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What I've been reading: Books No. 37-38
Sep. 17th, 2021 02:39 pmBook No. 37 was "Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body" by Roxane Gay. I listened to this as an audiobook read by the author, and wow, was it a knockout. I have been part of the Health at Every Size and Size Acceptance/Fat Positivity movement for some time, so listening to Gay's struggles with her own body was hard, but worth it. She lays open her deepest secrets, feelings, longings, and vulnerabilities as she talks about being brutalized at age 12, her feelings about her very large (400+ pounds) body, and all the terrible choices she made in her 20s.
These movements are important and I do wish that more people (women, especially) would be kinder to their bodies, but she's right that often these movements are centered on a "certain kind of fat person." People who are 300, 400 and up tend to move through the world in a different way than someone who can shop the plus-sized section at Target, and she's brutally honest about what this means for her. I was glad to read recently that she's married and seems to be with somebody who is really good for her. I wish her and her wife Debbie all the happiness in the world.
Book No. 38 was "I Am Legend and Other Stories" by Richard Matheson. I listened to this as an audiobook, mostly for the novella "I Am Legend." I liked the reader, Robertson Dean. I watched the movie adaptation with Will Smith well before I read the book so I was making comparisons in my mind. I think the modern adaption is actually better in some ways. There's lots of smoking and LP records and things that date it to the 70s. I can see why this is a classic that inspired multiple movie adaptations, but the main character is a bit sexist and hard to relate to at times. I also listened to several other short stories on this audiobook, but I really HATED the other reader's voice, so that detracted from the overall experience. In short, I'm glad I read "I Am Legend" and understand why it's a classic but I don't necessarily feel the need to read more by Matheson.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
These movements are important and I do wish that more people (women, especially) would be kinder to their bodies, but she's right that often these movements are centered on a "certain kind of fat person." People who are 300, 400 and up tend to move through the world in a different way than someone who can shop the plus-sized section at Target, and she's brutally honest about what this means for her. I was glad to read recently that she's married and seems to be with somebody who is really good for her. I wish her and her wife Debbie all the happiness in the world.
Book No. 38 was "I Am Legend and Other Stories" by Richard Matheson. I listened to this as an audiobook, mostly for the novella "I Am Legend." I liked the reader, Robertson Dean. I watched the movie adaptation with Will Smith well before I read the book so I was making comparisons in my mind. I think the modern adaption is actually better in some ways. There's lots of smoking and LP records and things that date it to the 70s. I can see why this is a classic that inspired multiple movie adaptations, but the main character is a bit sexist and hard to relate to at times. I also listened to several other short stories on this audiobook, but I really HATED the other reader's voice, so that detracted from the overall experience. In short, I'm glad I read "I Am Legend" and understand why it's a classic but I don't necessarily feel the need to read more by Matheson.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
