January books + films
January was good to me. I’ve been on my annual winter sabbatical since mid December. I’ve had 6 weeks to putter around the house, read and watch films.
I read 5 books this month:
The Street by Ann Petry (1946)
A gut-retching, smart book. Petry gives us a historical fiction on the experience of a young Black woman raising her son in Harlem, NY in the 40s. I am astounded that her work isn’t as well known as her contemporaries - Richard Wright, James Baldwin. Petry weaves a story that connects you immediately to the characters and holds your attention throughout the book. I want everyone to read this book. It’s an American classic literature.
“And then she thought about the other streets. It wasn’t just this street that she was afraid of or that was bad. It was any street where people were packed together like sardines in a can.”
― Ann Petry
The Essential June Jordan by June Jordan edited by Jan Heller Levi (2021)
I feel so lucky to have discovered June Jordan’s poetry. I was ignorant of her work until now. I now stand in reverence of her potent poems and her backbone of steel to call out injustice everywhere. Her poems are written mostly in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. What rock have I been under to only discover her in 2024? This poem on the bombing of Baghdad written in 1997 and this I Must Become a Menace to My Enemies.
A short book on Roman stoic Seneca’s (4BC - 65AD) ancient wisdom on being mindful of being overly activated by anger. There are practical examples on how to keep anger at bay. I think I’ll write more about this in the future. I found the practices offered uber helpful. I’d highly recommend this book, my copy is heavily underlined.
“Whenever an argument goes on too long and gets heated, we should stop it at the outset before it gathers steam. A dispute feeds on itself and grabs hold of those mired in it. It’s easier to keep aloof from a fight than to extricate oneself.”
-Seneca
In the Kitchen: Essays on Food and Life by Juliet Annan et al (2020)
A series of essays from various people on the influence of food, the act of cooking and the role the kitchen plays in their life. I really enjoyed the essays.
“I suppose the kitchen is a space for intimacy because I will touch with my hands the things that will go in your mouth; I will taste what you taste; I will work for you, or you will work for me. I will make this for you because I love you, because you need it.”
Let us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (2023)
I am a die-hard fan of Jesmyn Ward’s work but the magical realism in this book made me want to skip pages. I’ve come to the realization that I am no longer interested in fictional books focused on slavery.
“Most people can’t see all the layers in a person, just like they can’t taste all that goes into a pot. They chew and pick out one, two flavors. Cooks know every one.”
― Jesmyn Ward
Films I enjoyed and/or found interesting:
Beautiful Boy - a story about a dedicated father’s journey to help his son with drug addiction. I connected with a core truth in this film - it’s so hard to watch your adult children choose a path that worries you. One feels so helpless but you must let them navigate their own storms.
To Walk Invisible: Brontë Sisters - if you are a fan of Jane Eyre or the works of the other Brontë sisters, this 3 part series is a clear-eyed film about their life. I really enjoyed it. Although I think a tad too much time was spent telling the story of their hapless brother.
Saltburn* there are two scenes in this film that left me completely speechless. I asked myself, what the $&@! did I just see? Saltburn is an excellent depiction of rich Europeans whose wealth is linked to being a member of the owning class (they own vast swaths of inherited land and they live off the rent of the land they own and never have to work). Saltburn is the mansion in the center of the film which can only be gained through inheritance until…anyway…no spoilers. It’s an interesting, odd spectacle of a film.
*self-care warning: watch this if you are in a good headspace. It’s a dark film.