I’m back with a few more book picks, this time with a fun twist! If you are interested in a digital, or socially-distanced book club, I’d love to hear from you! Comment on our Instagram (@culture_hype) or email me at amber@culture-hype.com. Can’t wait to read with you all!
My three picks for this month are very timely given the presidential election & other things happening around the world. These novels discuss topics such as immigration, family, violence & societal issues like masculinity. I definitely learned a thing or two & I hope you do as well!
American Dirt by Jeanine cummins
This particular novel has quite a bit of controversy surrounding it, so of course I decided to see what all the hype is about. This book details the life of Lydia Quixano Pérez. Lydia is an upper-class Mexican woman living in Acapulco, Mexico. She is married to a journalist, Sebastián Pérez Delgado, who has devoted his career to publishing riveting cartel exposés. When hit men from a notable cartel murders Lydia’s husband & sixteen other family members because of a piece her husband wrote & published, she & her son, Luca, hastily join a migrant caravan to make their way toward el Norte to seek safety. Cummins’ novel is definitely a moving, eye-opening account detailing the sufferings of real people. Cummins gives a representation of men, women & children behind the crisis at the border stories that flood the media today. At times this book is tough to read, but overall I recommend!
patsy by nicole dennis-benn
In this novel, Nicole Dennis-Benn intimately engages with the choices women make with a kind of structured grace. The main character, Patsy, is 28 when readers meet her in the year 1998. At this point in time, she is living in Jamaica with her mom, Mama G, & her daughter, Tru. While she truly loves her mother & daughter, Patsy yearns for a life that goes beyond the traditional roles of motherhood & living a life at home - & she knows just how to achieve her aspired life. As the beginning of the novel unravels, we see Patsy approaching the American Embassy, hoping to be reunited with her best friend & lover, Cicely, in New York City. Patsy is granted a travel visa, ultimately leaving her daughter & mother behind & battles internally with her decision.
Despite her internal struggle of leaving her daughter behind, Patsy knows the United States will grant her the freedoms unwelcome back in Jamaica. Readers then begin to realize what’s happening - Patsy plans to overstay her visa, remain undocumented & attempt to handle the consequences of that decision. Dennis-Benn dives deep into the themes of gender, sexuality, motherhood, freedom, colorism & classism & the way these aspects compare in Jamaica & the United States.
The love of men by liz plank
This nonfiction book focuses on an investigation into masculinity & provides steps on how to be a man in the modern day while exploring how being a man has evolved over time. Masculinity is something that has been both rewarded & sanctioned into certain characteristics & behaviors. Boys are taught it isn’t ‘manly’ to cry or show sensitivity, playing with dolls is just for girls & the color pink isn’t masculine, among many other things. Boys and young men are taught that their masculinity must always be proven & showing. Men must always be the sole provider, the romantic pursuer.
In this book, author Liz Plank offers insight into masculinity & how men & women alike can do something about their preconceived notions. This book definitely ignites the conversation on men’s issues in society & how we can break away from traditional gender roles & discourses.
Happy reading!
-Amber