Interesting but uneven collection, with only two standouts ("Nirvana" and "Interesting Facts"). Two of the stories were somewhat boring, and I strugglInteresting but uneven collection, with only two standouts ("Nirvana" and "Interesting Facts"). Two of the stories were somewhat boring, and I struggled to get through. A bit flummoxed by the hype....more
A sprawling family saga told with simple elegance and warmth. Every character is treated with tenderness. There's a lot here about women's private sufA sprawling family saga told with simple elegance and warmth. Every character is treated with tenderness. There's a lot here about women's private suffering and the way it's passed on through the generations, as well as the ways that Korean families have worked with quiet dignity to make ends meet in the face of racial discrimination and war. A story I won't soon forget....more
To riff off the title of another essential book on race in America, the title of this book could be, "Why are all the black families living together oTo riff off the title of another essential book on race in America, the title of this book could be, "Why are all the black families living together on the other side of town?" Here, Rothstein pulls together historical records, legal research, and a quiet urgency to argue convincingly that most U.S. cities today are segregated not simply because of private decisions (de facto segregation) but largely because of government-mandated housing laws and policies (de jure segregation), by which the federal government bypassed the 14th Amendment and created one of the most enduring gaps in equity and education that we live with today. The research here is meticulous and quite hard to argue with, and the FAQ section at the end anticipates natural resistance to Rothstein's "solution," which is not wholesale reparations but what he calls remedies--various financial incentives offered by the government to speed the process of integrated living. This is helpful, if dry at times, reading alongside Ta-Nehisi Coates's "The Case for Reparations."...more
I found this biography so compelling, in part because it provides a thorough overview of Dorothy Day's singular, unexpected life while peeling away soI found this biography so compelling, in part because it provides a thorough overview of Dorothy Day's singular, unexpected life while peeling away some of the spiritual veneer that has developed over time. The writing was sparse and occasionally flat but also beautiful in parts. Hennessy ultimately honors Day's life while punctuating scenes with a right kind of ambivalence about Day's mothering and boundaries with various folks connected to the Catholic Worker movement. I walked away with more appreciation of Day as a mere human, warts and all, who was also likely a saint....more
I was pleasantly surprised to find a simple but beautiful narrative quality here; the allusions to 'To Kill a Mockingbird' are overt without overshadoI was pleasantly surprised to find a simple but beautiful narrative quality here; the allusions to 'To Kill a Mockingbird' are overt without overshadowing the uniqueness of Stevenson's story. There's also a clear Christian resonance here that I would hope even the most conservative readers would be compelled by. If you can enter into the pain of some of these stories you will finish the book more humane, more human, more able to stand with image bearers whom society marks condemned....more
Camosy offers an evenhanded, non-vitriolic account of the current abortion debates that have defined what's been called "America's second civil war" sCamosy offers an evenhanded, non-vitriolic account of the current abortion debates that have defined what's been called "America's second civil war" since Roe v. Wade's passage in 1973. The book aims to be accessible to both "pro-lifers" and "pro-choicers" (terms that Camosy puts in quotes to suggest that even these binaries are limited) but is overall rooted in Catholic moral theology, although accessibly so. I think the book ends up being different from what it intends to do--to find common ground in the abortion debates--because the personhood of the fetus is a nonstarter for many pro-choice advocates. That said, what the book *does* do--talk about the abortion debates in constructive terms with actual policy consequences--is admirable and worth engaging. I especially thought the policy proposals regarding federal paid programs for mothers and children was worth the price of the book, and could convince some Democrats who don't enshrine abortion rights as core to their party's platform. I also found the overview of the pro-life feminist case to be helpful. Overall a helpful and evenhanded resource for anyone who's invested in these debates....more
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