Shaina Reads

I'm so excited that I'm finally going to participate in the Social Justice Book Club, hosted by the lovely Kerry of Entomology of a Bookworm. I've wanted to participate since the club got started back in April, but the stars simply never aligned (read: laziness, moving, more laziness). Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward will be the last book club selection before the new year, so I finally decided to hop on the bandwagon. May graduate school forgive me.



To start, Kerry put together some introductory questions for us clubbers.

1. Where do you plan on discussing this book the most? Feel free to share links to your blog, social media channels, snap handles, etc. 

Given my current sporadic blogging schedule, I'll most likely be sharing hot takes on Twitter (@shainareads) under the #SJBC tag. It's also possible some content may show up on Instagram (@shainareadsbooks), Litsy (@shainareads) and Snapchat (@shainareads), but I'm very much crap at checking anything but Twitter these days. We shall see!

Also, Janani and I may host an #SJBC Twitter chat! This will soon be determined.

2. Where in the world are you reading?

For the very first time, I can answer this question with something other than Connecticut! I recently moved to Seattle, Washington for graduate school and, barring anything unexpected, I'll be reading here for the whole month. My local address, however, will change in October; my boyfriend and I get the keys to our new apartment tomorrow!

3. Why did you decide to join in on the reading and/or discussion of this book?

Like I said above, I have not yet successfully joined in on a Social Justice Book Club read. Given how excited I was when Kerry first floated the idea for the club, I'm moderately ashamed it's taken me this long to participate. I also happened to have Men We Reaped already loaded up on my Kindle, so it was meant to be.

4. What, if anything, are you most looking forward to about this book?

From what I've heard about Men We Reaped, I fully expect it to sock me in the gut, let me get back up and then roundhouse kick me right back to the ground. I've been drawn to books like this for as long as I can remember, but I think it will be an especially timely read considering my current graduate school classes. Right now, we're immersed in learning about how the American (public) health system (and American society on the whole, really) only sets some of us up for success. The men Ward writes about here were not among those privileged few, and I don't expect her to mince words as she explains why.

Hi, everyone!

To exactly no one's surprise, I've been devoured by my graduate program, and things are pretty great down here in its belly. Today marks the start of my second week, and I've already learned more about the social determinants of health and the American government's role in public health than I ever thought possible. Self-directed learning is the best, y'all.


via GIPHY

Naturally, this does not leave much time for leisure reading, but I did manage to squeeze in the first episode of the first season of Tremontaine, a serialized fantasy novel by a whole troupe of talented authors. It's got intrigue, sword-fighting, scholarship and the promise of lots of queer naughty times to come. Memory pushed it like no other on her blog and on Twitter, and since the first episode is free for Kindle, I gave it a shot. Big mistake. Now I'm going to have to shell out actual money for the rest of the season, and your girl's unemployed. Memory suggested that I buy the episodes individually as a treat to myself every now and again. At $2 each, that seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Seriously, I want y'all to read TREMONTAINE & the three Riverside novels so we can all jump up and down as we gush incoherently about them.

— Memory Scarlett (@xicanti) October 1, 2016

The latest round of the Social Justice Book Club kicks off today, and I'm actually going to try to participate this time, not least because I may have committed myself to hosting an SJBC Twitter chat with Janani. Gulp. In October, the club will be reading Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward, which has been on my TBR and Kindle for far too long. Come join in the fun and keep me honest with the reading schedule!

What are y'all reading this week?