Welcome to Litsy!

So many beautiful, heartfelt letters written to so many people. I related to some of the feelings expressed in the book, but I learned about so many more. My privilege has kept me from experiencing so many things that were talked about in the book, but I'm grateful to have learned from reading it.

As with any collection of essays some will really hit home and others don‘t resonate as much.
These were written right after the American election and are put forward as letters to ancestors, friends, family ect.
It‘s a good variety and I used it for #readharder2019 .
Will say it took me a long time to get through as I just couldn‘t read too many in one go without feeling overwhelmed.

This is a great motto!

One reason I read so much is so I can actually vocalise my thoughts and feeling with help from writers that I‘m learning from. This resonates with me as sometimes in person I find it hard to be as eloquent as I would like.

I chose this book as my at work read on July 4th. Usually a holiday I'm excited to celebrate, this year it was hard to feel patriotic. I appreciate the different perspectives provided and was surprised to see how these authors knew of what was to come so shortly after the elections. I think I had a bit of blissful ignorance and didn't believe it would get so bad.

This book is an essay collection from writers right after Trumps election. Most are brilliantly done, but I'll admit it took me a long time to finish bc I found it overwhelming to read more than a few at a time.

LOVE THIS POEM. Great ending to this essay collection!

I hope you can read the highlighted sections! Great essay by Peter Orner.

Every moment our fears and anxieties hold dominion over us is a moment those who hate have stolen from us, and we must give them nothing.

We are not, in this midnight, permitted to refuse to shine.
We are the light.
Grace beats karma.

This is so important too, and very poignantly written. LOVE

Same essay as the last one I posted. Loved this part, too

Loved this essay. So damn good

"I am fool enough to believe that storytelling matters; that metaphors make spirits sing; that only art can convince us - in its brutal complexity, in its myriad contradictions, and its nuanced portraiture of love - that we, as human beings, long for meaning in our lives and that this longing ennobles us."

Now, more than ever, we need anger and hope.

We need anger to spur us to action, to call out xenophobia, misogyny, to make our voices heard with our votes, our marches, and our dollars. We need the anger.

But we also need hope. We need the hope for change and a brighter future. Hope that we will all continue to speak with love, respect, and decency in the face of white supremacy, fear, and hate.

In conclusion, f* nazis. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Beautiful.

Solid collection, if a bit repetitive at times. I loved how inclusive the collection is, covering race, queerness, immigration, poverty, and more. “Dear Millennials” by Aya de Léon was my favorite entry. A good read to ground yourself in reality; a reminder that the results of the 2016 election aren‘t apocalyptic (I sure hope not, at least) but that doesn‘t mean we have the luxury of inaction in times like these, or ever, really.

#riotgrams #spinepoetry

Radical Hope
Holding Up the Universe.
News from Heaven:
Sing,Unburied, Sing.
When Breath Becomes Air,
Come Away with Me.
The Sweet Hereafter.

I live in Boston. I'm scared about tomorrow.

This book inspired and depressed me, made me fearful and hopeful, showed both true evil and true goodness. Excellent choices of authors and a variety of reactions of how to process the Trump presidency.

#booksacrossoceans #SeaofBooks #readinginbed
Only thing missing is Em & Poe😻😻They ran when I pulled these books from their boxes on my bed and scattered them across my pillow. ( they are in boxes so my husband can fit).
@pri_bibliophile @mellisarock

Hope for a Saturday afternoon. #hope

#TBRTemptation

Carolina De Robertis' collection of letters written by diverse people with diverse approaches helps create a space for voices to be heard, powerful words to be shared, fears to be recognized, and hopes to be kindled. Some letters were harder to read than others, and many raw feelings expressed. I was especially moved by Kate Schatz's What I Mean & Claire Messud's A Letter to my Daughter. "It's up to us...We are stronger together."

"This is precisely the time when artists go to work....We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal." Toni Morrison
"The future remains unwritten, ours to shape--though it will not be easy." Carolina de Robertis

The last list making worked and I finished all, but one of them, so here are the books I will read for the next week or two. Yay!

PS How do you keep track of what books you own? Goodreads has listed my books as read, but they are not appearing in my counts any longer for some reason. I also am using 2 book apps to read now- kindle and kobo

Two fabulous books will be published tomorrow! RADICAL HOPE by Carolina De Robertis and I'LL EAT WHEN I'M DEAD by Barbara Bourland. Get your copies tomorrow!

#IllEatWhenImDead #RadicalHope #newbooks

Our copies of RADICAL HOPE came today! Edited by the fabulous Carolina De Robertis, and with contributions from exceptional writers like Junot Díaz, Roxana Robinson and Jeff Chang, this is a book you won't want to miss.

#RadicalHope #ComingSoonToABookstoreNearYou

We received this beauty today! RADICAL HOPE is edited by Carolina De Robertis and includes letters from Junot Díaz, Jeff Chang, Lisa See, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Roxana Robinson, and the fabulous lost goes on. Coming to a bookstore near you May 2!