My friend Alex is running a blog circus now through December 15, 2019, in which we list books we find ourselves recommending over and over again: “You know those books that you can’t stop thinking about, won’t shut up about, and wish everyone around you would read? The ones that, if taken in aggregate, would tell people more about you than your resume?”
Here’s my list. If you’d like to participate, check out the details on Alex’s blog.
“Metalheads: Heavy Metal Music and Adolescent Alienation,” Jeffrey Jensen Arnett: Until I read this book, I thought I was the only person who listened to heavy metal because I found it soothing.
“Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha,” Tara Brach: I hated this book at first, but being able to accept yourself just as you are, right now, is the most radical and important steps toward self-love. You are worthy.
“The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity,” Nadine Burke Harris: The idea that childhood adversity leads to a lifetime of stress, pain and illness is being called the germ theory of the 21st century. Harris (now California’s surgeon general) describes the remedy.
The Road to Nowhere series, Meg Elison: After a pandemic wipes out most of the women, and new babies become vanishingly rare, a story of how women and trans folk survive across the United States.
“Come As You Are,” Emily Nagoski, and “Burnout,” Emily and Amelia Nagoski: In “Come As You Are,” Nagoski lays out the science to reassure us that our libidos, however they are, are normal. In “Burnout,” she and her twin sister give us tools for shedding the stress that gets in the way.
“So You Want to Talk About Race,” Ijeoma Uluo: White people: we need to talk about race. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. But here are some facts and perspectives to get you started.
“Cinderella Ate My Daughter,” Peg Orenstein: Disney’s “princess industrial complex” is motivated by profit and greed, and is teaching generations of girls toxic lessons in femininity.
“Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice,” Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha: Healing doesn’t mean you go back to the way you were before. Trauma gives us superpowers. Communities of care help us thrive.
“Migraine,” Oliver Sacks: One of the world’s premier neurologists began having migraines as a young boy. He describes how they’re more than just headaches, but fascinating electrical storms in the brain and body.
“You Have the Right to Remain Fat,” Virgie Tovar: You are not required to be thin. You are not obligated to go on diets or control your eating. Fat-shaming leads to health disorders, but being fat doesn’t. Take up space and shine.
“The Body Keeps the Score,” Bessell Van Der Kolk: Our bodies remember every terrifying thing that happened to us. Here’s how and why they do it, and how to start on the path to recovery.