Michelle Obama’s Becoming turns out to be exactly the book we need to get through the current political climate. … More Go Through All the Feels with Michelle Obama’s Becoming
Celebrity memoirs always give me pause because the ones I’ve read tend to feel as though they have a thick coat of veneer. They’re always conscious of their image, so what they present in the memoir feels calculated or even whitewashed. As such, reading a celebrity memoir usually feels like an exercise in futility: by … More Life as a Work in Progress: In Pieces, by Sally Field
It may seem surprising that more than half of Cleve Jones’ memoir is taken up with his life before activism–before, that is, his work with Harvey Milk or creating the AIDs Memorial Quilt–but that is the whole point. Admittedly, it does feel as though the first part meanders as Jones moves around, travels, parties, hooks up, … More When We Rise: Cleve Jones and His Life in the Gay Rights Movement
Hope for the Future If I may get personal for a moment, this book was particularly meaningful for me because my husband and I have recently gotten licensed to be foster parents and we have been working on a placement with a transgender teenager. You can imagine, then, that Sarah McBride’s story of coming out … More Tomorrow Will Be Different: Sarah McBride and Transgender Activism
A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens. Eddie Izzard’s ‘Dressed to Kill’ is one of my all-time favorite comedy specials. But does the celebrated comedian’s style translate well to memoir? … More Believe Me, by Eddie Izzard: Book Review
You may remember Dave Holmes as the guy who came in second place in MTV’s first Wannabe a VJ contest to Jesse Camp, but managed to walk away with a job at the network anyway. I certainly remember him from those days, when his affable demeanor made him a lot more accessible than anyone else … More Party of One: a Memoir in 21 Songs, by Dave Holmes: Book Review
“To be a subject is an act of aggression.” Well this hurts. I wanted to love this book so much. I adore Alison Bechdel. She’s incredibly smart, witty, analytical, and heartbreakingly honest–all qualities that have made Fun Home, her first foray into graphic memoir, a modern classic. It’s one of my favorite books, not to … More Book Review: Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel
I had the privilege of attending a book signing with Gail Simmons hosted by Tom Colicchio, and at that event Tom described this book as a “love letter to food” and the culinary industry. I don’t think a more succinct, accurate description of this book could possibly be found. … More Book Review: Talking with My Mouth Full, by Gail Simmons
Supposedly Fun 