Challenge update - Going into month six!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

I completely forgot to read my challenge books for May. I can't believe it! I realized it a couple days prior to the end of the month and started desperately reading Chirp in an attempt to catch up, but yyyyeeeeeeaaaaaaaah. I am officially very much behind. Even so! I am soldiering on with my June picks and looking forward to reading both of them (although, admittedly, possibly not reading both of them in June). This month's challenges/picks:

11. Read a food memoir by an author of color

For this challenge, I chose Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi. I was really glad that my local library had a copy of this, because something I discovered when looking for options was how shockingly few of the recommendations I could find were available at the library. Fortunately, my library has an option on their website to recommend additions to the collection, and I wanted to bring that up in case any readers out there were unaware that their library probably has a similar option. 

Y'all. If your library does not have a book in their collection that you think they should have? A. Check their website. They probably have something set up for submitting recommendations. If they don't? B. Contact them by email or telegram or WHATEVER and let them know that you think they should purchase a copy! Depending on their budget, availability, and vendor agreements they may or may not actually be able to add it, but...library collections are developed by human beings, and usually a pretty small number of human beings, so trust...they will appreciate your recommendations.

Anyway, back to the challenge.

12. A work of investigative non-fiction by an author of color

I went with Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal, because this is something I am super interested in working on in myself. There were so many intriguing options for this one, though, so maybe I'll end up expanding my horizons and taking on investigative non-fiction as a new favorite genre! I guess only time will tell.

What would you choose to read for each of these prompts?

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art - James Nestor

Initial draw: ✰✰✰

Writing style: ✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you're not breathing properly.

There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.

Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren't found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.

Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is.

Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again."

Oof, I have issues with this book. The tl;dr version is that it is heavy on the anecdotal evidence and pseudoscience and incredibly light on any actual evidence. Even the description is misleading...for example, by "Journalist James Nestor travels the world" what they actually mean is that he goes to Stockholm to talk to a fellow self-proclaimed expert on "proper" breathing and later travels to Paris to visit some catacombs and talk to an orthodontist. He does finally at the end of the book talk about a visit to Brazil to talk to a Pranayama expert, but he never visits India, China, Japan, etc to speak with any Buddhists or other practitioners of the ancient breath practices he spends the entire book talking about. No thanks, bud.

Also, bypassing the more passive fatphobia included in his writing, the first thing he brings up when he gets to the topic of proper breathing helping with weight loss is BMI, which...is bullshit? So yeah, going to need more than some anecdotes about the miraculous power of breath and reliance on a "healthy weight" measurement that has been pretty thoroughly proved useless to get me on board there. Add to that that there's no reason a person has to be thin to be healthy and...yeah...

Next up, while I do believe our breath is a powerful tool and that there are techniques we can use to benefit our physical and mental health, all of the miraculous claims of breath seemingly curing incurable chronic illnesses rubbed me the wrong way. He starts off the book saying that there hasn't been much research into how breath can impact our health, but then every anecdotal story he shares is presented as though it is proven medical fact and as though people experiencing these chronic issues are fools for not just breathing better. At the very end of the book, there's like a sentence disclaimer, saying that breathing isn't a cure-all for chronic illnesses, but after an entire book extolling the virtues of "proper" breathing over medication, that seems like way too little too late. The ableism throughout this book didn't sit well with me.

And finally, while this isn't any fault of the author (aside from his decision to include them, I guess), there were a number of studies shared that included some seriously fucked up animal experimentation. As if I needed one more reason to dislike this...hard pass on that shit. I was pretty excited to read this, but it was a letdown for me.

And the Band Played On - Randy Shilts

 My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"By the time Rock Hudson's death in 1985 alerted all America to the danger of the AIDS epidemic, the disease had spread across the nation, killing thousands of people and emerging as the greatest health crisis of the 20th century. America faced a troubling question: What happened? How was this epidemic allowed to spread so far before it was taken seriously? In answering these questions, Shilts weaves the disparate threads into a coherent story, pinning down every evasion and contradiction at the highest levels of the medical, political, and media establishments.

Shilts shows that the epidemic spread wildly because the federal government put budget ahead of the nation's welfare; health authorities placed political expediency before the public health; and scientists were often more concerned with international prestige than saving lives. Against this backdrop, Shilts tells the heroic stories of individuals in science and politics, public health and the gay community, who struggled to alert the nation to the enormity of the danger it faced. And the Band Played On is both a tribute to these heroic people and a stinging indictment of the institutions that failed the nation so badly."

Reading this book a year into the pandemic is...an experience. Early on, we read this quote:

"The bitter truth was that AIDS did not just happen to America - it was allowed to happen by an array of institutions, all of which failed to perform their appropriate tasks to safeguard the public health. This failure of the system leaves a legacy of unnecessary suffering that will haunt the Western world for decades to come."

Like, hello...sound familiar? I knew this would be an emotional read going into it, but with all the parallels to present day, it was doubly so recognizing those similarities in the response to COVID. Like cool, cool, we really have learned nothing in 40 years, that's great. Of course, COVID is nowhere near as fatal as AIDS was when it appeared, so I don't want to minimize any of that experience, because I can't even comprehend how horrible that must have been. But for fuck's sake, if people could show a little bit of growth over time, that would be nice.

And the Band Played On is told in a narrative style, but it is a journalistic work. I expected it to be a little on the dry side as a result, but it was not at all. The way Shilts wove the different narratives together was intensely personal and pulled me in immediately. Initially, it was heartbreaking reading about the response of the gay community as a whole and their unwillingness to stop engaging in risky behaviors even after being warned. If the government isn't going to respond with adequate funding, at least individuals can take steps to protect themselves, and in a time where so many people refuse to wear a mask for idiotic reasons, I found myself immediately angry at those refusing to listen to warnings. Then I paused and thought about how after a lifetime of being discriminated against, bullied, and mistreated for being gay, it was pretty logical to be suspicious of this mysterious "illness" mandating they stop having sex. I would have been suspicious too, and that makes it even more heartbreaking.

"The story of these first five years of AIDS in America is a drama of national failure, played out against a backdrop of needless death."

Even before the government and news media failed American people by refusing to take AIDS seriously because of their homophobia and bigotry, we as a country had already failed them. How many lives would have been saved if the LGBTQ community hadn't been given so many reasons to be suspicious of the warnings they were given after the virus showed up? It was difficult to read about case after case being diagnosed, knowing how preventable many of those cases should have been. As difficult as it was though, I am glad to have read this history and learned more about what happened in the 1980s. If you, like me, grew up surrounded by assholes who only ever referenced AIDS as "God's curse on homosexuals," I strongly recommend you pick this up. Obviously I don't believe it was a curse from some vengeful douchebag god, but I knew almost nothing about what had actually happened. This thorough, well-researched history of the first ten years of the virus was emotional to read but incredibly informative.

(Also, fuck Reagan, he was trash.)

True or False - Cindy L. Otis

 My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Discovering the truth has never been easy...from ancient Egypt to the French Revolution to today, fake news has always been around. And in today's world, with our unprecedented access to information, the phenomenon is more powerful and present than ever. But finding the truth is still possible.

In True or False, former CIA analyst Cindy L. Otis guides readers through the impact of fake news over the centuries and empowers them to fight back by sharing lessons learned in over a decade working in intelligence. With this comprehensive guide, you too can learn to find the truth and fight back against fake news!"

I was going to put together a list of books, including this one, that will make you mad (in a good way!), but I decided on an individual review instead. So here goes! 

Part I of True or False reviews the long, illustrious history of fake news in fucking up the world (😐), which, although super interesting, may leave you feeling a little (a lot?) frustrated and hopeless. Fortunately, Part II gets into how to combat said fake news, which is super important, since as the Thucydides quote that kicks off Part II reminds us, "most people, in fact, will not take trouble in finding out the truth, but are much more inclined to accept the first story they hear." 

So...how do we combat fake news? The tl;dr version is by focusing on facts, recognizing biases in ourselves and others, and doing research before sharing things. But Otis includes not only more detail, but also exercises to practice doing those things, so don't rely on my tl;dr - read the book and learn more. And please, for the love of all that is holy, don't share obviously false shit on social media because you're "saving it to read later" or for friends to debunk for you.

Anti-Diet - Christy Harrison

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"If you're like most people, you've dieted at some point in your life. You've had negative thoughts about your body, carefully counted your calories, and obsessed over the ever-changing rules of "healthy eating." But studies have shown that well over 90 percent of people who manage to lose weight regain it within five years. If dieting is so ineffective, why are we so obsessed with it?

The culprit is diet culture, a system of beliefs that equates thinness with health and even moral virtue, promotes weight loss as a means to attaining higher status, and demonizes certain ways of eating while elevating others. It's sexist, racist, and classist, yet this approach to thinking about food and bodies is so embedded in the fabric of our society that it can be hard to identify. It masquerades as health, wellness, and fitness, and for some, it is all-consuming.

In Anti-Diet, Christy Harrison, a registered dietitian nutritionist, takes on diet culture and the multibillion-dollar industries that profit from it, exposing all the ways it robs people of their time, money, well-being, and happiness. It will turn what you believe about health and wellness upside down, as Harrison explores the history of diet culture, how it has infiltrated the world of health and wellness, all the sneaky forms it can take, and how letting go of efforts to lose weight or eat "perfectly" actually helps to improve people's health - no matter their size. Based on scientific research, Harrison's personal experience, and stories from her patients and colleagues, Anti-Diet provides a radical alternative to diet culture and will help you reclaim your body, mind, and life so you can focus on things that truly matter."

This book is life-changing. I couldn't stop underlining and taking notes as I read it, and I want to give a copy to everyone I know. As someone who has struggled since high school with disordered eating, yo-yo and bandwagon dieting, weight fluctuations, etc, every word Christy wrote resonated with me. When I reflect back on times I have lost weight, it has always been as a result of extreme dieting, it has never been sustainable, and sitting here reflecting on it, was it worth the effort and the misery of constantly being hungry, crabby, and tired? FUCK NO. Especially when I take into account that regardless of how high or low my weight was, my actual scientific measurements of health like cholesterol levels and blood pressure have been excellent and, more importantly, have never changed. If being fat or gaining weight is unhealthy, then at 30-40 pounds heavier than I was ten years ago shouldn't other indicators of health be getting worse?

Things that make you go "hmmm..."

I am so grateful that a friend of mine read this book and recommended it to me. In the last few months, I have been focusing my energy on mental health and self care, and part of that focus included tackling my body dysmorphia. What better way to untangle my issues with weight and body image that than by reading a book debunking the message fed to all of us that the only way to be healthy is to be thin and highlighting all the ways that diet culture messes with our lives while offering no real benefits? There were moments as I read that I literally wanted to yell or cheer out loud, it was so inspiring, and there were just as many moments where I was in tears because what I was reading resonated so deeply with my experience. Also, we need to talk more about how racist, classist, and misogynist diet culture is, because I had no idea, and reading about the ways in which diet culture and fatphobia try to force everyone into essentially a rich white standard of beauty, I just...if you don't walk away from this book furious at diet culture and legitimately ready to burn it to the ground, good god, what is going on with you?

One of my favorite inspiring moments is when Christy notes in chapter one that "it's hard to smash the patriarchy on an empty stomach." I mean.............yeah! It is, you guys. Can we please eat some fucking carbs and get smashing? And just think, that was chapter one. There are eleven chapters, folx, all just as empowering. Whether you have struggled with diet culture or not, read, be inspired, and share the message. Let's burn diet culture to the ground together!

The Four Tendencies - Gretchen Rubin

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"During her multibook investigation into understanding human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively.

More than 600,000 people have taken her online quiz, and managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people make significant, lasting change.

The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you've ever thought...

· People can rely on me, but I can't rely on myself.
· How can I help someone to follow good advice?
· People say I ask too many questions.
· How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I ask or who keeps telling me what to do?

With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. It's far easier to succeed when you know what works for you."

I was introduced to this book and the concept of the "four tendencies" in a training about bullet journaling and productivity, and although I am not usually a non-fiction person, I was intrigued. The tendencies focus on why we do or don't act, and delving into each tendency to identify what keeps them motivated, what doesn't, and how to adapt based on individual tendencies was really intriguing. Knowing how people you interact with on the daily are motivated and respond to expectations can be eye-opening, and it's incredibly helpful to get a clearer understanding of how to better work together and keep each other motivated. I highly recommend checking out this book or, at the very least, taking Gretchen Rubin's quiz at https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com/. For anyone curious, I am an obliger (with some upholder tendencies), and that surprises me not at all. Which tendency are you? Is it what you expected, or did it surprise you?

#FirstPageFriday - The Four Tendencies

HOLD THE PHONE, Dewey reads more than just YA fiction?! That's right! This week's First Page Friday is The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. Stay tuned to find out what personality profile I have!

We Are Not Yet Equal - Carol Anderson

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Carol Anderson's White Rage took the world by storm, landing on the New York Times bestseller list and best book of the year lists from New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Chicago Review of Books. It launched her as an in-demand commentator on contemporary race issues for national print and television media and garnered her an invitation to speak to the Democratic Congressional Caucus. This compelling young adult adaptation brings her ideas to a new audience.

When America achieves milestones of progress toward full and equal black participation in democracy, the systemic response is a consistent racist backlash that rolls back those wins. We Are Not Yet Equal examines five of these moments: The end of the Civil War and Reconstruction was greeted with Jim Crow laws; the promise of new opportunities in the North during the Great Migration was limited when blacks were physically blocked from moving away from the South; the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was met with the shutting down of public schools throughout the South; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 led to laws that disenfranchised millions of African American voters and a War on Drugs that disproportionally targeted blacks; and the election of President Obama led to an outburst of violence including the death of black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri as well as the election of Donald Trump.

This YA adaptation will be written in an approachable narrative style that provides teen readers with additional context to these historic moments, photographs and archival images, and additional backmatter and resources for teens."

I keep starting this review only to delete what I wrote and start over because I can't find the words that are right to start this off. Instead of allowing myself to get caught in an endless loop of rewritten intros, let's start with a quote from the epilogue of this book.

"Imagine if, instead of continually refighting the Civil War, we had actually moved on to rebuilding..."

This quote basically sums up the entire book. Every chapter is full of examples of (white) people going out of their way to keep people of color down, even though doing so hurts everyone. Where could we be as a country if we built everyone up and let people succeed instead of letting racism run unchecked and tearing people down for our own bigoted amusement?

There was so much in the early chapters of this book that I had never heard before, and it's depressing to realize how much of history has been whitewashed and retaught as something less shameful than what it actually was. It's equally frustrating to read about the presidencies immediately following the Civil War and realize...things are basically the same today. The idea that equal treatment of minorities is somehow favoritism, for instance. The attitude of, "Fine, we'll grant you these rights so you can be 'equal', but do you really need to exercise all of them? Can't you just be happy with the scraps we already gave you?" Definitely still going on. Ugh.

This book is well-researched, well-written, and a great adaptation of White Rage. If you're wondering whether you should read it, the answer is yes, you should. Full disclosure: it will make you mad. Hopefully we can all use that anger to make things better.

Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries - Kory Stamper

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Do you have strong feelings about the word "irregardless"? Have you ever tried to define the word "is"? This account of how dictionaries are made is for you word mavens. 

Many of us take dictionaries for granted, and few may realize that the process of writing dictionaries is, in fact, as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define, how it can take nine months to define a single word, and how our biases about language and pronunciation can have tremendous social influence. And along the way, she reveals little-known surprises--for example, the fact that "OMG" was first used in a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917.

Word by Word brings to life the hallowed halls (and highly idiosyncratic cubicles) of Merriam-Webster, a startlingly rich world inhabited by quirky and erudite individuals who quietly shape the way we communicate."

Look...I know I'm a super nerd, so I don't expect everyone to love a book about dictionaries as much as I did. But seriously. It was educational, entertaining, and funny. If you have any interest in words at all, please, do yourself a favor. Read this book.