a big month of reading - finally, the time and space that summer provides!
black cake, by charmaine wilkerson (i got this through the book of the month club, and enjoyed it more than i expected to - this is a theme for me when authors or main characters have very different experiences from my own - i assume this story about two black caribbean girls won't resonate with me. perhaps someday i will really change my assumptions (sigh), but for now, i love being pleasantly surprised and sucked in by this book. i read about half of it on a camping trip, which was lovely - long stretches of reading during the day - heaven! highly recommend this.)
camp zero, by michelle min sterling (this was a read with jenna book club pick, and it was fine - but not revolutionary. post apocalyptic canada, feminist, three converging story lines. i liked but didn't love it.)
memorial drive, by natasha trethewey (i listened to this audiobook - at some point i read a list of the 20 best memoirs or some such and this book was on it. it's incredible - beautifully written - and horrific - the story of the events that lead up to the author's mother's murder. it's also about family and how we construct it and about interracial relationships and lives in the south in the 1960s/70s/80s. it's an incredible book, but a tough read.)
the culture code, by daniel coyne (i'm trying to read three professional books this summer, and this was the first - and i found so much to like and to apply to my job and to try to incorporate into my professional life. i read much of this in the hammock in our backyard. the premise is that three things are needed to build a strong culture within a group: build safety, share vulnerability, and establish purpose. tons of great stuff here about things like "magical feedback," the vulnerability loop, patterns found in highly successful groups. i underlined! i took notes! i recommend it to you.)
