Book Review: Yellowface by RF Kuang

Sometimes you read a novel so entertainingly over-the-top and unhinged, you just have to compliment the author for being so creative and having a wild imagination. And at the same time, you can totally see this scenario playing out in the real world. Thus, I give you my review of R. F. Kuang’s very clever and intriguing novel Yellowface.

When they both went to Yale, protagonist June Hayward and Athena Liu knew each other but they weren’t exactly besties. Years after graduation June and Athena’s lives have greatly diverged. While at Yale, June and Athena were both aspiring writers. June’s first novel sold a pittance and plans to release the novel in paperback was axed. Now June has a lowly job tutoring spoiled rich kids. Her writing career has been extinguished or at least has been put on the back burner.

Athena’s writing career, on the other hand, is white hot. Her debut book is a hit with both the critics and the reading public. Athena has just signed a major deal with Netflix. She is a media darling (it helps Athena is gorgeous) and she’s totally living large. And not surprisingly, June is pea green with envy and quite bitter over Athena’s success.

As Yellowface begins, June and Athena have met up again and the two are hanging out at Athena’s posh apartment after a night of drinking and revelry. Athena decides to make a post-drinking snack of pancakes. Athena starts to choke while eating a pancake. Despite June calling 911 (and her own efforts) Athena dies right in front of her. However, June’s attempt at heroics is quickly dashed when she finds a manuscript Athena had been working on. Athena used a typewriter so the manuscript is already in hard copy form. June steals the manuscript and takes it home with her.

Once home in her shabby apartment, June reads the manuscript. She finds out Athena was writing about Chinese labor workers in Britain during World War I. June realizes she has a great book on her hands and with a few edits she polishes up the manuscript even further. And then June comes up with a rather devious idea. She’s going to try to get Athena’s manuscript published under her own name. This could be June’s ticket to literary success. And Athena’s dead so it shouldn’t really matter, right? Right?

June sends the manuscript under her own name to her publisher. Her publisher loves it and the book, now named The Last Call, gets published. Only, it is published under the name Juniper Song. June’s full name is actually Juniper Song Hayward (yes, her parents were hippies), and because Juniper Song sounds rather Asian, it is perceived the book will sell if the author is deemed Asian. June, of course, is very, very Caucasian.

June’s book garners her a six-figure deal, and becomes a huge best-seller. Now June is getting a lot of accolades and is reaching literary success that just a year ago, she could only dream of. Now she’s the author the media wants to profile, and June believes she’s hit the jackpot. And she hopes she can keep this momentum going as she tries to work on another book while also doing the media circuit. Goodbye poverty and obscurity. Hello riches and fame.

However, it isn’t long before the validation of the book and June’s credibility is questioned. Online, people are starting to pick at her story, her statements to the press, and her public appearances at book events. These comments are brutal, and they begin to hinder June’s attempts at writing another book, which pisses off her publisher. Then one anonymous social media account accuses June of plagiarism (pretty accurate if you ask me). June begins to get terrified. She tries to everything to in her power to stave off the onslaught of outrage and social media cancellation. She panics and is paranoid. She even thinks she sees Athena stalking her. Is it Athena’s ghost? Did Athena fake her own death?

It isn’t long before June is figured out, and she gets hoodwinked into confessing her literary misdeeds by an editorial assistant from her publisher. This editorial assistant threatens to write a tell-all book about and it shakes June to her core. This prompts June to make a stab at writing her own memoir as a way of absolving her sins. But things get even further out of control for her. Does June get punished in the end? Or does she somehow go on totally unscathed? Hmm.

Though June is all together awful, I could not put Yellowface down. I kept reading it, totally caught up in June’s wrongdoing, and how it affected her and other people in her orbit. And as odious as June is other characters aren’t exactly noble themselves. Even Athena isn’t so perfect. As entertaining and gripping as Yellowface is, it also asks an important questions. Who gets to tell the stories? Can only Asian people write the stories of Asian people? Can a white person write about something out of his or her race, and treat the topic with grace and open-mindedness? Well, white people who aren’t named June Hayward maybe. And why in the 21st century, are people of color still seen as tokens? And let’s not forget an Asian author, R. F. Kuang wrote from the perspective of a white woman.

I also loved how Yellowface exposes the flaws of the publishing industry, the unhinged world of social media, and the jealousy of the writing community. Whether you’re familiar with this world, or just love a book that will keep you riveted, Yellowface lives up to the hype. I highly recommend it.

Brag Book (Not About Me)

I’m happy to announce that the Milwaukee Public Library has been nominated for a Peabody Award for the tremendous social media accounts. Here’s the story.

And here is the Central Library in downtown Milwaukee, just gorgeous! I love this place.

Book Review: The Glow by Jessie Gaynor

In Jessie Gaynor’s novel, The Glow, protagonist Jane Dorner is in a funk; her life seems to be going nowhere. Though Jane had aspirations of being a poet, she ended up dropping out of her grad program, and is now working in public relations for a New York City firm. Working in public relations may sound glamorous and lucrative, but Jane can barely care about her work and her output is slipshod at best.

And on top of her less than exciting job, Jane is now without a boyfriend after a break up and due to an emergency surgery, Jane is now drowning in medical debt (something I bet a lot of my fellow Americans can relate to). Jane is trying to hold onto her job so she can pay off her nearly six figure medical debt.

Needing a boost to her career, Jane seeks out something to inspire her so she can publicize it and perhaps save her job. And Jane thinks she’s found the perfect thing when she discovers Fort Path, a wellness retreat. At the helm of Fort Path, is Cass. Cass is beautiful, ethereal, and has a huge following on social media. Her Instagram passages promise wellness, healing, and the ultimate journey of self-fulfillment. Jane is drawn to both Fort Path and Cass, and she believes if she can connect with both of them, she will find not only a higher state of being, she will also amplify her career and keep her job.

Jane makes a sojourn to Fort Path. At first she has a hard time fitting in with the retreat’s strict diet and weird rituals, which includes group masturbation and refraining from showering. But still, Jane can’t help but be drawn to Cass. Cass just radiates self-confidence, wholeness, and true enlightenment. Perhaps if Jane follows Cass and Fort Path’s strict guideline, she, too, will achieve these lofty goals.

Whereas Cass may be the face and inspiration for Fort Path, it is her husband, Tom, who handles the business side of running the retreat. Jane gets closer to Cass and Tom, and often wonders about their marriage, especially since Tom doesn’t exactly seem 100% straight. Is it true love or a marriage of convenience. And once Jane loses her PR job, and finagles her way into a job with Fort Path, she finds out more and more about Cass and Tom’s marriage and the behind the scenes of running Fort Path.

Jane comes up with a plan. She figures with her public relations experience, she feels she can sell Fort Path on a grander scale (even if she herself, isn’t a true believer of Fort Path’s mission and practices). If Jane can put Fort Path on the wellness map and make Cass a major health guru on par with Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop. And to do this, Jane does some rather nefarious and less than savory things that are more about making the big bucks and exploiting Cass, Tom, and Fort Path than actually doing something positive for the the two of them, the retreat, and its clients. Will Jane make Fort Path a health and wellness a huge success and become a huge success herself? Or will everything tumble like a house of Tarot cards?

The Glow is a fascinating look at the rarified world of wellness and the people involved even though some of these people aren’t exactly good people. Sure, Cass and Tom may have an odd marriage. And I’m not a fan of Cass’s dietary and hygienic habits, but for the most part these are two well-meaning characters who are sympathetic.

However, Jane is a walking red flag. Though I empathize with her work and money troubles, I found her behavior towards Cass and Tom, and Fort Path to be appalling. Her exploitation is truly offensive. But I wondered is she truly an awful person or is her behavior due to the huge pressures, challenges, and set backs she has dealt. And I also questioned if our seeking out of enlightenment and a better life via a wellness retreat, a yoga class, or a candle smelling like Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina is a panacea for the true systematic obstacles problems we face in modern society. The Glow prompts us to think a bit about those things.

I Read It So You Don’t Have To: Rebecca, Not Becky by Christine Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene

The novel, Rebecca, Not Becky by Christine Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene is the tale of two Millennial age women, one white and one Black, as they navigate raising children, taking care of elderly relatives, managing their marriages, and dealing with the thorny topic of race, bigotry, and race relations.

Meet De’Andrea Whitman. She just left her successful career as a lawyer, and not by chance, and is now settled in Rolling Hills, Virginia with her husband Malik and their little girl, Nina. The Whitmans have moved to Rolling Hills to be closer to Malik’s mother who has dementia and is living in a care facility called Memory Village. The Whitmans used to live in Atlanta and found a sense of place within the Black community. De’Andrea stays in touch with her old Atlanta friends and doesn’t know if she can find a home in the very white Rolling Hills.

Now meet Rebecca Myland. She used to go by Becky, but with the name Becky being used as a euphemism for clueless basic white bitches. Rebecca is a stay at home mom who lives with her husband Todd and their two daughters Lyla and Isabella in Rolling Hills. And like De’Andrea, she also has a mother in law at Memory Village.

Rebecca is thrilled when she finds out a Black family has moved to Rolling Hills. She hopes to befriend the Whitmans, which will allow her to use all the knowledge she has gained when it comes to race as a diversity leader at her daughters’ school and as a member of an anti-racist book club. And it does come across like Rebecca might treat this black family as an experiment instead of seeming them as unique individuals.

De’Andrea is feeling adrift and depressed in Rolling Hills. She’s dealing with the heavy burden of running a household, raising Nina, and being there for Malike’s mother. De’Andrea feels useless without her law career and she misses her friends in Atlanta. Is she going to find a sense of community in the white bread enclave of Rolling Hills?

De’Andrea’s therapist comes up with an assignment. De’Andrea should try to befriend a white woman. Not surprisingly, De’Andrea is a bit apprehensive. She doesn’t want to have a friendship that feels forced. And can she really fit in with the privileged white ladies of Rolling HIlls?

But then De’Andrea’s daughter Nina becomes besties with Rebecca’s daughter Isabella. The two little girls have bonded in their kindergarten class. This means De’Andrea has to deal with Rebecca at school drop offs and pick ups, various school functions, and at play dates for Nina and Isabella.

At first, De’Andrea tries to keep Rebecca at arms length. But begrudgingly, she begins to get involved with some of Rebecca’s social activities and social circle. Rebecca can be a bit too much when it comes to being the “white savior.” And to be honest, De’Andrea comes a across as a bit stand-offish and narrowminded. But at times, it is quite understandable why she would question the motives of a privileged white woman like Rebecca.

But De’Andrea and Rebecca soon bond over similar life experiences. Both are dealing with raising children and elder care issues. Both are trying to keep their marriages strong. And both are trying to navigate the racial and social issues that affect Rolling Hills.

Then De’Andrea and Rebecca join forces to bring down a Confederate soldier’s statue in Rolling Hills. A lot of the town’s people also want to bring the offending statue down. But due to a place like Rolling Hills being in the deep South plenty of the town’s citizens want to keep the offensive statue up because or “heritage” or “history” or some rot. De’Andrea and Rebecca learn through all of this that people are stronger when they work together.

Rebecca, Not Becky, in the hands of better writers, could have really been a fantastic read. It covers many of the current issues we face today-race, bigotry, and social changes. It also covers the everyday issues so many women face-raising children, running a household, elder care, and trying to make their marriages thrive. But in the less capable writing talents of Platt and Wigginton Greene, these issues and situations never go very deep. Plus, when Rebecca, Not Becky goes into some intriguing story lines, the writing just putters out. It’s quite disappointing.

And there’s the two main characters, De’Andrea and Rebecca. I don’t expect characters to be flawless, but both ladies are not likable. Both of them come across as conceited and full of themselves. There’s a lot of name-dropping, slang that won’t age well, and vapid texts in place of decent dialogue. It’s as if both of these women were the real housewives of Rolling Hills rather than fully fleshed out characters who are compelling.

Rebecca, Not Becky is not to be read.

Book Review: Momfluenced-Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture by Sara Petersen

As a childfree woman, I’m not exactly the target market for mom influencers. Yet, I’m very aware of the power these women wield via their blogs, YouTube channels, Tik Tok, and various forms of social media (especially Instagram). Probably the first well-known mom influencers was Heather Armstrong, better known as Dooce. Armstrong was very honest about the gritty reality and challenges of motherhood. I believe she suffered from severe post-partum depression. Over the past few year, Armstrong’s fame lessened. And sadly, Armstrong took her life last year.

Today, mom influencers are a different breed. These women bathe motherhood in a golden light. Their children are adorable cherubs who never throw tantrums or make messes. These womens homes are beautifully curated and decorated. These mother’s are never frazzled. Most of them are thin, stylish, and yes, mostly white.

One of the most famous of these mom influencers is Hannah Neeleman, a Julliard-trained dancer who just had her eighth(!) child. She and her husband live on a huge farm. They seem to be the modern version of “Little House on the Prairie.” However, Hannah’s husband is the so of the founder of Jet Blue Airlines. These people are loaded! Hannah’s stove probably costs more than your car.

But I digress.

Though not a follower of influencers, I do have a weird interest in the whole influencer phenomenon. And so does writer and mother of three Sara Petersen. And she examines modern motherhood and the world of mom influencers in her book Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture.

In Momfluenced, Peterson fully admits she has a love/hate relationship with mom influencers. She has an appetite for their content; she was even influenced to have a third child due to mom influencers. But Petersen is not blind to some of the problems with mom influencers, their content, and the audience that follows them. Petersen gives the reader a primer on the world of mom influencers. She also introduces and interviews some of the influencers she follows, allowing them to speak beyond their Instagram feeds.

Petersen often uses Momfluenced to compare her own journey as a mother and domestic life. Often she finds herself lacking. But I believe this has been the experience of mothers for eons. I bet a lot of mothers compared themselves to June Cleaver, Carol Brady, and Claire Huxtable. But these ladies are fictional. You only faced them once a week via their television shows. But now we can easily access our favorite influencers continuously by simply picking up our smart phones.

The mothers Petersen interviews talk about everything from getting branding deals for their social media to coming up with photos, posts and video reels. Some social media is as carefully curated as a movie or television show. Many of the mothers are quite honest that they do have issues that other mothers face and their not always living in domestic bliss.

Petersen mentions that the most well-known mom influencers are often white, cis, attractive, and very well-off. Influencing of all kinds is very whitewashed. So I really appreciated Petersen reaching out to mom influencers who do not fit into this narrow demographic.

However, Momfluenced does have its faults. At times, Petersen’s writing does come across like a teenager’s diary or burn book. She also comes across like a wannabe suck up when interviewing some of the mom influencers.

But there is one omission that to me, is pretty much unforgivable. Never once does Petersen questions and examine how mom influencers and their social media affects their children. Many of these children are being exploited and they have no say in how they are being portrayed online. We all know child actors can end up messed up and there are protections in place for them. There are no protections for the children on social media at this time. This alone, is too glaring of an omission to ignore, and that is why I cannot give Momfluenced a glowing critique.

Book Review: Uneducated-a Memoir of Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth by Christopher Zara

From where journalist Christopher Zara started out, he probably shouldn’t have ended up in the exact place he is-a respected writer and happily married man. Zara grew up in Trenton, New Jersey in a time when Trenton was falling apart as was his family. A screw up as a student, Zara was kicked out of high school for behavioral issues. He also got involved in the local punk rock scene, hanging out with some less than savory people, and once battled a seriously frightening heroin habit. And how Zara overcame these insurmountable obstacles is wonderfully told in his memoir Uneducated: Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth.

Born in 1970, Zara faced a childhood familiar to many Generation X-ers. His parents’ marriage was rocky and they later divorced. He came of age in Trenton, New Jersey as it was falling apart. He got involved in punk music, which was a refuge from his home life. Though incredibly bright, school was not the place for him and he often got in trouble for misbehaving. He later dropped out but did manage to get a GED. Zara also developed a heroin habit, which he fortunately was able to kick and has lived for years drug free.

For a long time, Zara kind of sleep walked through life. He moved from place to place, and worked a lot of dead end jobs. He figured this type of life was his destiny. After all, his educational history was less than impressive. He had only a GED and no college experience, let alone an actual degree.

But what Zara did have was a lot of writing talent, and a willing to work hard and prove himself. In his mid thirties, Zara managed to get an internship at Show Business Weekly magazine, a magazine aimed at those working in the performing arts. Zara was older than most other interns and wasn’t a college student. He considered himself lucky to procure this internship. Like a lot of internships, this one was unpaid, so Zara had to work at a frame shop to make some money to help support himself.

While at Show Business Weekly, Zara was involved in so much more than writing and editing articles, and he and his cohorts tried desperately to keep a print magazine afloat at a time where websites and digital media were taking over.

Once his tenure with Show Business Weekly ended, Zara got a job with the International Business Times, which had some rather sketchy ownership, and Zara goes into great lengths to explain it in Uneducated. While at International Business Times, Zara got an education on how the internet was truly changing the world of media, where SEOs, going viral, the importance of social media, and clickbait are often of utmost importance. One could write an amazing article, but it meant bupkis if it didn’t grab enough eyeballs on the World Wide Web.

Though Zara gained strength as a writer and became more successful as a writer, he still felt less than those with college degrees, often feeling like an imposter of people he felt were more qualified just because they had a sheepskin. But most of his colleagues truly accepted him, not giving a shit if he didn’t have a college degree. Zara’s talent, skill, and work ethic was good enough.

But this book isn’t just about making a career in media. Uneducated is a also a love story, with Zara telling the tale of meeting his beloved wife, Christina, their courtship and ultimate marriage. In fact, I kind of want Christina to write her own memoir.

Whether your education consisted of the Ivy League or the School of Hard Knocks, Uneducated is story for all of us. It really makes you think about the importance of education, both formal and non-formal, and how much our society measures us by our credentials and degrees. But what I also like, is how Zara never looks down at anyone who does have a college degree; there is no reverse snobbery in Uneducated. Zara doesn’t look down on anyone who did go to college and obtain a degree. He realizes there are various paths we take.

Uneducated is a wonderful tale of overcoming some pretty bad odds and making a success of one’s life. I highly recommend it for the tale it tells and the amazing way it’s written.

Book Review: City of Likes by Jenny Mollen

In actor, author, and Instagram favorite Jenny Mollen’s first novel City of Likes, she takes a very pointed and funny look at the world of social media and social mores, friendship and frenemies, and influencers and the influenced.

Meet Megan Chernoff. Megan is a talented copywriter who is trying to get her writing career back on track. She and her family have just moved to New York City from Los Angeles. They are currently living in their actor friend’s loft while he’s on location filming. Sounds glamorous, right? Well, hardly. The Chernoffs are currently dealing with cockroaches and a less than reliable oven.

Megan and her husband, Illiya, have two small boys, Roman and Felix. Illiya works at a very exclusive and expensive high-end private social club. And it’s here where Megan meets Daphne Cole.

Who is Daphne Cole, you ask. Well, Daphne Cole is only one of the hottest mommy influencers ever! Daphne is famous for her picture perfect family and her glamorous, exciting life. Daphne has countless followers frothing at the mouth at her posts on Instagram. And companies all over seek her out to promote their products.

Megan feels like a total dork compared to Daphne, so she is shocked and delighted when Daphne befriends her. Daphne Cole wants to hang out with her! Wow!

Being in Daphne’s orbit is intoxicating for Megan. Soon she is meeting other influencer moms and gaining followers on her own Instagram account. Megan is also getting free stuff from various companies. Soon Megan is slipping further and further into influencer madness. She thinks knowing the right people and making the right connections will improve her life and her family’s life. One goal of Megan’s is to get her son, Roman, into the right school and she thinks knowing the right people like Daphne will help. And she isn’t above embellishing her son’s application letter mentioning she’s friends with Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

Megan at first is thrilled at the change in her life. It’s like she’s the most popular girl at school. And when Daphne invites her to Paris, Megan jumps at the chance. However, things aren’t so rosy on the home front. Illiya isn’t happy with Megan’s new life and he questions her on how her new found fame is affecting her, him, and the kids.

But things get crazier and crazier in Megan’s life, she starts to realize that Daphne and the life she claims may not be so true. Megan questions what is real and what is not. Sure, Megan may have hit pay dirt, gotten more followers, free stuff, and connections to the glamorous people, but at what cost? Is she being her authentic self? Is she make a good impact in the world? Is her family happy? In the end Megan wants to face reality and real people who love her for who she truly is.

Though I find the influencer culture quite maddening whether it comes to parenting, fashion, or fitness, I am at the same time fascinated by it. What makes someone so appealing and powerful they can command free stuff and millions of followers? I can’t quite figure it out, but City of Likes truly captures the crazy world of influencer culture with its obsession with followers, likes, free stuff, and looking perfect. It also grasps how easily people can get caught up in influencer culture. Mollen writes with a sharp wit and a keen eye. City of Likes is a great novel for anyone who has been caught up in influencer culture or finds influencer culture quite interesting.

Book Review: Former.ly-The Rise and Fall of a Social Network by Dane Cobain

In UK-based author Dane Cobain’s novel Formerly: The Rise and Fall of Social Network, protagonist Dan Roberts is living in London with his journalist girlfriend, Sarah, and trying to eek out a living as a freelance computer programmer. Dan is passionate about programming, but it’s not exactly doing a lot to pay the bills or pay for the flat he shares with Sarah.

Low on funds, Dan is desperate for a full-time job, so he’s pretty happy to get a steady gig as a programmer with the social media platform Former.ly even though the interview process is less than orthodox (drinking is involved). Former.ly is a website where people can share their innermost secrets, yet, the caveat is that these secrets won’t be made available until the person dies. Yes, Former.ly relies on death. Death is imperative to Former.ly’s success.

Dan has no idea what he’s exactly getting into, but he’s happy to accept a regular paycheck. At the helm of Former.ly are its two founders, John and Peter. John and Peter are at first shrouded in mystery, but it isn’t long before Dan realizes (as do the ready) that both of them have nefarious things in mind. John has a vicious temper and is a total control freak. Peter is also a control freak, but he seems (on the surface) to be more measured than his fellow founder of Former.ly.

Dan’s co-workers include Felicity, who goes by the nickname Flick. Flick works as Former.ly’s office manager/PR girl. Abhi is a fellow coder. Kerry is the media guy who films the people for their video diaries. And later on, comes along Nate who is Former.ly’s custodian, but knows a lot more than he initially lets on, and Elaine who works on the financials of Former.ly. Elaine is a bit of an outlier at Former.ly considering she’s in her fifties and has grandchildren.

It isn’t long before Dan’s job at Former.ly takes over his own life. He’s working ungodly long hours and spending more time with his coworkers than with his beleaguered girlfriend. Dan and Sarah agree to break up; their relationship long past repair.

Former.ly is getting more and more successful, and the founders decide it’s time to go public. After a launch party, one of the journalists dies under very mysterious circumstances. At first Dan and his coworkers think the journalist’s death is just an unfortunate circumstance, but they soon turn suspicious of John and Peter, and the going ons at Former.ly. Yet, at this point their livelihood is of utmost importance. They need their jobs.

John and Peter decide some changes need to be made at Former.ly. They want to move Former.ly from Jolly Old England to Palo Alto, California, one of the epicenters of all things tech. Yes, this means most of the staff of Former.ly have to move to Palo Alto. Moving is never exactly uncomplicated, especially when one is moving to a whole new country. Dan’s fellow coder, Abhi, expresses hesitancy over moving to Palo Alto. He has family in England, and his wife is expecting a baby. But somehow Abhi is supposed to be more committed to Former.ly than his pregnant wife. Abhi never ends up in Palo Alto. Instead, his lifeless body is found in the River Thames. Could it be a tragic coincidence or something far more sinister?

Despite his reluctance, Dan moves to Palo Alto and gets sucked up even more into the high tech world (he ends up driving a Tesla), but he is convinced something completely evil is going on with John and Peter. And he’s committed to get into the crux of what is really happening at Former.ly and Nate, the custodian (and so much more) is along for the ride. Former.ly continues to be riddled with death, break-ins, and lots of other wicked activities. And it doesn’t help the police are getting involved. Will Dan be able to find out what is really going on at Former.ly or will he end up in huge trouble or ever worse, dead?

Former.ly is a fascinating look at tech culture and how it overwhelms the people who work in this very high-stakes world. The mysterious thriller aspect just makes Former.ly so much more interesting, and it has a twist at the end that truly had me shocked. I’m usually not a fan of tech bros, but Dan Roberts is a rather compelling reluctant hero.

Book Review: Sisters in Hate-American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism by Seward Darby

Sometimes I read books that totally piss me off. Not necessarily because they are horribly written; many times they are very well-written. I read books that piss me off because I yearn to understand people whose mindset is beyond retched. These people are equal opportunity bigots. They hate people of color, Jews, Muslims, recent immigrants, the gay community and transgendered people. Many of them are quite misogynist even though they may be women themselves. Seyward Darby examines these women in her book Sisters in Hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism.

Many men are at the helm of white nationalism, whether it’s the KKK, American Neo-Nazis, and any other hate groups throughout the United States. Men men like Nick Fuentes, Gavin McInnes, and Richard Spencer are currently the faces of white nationalism. Though many women in this movement sit on the sidelines and support the men, many women are become fully entrenched in white nationalism, and have made a name for themselves via their blogs, radio programs, articles and books, podcasts, and their social media.

In Sisters in Hate, Darby interviewed three women over several years, Corinna Olsen, Ayla Stewart, and Lana Lokteff. All of these women were born in 1979. And they all came to white nationalism in various ways, much of it having to do with 9/11.

Darby first profiles Corinna Olsen. Corinna life has been all over the place. She has worked as an embalmer and in violent porn. She was really into body building and even took steroids. Everything she did she did full gusto. That includes white nationalism. She got fully entrenched while living in the Pacific Northwest. Doing a radio show, which was hugely popular among racists and neo-Nazis. For her to get entrenched in this lifestyle, all she did was do some research on Google to hone her beliefs without using any critical thinking skills it takes to weed out the the dreck that shows up on the Internet. Interesting enough, Corrina left white nationalism and is now a devout Muslim.

Looks can be deceiving. Ayla Stewart has a cute dimpled face and wears dresses and head scarves. Her social media feeds show her doing domestic tasks with a sweet smile and her six children in the background. But don’t be fooled. Ayla is very proud to be a white nationalist, leaving an early life when she considered herself a feminist. Ayla promotes a traditional lifestyle, but it goes way beyond being a content SAHM. Ayla promotes strict gender rules and is intent on outbreeding people of color and non-Christians with her “White Baby Challenge,” encouraging white people to have many children.

Lana Lokteff’s parents escaped Communist Russia, and Lana was born in the United States. She married Henrik Palmgren who is at the helm of the white nationalist media company Red Ice where Lana hosts a radio show called “Radio 3 Fourteen.” She used to speak about the paranormal and conspiracy theories, but soon shifted to promoting white nationalism and the alt-right. She used to have a YouTube channel until she was banned several years ago. She has denied the Holocaust and Native American Genocide. And she admits her presence as a woman has gotten more women involved with white nationalism.

Though I was thrilled Corrina got out, and I wish her well, I was completely sickened by Ayla and Lana. Their all-consuming hatred of anyone different made me so angry. And sadly, Ayla and Lana are not alone. Women in white nationalism can be find all over America. And the internet has only increased their visibility, especially considering so many of them have a long reach though various media.

But visibility is one way we can confront these women and their vicious personal views and combat them. Reading Sister’s in Hate is just one way good people can face the feminine face of white nationalism, and save the United States before it’s to late. When you know better, you do better.

Book Review: The Gospel of Wellness-Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care by Rina Raphael

You’ve done Keto and have eschewed carbs. You invested in a Peloton and go to a hot yoga class weekly. You try to align your chakras and think only positive thoughts. You berate yourself for eating a brownie or for skipping a day at the gym to just “Netflix and chill.” You know it’s a good thing to exercise, get fresh air, and eat right, but at times you wonder if you’ve gone a little to far on your journey to better health, self-care, and enlightenment. Perhaps you are treating wellness, physical, mental, and spiritual, as some type of intense worship.

Rina Raphael understands this mindset, and she writes about many people’s addiction to this issue in her book The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care.

Once caught up in the worship of being a higher state of being herself, health and wellness journalist and former senior producer and lifestyle editor at The TODAY Show, Raphael takes a very important look at the wellness industry that takes in trillions of dollars. Many of these wellness practices are rooted in positive and effective practices like fitness, eating right, and getting plenty of sleep and fresh air.

However, the gospel of wellness is also filled with far too much hyper consumerism, crackpot theories, and desperate hope for millions of people who want to better their lives physically, mentally, and spiritually. And sadly, there are far to many opportunistic grifters only too willing to take advantage (and a whole lot of money) of people who want to achieve greatness. Though some in the wellness industry rely on encouragement and positive affirmations to encourage followers, many of them manipulate people’s insecurities, especially women. So many women feel so out of sorts these days, whether it comes to work, relationships or the home front. And the pandemic only made things worse. Women are desperate to have some semblance of peace and command over their lives. So does it hurt to buy a $30.00 tranquility candle?

Well, that candle may make your house smell nice, but it won’t lessen sexism in the workplace, improve your marriage, or give you thinner thighs.

The Gospel of Wellness takes a very thorough look and examines the various products and practices that have become popular in the past several years. She looks at how fitness influencers and instructors have become like rock and roll demi-gods and goddesses to their faithful followers. She attends Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP wellness retreat and gives us the scoop on GOOP’s quackery and money making endeavors.

Raphael also explains on why so many women have eschewed so many mainstream medical practices in favor of new age healing methods and advice. Raphael looks at some women’s addiction to eating only “clean” foods and slathering one’s body and face with “clean” beauty products even though there isn’t always science to back these practices up.

And the path to better health and an elevated state of being isn’t a phenomenon of the modern age. People have been trying to obtain these things for eons. The Gospel of Wellness goes down memory lane informing us about different practices people in decades ago did to remain hale and hearty, like the precursor to Pilates, the Mensendieck system, which was practiced in the nude during the 1930s. Or Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, a “health” tonic from the 1870s, which claimed to cure women of headaches, menstrual cramps, indigestion, and labor pains. And more currently, I can remember the promise of oat bran, Dexatrim diet supplements, and aerobic dance studios. Today there is an app that somehow helps you align your workouts to your menstrual cycle!

There is one issue that Raphael examines in The Gospel of Wellness that really made me think. It’s the idea of “Wealthness,” that health and wellness is often only accessible to people with a great deal of wealth and time. Gyms, especially fancy boutique gyms are quite expensive. Purchasing a Peloton and its monthly subscriptions are quite pricy. Organic food is more expensive than non-organic food, and some people in urban and rural communities live in food deserts and don’t have access to proper healthcare, let alone a gym. Sure, someone can always get exercise by walking but some communities don’t have sidewalks and others are plagued with violence. And if you’re working two, three jobs just to survive, it might be easier to go through a McDonald’s drive-thru than go home and cook a healthy meal.

While, reading The Gospel of Wellness, I got such an education. Raphael has most definitely done her homework. And I must admit, I, too, have gotten caught up in the gospel of wellness. I’m still kind of beating myself up for indulging in to much fattening food between Christmas and New Year’s. And I’m still pissed off at myself for not going to the gym for several days when I had a bad head cold last November. Yes, I know this is nuts, but I still feel like I got off track. Thank goodness, The Gospel of Wellness let’s me know I’m not alone.