I included Toha‘s biography in this pic so people realize that when I say these poems are brutal, they get a sense of how brutal I mean.

It seems inappropriate to judge the overall style, or lack thereof, of this collection. These are not meant to simply be poems. They are documents. Rapid fire snapshots of war-torn lives.

These poems don‘t need to prove themselves; they only need to be.

Poem Title:
TRUE OR FALSE: A TEST BY A GAZAN CHILD

I‘m glad I read this after The Hundred Years‘ War on Palestine. Chomsky & Pappe provide the understanding that I felt that Khalidi‘s book did not. However, without reading Khalidi first I would‘ve been lost throughout much of On Palestine.

I now feel that I can justly have an opinion. & while I choose to not voice that here, the one thing I will say is that the United States has exacerbated this war from nearly the beginning & it NEEDS to stop.

(1/2) In school I never cared much about American history. Who cared about a bunch of old dudes who talked funny & wore stupid wigs? Coming into Franklin‘s autobiography I was expecting tough and unrelatable. In fact, I got engaging, &, in a word, stunning. I was struck by how progressive of a thinker Franklin was. He questioned God & religion in a time when it was very unpopular to do so. He felt women deserved more rights & he detested slavery.

The book‘s first section is a simple overview of why volunteering and civic involvement is important. Basic rhetoric that is not exactly necessary unless you are coming to it with no idea.

There is a middle section featuring stories by volunteers; I read a few, but again, not essential.

The last section is the main reason I checked this out: Over 100 pages listing organizations, contact info & specialties. As well as a relevant reading list!

On a recent episode of The Slowdown Podcast, Major Jackson read the poem “Mother‘s Rules” by Yalie Saweda Kamara. It instantly hooked me. And as I often do, in order to not forget, I check if it‘s available at any nearby libraries.

It was. & here I am to tell you about it.

These are intimate poems; little portraits of her family & heritage hidden beneath, or sometimes standing proudly upon, unconventional framing devices.

I know this is a contentious issue so I‘ll keep it simple.

Despite this war having gone on my whole life I was unaware until recent events.

This is a pertinent overview. One-sided, sure, but Khalidi doesn‘t shy away from criticizing the Palestinian‘s actions either.

I‘m not sure if I have a better understanding, but I at least feel I can add to a conversation if need be.

I would like to learn more about the prewar history.

April is National Poetry Month!

What are people doing to participate in this tumultuous 2025? Reading? Writing? Composing short pieces to fit on protest signs? Supporting the Poetry Foundation? Subscribing to Poetry magazine?

Here are three on my nightstand right now (well… not in the pic 😅). Poets that are all new to me.

Why SO-SO? Because Sutton is a judge & he writes like a judge 😂. It seems directed at law students-which I am not, unless you count self-education-instead of laymen, & he glosses over the racism behind forced sterilization.

His basic premise is that often your State Supreme Court may be a more viable option than THE Supreme Court.

Learned a lot, though. Like how Jehovah‘s Witnesses played a huge part in our free speech/expression debates.

This book is DENSE. Prager wasn‘t simply satisfied with distilling a landmark Supreme Court case, he wanted to uncover every stone that led to it, & every window those stones shattered afterward.

It‘s a pretty sad account, not for political biases, but for the constant displays of bad faith by all those involved. What should make Roe a conversation topic isn‘t the ideology but its manipulation.

📸: Norma McCorvey 2011 by Bob Daemmrich

Elie Mystal has a new book out now called Bad Laws, and he‘s been popping up in the media to promote it. I liked him right away: his big white afro, his energy, the way he speaks, his obvious depth of knowledge. Plus he is riotously funny.

And boy does he have a bone to pick with the constitution! & he‘s not afraid to pick it. He clearly knows it better than most, and while often being quite unforgiving, he nails it at least 99% of the time.

A solid read. Cole takes three issues—marriage equality, gun rights, & civil/human rights (particularly after 9/11)—and explores how they were addressed through activism and lobbying. I learned a lot from this; the NRA‘s role in changing the 2nd Amendment‘s interpretation, for example.

Cole maintains a nonpartisan perspective throughout, presenting the facts clearly and giving us a glimpse at what it takes to make change happen.

Uncanny that I checked this out last month and got around to reading it at the exact time the nail has been driven into the coffin…

Cose provides plenty of examples of speech repression in America. Beginning with the first instance in 1798, only 7 years after the Bill of Rights was ratified, with—guess what?—the Alien and Sedition Acts.

His main goal, though, is to get us thinking about the definition of free speech. It really isn‘t so simple.

Quote: From 2017 in reference to Milo Yiannopoulos being protested against at U.C. Berkeley

Pic: Mahmoud Khalil. Arrested. Green card revoked. Facing deportation. For using his right to free expression.

So, no funds for colleges that repress free speech. But also, no funds for colleges that allow free speech.

Hypocritical much?

I recently read an article where a congressperson said that if you want to know what it‘s like to work with Trump then read this book. Well then…

It‘s not surprising that a representative would recommend this; like most of them, it‘s just sorta blah. The way it throws ‘psychopath‘ around so freely feels like a misnomer—according to the authors my boss is a psychopath when I‘m pretty sure he‘s just an a****le.

While by no means a comprehensive history, Stryker‘s book is a good place to start.

I chose this because I was skeptical of my own feelings about transgender issues.

To be clear, I was never skeptical of their rights; I believe everyone has a right to live how they want & I am also of the view that one doesn‘t belong at the table if one doesn‘t know anything about what‘s on it.

So now I know a little & I understand better & that‘s good.

Pick for Women‘s History Month.

Struggled to make a choice. While I have plenty of great options on my TBR, I needed to find something readily available and in audiobook. Scoured a bunch of lists, checked Audible, Goodreads, etc. Finally, one of my Libby librarys had a featured list & since I‘ve been leaning toward politics and law lately this caught my eye.

The story behind ‘Jane Roe‘ and what led up to her infamous case and its aftermath.

Halfway through Long Walk to Freedom I considered how hard Winnie Mandela‘s life must have been and how I would like to hear the story from her perspective.

It wasn‘t that long ago where I might not have gave Winnie much thought. But I have worked very hard to break the chains that have been put in place to imprison our curiosity and concern for ALL people‘s stories; work we all need to do. Unfortunately, I haven‘t found a copy of this yet.

I was just 10 when Mandela was released from prison, so he‘s always been a name in the background for me. I was surprised to find that he was not above political violence if necessary, or working with communists. In many ways he seems a bit of an anomaly in the ‘Revered Figure Dept.‘

The storytelling is compelling, told simply, but engagingly. I particularly enjoyed the early sections about his childhood. And the language.

I hesitate to rate this since I missed huge portions of it—through no fault of Solms‘. Rather my elementary understanding of the subject at hand.

We‘re talking about what consciousness is and where it comes from. Solm‘s theory, in his own words, is controversial. He presents his research and analyses to promote, from my understanding, that consciousness is the oldest emotion & has a physical location within the brain.

Decipherable but tough.

Normally, I don‘t pay particular attention to History Months, but this year I want to engage in some way with Black HM. So I perused my TBR and I think I have found the best way I can personally engage: Mandela‘s autobiography.

Already a few chapters in and I know it was the right choice. Perhaps (don‘t hold me to this) I will make it a theme for this year.

Funny how tr**mp‘s attempts to stifle history has made me want to do the opposite 🤔

There is no denying that Washington‘s Farewell Address is eerily prescient. His warnings about party divides, about tyrants exacerbating that divide, about foreign entanglements, & losing the ideal of ‘We The People‘. Well, those foresights are now realities.

I‘m glad I took the time to read this. It‘s sad to think that if Washington were to write this now and say it today, some jackass would be on X calling for his deportation.

Stay safe.

This is one of those types of books where you pause and think: “Huh, I never considered what mental health looked like for Black communities.” (I was gonna add ‘at the peak of racism‘, but…) Which makes this book vitally important. It just opens up a new chapter in one‘s understanding of the world, & racism, & camaraderie.

I‘ve never been to Maryland & I know there is TONS of history there, but if I ever do go, Crownsville will be a stop.

This one struck me. Obviously the word ‘Immigration‘ stands out given the current situation. Perhaps Ada is saying things will work out. That this dance of destruction will spawn a new, more inclusive dance?

I wish I had that hope.

I‘ve been thinking about Ada a lot. I believe the Poet Laureate is federally funded. Will our federal arts programs be gutted too? We all know the US‘s two presidents wouldn‘t know poetry if it bit them in the ass.

Established before the #metoo movement, Bates‘s Everyday Sexism project gave women a place to voice their issues with predatory behavior. This book is more like a compilation of what she has learned through research, activism, & her own experiences, as well as the experience of other women around the globe through their tweets, quotes, emails, and interviews. It‘s upsetting to hear all the horrible things men do.

Stay safe, Littens

This is a perfect example of why we need to keep DEIA here in America. It‘s never been about race or sex as much as it has been about points of view. How can a group of all white men possibly know what a Black female soldier needs? How can a group of physically fit people make decisions for disabled people without knowing that experience?

By removing DEIA we‘re not eliminating “wokeness”we‘re eliminating multiple views of the world.

Stay safe

Man… possibly more relevant than ever.

This is a “heavy” book, meaning a lot of material is presented with real world examples that might blow one‘s mind. So heavy in fact, this is one that would be even more beneficial to read in a hard copy.

Still. Despite knowing all media (left or right) are propagandist in general, Herman & Chomsky really drive it home.

We all need to be more vigilante & not take anything at face value. Stay safe.

It‘s clear that Kinsale has a lot of talent. And I can see her being a strong voice in Native poetry, but she is young, and these poems reflect the voice of someone not quite sure how to use it to its best effect. The poems are too obscure. A lot of words put together to provoke, but with no context as to what.

But Kinsale is not writing for me; she‘s writing for the current generation of her people, and it‘s possible that I‘m missing something.

Being 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.

This is another one I listened to then checked out from the library for pics. Sadly, there aren‘t any photos from Newitz‘s trips around the world to these lost cities, but there are some cool artist‘s renderings at the chapter openings.

Fascinating book though. Title delivers what it promises. Incidentally, I live about 4 hours from Cahokia. It‘s amazing that this lost city is essentially in my backyard and I had no idea. Hope to visit soon.

Started this on audiobook last month, then realized I was missing out on illustrations and artwork. I put the hard copy on hold at my library not knowing it was the second, expanded edition. It features the inclusion of an all new extra section entitled: Yokai Gallery, with even more artwork!

Either edition is awesome, and Foster‘s determination to shine a scholarly light on a subject that could be written off as pop culture is admirable.

I chose this book because this guy is gonna be another one of Trump‘s whipping boys.

I‘ll admit that Vivek is very smart and that many of his values align with mine. But he has this scary ability to spin those values into a conservative world view and you‘re like, “How‘d the hell you come to that conclusion?”

He derides Trump a lot in this book, which is funny because, well… you know.

Also he should have titled this book: I‘m Not Racist but…”

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.

This is just two pages! Four haiku on each page. 817 total. Nearly all of them just like…😍

Near the end of his life, Richard Wright, best known for his 1940s novel of Black repression, Native Son, (not read), began writing haiku.

To say that these are some of the best English Language haiku I have ever read is not hyperbole. It‘s evident in every line that Wright was enamored by the deceptively complex form and respected it.

Wright, a Black Man in 1950s America, found in Nature a place of belonging. Such is the power of haiku.

On the borderline of Pick & So-So. I really enjoyed the main story about Larry Casuse and the way Correia tracks his family line to 19th century events. But Correia makes at least one odd digression comparing the scalp market and Marxist ideals that left me baffled. And a lot of time on military maneuvers in WWII, which are pertinent, but not for page after page. I appreciate what this book has taught me, but I wish it had stayed on subject more.

Well… 100 sounds like a good round number to end the year on. It‘s been pretty diverse for me. I rediscovered my love of poetry, possibly read more non fiction than fiction, learned things about society, philosophy, history, & politics more than any other year.

Favorite classic: The Bell Jar. Read it twice in ‘24 & am thinking about reading it again very soon.

New Fiction: The Volcano Daughters

Non Fiction: The Myth of American Idealism.

✌️

I listened to this a few months ago and hadn‘t got around to a review.

I had seen the original 1932 film and so knew the “twist” already. Still, I was unprepared for 1.) how short it is & 2.) how well written it is. Possibly one of the best stories from a technical stand point I have ever read. If I recall correctly, though,the ending is where Connell‘s technicality falters, suffering from a rushed and clunky conclusion.

I‘m not quite sure what I‘ve just read but I loved it!

I can‘t fathom what it must have been like to have a mind like Borges. His writing is like a complicated math problem—pretty sure some of these stories are arithmetic in disguise. They are precise, at once full of detail and absolutely nothing.

Borges has a tendency to use conflicting language—fantastic reality, logically illogical—which is sort of the perfect description of his work.

I suppose the fact that I have given this book a PICK says all that I need to say.

Robinson would probably make it on my top 5 list of favorite poets—if I were to ever make one. He wrote metered poetry and sonnets in a time when they were going out of style. But as far as poets go, he has the most attuned sense to time and meter and rhyme I have ever read.

Also… what is happening up in Maine? Robinson was from there, and we all know another famous Maine writer, and just like his work, some of these poems are quite dark.

Schweikart bases his arguments on the assumption that pre-college students are actually interested in history and that they have enough grasp of language to process implicit bias.

More than half the “lies” are the most random things that were marginally, if ever, in any textbooks I had.

What I appreciate about this book is the window it has given me to fallacious conservative arguments.

Bro should chill on the exclamation points!!

Simply put: this book is amazing. Bell has touched on a lot of topics that have never sat well with me around racism that I now have some voice to. His parables about racism‘s permanence in America and how issues need to be reconciled not resolved is, for lack of a better term, eye opening.

While his style is pretty corny he is able to state his points with pristine clarity. He wanted EVERYONE to read this not just intellectuals.

I really like Bernie. I feel like he is one of the few politicians who care. And this is a fine enough book, but I wouldn‘t call it “a progressive takedown of the uber-capitalist status quo.” I would call it his ‘presidential campaigns in book form‘.

Of course there is plenty to glean from him, and it certainly raises my sense of a call to action. But ultimately I was hoping more for Bernie the Philosopher instead of Bernie the Politician.

Ok. So this is kinda wild….

My grandmother was the person in my life who introduced me to poetry. And this was the book with which she did it. The pictures on the right are of my grandmother‘s copy; clearly, it has been through a lot. The picture on the left is of the same edition, found at a vendor‘s stall here in my own city for $5!

Does it matter whether or not this book is a Pick? Because in spite of my changes in taste, it always will be.

Step 2 in my newfound righteous journey: To refresh my general knowledge of American government. Conrad‘s book is nonpartisan as advertised. It goes not only through inner government workings but the topics that were big at the time it was published in 2008 (surprise! they haven‘t changed much). Still, a bit outdated.

The Great Courses are fantastic and in depth. Prof. Victor‘s course is nonpartisan and mentions Trump, so is very recent.