Obviously books and reading are always polyrhythmic and reverberate off each other in a jazz-y way. But I've been looping through book connections recently in ways that made me smile.
Kadiatou is a character in the new Chimamanda Adichie novel Dreamcount, and when I read Christian Cooper's Better Living Through Birding (our city's "Grand Read" book; Cooper will be here next month) I was reminded that Kadiatou is also the name of the activist who used the 3-million dollar settlement from the unlawful gunning down of her son Amadou Diallo by NYPD to start a foundation to help other immigrants.
I was quite taken by Anand Giridharadas's The Persuaders, which had great suggestions on how to be persuasive and change people's perspectives and thought I'd try Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind which sounded similar... except that Pollan's book is about how to change your mind through the use of psychedelics (including LSD, psilocybin and MDMA). Ha! He makes the point that middle age is the time to do this since we're probably stuck in habitual ruts though. Consider me sold.
When I mentioned Braiding Sweetgrass yesterday, Sarah mentioned how awesome Kimmerer's second work, The Serviceberry, is and mentioned giving her firstborn a copy. My firstborn gave me The Serviceberry for Christmas and that's what got me into rereading Braiding Sweetgrass!
8 comments:
I love that for you a glam shot is a pile of books, but yeah, I get it. Well, if you decide to try psychedelics, I'm here to hear about it.
I'm so out of the home-loop! I didn't realize that was the community read! I love the title. And also, how you staged the books.
Nice.
I just read Adichie's short story collection - The Thing Around Your Neck - and it was SO GOOD. What a talent she is!
Lol, I am a big no thank you on the psychedelics.
I feel like the Universe is always connecting us to people and experiences that serve us. I know that sounds sort of hippy dippy, but as I've gotten older, I've found this to be true.
Maybe I'm just more open and aware without the constant concerns of kids and work. Maybe I'm more introspective or thoughtful. I'm not sure. But I do feel that there are more incidences of deep parallelism in my life now than before.
Our book club read the Pollan book years ago. I know several who have done guided psychedelics and they all said it was a life changing experience.
I love the picture of the pile of books! I need to check out the persuader book.
I LOVE those book resonances - 'in a jazzy way' is such a great way to describe it. Once two books I was reading that had nothing to do with Poland overall had the same line spoken in Polish in them. Also adored Christian Cooper's book - he is so insightful and funny and compassionate.
You read some interesting books! I have to admit I'm really intrigued by the use of psychedelics. I've heard a lot of good things- and sounds like I'm the right age for it! i wonder how one goes about trying it...
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