Writer’s Block
Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well. I’m hanging in there. A lot is happening in my life, but this blog is always on my mind. I have a political and election related book review that will be published next week. I just finished another book, and a review should be posted shortly. And I finally got around to renewing my library card and just checked out two novels, which I will also review. I have quite a few books that have been sent to me to read and review, which will keep me busy in the upcoming colder months. I can never have enough books to read!
The Problem with Everything-My Journey Through the New Culture Wars by Meghan Daum
In her 2019 book, The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars, author Meghan Daum takes on a host of topics. These topics include the Trump presidency, feminism in the modern day, cancel culture, and the differences between Gen X and Millennials.
In The Problem With Everything, Daum writes about being a kid in the 1970s, a time of of the TV show Zoom and when girls weren’t forced into the color pink. Things were a bit more unisex back then. She writes about the 1980s, when women were climbing the corporate ladder, yet were admonished as selfish careerists in a time of latchkey kids. And she also covers the 1990s, when she was in college and an intern in New York City. She looks back at these decades and compares them to the modern day. How have things changed? How have things not changed?
One things Daum talks about is the cancellation of people who may have a difference of opinion. She wonders where is the nuance and critical thinking when it comes to various issues. Perhaps, in the day of social media, where one tweet can be misconstrued, this may no longer be the case. Everything is so black and white. Will we ever embrace the gray in-between? Will conservatives and liberals offer each other an olive branch?
When it comes to feminism, Daum thinks it has accomplished most things. And yes, many women are better off than their grandmothers. But we still have a long way to go. She also questions the feminism of Millennials, which can come across as both celebrating victimization and calling oneself a “badass.” We’ve gone from Riot Grrrl to #Girlboss, but what does it mean? I know one, thing. Gen X feminists were also looked down upon back in the 1990s.
Daum also discusses the dissolution of her marriage, the state of the college campus then and now, and how people are afraid of the most mildest of criticism, worried they will be brandished a racist, homophobe, or misogynist. There’s really a lot to unpack these days.
I found Daum’s writing to be enlightening and interesting even though I didn’t agree with her on everything. But she does bring up some very compelling ideas that should provoke debate and discussion. And I wonder what Daum’s take on the issues she she could write about in 2022 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the January 6th insurrection, and the overturn of Roe V. Wade. Perhaps Daum will cover these things in her next book. I know if she does, I will definitely read it.
Brag Book
I just realized that this past October 13th was the 9th anniversary of this blog. I guess congratulations are in order. Yay me!
Retro Review: Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
It’s been years since I’ve written a retro review, and I can’t think of a better retro review than Judy Blume’s 1998 novel, Summer Sisters.
Though Judy Blume is mostly known for writing books for younger audiences, she is has also written for adults. Her books for adults include Wifey, Smart Women, and most recently, In the Unlikely Event. When I came across her book Summer Sisters at one of those Little Free Libraries, I quickly picked it up, and I’m glad I did.
Summer Sisters opens in the early 1990s. Vix is 25, living in New York City, and works in public relations. Out of the blue, she gets a call from Caitlin. Caitlin is getting married and the groom-to-be just happens to be Vix’s old boyfriend Bru. Caitlin asks Vix to be her maid of honor. As Summer Sisters unfolds you learn how Vix and Caitlin have come to this situation.
In Santa Fe, New Mexico Victoria Leonard and Caitlin Somers meet during their 6th grade year. Though they are quite different from each other, they become fast friends. Caitlin is quite privileged and lives with her mother Phoebe. Her father, Lamb (short for Lambert) lives on Martha’s Vineyard. Victoria, who often goes by the name Vix, lives a quite different existence. She’s one of four children (her younger brother, Nathan, has Muscular Dystrophy), her parents are stressed out, and and shoddy finances are a constant worry.
As their school year ends, Caitlin asks Vix to spend the summer with her in Martha’s Vineyard. Vix jumps at the chance and is excited and relieved to be away from the dysfunction of her family home. And year after year, the girls spend their summers together in Martha’s Vineyard.
It’s a cliché that that opposites attract, but sometimes clichés ring true. Vix is down-to-earth and practical. Caitlin is impetuous and wild. Yet, they are drawn to each other as they spend their summers discovering boys, masturbation, and sex, and take on several summer jobs. They both acquire boyfriends during their summers in Martha’s Vineyard. Caitlin starts dating Von, and Vix starts dating Bru.
However, things aren’t always so wonderful. Vix deals with a family tragedy and Caitlin copes with Lamb marrying a lady named Abby. And at a birthday celebration for Vix, Vix deals with something that makes her question her friendship with Caitlin. Yet, somehow the girls are able to patch things up. Vix is drawn into Caitlin’s orbit and does benefit from having Caitlin as her friend. Lamb and Abby think of Vix as another daughter, and Vix gains greatly from their generosity.
After Vix and Caitlin graduate from high school, they go their separate ways. Though originally Caitlin was to attend Wellesley, she has a change of heart and decides to travel all over Europe having a lots of crazy adventures. Vix, on the other hand, goes to Harvard on scholarship. It is there she befriends her roommates Paisley and Maia, and realizes there is a world outside of Caitlin.
After graduation, Vix moves to New York City, rooms with Maia and Paisley, and gets a job with a large public relations firm. Bru asks her to marry him, but she turns him down. And Caitlin gets bored with Europe and ends up in Seattle where she plans to open up a restaurant with two of her gay friends.
Upon finding out about Caitlin’s impending marriage to Bru, Vix decides to go to the wedding. Betrayals are found out and dirty deeds are done, and in the end Vix and Caitlin are in very different places.
Summer Sisters is filled with both the popular culture and social changes and upheavals of the 1970s and 1980s. Chapters are named after hit songs (“Dancing Queen”, “We are the World”) and the AIDS crisis and the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am plane of Lockerbie, Scotland are mentioned. Summer Sisters is mostly told from the point of view of Vix, but other characters also narrate the story.
While reading Summer Sisters, I couldn’t help but compare it to the atrocious Pretty, Little Dirty, which I reviewed over the summer. Both are coming of age novels featuring Gen X girls during the 1970s and 1980s. Yet, Summer Sisters is so much more better written with more dimensional characters and a fascinating tale that draws you in. The main characters in Pretty, Little Dirty just repelled me. And though I found tempestuous and self-absorbed Caitlin way too much to at times, I can understand why the more low-key and relatable Vix was drawn to her. Caitlin is quite charismatic and her upper crust lifestyle is intoxicating.
Summer Sisters is a fabulous read, one I could barely put down. And at the same time, I didn’t want to ever end. Once again, Judy Blume proves why she is such a beloved author. She just writes damn good books.
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