I read all the time. The last few weeks I’ve become more intentional with my book lists. Right after the election I blazed through some highly recommended fantasy books.1 I’m craving lessons from the past and the warmth of comforting stories.
When there is a large political change, there is an impulse from many to learn. To fill in gaps, to mainline knowledge. People reach for narratives to engage in sensemaking, to reconcile their experiences with the greater world.
Some recommended reading, in no particular order:
I’ve linked all books to Storygraph, which includes detailed content warnings for each.
Heretic: A Memoir by Jeanna Kadlec
Jeanna weaves her own story of leaving evangelicalism with an examination of gender roles within the religious right, and how this impacts politics. (She also has the amazing Astrology for Writers publication on substack, which I highly recommend subscribing to.)
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
This in-depth study is the perfect pair to Heretic, expanding on how the religious right coalesced and gained power over the last seventy-odd years. Accessible, well-written history that in the hands of another author could have easily been dry and impenetrable. Necessary reading for anyone writing about politics today, if only to learn the histories of those in power.
I am still in the middle of reading this collection of interview excerpts and published articles. It is an invigorating and hopeful look at organizing, and also illustrates the power of the short form. Mariame Kaba has a lovely monthly newsletter.
How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
I read this years ago and have slated it for a re-read. This oral history of Black lesbian feminists in the 1970’s gives clues on how to enact change within movements.
This title is currently free from Haymarket Books.
Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Devastating political novel. One of the best books I read this year.
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Speculative fiction centered on excelling in a world that wasn’t built for you.
The View From Somewhere: Undoing the Myth of Journalistic Objectivity by Lewis Raven Wallace
A journalism classic. Written after the author was fired the day after Trump first won in 2016, it is worth revisiting the lessons on what journalism can and should do for the people.
This book tells the story of current American democracy and its discontents through the lens of the battle for abortion rights. An essential look at how politics gets done while dismantling the notion that the United States is fundamentally a people-powered government.
Undue Burden: Life and Death in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra
To understand by abortion rights is such a galvanizing topic, read stories of the lives affected by abortion bans. The economic, emotional and public health consequences of these rules are documented thoroughly and stirringly.
How to Write An Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee
All these essays were beautiful, and it was important to read a first-person account of the AIDS epidemic and how callous the government was to queer men. (I also recently subscribed to The Querent, which has incredible craft lessons and social commentary.)
Again, time spins forward. I find comfort in knowing emotions are not unique.
I am not immune from the furious grasping for knowledge. Poetry and historical analysis have been calling. I read poems by freedom fighters Francis Ellen Watkins Harper and Pauli Murray decrying the subjugation of Black Americans, writing a century apart about the same violence of white supremacy. It showed me that the work of liberation spans decades, and the fight will outlive me.
I’m also interested in reading about the role of the press in times of fascism, and how newspapers reported on anti-war movements in the 20th century.
Do you have any specific book requests? What are you reaching for right now?
💜 Jasmine