It's taken me a while to decide where I fall on this book, which is ultimately very middle-of-the-road, because while I do think it's importa3.5 stars
It's taken me a while to decide where I fall on this book, which is ultimately very middle-of-the-road, because while I do think it's important to consider the harmful effects of smartphones and social media on generations z and alpha, there's more nuance to it than Haidt conveys, and I also don't know that Haidt told me anything I don't already know or at least suspect. But then seeing this book everywhere freaks me out a little because I start to wonder if people really are thinking critically about these things to begin with? Or are we just handing smartphones to kids without any kind of education or discussion?
I, for one, think a LOT about phones and social media, both my own use (have scaled wayyyy back on social this summer, and have slowly decreased my overall phone usage over the past year) and for my kids. Like I am literally thinking about this stuff multiple times a day (how can you not?). So it's hard to wrap my brain around a book like this even being necessary. Of course, reality tells me otherwise; it's not uncommon that I come across parents who let their 10yos on TikTok. Or give their third grader unlimited access to YouTube. I polled my dudes the other day and asked what percentage/number of kids in their grade had phones. Early elementary child said a few kids in the class. Older elementary said 75 percent. Middle schooler said 85 percent. And while we have no way of knowing the mindfulness with which these parents have given their kids phones (my oldest has a "dumb" phone that only does talk and text and I have NO plan to give them a smartphone any time soon), judging by the amount of tween girls buying adult romance, we can safely say a lot of kids are using their phones largely unmonitored.
I'm not one to read "it" books of the moment, but this subject does intrigue me because I interact with a lot of Gen Z and younger millennials and have noticed what I perceive to be an alarming amount of anxiety that prevents them from daily functioning. As an anxiety girlie myself, I frequently have "Damn, I thought mine was bad," moments - it seems as though while older gens are more accustomed to pushing through anxiety when they need to (for better or worse), the younger ones tend to completely shut down rather than face something hard or uncomfortable or bad.
Haidt's thesis paints this more extreme anxiety as a result of Gen Z's parents over-protecting their kids from real world (sometimes irrational) dangers, but not protecting them from the rapid technology enhancements that have exposed them to porn online (boys) and negative effects of social media (mainly girls). I don't disagree with this, but again, there's more nuance than what Haidt suggests. I believe we have to look more at what the kids are doing online. Not all boys are watching porn, though most will be exposed to it. Some are gaming, which can be an addictive pacifier; some are falling down extreme right-wing rabbit holes; some are finding families that will accept them when the members of their household won't. Similarly, many girls might develop body image issues from social media, but maybe their anxiety also comes from a greater access to news that constantly tells them their rights are being taken away. Haidt wants to argue that systemic violence and injustice, highlighted by things like police brutality, COVID, and the military industrial complex, isn't what's causing a heightened anxiety in younger generations. But...isn't it? Smartphones provide access to more information than we were ever meant to keep in our brains at once. The result can be paralyzing.
More nuance for thought. Haidt does raise the whole "kids these days don't go outside and socialize in person anymore!" argument. Again, there is probably some truth to this. But also, some kids do both? Is it that hard to believe that kids can be glued to a screen and still have in-person social lives, play a sport, roam the neighborhood, etc.? As much as Millennials and Gen X yell about spending their whole childhoods outdoors, we sure are quiet about the fact that our TVs raised us. And if it truly looks like Gen Z and Gen Alpha are spending less time with friends and less time outdoors than we did, we could also consider the global implications of climate change and COVID, as well as the disappearance of places for teens to hang out, like shopping malls, to explain that.
Maybe I'm idealistic about the internet, sometimes. I maintain that I had the best the web had to offer, coming online as a middle schooler when it was all Live Journal and message boards and updating your website with deep teen philosophy and reviews of the latest CDs you bought from Sam Goody. Mid-'90s internet was a golden era, at least for me. I don't have any Gen Z folks in my household, but I do think I'm in a unique position, as an elder millennial raising Gen Alpha, to not repeat whatever caused Gen Z's failure to launch. I definitely agree with Haidt that that involves taking the damn phones out of schools, give kids "dumb" phones instead of smartphones, not letting young kids on certain platforms, and being mindful of what exactly they're doing online and how they're doing it. Broadly, all these things, yes. But it's necessary to look at things on a kid-by-kid basis and the quality of their online time, as well.
[Listened to on audio, would def recommend the physical book, in order to see graphs and charts from the numerous studies Haidt cites]...more
I'm not a big reader on grief or fable-type fiction, but this is the first in a triptych that ends with Shy, which I loved, and it is a very well writI'm not a big reader on grief or fable-type fiction, but this is the first in a triptych that ends with Shy, which I loved, and it is a very well written and conceived short novel about the aftermath of a mother's death on her family....more
One thing that makes this memoir good is James McBride's versatility as a writer. He knows his way around nonfiction, fiction, music, etc., and it's wOne thing that makes this memoir good is James McBride's versatility as a writer. He knows his way around nonfiction, fiction, music, etc., and it's what helps him pull off a book that's autobiographical about himself, biographical about his mother, and socio-cultural on poverty, immigration, and growing up between cultures as a mixed race person. It's easy to look around now and see a lot of books about these things, but for its time, it's also easy to see how The Color of Water left a lasting impression on readers. I don't want to say it was ahead of its time, but it was doing something the book world definitely needed in the '90s....more
Not quite sure who the audience for this memoir is, but it's probably a good read for those who can't relate but can learn something and for those whoNot quite sure who the audience for this memoir is, but it's probably a good read for those who can't relate but can learn something and for those who can relate. I'm somewhat in the latter category, and while it's hard to know what to feel about seeing your marginal identity represented but not identifying with all of it (which is a whole other discussion), I give Charlotte Gill props for writing about mixed race families and identity. Especially the more nuanced challenges of it, like one's own internalized racism when favoring the more westernized parent over the other ("other") one who doesn't comfortably slot into society. That is a tough thing to reckon with, much less write about publicly....more
Westernized ideas of beauty are often dumb and boring, and you see that when you look at an everyday cosmetic, like eyeliner, through another culture'Westernized ideas of beauty are often dumb and boring, and you see that when you look at an everyday cosmetic, like eyeliner, through another culture's lens. This cultural history traces some of the origins of eyeliner (spoiler: not white people!) and its many uses, including improving health and well-being, ritual, and religion. It's addictive, not just for its aesthetic properties, but its healing and symbolic ones, too.
For someone who came to eyeliner, and most makeup, extremely late in life, this was a cool microhistory....more
Enjoyed this memoir-in-verse as much as I liked 100 Boyfriends. The format works well; I often think the mistake memoir writers make is thinking they Enjoyed this memoir-in-verse as much as I liked 100 Boyfriends. The format works well; I often think the mistake memoir writers make is thinking they need 250 pages of prose to tell their stories. Purnell is sharp and funny and smart and a badass storyteller....more
Admittedly biased because I have loved Kaveh Akbar for so long, he is one of my favorite poets that I've followed from his chapbook and Divedapper dayAdmittedly biased because I have loved Kaveh Akbar for so long, he is one of my favorite poets that I've followed from his chapbook and Divedapper days, I've been waiting for this novel for so long and might have *actually* screamed when I spotted the ARC of this nonchalantly sitting in the corner, AS THOUGH WAITING JUST FOR ME *CUE DRAMATIC INTERLUDE OF DESTINY*
Akbar's prose isn't poetic, the way say Ocean Vuong's prose is, but it has a strong impact on a story that is somehow both structured and meandering. I appreciated the inclusion of the real-life tragedy of Iranian Flight 655, a civilian aircraft that was shot down by U.S. air missiles in 1988. I suspect not a lot of people know about it, so the inclusion feels important. It's a book about mental health and addiction that somehow isn't depressing, just an examination of a search for meaning in life and, perhaps more importantly, in death. It's an ambitious novel that isn't perfect, and not everything it sets out to do works, but I truly enjoyed it for that ambition and as a great start to Akbar's hopefully ongoing prose career....more
I'm not that reader who borrows a book from a library, reads it, and later buys it because it's so good. But I'm going to do that with Shy, the third I'm not that reader who borrows a book from a library, reads it, and later buys it because it's so good. But I'm going to do that with Shy, the third in Porter's triptych of novels on boyhood and masculinity. Just really solid, non-linear vibes. Porter jumps around but keeps the narrative on track, and I look forward to reading the other two books adjacent to this one....more
I binged it! And I was not disappointed! The dialogue is sharp and funny, the illustrations are touching, there is definitely a character for everyoneI binged it! And I was not disappointed! The dialogue is sharp and funny, the illustrations are touching, there is definitely a character for everyone, whether you're looking for a cute and cuddly seal-man (protect Ghüs at all costs) or maternal badass (Alana), and the space opera is the right mix of bleak/devastating/jaded and hopeful/heartwarming, and okay, just downright hot....more
Bryan Washington's writing is always such a comfort to me. He writes about where I live and he centers people[With thanks to the publisher for an ARC]
Bryan Washington's writing is always such a comfort to me. He writes about where I live and he centers people who live in the margins and have found family. And while this novel is heavy af in its dealings with grief and scary in its confrontation of the effect a person has on others, long after they're gone, the writing and story are so readable and accessible in ways that make you long for the book when you're not reading it.
Heed all the content warnings. Eating disorders, death and grief, sex, drug use, police brutality....more
I kicked off my "My Brain Is Broken But I Must Return To Big Books" tour with this one. Spent almost the entire month of February reading it, which maI kicked off my "My Brain Is Broken But I Must Return To Big Books" tour with this one. Spent almost the entire month of February reading it, which may color my opinion because that's generally way too long for me to spend on even a large book. Mostly, it's a well-done novel that just isn't for me. I was way more engaged with it in the first half, but maybe that fell off in the second half because it became such a slog for some reason. I don't know! Most interesting is the father-son relationship between Juan and Gaspar, though it's not an easy relationship to read, marred by trauma and supernatural forces outside their control. I think a lot, as well, about how much of a masculine vibe the book had, given its author is not a man - always present some thread of male homosexuality and boyhood.
Like with many books that are hard to categorize, I wonder if this book not being tied to one genre helps or hurts its accessibility to a wide readership. I could see it being a decent book club choice, even though it's mysterious and supernatural and epic and literary all at once....more
Solid essay collection. Unique stories. You sense Fitzgerald is the kind of dude who doesn't hesitate to say 'yes' to something new, whether it be a jSolid essay collection. Unique stories. You sense Fitzgerald is the kind of dude who doesn't hesitate to say 'yes' to something new, whether it be a job, trip, chance to learn, etc., so some of these stories are wild. Some essays are entertaining, some are more of an exploration of past trauma.
Full disclosure and no joke, I've followed Fitzgerald online partly for his romantic friendship with Saeed Jones (we would all be so lucky to have such a relationship), lolol, but I'm looking to see what he does next in his career, as he's young and seemingly has time to hone his literary voice....more
I liked this for its hybrid of auto-writing and trans theory and drug hallucinations and questions raised about transitioning and just existing in a cI liked this for its hybrid of auto-writing and trans theory and drug hallucinations and questions raised about transitioning and just existing in a current society that is more accepting of trans people than it's been in the past, but also still so oppressive and violent to the trans community. Baer admits her privilege in being white and financially well-off, and not just in a disclaimer-y sort of way at the beginning, but does seem to examine or call out how trans folks without that privilege wouldn't be afforded her exact experience. This didn't feel annoying to me, the way it did to some reviewers. Overall, I think I just enjoyed the way this circled around both theory using interrogation and drug-induced, diary-style entries....more
Easy contender for one of my best reads of the year. Holy shit, this book.
Been on my radar a while, but part of me was maybe putting it off 4.75 stars
Easy contender for one of my best reads of the year. Holy shit, this book.
Been on my radar a while, but part of me was maybe putting it off because of the murdermysterythriller label. If you are a literary reader doing the same, don't be a dummy like me. Read. This. Because while there are murders and it's a mystery and somewhat thrilling in its story engagement, The Trees also engages with racist violence, overinflated and inept policing, horror/gore/the absurd, history in the present, and critique as satire.
Everett's writing style isn't for everyone, but everyone should give it a shot. His critique of police, in particular, through a satirical, absurdist lens, hits so hard and good.
They walked across the gravel parking lot to the bar. They had shed their blazers but still looked alarmingly like police.
"Did we start looking like this before or after we became fucking policemen?" Jim asked.
"Got me. But it's damn hard to wash off, that's all I know."
There are a lot of LEOs in this book, from various branches of the city, state, and federal forces. None of them are much help in solving a string of gruesome murders. They move, work, and think slowly, somehow in a book whose pacing is impeccable. They all have ridiculous names, except for two Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officers named Ed and Jim, indicating that there are no good cops, even the ones with names that blend in to society (the names - some of which provide a good font joke, like Helvetica, others of which are a hilarious pop culture nod, like Carl Winslow - reminded me of Pynchon, not to compare Pynchon and Everett in the least bit, but the satire and details like this can't help but lead to that likening).
The Trees is set in the present day but has a very historical feel, which I think is intentional. While the story circles the murder of Emmett Till, Everett continually and cleverly yanks you out of it with mentions of current politics, a forceful reminder that history isn't just history. Lynching and genocide are still happening, and we don't always see it.
"Everybody talks about genocides around the world, but when the killing is slow and spread over a hundred years, no one notices. Where there are no mass graces, no one notices. American outrage is always for show. It has a shelf life."
It's not shoved in your face, but the book is persistent enough in its satirizing of racial violence and policing that you're forced to see that while it feels like historical fiction, it is not.
Deducted part of a star for some trope-y characterization that involves fatphobia and sexism. I get that bro-y satire tends to involve this type of humor, and this book is making me think more about whether or not said satire can exist without harmful tropes (easy answer: yes?). This is otherwise such a perfect book, and I'm pulling for it to win the Booker....more
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