Smrt Lernins

I finally wrapped up March’s non-fiction themed Four Books a Month. Due to travel and illness and a general disinterest in one of the books I’d picked to read (which I ended up discarding in favor of something else), it was a bit of a tight squeeze. I sneaked a little fiction in there during the month, but that doesn’t count towards my four books!

This month, I read:

Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou. Less a book, more a collection of vaguely related essays (and the relationship strained at times). The essays offered a look into Angelou’s history, her perspectives on several issues, and an assortment of advice/lessons for her “daughters,” her female readers. I particularly enjoyed the essay on her changing attitudes about the South. She captured my feelings very well. If I can find a copy of that essay online, I’ll link it here later. A quick, easy, enjoyable read.

Birth Matters by Ina May Gaskin. This is the birth-related book I’ve been waiting for. The ideas Ina May shares in this book aren’t new, but that’s kind of the point. The “birth options as a feminist issue” idea is one that we in the birth advocacy community have been kicking around for year, but it really takes someone like Ina May Gaskin to bring the idea to the forefront. The writing in more in line w/ her Guide to Childbirth — no “rushes,” nobody feeling groovy. It’s a great introduction to the idea that the US obstetrical system is not a woman-centered system. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with the slightest interest in women’s rights, whether or not you plan to ever have (more or any) children.

Primal Mothering by Hygeia Halfmoon (who is, suffice it to say, a whackadoodle). I feel a little guilty mentioning this book, because I really do NOT want anyone to buy it and ever more, I want to make sure nobody uses this book as a source of advice. While there is plenty of good information in this book (normal unhindered birth, breastfeed, babywear, keep your babies/kids close), all of that good information is available from far better, saner sources. Mixed in with this, is advice to eschew eating anything other than fruit (including most vegetables), that all illness (from colds to cancers) are caused by “toxins” that must be fasted out of the body, and to “fast your babies” (ie. withhold food fromt hem) when they are sick, to get the toxins out, donchaknow. Whack.a.doodle. The book is also peppered with suggestions to buy her other books if you want more information — the whole thing read like a giant ad for her various whackadoo-library. I initially bought this book to include in raffles at one of our upcoming red tent events, but realized there is no way I could give this book to a new mother. Get a book by Ina May Gaskin. Get a book by Dr. Sarah Buckley. Get a book from the Sears library of books. Don’t waste your money on this nonsense.

Shakespeare: A brief insight by Germaine Greer. This wasn’t exactly what I expected. I thought the book was a biography of Shakespeare, but it turned out to be more of a literary criticism overview of Shakespeare’s works. I still enjoyed it, but it didn’t offer any great insights into Shakepeare’s life that I hadn’t already gotten from my college courses. I did appreciate Greer’s take on the themes in Shakespeare’s plays, with a nice emphasis on women’s roles(Greer is a noted feminist). Not light reading, but worthwhile.

Ok, now to start April’s FBAM theme: translations!

[Quick note: I've signed up to do Amazon's affiliate program, just because any teensy amount of money coming in is helpful, but I really don't want to clutter my blog or spam my readers with links. If you click on the above links and buy any of the books, I'll get a small percentage for having linked you. However, if you don't feel like doing that, I won't be too fussed, either. I always said I'd be 100% on the level with reviews, ads, solicitations, etc.]

The Feminist Breeder is doing a wonderful series of posts called Letter to My Daughter (incidentally, also the title of the Maya Angelou book I read this month for my FBAM), where mothers write letters to their daughters as adults. What would you like to say to your daughter? What would you like her to know about you or your feelings for her when she is an adult? If you have something to say to your own daughter that you would like to share, you can find out how to participate here. You might have to “like” The Feminist Breeder to read the note.

I think it’s a wonderful idea. I’m looking forward to reading all the posts from all different kinds of mothers to their all different kinds of daughters. I have a letter my mother wrote to me when I was a girl, maybe late elementary school or early middle school, that I treasure. I think it’s fantastic that The Feminist Breeder is encouraging other mothers to write letters like that for their daughters and to share them!

And yes, the very first post in the series is from yours truly.