As we enter a quarantine summer, finding things to occupy your time can be tough. Whether you’re working from home or one of the 30+ million people who are now unemployed (myself included), you need something to keep you busy. Books are a great way to escape into a different reality, learn something new about yourself, and/or better connect to the world around you. Here are a few books that I love, and I hope you’ll love too!
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
One of the reasons I love this book is the setting (Michigan!), but there is so much more to the story. It’s about a Greek family and their struggles with immigrating to America, starting a new life, and uncovering family secrets that impacted our main character, Calliope “Cal” Stephanides. Whether you’re looking to read about the great Motor City in its heyday, gender identity, or wanting a heart-felt piece that will move you to tears, this is the book for you.
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
Anyone that knows me knows that I love consuming anything and everything to do with Mormon culture, but I had no idea the impact this book would have on me when I bought it. The book shifts the narrator’s point of view from chapter to chapter, taking the reader through the many different family members of Richard Golden (who has four wives and twenty-eight children). This book is funny, eye-opening, and emotionally moving, with an ending that wraps everything up into a nice bow. Whether you fall in love with Richard, Trish, or Rusty, you will finish the book with a newfound respect for nontraditional families and the resilience we all carry within us.
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
This book is perfect for those who love mystery and suspense, and pays homage to possibly the most famous group of detectives of all time: Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang! This book puts a spin on the characters we grew up with, turning them into modern adults with modern problems (mental health issues, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.). The gang must reunite, despite all of their own problems, and figure out how to save the town that gave them their start. A great read for those who love full-circle endings and nostalgic feels.
Know My Name
TW: this amazing memoir was penned by a survivor of perhaps one of the most talked about rape cases in the past decade. She was at a Stanford party with some friends and found out the next day that she had been raped, unsure of what happened or who had assaulted her. This memoir takes you through her journey of recovery, the trial that made headlines, and how she has learned to cope with what happened to her. This is another excellent piece of resilience, and reads as a warning of what not to allow ever again.
The Beaver Show by Jacqueline Frances
This non-fiction piece is a collection of stories and illustrations about what being a stripper is like. She takes you through the glamorous moments, the disgusting moments, and everything in-between. This is a collection of stories meant to highlight the humanity behind a dehumanized industry, and to show that strippers are regular people too! The Beaver Show is perfect for anyone wanting to know more about the industry and what being a stripper is like, but is also great for those who want a lesson in female empowerment and self-confidence.
Written by Anna Dunigan