Show & Tell: Attention on the Convention
Unstacked Digest for the week of August 19-25
I assume you all know there was a political convention this past week. Also, the Mini’s started school, which as you’ll see allowed me to finish three books this week. I am feeling myself.
This is Show & Tell where I tell you some things I loved from the week and the one thing I hated, plus round up everything else going on around these parts. The first half of Show & Tell is free to all. The adoration and hateration are for paid subscribers only.
This Week on Unstacked
I am told that saying demure has already turned into millennial cringe. Sue me.
I got to deep dive into cover design with NYT bestselling author, podcaster, and book marketing coach
. A total blast.Books I Read This Week
The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports by Michael Waters
This is a fantastic work of historical reporting, and an incredible reminder that everything we saw in the 2024 Olympics around gender is not new at all. In The Other Olympians, Waters tells the story of two transgender athletes from the 1930’s who were the spark to much of the same panic we see around gender and athletics today. The detail in this one are fascinating. Waters incorporates the bureaucracy of sports with compelling narratives and the history of the Nazi party (because of course they were involved). It is a *chef’s kiss* history book.
Fave of the week!
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette
This book starts with the capture, rape, and murder of a Bedouin girl in 1949 at the hands of Israeli soldiers. It then jumps ahead in time to a Palestinian woman who becomes obsessed with the story of the girl, since the event took place 25 years to the day before the woman was born. I think this book was way too hyped for me. So many people said it wrecked them, and I went in thinking I would have a similar reaction (I should’ve known better, I am rarely wrecked by books), I did not. I liked this book a lot and without the hype would’ve liked it more I think. The writing is so good. It is stylized in a very subtle way that makes it propulsive and engaging. I did feel however that I was always waiting for the thing that would wreck me to happen, which sadly never came.
Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes by Laci Mosley
Scam Goddess isn’t out yet (September 10), and I went in with very low expectations, because generally funny celeb memoirs aren’t my thing. I do love Laci on her podcast, Scam Goddess, but wasn’t sure what she would put into a book that I would actually like or care about. Turns out this one is very fun and entertaining, and at times a reflective memoir. She shares her own road to fame and couches everything in chapters about different kinds of scams, a la “Friend Scam” or “Family Scam”. The framing works well, and I enjoyed the more famous scams peppered throughout. The ending is a little self help, which I don’t think it needed. I did listen on audio, and would recommend that to anyone interested in this book.
Housekeeping
This week on the podcast I spoke with Regina Porter about her new novel, The Rich People Have Gone Away. We talked about how she went from not wanting to write a COVID novel to writing a really good one, and a lot more.
My Voter Literacy, with Traci column is up over on shereads.com. It is all books about immigration, specifically across the US/Mexico border.
If you google “Jesmyn Ward Traci Thomas” there is a result and it is this live event coming up on September 4th and I really can’t believe that is true and real. The event is here in LA and hosted by ALOUD as part of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, and it is FREE! Get your tickets. There is also an online option for folks outside of LA.
I’ll be in Jackson, MS September 14th for the Mississippi Book Festival (yes, I have to sing the song to spell the state every time). I’m doing a panel on Saturday at 4pm with Kaveh Akbar, Rachel Khong, and Sheila Sundar. You can see the full schedule here!
Things I Love…
Book News
Patrick Radden Keefe hive, stand up. The FX adaptation for Say Nothing is set to air on Hulu on November 14th. I for one, can’t wait. I’m about to be so annoying talking in a North Irish accent for the rest of my life.
Pop Culture
Ben and Jen broke up… AND SHE FILED FOR DIVORCE ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY. What in the deranged Leo hell is this? There are 364 days a year that are not your anniversary. It is summer, slow news season, pick any other day? Actually don’t. This is the exact kind of chaos and disregard to norms that I for one, love to see. I do hope they give it another go in 10-20 years. Third time is for sure a charm, trust me you two.
Also that picture says it all, no?