books i read in 2020 (part 4 of 5)

in

Good Reads

Coyotes, Ted Conover: Undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border and making it work in America. Turns out Coyotes (aka people smugglers) are just hustlers like the rest of us. And that undocumented immigrants get a really raw deal.

Reefer Madness, Eric Schlosser: Drugs, sex, undocumented workers: They’re a part of the American economy too — maybe even 10% of the GDP, according to Schlosser. Learn more about drug laws (they’re unfair), Mexican strawberry pickers (they have to walk bent over all day), and porn (the American porn industry essentially started in the trunk of Reuben Sturman’s car).

Educated, Tara Westover: Oof, there’s a lot of child abuse in this book. But it’s also an inspiring account of a brilliant mind and the power of education.

Barefoot Gen, Keiji Nakazawa: A weird anime graphic novel about Hiroshima. Take-home message: Think for yourself!

Annihilation, Jeff Vandermeer: I’m not usually into sci-fi, but this was a fun read. There’s a bunch of female scientists in a beautiful but forbidding landscape with an underground tower and a spooky plant-alien language. 

Running Into Time, Douglas Black: CONFLICT OF INTEREST ALERT, my boyfriend wrote this. It’s a story about growing up set in a crumbling acid trip, and has these wonderful asides about all the reasons society is fucked up.

Assassination Vacation, Sarah Vowell: Sarah Vowell is delightful, and this is an enjoyable history lesson.

Cast Away, Charlotte McDonald-Gibson: This didn’t make my Absolute Favorites list because it’s really sad, but it’s still definitely worth reading. Get ready to empathize with refugees. Also, Eritrea sounds fucked up.

Deep Creek, Pam Houston: A beautiful (but also sad and fucked up) book about a woman making it work on a ranch in Colorado.

Liner Notes, Jillian Marshall: CONFLICT OF INTEREST ALERT, my sister wrote this. It’s about Japanese classical, pop, and underground electronic music, and what they all say about global capitalism. But it’s also about navigating a new culture. I liked it so much that I actually tolerated reading it on a Kindle (shudder). Fortunately, it’s getting published by Three Rooms Press this year, so you can go out and buy a hard copy.

The Rules Don’t Apply, Ariel Levy: Oof, sad memoir full of infidelity, miscarriage, and hardcore alcoholism.

Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham: Lena Dunham reminds me of the Mountain Goats inasmuch as she’s really honest about personal experiences. This means when it doesn’t resonate, it’s like… wow, you’re kind of fucked up. But when it does, you’re like, HOLY SHIT HOW DID YOU KNOW? My biggest issue: Dude, sorry you gave a jerk a blowjob, but pointing out that he’s shorter than his girlfriend isn’t an insult and comes as a surprise from someone who claims to espouse body positivity.