Show & Tell: What the Actual Fuck?
Unstacked Digest for the week of June 16-22
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.
As you know, I am out of town on a family vacation. The plan has been to write mini Grown-Up Show & Tells while away. I sat down on Saturday afternoon and knocked out this one. I was proud of myself for getting it done quickly so I could enjoy family time. I closed my computer, put my kids to bed, sat on the couch to read. Nailed it.
Then, this fucking clown, Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, dropped literal bombs on Iran because…unclear.
What the actual fuck?
For me, it is the “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE”. Like, did this man just bomb Iran and then hit the world with a truce?
I know the people who are most at risk right now are Iranians, Muslims in the US1, and American troops overseas. I worry for those folks and hope for their safety. The chaos this man has stirred up by this illegal action will have so many ramifications and while I know for now I am safer than many, I am still feeling so uneasy and overwhelmed.
Ok, so all that being said. I decided not to rewrite my newsletter. The news is still coming in. I am not an expert here. I don’t have a lot to say or add that other smarter people aren’t already saying. I want to try and honor this much needed break and spend my time with my kids and not staying up late to write another newsletter.
So, if you read this and you’re in need of a break and little summer silliness. I got you from a past version of me who didn’t know about the events of Saturday night.
And if you start this, and you’re like, what the fuck is this bitch talking about? The world is on fire and she is giving us sprinkle content, please stop reading. I don’t want you to be mad for any additional reasons than the obvious. I don’t care if you read this. I want you to take care of you. Go deep dive into every political podcast, news show, and op-ed you can find. I get it. Sprinkles are not that important.
Do you. Whatever that is. Take care of yourself. Hug your beloveds. Eat a treat.
This Week in The Stacks
A Show & Tell to kick off the week.
Mia McKenzie the author of These Heathens came on the podcast to talk historical fiction and writing real life figures in her made up worlds.
Our faves,
& , came back for our check-in on the state of books so far this year. We tell you our faves and our most anticipated and generally giggle. It is a good time.Books I Read This Week
Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff
Big Fan is a Celeb/Normie2 romance where a DC politico fresh off a public scandolous divorce meets her childhood boyband crush and sparks fly. I went in with low expectations and left totally obsessed. So much fun. This book is super short, 160 pages or so, which means it moves quick, which means no time for boredom or extended "third-act breakup". The writing is smart and never veers into flowery euphemistic sex writing. Romanoff is just giving it to your plain, “clit”, “dick”, “thrust”. None of the weird “my heat” shit. If you’ve never said it about sex, neither do these characters. The book has big millennial energy and is a cute summer read. This is just book one in the series, and the next, Square Waves, is out on Tuesday, June 24.
Fave of the week!
BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity by Ruth Whippman
I went into this book skeptical because the title, BoyMom, grates my gears, but I was curious about what was in the book after hearing the author on this episode of Embodied. It is touted as a “deep dive into the complexities of raising boys in our fraught political moment” and combines memoir, research, and interviews to explore the topic. I was surprised by how much and how quickly I was drawn in. The book is extremely thought provoking. BoyMom is by far at its best when Whippman examines male friendships, connection, and vulnerability. She has unique perspectives that I had not considered. She cautions that if we don’t teach boys how to have deep intimate relationships with people in their lives, they will find that connection online in toxic male spaces. Which, duh, but I had never connected those dots. The book does a lot of that. There are parts on rape and sexual assault, as well as her own kids’ mental health diagnoses, that were less clarifying and harder to parse. Whippman shares plenty that she learned but not when it comes to solutions or actions. I would’ve liked more of that. Either throughout or in the end. Her conclusion section was weak and vague. What can/should we do? Overall though, I really liked this book. I think it helped me to reframe my thinking about my own boys and how I talk and think about masculinity more generally.
Housekeeping
I had such a great time talking about memoir, autofiction, and James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces with the women of the Material Girls podcast. If you want smart analysis of pop culture things, this podcast should be in your rotation.
I’ll be chatting with Morgan Pager for her debut novel,The Art of Vanishing, on July 14th at Skylight Books.
Then two days later, July 16th, I’ll be back at Skylight Books for an event with Zan Romanoff and her newest romance novel, Square Waves. It is part of the Big Fan universe, which you just read me gush over, so yeah, this should be fun!
And in August, my girl, Cleyvis Natera will be in LA for an event for her new nove lThe Grand Paloma Resort at Reparations Club on August 28th.
Also, looking ahead, I will be back at the Mississippi Book Festival in September. Its a great festival and I’d love to see you on September 13th.
Things I Love…
Books
This James Frey pan in The New Yorker was a blast to read. And I know I have been very like “oh whatever, James Frey lied, but the books were, so good get over it”3 but also like, I reserve the right to change my mind on anything, especially becoming a hater of a white man. Never too late for that. And as I’ve been saying for years, talking shit about books is good for books, we’re all at least talking about this takedown, and I will likely try the book to see if it really is that bad. So I love this because takedown, and because I’m right. Boom!
Pop Culture
I saw Death Becomes Her this week on Broadway and it was so much fun4. Bring back full sets and costumes for musical theatre. Give me pivot turns and kick-ball-changes. We do not need every single show to be a “stripped-down” version of a once great actual musical.