Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik (2015, Dey Street Books; 240 pages) Notorious RBG is one of the most enjoyable books I have had on my hands this past year. It has it all. It is fun, and it is packed with information about one of the most important civil rights figures of our time in America, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. When the reader finishes the last chapter, sadness pours over, you don´t want to stop reading about this incredible woman. In fact I wish there were one more chapter: one that would cover her year after the November 2017 election. If you admired RBG before you read this book, once you put your hands on this project that has been considered a deeply original mash-up of pop culture and serious scholarship, you will fall in love with her personality. The photos, her life story, the annotated dissents that open a world to the reader to understand the brilliant mind of this courageous woman, justice, and feminist. All of it is absolutely worthy. The reader will be amazed reading about how fiercely she fought to make sure that unfinished business of gender equality and civil rights were taken seriously into consideration. Anyone reading this book will understand why this feminist pioneer's dissents and incredible strength have inspired millions of men and women. Delightful anecdotes about the Justice's life bring into light an intimate portrait of the woman and her work. The reader will learn that she likes to write through the night, that her marriage was fascinating and inspiring, and that she exercises every day. Stories about her love for the opera and her friendship with other Justices, some of them from a very different political spectrum, are really interesting; every anecdote helps the reader to understand her life and her times. The conclusion is, of course, that Notorious RBG is exactly that, notorious, only in the Latin definition of the word, rather than the English, which has somewhat of a negative connotation. Great book, read it, read it! Find this title in our catalog: Notorious RBG Recommended by: Maite
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The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2008, Spiegel & Grau; 242 pages) "When I was young, my father was heroic to me, was all I knew of religion. His word was the difference between pancakes and oatmeal, between Speed Racer and yard work." The author of Between the World and Me shares a brilliant coming-of-age story that embraces the genres of poetry and memoir. Coates shares with the reader a fantastic universe, and he tells the story of his father, Paul Coates: a Vietnam vet and Black Panther, a radical publisher and a lover of lost histories. He had seven children, from different mothers, and his mission in life was to see them survive the Age of Crack in Baltimore. Coates' language is startlingly beautiful, and the memoir is both healing and haunting. The reader will find a blunt portrait of an adolescence filled with chaos and danger, and also a love story of a family, fathers and sons. This is a stunningly poetic book. Fabulous. It is dedicated to his mother, Cheryl Waters. Find this title in our catalog: The Beautiful Struggle Recommended by: Maite On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder (2017, Tim Duggan Books; 130 pages) The prologue of this tiny book is an essay on history and tyranny that helps the reader to understand the core of the author´s intention, to make sure that the reader understands that history does not repeat, but it does instruct. "The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they know, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century." The author adds: "We are not wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience." Mr. Snyder has written a book that presents twenty short lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of today. Every lesson starts with a command: Do not obey in advance, defend institutions, beware the one-party state, take responsibility for the face of the world, remember professional ethics, be wary of paramilitaries, be reflective if you must be armed, stand out, be kind to our language, believe in truth and ten more commands based on democratic principles. The book is delightful, concise, precise, and necessary. Recommended. Find this title in our catalog: On Tyranny Recommended by: Maite Why We March: Signs of Protest and Hope -- Voices From the Women's March (2017, Artisan; 264 pages) This is a book dedicated to those who marched and those who continue to march, and it is a book about the voices from the Women's March, a historical event that happened on January 21 of 2017, when millions of women and men gathered and marched in all fifty states in the U.S. and in different places in the world on all seven continents. All the marchers together formed one of the largest demonstrations in political history. This book is a compilation of photographs of the signs they carried, which quickly circulated around the globe. The signs offer a unique answer to the question “Why do you march?” The examples are fantastic and inspiring. Grandmothers, mothers and daughters, immigrants, women and men of color, boys, dads, grandfathers. They all had a reason to march, and they all had a message to send on their signs, or with their outfits, with thousands of pink hats sending it. “I march for my future,” “You can try to divide. We will rise and unify,” “1968 is calling, don’t answer,” “Nope”, “No more nice kitty,” “Celebrate diversity, Love is Love,” “Healthcare and Justice for All,” “USA Expats in Solidarity with Sisters Everywhere,” “Hear US,” “Welcome to the Resistance Day!,” “I march for equality,” “Love looks pretty on you,” “I am You,” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-Damental Rights,” are a few of many messages that the book brings along to serve as a testimony of many powerful voices. The book is delightful and interesting even for those who may find the idea too political. Find this title in our catalog: Why We March Recommended by: Maite |
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