Review: She Said by Megan Twohey and and Jodi Kantor

So, this book, along with Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow are really credited with starting the avalanche that is the #MeToo Movement.  She Said chronicles how Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the Weinstein story for the NY Times.  I literally devoured this book in large chunks because it's very readable and ego free and lends itself to binge reading. The book itself is timely since Harvey Weinstein is in the middle of his criminal trial in NYC on sexual assault and abuse allegations.

There were many things that I learned in reading this that I didn't know before - how it was Rose McGowan's infamous tweet that caught their eye and began the process and how Lisa Bloom (who is the daughter of Gloria Allred) pretty much worked for Weinstein, helping him to discredit the women that she build her career and reputation helping. I also learned, although I wasn't surprised, that the two reporters struggled for at least a year to get people to go on the record - while they learned of many women that had been abused at Weinstein's hands, all of them were either scared or had received settlements (or both), putting the two persistent reporters in a bind.

The persistence of the reporters was inspirational as were the stories of the ordinary women who eventually came forward.  The last part of the book focused on the Kavanaugh hearings - those hearings were ones that I was obsessed with because of what I do in real life for work and my interest in gender issues - they seemed to intersect in those hearings.  I wish that this section of the book were as fleshed out and detailed as the Weinstein parts, but it was still really wonderful to read.   I enjoyed this book and what it reveals about the power struggles, the ambiguity of sexual harassment reporting (by actual reporters and the people that suffer it at the hands of powerful people) and where we are at as a society currently.

Definitely worth the read. 

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Reviewer every Sunday. 

This week found me busy at my job and also doing child care stuff.  My daughter came home sick on Monday (thanks to Sara for helping out) and then on Tuesday, we were busy at home doing homework and after school stuff.  I've not been sleeping very well and sometimes just want some time where people aren't constantly asking for attention - whether it be asking to hang out or constantly texting or something to that effect.  Don 't get me wrong, I don't mind the checking in but sometimes I feel like it's constant and my boundaries aren't always respected, which makes it difficult. 

Yesterday, the kids and I had fun - we went to the Children's Museum in Boston. They seemed to like it even though there were parts that were pretty busy and crowded. Our local library got us discount tix so it was well worth it.  We took public transportation in and then walked the five minutes from the T stop to the museum.  I am going to look into doing something similar the next time that I have the kids - we've already done the Aquarium and Museum of Science. 

This past week, I only really reviewed two books: Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel and The Furies of Calederon, but this week will likely see a review of Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan and She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.  I'm also very excited that Netflix has the fourth season of Better Call Saul, which I'm eagerly watching. Bob Odenkirk is great in it.

Furies of Calederon by Jim Butcher review

I had never heard of Jim Butcher before I received the suggestion to read this book and the subsequent series. I was looking to start another series of books and one of my Facebook group members suggested this.  He also has a series of books called The Dresden Files
that I'm seriously considering reading at some point.

The People of the Valley of Calderon, and the world of Alera in general, have naturally ingrained talents referred to as furycrafting. As a result of this talent, the people have been able to train the furies to assist them in their lives. Alera is governed by the First Lord Gaius, who is getting older and doesn't have an heir to assume his position once he passes. War is brewing as a result of the anticipated void that will be left by his death. Fairly early on, we meet Tavi - a boy that is considered to be disabled because he can't summon or control any furies. Tavi lives in the Valley on Bernardholt, with his aunt and uncle - the owners of this land. Tavi and his uncle discover that the Valey is under attack by a horde like group of people called the Marat and their human, mercenary allies that seek to assume power before Gaius' death. The resulting adventures and  battles happen quickly and intensely.

Butcher's 600 plus page introductory novel jumps right in to the action and I greatly appreciated that.  While I understand that most authors like to take the time to set the stage, the often 100 pages that it takes can be somewhat dry. There's always something going on, such that it might be helpful for the reader to keep notes. The characters are easy to identify with in spite of their magical talents and the sorts of things that they are trying to accomplish.  I appreciated that Butcher took time to have us focus on the characters and their struggles as much as the plot that he was trying to forward.  Characters learned things about themselves and/or the world around them.

Highly recommended.