June 2020 Book List

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This little book is magic. It is poetry, quotes, thoughts, and bits of wisdom. It is a collection of reflections on life and love and healing and sharing and ultimately self care. I absorbed this book in a single day but it will be a book I keep handy to turn to time and again. I can't suggest this book highly enough. It is a treasure.

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This is the follow up book to Heart Talk and it is an amazing look at where we can start to make a change in the lives of others by single decisions, one at a time. I love the poem that opens the book and I know it is one that I will turn to again and again. It was suggested to read it out loud, and I did. There is something powerful about hearing the words out loud that makes the inspirational become tangible. I also highly recommend this book and it is one I will pick up many times in the future no doubt.

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I added this book to my Audible library when I heard about it and then sort of forgot about it. I needed a new book to listen to while longarm quilting and I noticed this one. I was hooked the moment it started. I didn't realize that it was a book that included racism and privilege but the story grabbed me from the first chapter and I couldn't walk away. I was so interested in the issues the story seemed to touch on that I googled this interview and really enjoyed getting to meet the author. It's worth a view and don't worry, it won't spoil the book if you haven't read it yet. I highly recommend this book! 

Get the book HERE.

My daughter was required to read this book with her entire freshman class four years ago, and then the author spoke at her college. It was a profound experience for her and she highly recommended the book for me. I had every intention of reading it after our discussions of the book and the real life events that it documents. The process of learning about, and feeling all the emotions that go along with that awareness, are so far beyond the words I can come up with. To know that this kind of injustice and persecution are going on in my lifetime, in my backyard, is chilling to say the least. 

The book has been turned into a movie, and the movie is a 'must watch' in my opinion. It gives such a good portrayal of the spectrum of people involved in the system. How it can take such an emotionally charged topic and lay it out in a 'these are the facts' way while keeping the humans the center of the story is what makes this movie (and book) required reading, in my opinion. The movie has been made available for free here. Please take the time to watch this if you don't have the book. It will change you.

Get the book HERE.

I was captivated by the very first sentence and stayed up until 3 am reading this book. I lost all sense of time because I was so absorbed in the story. It is so beautifully written that is makes the story even more heartbreaking. I always love books that break my heart and give me hope at the same time. This book did that to me and I will definitely be adding her other books to my reading list.

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After reading so many reviews, I added this to my March Book of the Month Club box. I had been tempted to order it the month before, but could no longer resist after the reviews started rolling in. And then for some reason I didn't read it right away. I was struggling to read during the first month of the pandemic and this book just found it's way to the stack of books waiting for me. After looking at the growing pile of books, I canceled my subscription so that I could catch up on my unread books.

I'm so glad I finally picked this one up and started reading it. It was beautifully written (though the dialect was tricky at first) and the courage and strength of the main character was so incredible. It was a book I hope will have a follow up. This character worked her way into my heart and I want to know more!

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This book should be required reading for all white people. It is brutal truth. It made me feel so horrible to be a human much less a white human. I listened to it on Audible and perhaps if I had read it the experience wouldn't have been so harsh? It explains the systems of racism that exist in our country and how they go much deeper than just our daily choices and behavior. The ways in which the system has been created and set up to benefit white people and oppress people of color is truly horrible. I knew a lot of this information on a basic level, but the book explores so much more than I had ever considered before. 

The book also explains why white people struggle to discuss racism and get so defensive when the topic is brought up. Learning why white people tend to respond the way they do was helpful to understand. This book changed me and made me realize I was blind to so much even though I had always thought I was 'aware'. 

Enjoy every book!

Diane

The fine print: the links in this post are affiliate which means I earn a small reward for each purchase made through them. I appreciate your support and thank you for sharing the love of reading with me.