Announcing December's Tag

[Anita]

I know you all really, really wanted to read for the tag "alpha male", but I had to put my foot down and override the vote so that we would be reading:

social issues

Just kidding! I would never do that. Social issues won by a landslide.

Please share your reading plans and recommendations below!

Remember, for the regular monthly reads, the book can be shelved as social issues on Goodreads, or be a book that is not yet shelved that way but you feel should be.

To find books to read for this tag, please visit:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

I do want to point out that the books listed under social issues were markedly different than those under society which is why I didn't consider it a duplication . . .be that as it may, I'm pretty sure there is a good deal of overlap with African-American, so hopefully you still have a book or two stashed away on your TBR that fits the tag.

In other news, please, please stop by around December 4th to learn more about the 2018 PBT Challenges (and to cast your vote).

Happy Holidays, PBTers!!

[[deleted user]]

damn, not what I wanted - was hoping for demons! I may skip this month if I can't find a book that is on my TBR for a challenge this year!

[Anita]

So, I haven't had a chance to review it yet, but can not say enough about

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Hopefully, I have a review for you soon, but few books have the power to really change perspective, and I think this one really did. I promise to try to get my review up this weekend, but highly highly recommend!

Really, really hoping to squeeze in The Hate U Give even though I'm not sure if it will be for me because its YA and also Bad Feminist. We'll see how that goes . . .

I actually have slews of possibilities for this tag . . .

[Anita]

Jenny wrote: "damn, not what I wanted - was hoping for demons! I may skip this month if I can't find a book that is on my TBR for a challenge this year!"

So sorry, Jenny! Are you trying to finish up a lot of challenges before year end?

[Rachel N.]

I had a feeling this would win. I plan on reading Night. As long as we're not stuck with alpha male I'm good.

[Tracy]

Oh, darn! I had a stack of bios about Harvey Weinstein, Roy Moore, Louis CK, Al Franken, and the Orange One all lined up for alpha male.
Not really.
Of course, those could count for social issues, too...
I’ll have to get to Evicted, and I have some feminist books to get to.
For an entertaining read that hits several of the issues, I recommend Gabi, a Girl in Pieces.

[[deleted user]]

Anita wrote: "Jenny wrote: "damn, not what I wanted - was hoping for demons! I may skip this month if I can't find a book that is on my TBR for a challenge this year!"

So sorry, Jenny! Are you trying to finish ..."

Yeah.. I'll be OK though as I found The Lovely Bones on the list. Have got my #birthdaychallenge, book riot's read harder and litsy reading challenge to complete - 9 books left and not including the two I'm currently reading!

[Booknblues]

Anita wrote: "So, I haven't had a chance to review it yet, but can not say enough about

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
.."

I read that this year as well and recommend it. It sounds like you liked it a bit more than I did. I would have liked it better if he had chapters on each character rather than skipping around as much as he did.

Off the top of my head I would recommend three nonfiction books I read this year Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic, It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War and Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. For fiction, I think either Allie and Bea or The Last Days of Café Leila should work. They are both on the lighter side, but quick and enjoyable.

There are multitudes on my TBR which I could read, but I am wanting to read a few more books on the top list of 2017 and Sing, Unburied, Sing has been serenading me.

[Nicole R]

Dare I say it? I think I will read AMERICANAH! Lol.

[Booknblues]

Nicole R wrote: "Dare I say it? I think I will read AMERICANAH! Lol."
I think that you and I have had that on our TBR forever. I don't even dare say I will read it. Oddly it seems to be my kind of book.

[Anita]

Booknblues wrote: "Anita wrote: "So, I haven't had a chance to review it yet, but can not say enough about

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
.."

I read that this year as well and rec..."

Oh yes, I have Killers of the Flower Moon out from the library - - so if that covers social issues, I'm definitely going to try to get to that one too!

And yes, I really liked Evicted a lot, but I think your criticism is certainly founded. I can see how that your idea on the structure would have been easier to follow.

[Amy]

And here I was looking forward to Cora picking out a palatable demon for me! Wonder how that would have gone? I will be reading finally the Undoing Project. Truly looking forward to that read.

[Susie]

Phew!

[Diane]

I am going to read Lord of the Flies by William Golding. My son is reading this for 9th grade English so I thought I would too. Glad that it fits the tag.

[Anita]

Diane wrote: "I am going to read Lord of the Flies by William Golding. My son is reading this for 9th grade English so I thought I would too. Glad that it fits the tag."

Have you read it before? Some people really don't care for it, but I think it is outstanding and memorable.

[LibraryCin]

Ok, some options for me:

- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of… by Michelle Alexander
- Ranch of Dreams by Cleveland Amory
- Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld
- Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More… by Jean M. Twenge
- A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen
- Crossed by Ally Condie

[Karin]

I'm not yet sure what I'll read, although I have some on my tbr.

As for recommendations, even though there are a couple of 5 star novels on there that have been read by many, I'm going to recommend two nonfiction books (both 4 stars, but not because they aren't strong contenders) from the first 2 pages I think are worthy reads in very different ways:

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

[Book Concierge]

I'll find something for this ... though I admit, I'm getting a little tired of this song ....

[[deleted user]]

Looking at books or audio books I own:
-I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
-The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
-A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets

If anyone hasn't read it yet, A Christmas Carol is also tagged under social issues.

[Nicole D.]

Nicole R wrote: "Dare I say it? I think I will read AMERICANAH! Lol."

You read that, and I'll read The Master and Margarita which I haven't even joked about reading this year, because it's just not even funny anymore. (except now)

[Nicole R]

Booknblues wrote: "Nicole R wrote: " Oddly it seems to be my kind of ..."

Me too! I really think I will like it when I finally get around to reading it, I just never quite get around to picking it up. Not really sure why...

[Nicole R]

Book Concierge wrote: "I'll find something for this ... though I admit, I'm getting a little tired of this song ...."

Me too.... I hope we get some better options in January. Kick off 2018 right!

[Nicole R]

Nicole D. wrote: "You read that, and I'll read The Master and Margarita which I haven't even joked about reading this year, because it's just no..."

Hahahaha! I will probably just read all kinds of cheesy Christmas romances and call it a day. lol

[Denizen]

This is a tough choice for me. I've read many of the books on the first several pages and made conscious decisions to pass by most of the rest. I read the first half of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City and found it illuminating and worthwhile but had to return it before I finished. I think I walked away understanding the relevant points already so find myself unenthused with the idea of picking it up again.

My recommendation is Hilary Jordan's When She Woke an intriguing dystopian.

I'm contemplating Egger's What Is the What but am not feeling particularly excited about it. My rule for December is to not complicate life by reading a book that turns out to be work.Hopefully, someone will suggest a book I can get excited about.

[Booknblues]

Denizen wrote: "Hopefully, someone will suggest a book I can get excited about. ."

I wonder what you would think of The One and Only Ivan. It is a story about a captive gorilla and an elephant. It is a children's book, but sweet and short. I'm not sure if it is classified as a social issue but it seems as if it should be.

[Jason]

I'm going to pick 4 books to read this month. I am going to read The Hate U Give and Animal Farm. (I know I know. I just never read it) still deciding on the other 2. I was surprised to see I had read 14 books on the first page and thought highly of almost all of them.

For anyone who has not read The Kite Runner , now is a good time. one of my all time favorites.

[Jason]

May we read books not on the social issue list but are about social issues. Such as Dantes Inferno?

[[deleted user]]

Booknblues wrote: "I wonder what you would think of The One and Only Ivan. It is a story about a captive gorilla and an elephant. It is a children's book, but sweet and short. I'm not sure if it is classified as a social issue but it seems as if it should be.
..."

The ebook for The One and Only Ivan was available, so I borrowed it from through Overdrive, just in case. Even though you were recommending it to someone else, thanks for mentioning it here, Booknblues. :-) I just might end up reading it myself.

Edited:
The definition of a social issue on Wikipedia - A social issue is a problem that influences a considerable number of the individuals within a society. ... social issues involve values cherished by widespread society. For example, a high unemployment rate that affects millions of people is a social issue.

Based on that definition and since I haven't read it, I am not sure if The One and Only Ivan qualifies or not? It definitely would qualify as an animal rights issue though.

[Denizen]

Booknblues wrote: "Denizen wrote: "Hopefully, someone will suggest a book I can get excited about. ."

I wonder what you would think of The One and Only Ivan. It is a story about a captive gorilla and..."

Ilustrations? Would I want a hard copy as opposed to the Kindle edition?

[Booknblues]

Denizen wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Denizen wrote: "Hopefully, someone will suggest a book I can get excited about. ."

I wonder what you would think of The One and Only Ivan. It is a story about a ..."

I read the kindle edition and don't remember that many illustrations, but remember some. You would have to ask somebody with a hard copy if they made a significant difference.

[Nicole D.]

Nicole R wrote: "Nicole D. wrote: "You read that, and I'll read The Master and Margarita which I haven't even joked about reading this year, because it's just no..."

Hahahaha! I will probably just read all kinds o..."

i wasn't really going to read Master and Margarita either

[Jen]

Here are a few of my recommendations:

Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools
Between the World and Me
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
Invisible Man (the audio is amazing)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Here are some books I might read:
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

[Anita]

Jen wrote: "Here are a few of my recommendations:

Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools
Between the World and Me
[book:The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hm..."

Let me know if you read Hunger. I really want to read a Roxanne Gay book, and I could do that one instead of Bad Feminist. I'm very interested in trying out her writing.

However, of course, I want you to read Evicted.

[Anita]

Jason wrote: "May we read books not on the social issue list but are about social issues. Such as Dantes Inferno?"

Absolutely.

For the tag of the month, there is wide latitude. If a member believes a given book fits the tag, they may read it - - hopefully showing how it fits by virtue of their review.

We have some games/contests for prizes, and then we are much more strict, but we always note the rules and parameters upfront!

[Jen]

Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Here are a few of my recommendations:

Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools
Between the World and Me
[book:The Spirit Catches You and You Fal..."

I will definitely read Evicted b/c I own it. I also own Hunger so those will be my top two options. Roxanne Gay is interesting. I follow her on Twitter and find her intelligent and insightful. I read Difficult Women which was a mixed bag for me. It had some stories i absolutely loved and others that I absolutely hated. I've heard Bad Feminist is her best. Her writing is pretty raw and in your face. Not for the easily offended (which I don't think you are)

[Anita]

Jen wrote: "Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Here are a few of my recommendations:

I appreciate the heads up. Roxanne Gay's work actually sounds like something I'd probably appreciate based on your description. Short stories and essays are tough because it is hard to be consistent throughout a whole book . . .that is why I was so impressed with Tenth of December; I really appreciated all the stories.

Glad you might read Evicted. I really appreciated what the author did.

[Jen]

Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Here are a few of my recommendations:

I appreciate the heads up. Roxanne Gay's work actually sounds like something I'd probably appreciate based on your desc..."

Yes, I think so. I will say that some of her stories in Difficult Women had magical elements that I don’t think you will like but I think you may like some of her essays/stories. I’m not sure though.

[Michael]

I was glad to see two powerful books on the first page for the tag, one on economic oppression (Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity) and the other on sexual slavery (Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide).

I would also recommend Beartown on the issue of sports and date rape. The same for this great book for elucidating the oppression of Indians: The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America.

Two I aim to try on the same subjects:
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History.

[Jason]

Michael, I can voucher for Missoula. Wonderful book that helped change my response to rape accusations. The author did admit he is biased as his wife was a rape victim, but I didn't find it unreasonable. Instead I found it enlightening.

[~*Kim*~]

There are a lot of good books on that list. Many of them I gave high ratings. As for what I'll read, I'll finish up:

Holding Up the Universe
and possibly read
The Female of the Species

My recommendations are:

The Handmaid's Tale
Hate List
Wonder

[Anita]

Michael wrote: "I was glad to see two powerful books on the first page for the tag, one on economic oppression (Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity) and the o..."

Oh, I didn't know Beartown could fit! That's been on my TBR for some time, and I have it from the library. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.

Highly recommend Missoula . . .I almost mentioned that one in my post as well. It's worthwhile reading although I didn't necessarily feel like it was super even handed.

[Anita]

Jen wrote: "Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Here are a few of my recommendations:

I appreciate the heads up. Roxanne Gay's work actually sounds like something I'd probably appreciate base..."

Well, as it turns out, there's a waiting list for Hunger, but Bad Feminist is available, so that may be the one that gets a shot!

[[deleted user]]

While looking for a holiday related book that might fit the tag, I searched books on Amazon using Christmas + Poverty. This independently published book popped up in the results: One Day at Christmas by Virginia Nolan. Based on the summary, I think it may work. There aren't any rating on Goodreads for it though and the kindle version is $2.99. Just posting here, in case anyone may be interested.

[Diane]

Anita wrote: "Diane wrote: "I am going to read Lord of the Flies by William Golding. My son is reading this for 9th grade English so I thought I would too. Glad that it fits the tag."

Have you read it before? S..."

I have not read it before.

[Amy]

I saw Beartown on the list too. But my son is reading our hard copy. I might just look for it in the seven day reads at the library. But the Undoing Project is certainly first.

[LibraryCin]

Michael wrote: "The same for this great book for elucidating the oppression of Indians: The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America.

Two I aim to try on the same subjects:
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town..."

"The Inconvenient Indian" is a good one.

"Missoula" is also on my tbr, but I don't think I'll get to it next month. (I tend to go for ones that have been on my tbr for longer!)

[JoLene]

Hum.....I was kind of hoping for demons.
I have The Hate U Give on the waitlist at the library, so hopefully it will come in during the month. Also, my book club pick is Bastard Out of Carolina, that might fit as well.

[LibraryCin]

JoLene wrote: "Hum.....I was kind of hoping for demons. ..."

That's the one I was most hoping for! :-)

[Joy D]

I am planning to read: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

I am not going to create a new shelf because I think social issues is a subset of society.

[Anita]

Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Anita wrote: "Jen wrote: "Here are a few of my recommendations:

I appreciate the heads up. Roxanne Gay's work actually sounds like something I'd probably app..."

So much for the waiting list. Now, I have Hunger too. OMG, I am overloaded with books for this month yet again.