pickThis story showing a day in the life of workers in a restaurant about to shut down resonated with me. My parents had a Chinese restaurant and so much was familiar: the worries about staying afloat, the conflicts and camaraderie among staff, the disappointment when no customers show up, and then the chaos when they all come at once!
#gottacatchemall (Rattata: dark cover) @PuddleJumper
#BookCrossing
pickBeing from Missouri as well as working class, there is, naturally, much I relate to in Smarsh‘s essays. She thinks of herself as a voice for the overworked, underpaid, complex individuals who don‘t subscribe to the idea the Coasts present of them.
Sadly, I‘m equally as guilty to judge my fellow midwesterners—buying into the stereotypes that, apparently, most Americans do.
Smarsh has opened my eyes to my own hypocrisy. That‘s good writing.
I‘m beginning to really like Smarsh. Not for her politics necessarily but for her ability to look at the situation from a broad perspective. Even in journalism it‘s hard to find a writer who will call BS regardless of any affiliations, so Smarsh‘s essays are reinvigorating.
Directly before the highlighted quote: “…such nonfiction narratives may read as voyeuristic studies predicated on the dangerous idea that we are a nation of two essentially different kinds of people.”
And this is something I‘ve been thinking about A LOT. There are strong powers at work to divide America into castes. Instead of combating the inequality, we accept it because, as a whole, we‘ve yet to realize that we don‘t have to live by a label.
#FoodandLit #Canada I made Cabbage Rolls it is unclear as to who invented this lovely dish, but we do have a lot of Ukrainian immigrants that came to Canada in the early 1900 s. I learned how to make it from a French Canadian lady. The recipe is very easy.
1. Cook beef with onions and add beef broth pouch until cooked. Cook rice separately. Mix the two together and add soya sauce. Don't be cheap but taste. ⬇️
pickThis book grew on me. After reading it outloud 18 times to K-5, the points kids took from it were: it's true, they could relate to feeling invisible, and they wanted to know more about homeroom. But what they seemed to really enjoy was designing their own landscapes.
pickAfter reading an article with the author about banned books, I read Lawn Boy to see what all the fuss was about. Without giving much away, there's themes of sexual identity & sex, but the book is much more about poverty & how difficult it is to overcome than anything else. I see no reason for this book to be banned. The honest reflection of class in our society could make some uncomfortable, but as the saying goes, “The truth sometimes hurts“.
