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Kristen’s 2019 Year in Books

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Kristen Roupenian

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I graduated from Barnard College in May of 2003. A few weeks later, I left for Kenya with the Peace Corps, where I spent two years teaching Public Health and HIV education at a small orphans' center a few hours from the Ugandan border. During that time, I began learning Swahili and first encountered the literary magazine that later became the focus of my dissertation. Once I returned home, I worked as a teacher's aide, a cashier at a bookstore, a freelance reporter, a nanny, and a research coordinator at Mass General Hospital before enrolling in the PhD program in English at Harvard in the fall of 2007.

My primary field of study is postcolonial and transnational literatures, with an emphasis on contemporary African fiction. My dissertation, I graduated from Barnard College in May of 2003. A few weeks later, I left for Kenya with the Peace Corps, where I spent two years teaching Public Health and HIV education at a small orphans' center a few hours from the Ugandan border. During that time, I began learning Swahili and first encountered the literary magazine that later became the focus of my dissertation. Once I returned home, I worked as a teacher's aide, a cashier at a bookstore, a freelance reporter, a nanny, and a research coordinator at Mass General Hospital before enrolling in the PhD program in English at Harvard in the fall of 2007.

My primary field of study is postcolonial and transnational literatures, with an emphasis on contemporary African fiction. My dissertation, "Dodging the Language Question: English, Politics, and the Life of a Kenyan Literary Magazine," investigates the artistic and linguistic strategies employed by the literary magazine Kwani? during a period of intense social and political upheaval. Since I've been at Harvard, I've been lucky enough not only to be able to return to Nairobi to continue my research, but to invite the editor of Kwani? to campus to speak before an enthusiastic gathering of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Last summer, I also received a grant to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I volunteered at the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival and met a wide range of talented artists from from all over eastern and central Africa. One of the most rewarding opportunities I've had during my time here has been working as a research assistant for Caroline Elkins when she served as an expert witness on behalf of Mau Mau veterans who are suing the British government because of atrocities committed during the colonial period. You can read more about that fascinating subject here and here.

My teaching philosophy, which emphasizes clarity, cultural sensitivity, and ethical engagement, stems directly from my time as an educator with the Peace Corps. In addition to my two junior tutorials for English majors ("How to Write About Africa" and "The New Global Novel") I've worked as a TF in a variety of departments and programs at Harvard, including English, African and African American Studies, and Gen Ed. I am currently a tutor in History and Literature, advising junior and senior theses in the postcolonial field. I also teach in the wider Boston community in my role as a Community Awareness and Prevention volunteer with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. ...more

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Average rating: 3.65 · 8,949 ratings · 1,435 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	You Know You Want This 3.65 avg rating — 6,995 ratings — published 2019 — 55 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cat Person 3.64 avg rating — 1,663 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cat Person by Kristen Roupenian (Goodreads Author), Elinor Carucci (Photographer) 3.50 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2018 by Sheila Heti (Editor), Quim Monzó , Qiu Miaojin 3.71 avg rating — 281 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Invite to Eternity: Tales of Nature Disrupted by Gary Budden (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Marian Womack (Goodreads Author) (Editor ) , Leena Likitalo (Goodreads Author) (Translator) 4.24 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2019	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bad Behavior. Schlechter Umgang: Storys by Mary Gaitskill, Nikolaus Hansen (Translator) , Kristen Roupenian (Goodreads Author) (Afterword) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clowns: The Unlikely Coulrophobia Remix by Bernie Mojzes (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Mari Ness , James Arias 3.85 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Diverse voices and sparkling debuts dominate today's contemporary short story collections. For this roundup, we took a look at the ...

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Let's Go Play at the Adams'

by Mendal W. Johnson

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May 29, 2020 07:39AM

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The Leopard Prince (Princes Trilogy, #2)

by Elizabeth Hoyt (Goodreads Author)

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May 24, 2020 12:30PM

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Delivered from Distraction

by Edward M. Hallowell (Goodreads Author)

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Apr 23, 2020 03:33PM

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Kristen wants to read Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 03, 2020 08:33AM · like
Kristen rated a book really liked it Let's Go Play at the Adams' by Mendal W. Johnson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 29, 2020 07:39AM · 1 like · like
Kristen wants to read American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers by Nancy Jo Sales	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 28, 2020 08:16AM · like
Kristen wants to read The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 26, 2020 09:33AM · like
Kristen rated a book it was amazing The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 24, 2020 12:34PM · 2 likes · like
Kristen rated a book it was amazing The Leopard Prince (Princes Trilogy, #2) by Elizabeth Hoyt (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 24, 2020 12:31PM · 1 like · like
Kristen wants to read Such Small Hands by Andrés Barba	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 23, 2020 10:08AM · like
Kristen wants to read A Woman Like Her by Marc Levy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 23, 2020 08:43AM · like
Kristen wants to read The Case of the Vanishing Blonde: And Other True Crime Stories by Mark Bowden	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 22, 2020 03:29PM · 1 like · like
Kristen wants to read Afterland by Lauren Beukes (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 22, 2020 03:29PM · like

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Quotes by Kristen Roupenian

“I wish I could change everything about myself but it's just—it's too late to do anything, that's the problem. It's all so fucked up, and I just don't who I am anymore, you know? Like, who is this person who made all these choices that I just have to live with? I look back at that person and I hate her, I hate her so much for what she did to me, that person is like my nemesis, my worst enemy, but the problem is, that person is me.”
― Kristen Roupenian, You Know You Want This

tags: change, identity, kristen-roupenian, own-worst-enemy, regret, sad, self-loathing, self-sabotage, you-know-you-want-this

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“But I guess that was the whole problem, at that point, my inability to deal with normal human interaction.”
― Kristen Roupenian, You Know You Want This

tags: antisocial, kristen-roupenian, social-anxiety, social-interaction, you-know-you-want-this

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“Perhaps the problem with adulthood was that you weighed the consequences of your actions too carefully, in a way that left you with a life you despised.”
― Kristen Roupenian, You Know You Want This

tags: life-lessons

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Reading For P...: Samanta's 2017 Readathon Thread	297	176	Jan 01, 2018 04:04AM
Book Nook Cafe: What I read ~~ December 2017	31	43	Jan 05, 2018 09:24AM
Around the World: 2018 - Where in the world have you been? (Book finished and review linked)	274	87	Dec 30, 2018 02:34AM
Horror Aficionados : Track the short fiction you read in 2018	39	142	Jan 05, 2019 12:44PM
Ultimate Popsugar...: Week 11: 3/7 - 3/14	267	253	Mar 22, 2019 07:06PM
500 Great Books B...: Carol's 2018 Reading Women Challenge	45	89	May 16, 2019 03:29PM
Aussie Readers: Your mid-year top 5-10 INTERNATIONAL books 2019	25	95	Jul 20, 2019 10:55PM

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Kristen’s Quotes

“So when people say, Why aren’t your games more positive? I think it’s funny, because niceness doesn’t have to happen in a game. You should be nice in real life. You don’t have to play at niceness. You can just do it. Fighting is something to be minimized in real life. A good way to know that you’re playing is if you’re doing something you would never do in real life—like having a ridiculous fight.”
― Misha Glouberman, The Chairs Are Where the People Go: How to Live, Work, and Play in the City

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