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.

I forgot to mention in my (caffeine-laced ramble of a) Monday reading post that I'm taking part in the Summer of #BlumeAlong, hosted by Kerry over at Entomology of a Bookworm. After coming clean about never having read anything by Judy Blume to her Twitter followers, Kerry decided to host a read-along of two of Blume's most beloved novels. We're starting with the iconic Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret and rounding things out with Summer Sisters, one of Blume's adult novels.

To kick off #BlumeAlong, Kerry has a few questions for us.

1. Is this your first time reading Blume, or did you grow up on her books?

Oh, did I ever! My mother was a huge Judy Blume fan growing up (my mom had me at 20, so she too got to appreciate Judy in her pre-teen years) and she made sure I had all of her childhood favorites. They're probably neck-and-neck with Harry Potter for the books I reread the most. A testament to my love for them, they were frequently victims of my alter ego, Shaina, Destroyer of Books; I distinctly remember dropping my copy of Then Again, Maybe I Won't in the toilet. My mom was also fond of Judy's more "adult" repertoire, which she (unsuccessfully) tried to hide from me. Let's just say I learned a lot from Wifey and Forever. 

2. If you grew up on her books, what's your favorite?

Are You There, God? is classic; I'm having all sorts of nostalgia just looking at my old copy in Kerry's banner (the super '90s one, second from the left). I remember loving Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, probably for all the silly newsletters that Sheila published. I wrote fiction throughout my childhood and worked for the school newspaper in high school, so I guess I could relate. I also enjoyed Deenie, though I blame it for encouraging my hypochondria (the book is about Deenie discovering and living with her scoliosis). It's Not the End of the World became more poignant for me after my own parents separated. I clearly can't pick!

3. Are you reading one or the other or both of the books?

Both! I've never read Summer Sisters, so I'm excited to get more Blume under my belt.

4. Where will you be reading in the coming weeks?

I'll be doing the bulk of my reading in southern Connecticut, but, depending upon how things go, I might just be packing Summer Sisters for a trip to Oregon in July. I'm going to the Oregon Country Fair, where I'll camp out in the woods of Veneta for four nights and have a blast taking in the sights, sounds, tastes and absolute joy of the fair. It's beautiful, wacky, and totally overwhelming for an introvert like me. I will absolutely need some reading breaks in the tent.

5. Where will you be sharing your #BlumeALong thoughts along the way?

I'll be tweeting with the hashtag #BlumeAlong, and I'm going to play blog posts by ear.