Top of The Stacks: September 2021
It is already the end of September and I am truly confused as to where this month went. I got to go on a little getaway to a friend’s wedding in Oregon, met up with fellow book lovers Lauren (@literarylauren_) and Morgan (@nycbookgirl). I was in a major reading slump, but think things are getting better. I finished my read through of all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays. It took 39 months, but I did it. Also, as you’ll see, I spent a lot of time this month revisiting 9/11 and the ways it has changed so much of how we live today.
You know I love Sam Sanders, and he has Michaela Cole on the show this month, and it’s pretty spectacular.
Every year on the anniversary of 9/11 I read this piece. It has stuck with me, and this year there was also a podcast episode about the writing of this article. (Warning: There are graphic photos that accompany the article).
This Curry Salmon was so good and I made it with these charred green beans. I’m still thinking about this meal.
I loved this piece from Mitchell Jackson on grief, joy, and friendship.
I am not a pumpkin person at all, but I tried this pumpkin chai and I was pleasantly surprised.
Turning Point is a five part series on 9/11 and the history leading to the event and the repercussions thereafter.
Heather Ann Thompson wrote about Attica on the 50th anniversary of the uprising.
Speaking of the legacy of Attica, reading about what is going on at Rikers in NYC feels all too familiar.
Yes, these are still very much the only short I’ll wear.
Is anyone else obsessed with these Murdaugh murders and this podcast? This is a wild story that is very much still unfolding.
This oven-roasted chicken shawarma was so easy and so good. A perfect busy night dinner.
I’m pretending its not 80 degrees in LA in this sweater.
If you’re not already a member of The Stacks Pack on Patreon, you need to join. We just launched our first bonus episode (Kiese Laymon interview me), created a Discord community, and started a monthly list of book recommendations from an indie bookseller (Uncle Bobbie’s in Philly this month).
Imani Perry wrote a great piece Gayl Jones.
For those of you who are into this season of Bachelor in Paradise, this episode of Bachelor Party (hosted by friend of the pod, Juliet Litman) is so so so good.
This candle smells like a forest which I am here for. It’s also huge.
I really appreciated this piece about interrupting as a (sometimes) sign of cooperation. It reminded me of this book about language and sexism, which I really enjoyed. Thanks to Tara for putting me up on the book.
My candy snack of the month has been these, Mr. Stacks had never heard of him, now we’re both fully addicted. They are SOOOO good.
I wrote about these three books this month for my shereads.com column.
WHAT I READ IN SEPTEMBER
Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood by Dawn Turner
This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan
Shoutin’ in the Fire: An American Epistle by Danté Stewart
Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
Stones: Poems by Kevin Young
The Stack September Episodes
Derecka Purnell joined the show to discuss her book Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom.
It was a great honor to have Pulitzer Prize winner Heather Ann Thompson on the show to discuss Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and It’s Legacy. She shed light on this month’s book club pick and her process.
Our relationships to social media is certainly worthy of examination, getting to talk with Jill Louise Busby about that, and her new book Unfollow Me: Essays on Complicity was a perfect place to start.
Dave Zirin is one of my favorite writers and was on the original bucket list for this show. His new book The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World makes for a great backdrop to discuss athletes and activism.
The book that started it all, Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy
The first ever The Stacks: Unabridged went live, and it was Kiese Laymon interviewing me. It is a great one, to listen you gotta join The Stacks on Patreon.
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