Our book club committee gets together at least once a month to pick books we want to vote on and to make sure that book club is accessible and as fun as possible. We also write summaries of book club as a whole to share with our supporters, so y'all can get an idea of what book club is like. View them below.
Book Club Reviews
Hood Feminism
Thursday, January 7th was the first meeting of the PPMEAF Book Club! Thank you to everyone who joined us, we had about twenty-five folx including the Book Club Committee!
What did we read? We started the club off by reading Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall. For those unfamiliar with the book, its main goal is to critique white feminism by discussing oft overlooked issues faced by womxn of color and womxn with a lack of resources (ie. housing, food, income). It states that any issue impacting womxn should be considered a feminist issue.
What did we talk about? We had some discussion questions such as, ‘Did you find sections of this book uncomfortable to read?’ and ‘How can or should white folx better address/navigate discussions about race and/or (other) marginalized identities with young (white) children?’ People shared their own experiences and perspectives to give further insight into the questions. We were able to navigate through differing opinions respectfully, posing challenges to statements that focused on expanding and informing. Some themes that came up across our conversations were ignorance, frustration, uncertainty, and desire for change. We also had action items for participants, including supporting Black owned businesses.
How would we rate the book? Most of the participants gave ratings of 3.5/5 and 4/5.
Parable of the Sower
Thursday, March 18, was our second PPMEAF Book Club meeting! Thank you to everyone who joined us, we had about twenty folx including the Book Club Committee!
What did we read? This time we read Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Set in a somewhat post-apocalyptic America, the story follows Lauren Olamina, a teen with hyper-empathy (an ability that allows her to quite literally feel the pain of others). She seeks to challenge the current way of life of her family and friends, and find out how to survive beyond the walls of her community. The book asks us to consider the nature of change, with all the uncertainty that comes with it, in a world ever evolving due to the results of global warming.
What did we talk about? As with our last meeting, we used discussion questions to guide our conversation. For example, ‘Why do you think people might prefer easy solutions? How can we include these people in our activism?’ and ‘In what ways do you think race, capitalism, climate change, patriarchy, democracy/politics and the ability to participate in them, bodily autonomy, etc., are interconnected?’ We touched on themes such as ignorance, complacency, the nature of change, education, religion, and more. To paraphrase one of our participants, there were certainly times where we were climbing different branches in terms of feelings and perspectives, but everyone remained respectful and willing to hear the voices of others.
How would we rate the book? The majority of us gave scores of 4.5/5 and 5/5.
What’s our next book and meeting time? Our next book is Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon! We’ll be meeting on Monday, May 17th from 6-8 p.m. Both new and returning members are welcome. Hope to see you there!