So, I have to say that one of the most amazing things about not being in school anymore is that I’m back to my bookworm habits. It’s like being involved in a summer romance, only literary instead of physical.
I’ve always loved reading. One of my favorite summers was the summer when I was 14 and spent my days volunteering at our local hospital in the morning, then walking over to the local library to volunteer in the afternoon. I continued to volunteer at the library off and on for years, sometimes shelving, sometimes helping with the children’s summer reading programs (and doing crafts with them!). Another summer, I set out to read every single book in the library’s Young Adult section. I never finished (I kind of outgrew Young Adult Fiction before I could complete the section), but I encountered many, many wonderful books in the process that I will totally force my future children to read.
But once things heated up in high school, it was only the assigned reading for my English classes that had me turning any pages–and while I loved reading classics such as A Farewell to Arms, Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, and others, the fact that it was ASSIGNED reading kind of negated the drive inside me that caused me to be a bookworm as a kid.
And of course, college had me reading plays and textbooks and not much else. Reading for pleasure pretty much disappeared from my agenda. But now it’s back. Wheee! And to celebrate, I’m going to continue posting my reviews of books I’ve read, so here goes…
Okay, this is overdue, but I must write about this. This book was amazing for many reasons. First and foremost, it is a book about a year that author Annie Dillard spent in the Virginia mountains, near Roanoke. Anyone who knows me knows of my intense love affair with the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. So that attracted me right off the bat. It was recommended to me by an acquaintance right before I left for London (thanks again, Whitney!), so I hurried and bought it to read while I was there. It was a slow read, not because it was dull or difficult, but simply because of the structure. It doesn’t really have a plot, but instead is a long series of intricate musings on Dillard’s sensual experiences of, and meditations on, nature. I related to much of it, and learned much from the rest. In fact, the book was so packed with encyclopedic information woven into her musings, that I feel like it could be the textbook for a hypothetical college class called “Biology 101 for the Right-Brained Student”, or something to that effect. The language is beautiful, her detail in writing amazing. It reads like a book of essays (though in her afterword, Dillard claims she hates when the book is labeled as such), and after each chapter I found myself either having to spend time meditating on nature myself, or researching whatever fascinating animal or plant behavior she had observed. I learned a LOT. This book is a gem, and I loved it.
This book was written by Jessica Valenti, writer for and executive editor of my favorite Feminist blog, Feministing (veteran readers know I have it linked on the right!). This book is great. I wish I could hand out copies to every young woman I know. When I first began reading it, I was concerned that Valenti wrote it in the same way she writes for her blog. The language is very casual, and includes profanity. My knee-jerk reaction was one of worry that while someone like me would love the book, it mightn’t be taken seriously by critics of feminism. Of course, she addresses this very mindset–in which some feminists have a complex about being taken seriously and will occasionally balk unnecessarily at anything less than dry and scholarly–in the book, and it hit me that this book isn’t written for critics, it’s written for young women who want to educate themselves about feminism. Duh. We’re not going to care if she uses casual language, especially if she’s doing so to reach out to us, which she is. She’s also staying true to herself in writing that way, and therefore continues being the kind of feminist I really respect. My belief in her genius will never again waver! The book is stuffed with facts and information that will illuminate the reasons feminism is 1) still around, and 2) necessary. It breaks down the movement historically and theoretically so that the reader can really get the lowdown on what’s going on and why we should care. And you will care, after reading this book. My absolute favorite thing about it is that, after spending the whole time getting the reader riled up about women’s rights, it includes a lush appendix full of resources–books, groups, websites–for the reader to get involved. So yeah, if you’re a young woman with ANY slight feminist leanings OF ANY KIND… read this book. You won’t regret it. It will open your eyes.
