Must-Reads | The Play Edition
Mary Pat Abruzzo, Content Editor @ Media x Women
Unless you are a bookworm, a book after a long workday seems like it would add to your stress. Instead, it might be just what you need to digitally detox. Reading is the ultimate escape from reality (something a lot of us need right now!)
Whether you can’t remember the last book you picked up or you read a book a week, we’ve rounded up our favorite fun reads.
For A Touching, Raw Memoir:
By George M. Johnson
This YA memoir is so powerful for LGBTQIA+ teens and allies that are looking to understand gender identity, toxic masculinity, and sexuality.
Written by activist and journalist, George M. Johnson, this read explores growing up Black and queer in New Jersey and Virginia. A series of personal essays covers Johnson’s life from childhood to college, sharing memories from being bullied, sexual experiences, and finding brotherhood in a fraternity. Some of the power in this book comes from the perspective of Johnson, who speaks directly to the reader and almost acts as a mentor.
All Boys Aren’t Blue allows young Black, queer readers to see themselves on the page and offers insight into Black queerness.
For Those Who Question Everything:
By Kazuo Ishiguro
Narrated by a robot, Klara and the Sun serves up some big questions. Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend, who acts as a companion for children.
This book explores our ever-changing world through an unlikely narrator, asking one question: What does it mean to love? A must-read to satisfy the dystopian novel, exploring the emotions that make us human.
For Your Monthly Feminist Read:
By Lisa Levinstein
Expand your feminist research past social media and learn about a pivotal and almost hidden moment in the history of the feminist movement. Historian, Lisa Levinstein, reveals the history of feminism in the nineties, a time heavily influenced by lesbians, women of color, and activists from the Global South.
This movement made modern feminist movements such as #MeToo and Women’s March possible, showing how marginalized women built a movement at the dawn of the Digital Age. This book will reinvent your perspective on modern feminism and is a must for anyone who cares about social justice.
To Read With Your BFF:
Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close
By Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman
What’s a big friendship you ask? According to Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, a “big friendship” is an intentional, committed, long-term platonic relationship. Their co-written novel explores platonic relationships, looking at the ups and downs of friendships while inventing a new framework for approaching friendships.
Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman remember their own big friendship and explore the fact that close friendships are life-changing, questioning why the work that goes into them is never really talked about.
Bring on the Book Club
Book clubs are a great idea if reading isn’t really your thing or if reading is your #1 pastime. Reading the same story can help connect you with family and friends, even if they live far away. Add some wine, cocktails, or food and we are totally in!