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Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed. I’ve got some book club suggestions inspired by election season for you today plus some cold nibbles for these super hot (for some of us) days.
To the club!!
Nibbles and Sips
I know I’m a broken record but it is still SO hot, the kind of hot where cooking sounds like the last thing on earth I feel like doing. After buying a whole bunch of cold ready-made meals for a week, it finally occurred to me that I could easily prepare stuff like that at home. If you’re feeling the heat and don’t feel like turning that stove on when it’s your turn to host social distance book club, here are a few ideas.
A few things: I can’t even be bothered to cook my own chicken and have no shame in buying cooked rotisserie chickens. All simple salads are tossed in a quick dressing of red wine vinegar, avocado oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. I also like to put some of that Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch on… everything, but especially the proteins.
- Cubed chicken, simple salad, a scoop of hummus, sliced carrots and bell peppers, half an avocado
- Hard boiled eggs, simple salad, grapes, cubed white cheddar, half an avocado
- Cubed chicken, feta, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, a scoop of hummus, tzaziki sauce
- Salami, ham roll-ups, provolone or mozzarella, crackers, pesto
What are your favorite cold meals and snack foods for sharing with book club friends?
Election Season!
With election season around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to discuss some books related to what’s at stake here. From the biography of a VP to YA fiction about finding your voice in the political landscape, all of these selections should stimulate a healthy conversation related to the election, voting, and policy.
The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris – In truth, Kamala was not my first choice for President nor for VP, but I am still happy to see her nominated. I’m also not dismissing valid critique of her prosecutorial record. All that being said, I find that a lot of people only tout the same three facts about Kamala when asked for their opinion of her politics, and those facts are often a regurgitation of whatever is circulating on Facebook and Twitter that day versus an informed opinion. While a biography is obviously a biased account and not the entire picture, I think it is a good start to hear her story in her own words.
Book Club Bonus: For book club, have everyone come prepared with some research and thoughts on her history, policy positions, and current platform.
Running by Natalia Sylvester – Cuban American teen Mariana Ruiz has always rooted for her politician father, from back in the day in small, local elections to his run for the Senate. Everything changes when he decides to run for President: the scrutiny is Level 1000 invasive and Mariana learns some things about her dad that she doesn’t know how to process. She struggles to find her voice while viral videos and manufactured scandals threaten to undo her. What do you do when your dad stops being your hero, and how do you speak up when there is so much at stake? These are the difficult questions weighing heavy on Mari’s spirit.
Book Club Bonus: I picked this book because it feels very timely. Young people are politically engaged today in ways I frankly never was at their age and we don’t always give them proper credit for their passion, their conviction, and their activism. I hope reading this book will spark a discussion about young people’s civic engagement.
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh – That subtitle really gets down to the meat and potatoes of this most maddening American paradox: we are the wealthiest nation in the world, but our income inequality is egregious and inexcusable. This memoir of working-class poverty in the U.S. demonstrates the tragic and maddening ways in which class shapes our country, “challenging the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less.”
Book Club Bonus: I won’t claim to be some great economist, but I have come to learn that a fractured understanding of economic policy, not to mention the insidious “immigrants took my job” narrative, are the impetus for the way a lot of people vote. These aren’t necessarily the central themes of this book, but they go hand in hand. If we’re looking for answers and solutions to the poverty level in the U.S., we need to vote for policies aimed at the real root of its cause. Discuss!
Fascism: A Warning by Madeline Albright – Madeleine Albright knows a thing or two about fascism; she escaped the Nazis with her family as a little girl. In this book, she discusses the rise of fascism in the 20th century by breaking down how leaders like Mussollini, Hitler, and yes, the Cheeto in Charge have all followed what really does sounds like a frightening fascist formula. If you’re like me, you might go into this thinking, “I already know this!” There’s something about seeing the facts lined up the way they are here though that really makes their similarities frighteningly clear.
Book Club Bonus: Do take some time to unpack how it isn’t just the big, overtly terrible abuses of power but also the small, incremental, and strategic moves that undermine democratic ideals. I think this is an essential conversation today for… ya know, reasons.
Suggestion Section
When it comes to talking to kids about racism and social justice, I can only imagine how hard it must be to know where to start. Enter the Speak Up Book Club.
If you’re keeping up with Tor.com’s Terry Pratchett Book Club, catch part II of the Equal Rites discussion
Crimson Wine Group and Book Club Girl, a social media and event platform of the William Morrow group, have partnered to create the Wine & Words virtual book club. You guessed it: wine + books!
Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter and catch me once a month on the All the Books podcast.
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa