Poetry
1. First Date by Kinsale Drake
2. Apella by Dilruba Ahmed
3. August Morning by Albert Garcia
4. Training by Diannely Antigua
5. Farmers’ Market by Molly Fi
6. August, Los Angeles, Lullaby by Carol Muske-Dukes
Literature
1. There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone
2. Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy by Randi Weingarten
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Starting off August we will be talking about an illuminating book that came out just last year. This is a book that allows us an opportunity to accompany five different families in Atlanta from about 2018 or 2019 until it was released. Maybe the bulk being before 2023? I can’t exactly recall. Goldstone changes the names of all the people he worked with, but keeps everything to first hand accounts and notes that he took while in Atlanta. It’s hard to read this book and tell yourself it’s our present reality. But it is equally as hard to go even one day without seeing an unhoused person. This really puts into perspective just how one seemingly small stroke of bad luck can send you into a never ending cycle of pretty much hell. In an ever changing, gentrifying and unequal city, or rather this entire country seems to be following suit, it really is difficult to consider that everything isn’t stacked against us on purpose. One thing always trickles into the next. The meters at your apartment building are not working properly. Your landlord says to contact the city. The city says it just charges you for your meter usage. You explain that the meters are broken. They say you still have to pay if you want your utilities to be turned on. Your landlord wont pay to get people to come look at the meters or is too lazy. Or you are offered a job at a childcare facility. This is ideal because you have two children of your own. They then tell you you would be perfect for the job, but your children can’t get free childcare until you have worked there for over a year. You can’t afford a baby sitter until you start working but you can’t start working without a baby sitter. Thus you can’t accept the job. You make too much money or you technically do live somewhere, even if you aren’t a permanent resident, and therefor you cannot be considered “actually homeless.” And these are just a few examples from the book. I will say it did get a bit confusing while listening to the audiobook because I sometimes could not tell when we were changing over to a new family. Narration aside, I think this is a crucial read for anyone who may be unwillingly or subconsciously holding onto a preconceived bias toward the unhoused population in this country.
The second book of August was the ACLU of Texas book club book. Interestingly enough, I didn’t really connect with this. It didn’t feel groundbreaking and it felt a little awkward at times. I like the idea behind it and truly think it’s one of those books that if someone hasn’t thought about anything at all, this would really open their mind.
And our third book of the month: East of Eden. I was trying to get ahead so that I am ready for the show when it comes out next month (it’s got a cast that caught my attention), but sadly this book did not do it for me either. Why did it have SO MANY racial slurs? Why was he a character in his own book (A concept I probably would like if it were a book I liked)? Why was one of the coolest characters a woman that Steinbeck appears to regard as the worst person in the world because she is able to outsmart men? Too many characters for a story that didn’t need them all. The prose is extremely well written on occasion, and there are some touching lines, but it doesn’t make up for the entirety of the story. I’m a hater and I’m so glad we didn’t read this in hs I would’ve been so upset.
I did not get the Service 95 book in the mail in time to finish it in August, but it’s in the TBR pile by the bed so we’ll see when it pops up next.
August was kind of a let down in regards to reading, and as you can see, I am not on track for my goals…but I have a plan, don’t worry!
Coaching is in full swing because my free time has gone of vacation. I miss her!
Book Goal Tracker: 33/40
Genre Challenge Tracker: 3/10
Reads the World Tracker: 4/10
