for generations, it isn't going to un-overturn Roe v Wade...but books are windows and books are mirrors, and I have to believe at least some anti-abortion people might have had their minds opened a little more if the mere mention of abortion wasn't so stigmatized and it was talked about more frankly in the media and literature that we consume. So it's what I'm doing right now.

Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin - This book follows a seventeen-year-old whose boyfriend bails from the waiting room while she's getting an abortion. It seems like the story deals more with how Genesis recovers from the realization that her boyfriend wasn't who she thought he was and how she navigates some other challenges life had thrown at her, with the decision to get an abortion being the thing that kickstarts the story after she and the boyfriend mutually decide it's the right decision for them. I'm very on board with abortion being part of the story but not THE drama being navigated.

Baby & Solo by Lisabeth Posthuma - Abortion isn't even mentioned in this book set in the 90s, but I know from reviews that it features. Honestly, I kind of like that it isn't a main plot point but is still included, it shows that abortion is...a thing that happens. It doesn't have to be a Main Story plot point!

Crazy Horse's Girlfriend by Erika T. Wurth - The story of a sixteen-year-old in a small town who is surrounded by poverty, unemployment, and drug abuse and dreams of a way out. She thinks she has found it when a new guy comes to town, but he may not be the light at the end of the tunnel that she thinks he is.

Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert - The story of a teenager nearing high school graduation and navigating other life difficulties when she learns that, on top of everything else, she is pregnant. This had mixed reviews, but I'm gonna give it a shot.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero - A coming of age story about many things, one of which is Gabi's journey to accept herself and her sexuality after growing up in a shame-filled environment. This one has actually been on my list to read for a long time, so I need to get on it.

Girls Like Us by Randi Pink - Set before Roe v Wade passed, this book follows four teenagers who find themselves pregnant and aren't sure what to do. The reviews I read were mixed, but I thought the time period it was set in was important.

I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin - Gotta admit I'm on the fence with this one...it follows Nick, who has just learned that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant, and what happens with both of them as they navigate the situation. I can't decide if I like that the story is told from the guy's perspective or not, but I ultimately included it on the list because from the reviews it sounds like he's very supportive of what she wants to do, which is a great example of how anyone involved in an unwanted pregnancy should be.

Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia - Gayle, fourteen-years-old, is sent by her mother to stay with family after she gets pregnant. This book was published in 1998, but recent reviews have talked about how relevant it still is, so I am eager to read it.

Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter - Sixteen-year-old Evelyn has started acting out after her parents start having trouble in their marriage, and it ultimately results in her getting pregnant. The guy involved bails, and now she has to lean on the family she had begun to distance herself from while she decides what to do.

 Bonus: Jane Against the World by Karen Blumenthal - A non-fiction book about the history of Roe v Wade and the fight for reproductive rights.

What I'm Reading

It's very hot outside, and I've been doing a lot of physical labor before and after summer school, so in lieu of a book review, please accept this list of books I am currently reading and how I'm presently feeling about each one. I am including a bonus "I just finished this!" with my impressions...not a review, just impressions. There's totally a difference. Anyhoo, let's do this thing.

1. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

I've started choosing a non-fiction book, typically something associated with mindfulness, mental or physical health, etc. and reading a little bit of it at the start of my yoga practice. This is what I'm currently working my way through, and it's a bit heavy, but I am very interested in trauma and the impact it has on us, so it's fascinating reading about basically the evolution of our understanding of the effects of trauma.

2. A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year compiled by Jane McMorland Hunter

I've posted about this before. As the title says, it's a poem for each day of the year, and they're pretty delightful for the most part. I wish there were more female poets included, but also most of them are hella old poems, so I guess the pool to draw from was limited. I don't know why the decision was made to only use old poetry, though. There's so much poetry out there.

3. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Book club book! (For May, shhhhh. I'm reading it slowly because our other consistent book club participant is still waiting for their copy). It's so good! I love it, all of it, every bit of it. I want to finish it so I know what's going to happen (and end up on a cliffhanger, because it's not a standalone novel), but I also want to read it forever.

4. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Look, this is billed as a YA, and it's technically about 17-year-old kids, but let's be real, it was written for adults who love coming-of-age stories. I mean, for shit's sake, it's more than 500 pages long. That's a fairly hefty book, particularly for realistic fiction. It's also very stream-of-consciousness, and I'm just having a very hard time envisioning tons of teenagers having the patience to sit down and read 528 pages of that. Don't get me wrong, I'm a little over a third of the way through and enjoying it, but I wish as a "YA" book it was not so blatantly written NOT for an actual young adult audience.

5. Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

I'm buddy reading this with my sister, and we're working our way through it very slowly. We've been reading it for approximately...eight months? A long time. I fucking love this series though. Protect Ty at all costs.

6. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Look, I'll be honest...this is the second book in a trilogy, and I'm kind of slogging through the series. I don't dislike it, but I don't think I like it, either. I want to finish it, but I've also been reading it since March and if I go for a long stretch without reading any of it I don't miss it, so.......it might take me a while. There are some strong "Adult Twilight" vibes for me? Eh. It's an ok night time read for when I don't want to stay up late engrossed in a story.

BONUS: The Backstagers: Volume 1 by James Tynion IV

This is the first in a graphic novel series, and it was on my list to consider purchasing for my school but was rated as 12+, so I figured I would check it out to see what the vibe was and if it was ok for my 6th graders or if it read a little older. Did I read the description before I checked it out? Not closely (in my defense, I was going through a list of like...hundreds of books to consider adding to the library), and it was not what I expected, but I LOVED IT. Now I'm regretting not putting the other books on hold so I would have more to read right away. The illustrations are fantastic (shout out to Rian Sygh and Walter Baiamonte), the story is the perfect balance of humor, heart, and intrigue, and ahhhhh, I can't wait until my hold for the next one comes in.