There is a quiet period that comes to my job each summer. My work is very cyclical, which reminds me that being able to do research and publish is a privilege. This also touches on my life cycle issues. I have been a parent, but it is no longer a major part of my responsibilities. So I acknowledge privilege.
So when it goes quiet, I have time to consider what I want to do, and who I want to be. Engaging with more reading, is connected to my deep desire to continue growing as a writer. What follows is what I have been reading recently.
History
I have been a history nerd since I was a teenager. I carried this book around for a very long time, unread. I decided to give myself a gift, and read something that I had owned for a very long time.
- Tuchman, Barbara W. 1978. A distant mirror : the calamitous 14th century.1st trade ed.. ed. New York: New York : Knopf.
The epilogue in this book reminded me of someone that I didn’t know very much about.
- Harrison, Kathryn. 2014. Joan of Arc : a life transfigured.First edition.. ed.New York : Doubleday.
Many writers are looking at the 14th Century and drawing parallels with the current pandemic. I really recommend this recent article from the New Yorker.
Before I leave history, I feel it’s important to acknowledge something I read because Erik Larson is somebody I follow. I had what looked like a really productive couple of days because I picked up books from my TBR that I had almost finished. This was one of them.
- Larson, Erik. 2020. The splendid and the vile : a saga of Churchill, family, and defiance during the blitz.First edition.. ed.New York : Crown.
Social Justice
My community is hosting a book discussion on this book.
- Oluo, Ijeoma. 2018. So you want to talk about race.First edition.. ed.New York, NY : Seal Press.
I recommend both this and Ibram Kendi (How to be an antiracist). Please read.
This is an important contribution to the conversation about policing.
Privilege Studies
I am part of a group putting together a book proposal on inclusive teaching. I am learning about the theory behind the application of privilege studies to instruction. I am working my way through this book.
- Dessel, Adrienne B., Johanna C. Masse, and Lauren T. Walker. (2013) “Intergroup Dialogue Pedagogy: Teaching about Intersectional and Under-examined Privilege in Heterosexual, Christian, and Jewish Identities.” in Deconstructing Privilege: Teaching and learning as Allies in the Classroom, edited by Kim Case. Taylor and Francis Group.
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