This month we’re taking a look at global superstar and musical genius Kendrick Lamar in the brand new book, The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America. Lamar is only in his early thirties, but has already won The Pulitzer Prize, 13 Grammy Awards, been chosen as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. He is also the voice of a generation and his songs have become part of the soundtrack to The Black Lives Matter movement. In The Butterfly Effect, Moore explores not only Lamar and his music, but also the ways his music speaks to a generation of Black Americans and their struggle for justice and equality.
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The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed. For more information click here.
Our guest today is author and screenwriter Gigi Levangie. Gigi has written seven books, including The Starter Wifeand her latest Been There, Married That, which is a comedic take on Hollywood divorce. She also wrote the 1998 film Stepmom. We talk about attending The Academy Awards, turning real life into fiction, and why Gigi is always reading a business book.
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To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of this show. If you prefer to do a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.
The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.
Our guest today is Asha Grant, the founder of the Los Angeles Branch of The Free Black Women’s Library. We talk about the work Asha does in the LA community, how much of her own reading consists of books by Black women, and why she is focused on decolonizing her bookshelf. Asha also lets us know how we can get involved with The Free Black Women’s Library.
To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.
To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of this show. If you prefer to do a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.
The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.
I had a lot going on in December. If you missed the announcement, I gave birth to two adorable mini Stacks (aka twin sons), and that kept me busy between the hospital and getting settled back at home and figuring out how to make two strangers stop crying in my arms. I was able to squeeze in four books, and with all that was happening I feel very good about that. I also hit my goal of 100 books for the year in December (I eeked out 101). Reading 100 books was goal I’d had for a long time and never thought I’d accomplish, sort of like the reading equivalent of running a marathon. I feel very proud of myself.
December by the Numbers
Total Books Read: 4 Audiobooks: 1 Five Star Reads: 0 Unread Shelf: 1 Books Acquired: 11
By Women Authors: 2 By Authors of Color: 1 By Queer Authors: 0 Nonfiction Reads: 2 Published in 2019: 1
Pamela Druckerman, and American ex-pat journalist living in Paris, looks into the differences in parenting from how things are done in The United States versus France. The book is mostly her observations from raising her own kids and she adds some insights from French parents and a parenting specialists.
I really liked this book as a parenting book and as a look into parenting from a cultural studies perspective. Druckerman does a good job of taking her ideas and thoughts and finding ways to explain and prove why somethings may or may not be true. She talks about eating habits, sleeping, mommy snap back, and more. The book is very specific to her experiences, and while some things could be expanded to fit many families, some of the book is extremely anecdotal. The book is also mainly focused on middle to upper class white families, simply based on who Druckerman. I wished she would have taken the time to look at how wealth changes the parenting experience in France. Just like all cultures and countries, France has issues that this book doesn’t get into. Thats ok, but I did find it misleading to leave out most (if not all) of the negative aspects of French culture which is no doubt passed on to these children. I would suggest Bringing Up Bébé to any parents or parents-to-be who want a fresh perspective on how to raise kids with a little less stress.
Three Stars | Random House Audio | February 7, 2012 | 9 Hours 8 Minutes | Audiobook | Listen on Audible
A book mostly about the ways in which to sleep train your child. I really only read this book because we were expecting. I don’t think the writing was particularly good, though it is a comprehensive look at one technique of sleep training for babies. As far as these how-to parenting books go, this one was better than many I’ve read, and isn’t nearly as repetitive. We’ll see if it works!
Three Stars | Hawksflight & Associates, Inc. | February 1, 2012 | 279 Pages | Paperback | Purchase on IndieBound
I have read Twelfth Night a few times, and was lucky enough to choreograph a production when I was still living in NYC. This play has so much going on and its a total blast to watch. The story follows Viola who dresses as a boy to woo Olivia for the Duke. There is a ton of mistaken identity and love triangle action. There are also a bunch of other sub plots that provide comic relief, and the moral center of the story.
If you’re newer to Shakespeare, I would suggest this play. It may be better to see the play, but it is a fun story with lots of language to unpack and work through. The play has amazing women characters who drive the story, deal with issues like grief and choice, and are generally wonderful to get to know. I am looking forward to carrying the #shakethestacks challenge into 2020!
Four Stars | Penguin Classics | July 5, 2016 | 144 Pages | Paperback | Purchase on IndieBound
The Stacks received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. For more information click here. (Photo: amazon.com)
This book reimagines they murder of Latasha Harlins in a fictionalized look at the families of a murdered girl and the woman who killed her. The concept of this book is great. Alternating perspectives and time frames are used to examine generational trauma. Cha is a strong writer and she’s bringing up a topic, non-white anti-Blackness, that I wish was talked about more. There is a lot to appreciate in Your House Will Pay.
I’ve always been fascinated by the LA uprisings and the stories of racism and distrust between the Black and Korean communities. I liked the concept, but the execution fell short. Mostly because Cha had a strong understanding of the Park family (Korean), but missed on the Matthews family (Black). It was as if she had researched Blackness but couldn’t quiet grasp the nuance of what it means to be a Black family dealing with trauma. This left the book to feel lopsided and cliched. I was interested in what would happen, but never fully felt engaged or that I cared for the characters.
Three Stars | Ecco Books | October 15, 2019 | 320 Pages | Hardcover | Purchase on IndieBound
The Stacks participates in affiliate programs in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.
Giveaway closes February 21, 2019 at 11:59pm PST. Must be at least 18 years of age. Not affiliated with any organizations, publishers, authors, or websites.
To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thestacks). We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of The Stacks.
The Stacks participates in affiliate programs in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect opinions on books and products. For more information click here.
Our guest this week is journalist Heather John Fogarty, whose work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Marie Claire Magazine, Playboy, and more. Heather previously worked as the wine and spirits editor at Bon Appétit. In today’s conversation we talk about Heather’s James Beard vote, how finding a editor for a novel is like dating, and a book that made both of us very angry. Get ready, Heather is a prolific reader, your TBR will never be the same.
To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.
To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of this show. If you prefer to do a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.
The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website. Shopping through these links helps support the show, but does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.
The Stacks received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. For more information click here.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the Library of Virginia Literary Awards this year. It is a wonderful night that celebrates authors from Virginia, and books that are set in the state. This year, their honored guest was Susan Orlean, and so I read her newest book The Library Bookin anticipation of meeting Ms. Orlean. I can say both the book and the woman were a delight.
On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?
In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.
If I’m being honest, I’ll admit I had no idea there was a massive fire in the Los Angeles Public Library’s central branch in 1986. Just hearing about it made me nervous and intrigued. I still remember my childhood library and how cozy it was and hearing about this fire sent chills up my spine. The thought of hundreds of thousands of books burning, and the destruction and closing of a city resource made my stomach feel uneasy. Before I read the book, I’m not sure I understood intellectually what my body reacted to when hearing about this fire. Susan Orlean helps to explain that and so much more with The Library Book.
If you love books you’ll appreciate this one, it is a total treat. It reminds the reader what it is they love about books and libraries, and then it does a whole lot more. The Library Bookis part true crime investigation, part how libraries work, part deep dive into Los Angeles history, and part conversation about the changing role of books and libraries in our lives. Again, if you’re a book lover, you’ll love this book.
Susan Orlean does a fantastic job of moving the book along and around, never dwelling for too long in any one moment or on any one person. This book is about the greater institution and concept of libraries, and she probes the idea of libraries from many different angles. I loved hearing about the little details of the library, like how long a book stays in circulation and the kinds of inquiries the library info desk fields. I also, predictably, loved the investigation of the 1986 fire in Los Angeles, you know, the true crime part.
There were certainly parts of this book that drifted into areas I was less interested in, however in these cases that says more about me than the book or Ms. Orlean’s writing. For the most part I was captivated by the story Orlean was expertly weaving. I didn’t know you could make a book about libraries and librarians seem exciting and fresh, but she does.
If you’re reading this blog, you most likely like books, so I would think you would appreciate if not swoon over this one. The Library Bookfeels like being in a hug of bookish nostalgia. If nothing else, it will remind you how important libraries are to the fabric of society, and maybe it will make you want to flaunt your library card.
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Edition edition (October 16, 2018)
To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thestacks). We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of The Stacks.
The Stacks participates in affiliate programs in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.
I live in Los Angeles, and this book about crime in South Los Angeles has been on my radar since it came out in 2015. I mean, it has all the things that I proclaim to like: true crime, race relations, specifically those dealing with Black folks; a journalistic style and approach, and a woman author. Plus, it talks about locations I’m familiar with and people that live 20 minutes (without traffic) away from me. This has just always felt like a must read for me.
If you aren’t familiar with Ghettoside, here is more about the book.
Here is the kaleidoscopic story of the quintessential, but mostly ignored, American murder—a “ghettoside” killing, one young black man slaying another—and a brilliant and driven cadre of detectives whose creed is to pursue justice for forgotten victims at all costs. Ghettosideis a fast-paced narrative of a devastating crime, an intimate portrait of detectives and a community bonded in tragedy, and a surprising new lens into the great subject of why murder happens in our cities—and how the epidemic of killings might yet be stopped.
I found Ghettoside to be a very well manicured book. It is clear from the moment the book starts where it will end, and it is clear exactly what points author Jill Leovy will hit. It has no twists and turns, no suspense, no real excitement in the storytelling. That is not what Leovy is doing here. The point of this book is to show how routine and mundane murder has become in South Los Angeles. The point is that day in and day out Black men are being killed, and the LAPD detectives are the only people of authority who care (her point of view not mine).
Leovy embeds with the Southside detective unit and spends much of her time with one detective, John Skaggs. He is ostensibly the hero of this book. He is the guy we are told to be impressed by, he is the best one, he solves the cases, he is dedicated to justice. While I enjoyed hearing about the detectives, the parts of this book I enjoyed most were about the victims, their families, and even those people involved in perpetrating the crimes. Detectives are cool, but we have so many stories focused on them. I wish Leovy would have spent more time engaging with the stories of those who live in Watts, those who lost loved ones, those who stories are often erased in from their own narratives.
Something that got in the way of my enjoyment of Ghettoside, is that Leovy clearly grew to respect and admire the work of the detectives in the units she was with. I think that biased her to the work of other police officers. The book felt incredibly pro-detective, and mostly anti-patrol cop. I’m not doubting the detectives do good work, and that cops make mistakes, its more that it felt like the detectives were the heroes only being foiled by lousy police work and out of control gang members. I found it hard to trust her praise or condemnations fully.
I am glad I finally read this book. I enjoyed the well researched subject matter, and the amount of effort Leovy put in to talk to so many different people involved in South Los Angeles murders. I also appreciated her willingness to discuss the anti-Black racism that has led to a world in which the murder of Black men goes mostly unseen, unreported, and unsolved. She really gave these murders the context that is so often overlooked in place of a “personal responsibility” narrative.
If you’re interested in the detective process and how crimes are solved, this would be a good book for you. I also would suggest this book to anyone living in a city with high rates of murder perpetrated against Black men, or anyone who thinks this topic sounds interesting.
To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thestacks). We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of The Stacks.
The Stacks participates in affiliate programs in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.
I live in Los Angeles, and this book about crime in South Los Angeles has been on my radar since it came out in 2015. I mean, it has all the things that I proclaim to like: true crime, race relations, specifically those dealing with Black folks; a journalistic style and approach, and a woman author. Plus, it talks about locations I’m familiar with and people that live 20 minutes (without traffic) away from me. This has just always felt like a must read for me.