Lena Dunham is a writer, actress, producer and director. And she is only 30!! Most known for enriching women's lives everywhere with 'Girls'. An HBO series which follow's the life of Hannah (Dunham) an aspiring writer who is trying to navigate through her twenties along side her three best friends. The show tackles a multitude of societies issues which makes it shockingly honest and some times fairly dark. There is just the right amount of humour within the show to make it an entertaining and an unmissable weekly indulgence. Following on from the success of the show Dunham has been nominated for numerous Emmy awards and won 2 Golden globes. She is also the first woman to win the directors guild of America award - outstanding directing comedy series. Fist pump! Not that kind of girl is Dunhams first book and is a collection of essays centre around five key themes within her life. Love and Sex, Work, Body, Friendship and Big Picture. Her stories are deeply personal, such as when she lost her virginity, or the time she was sexually assaulted while high on a mixture of Xanax and cocaine. In contrast her mindless lists such as 18 unlikely things I've said flirtatiously "I'm the kind of person who should probably date older guys, but I can't deal with their balls" and 13 things I've learned are not okay to say to friends "she's chubby in a different way than we are" are light easy giggle worthy reading. She tackles issues that women can relate to. Her journey of menstruation and being diagnosed with endometriosis, with the painful realisation that motherhood may not be a given. Her battles with weight and diet. Sharing an old food journal that resulted in her binge eating and consuming over 4000 calories in a single day. She addresses sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace. Withholding names of the perpetrators but exposing the ugly underbelly of Hollywood and the men who run it. Not that kind of girl has received rave reviews and harsh criticism. It's not a book you compare much against. Was her top 10 health concerns groundbreaking? Far from it. A lot of the writing could be seen as self indulgent and a fair bit of overshare. But on the other hand it's refreshingly exposing warts and all about the trials and tribulations of any ones life. She's a voice for all 20-30 something women and it's empowering. If your looking for a read that's funny, thought provoking, controversial, light hearted, high brow, low brow, confronting and historical, your being ridiculously picky and need to get out more but I think this might be the book for you! Since Not that kind of girl was published Lena and Girls showrunner Jennifer Konner have gone on to write an online feminist newsletter called Lenny Letter. If your inspired by Dunhams underlining message it might also be worth a read here.
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Wildflower Drew Barrymore A sunny collection of what feels like whispers of experiences Drew has collected in her 40 years. Drew Barrymore’s flavour of cinema over the past 20 years has not been something of an appeal to me however I was excited to read ‘Wildflower’ as I felt her journey through life and spiritual growth would make a fascinating read. The dirty messy stuff in our lives is usually where the best healing and enlightenment can come from. It is the seed to many great discoveries. For me I felt like this is where the book didn’t quite hit the mark. I love Drew’s attitude, her determination and respect the boundaries she’s has created for her and her family. I can’t help but feel that she got lost with what she was trying to achieve with Wildflower. Everything feels much skimmed over and light. There is no real opportunity for the reader to relate and develop through Drew’s essays as the vital ‘sledge hammer moments’ or struggles have been excluded. While each chapter feels like Drew really wanted to share with you what she had learned but due to the boundaries she has set it leaves you short. By the end a part of me did feel sad for Drew, I love to look at life and be continually grateful for all it has to offer but in Drew’s constant filtered view you do feel that there is a deep fear of going backwards, or a desire to avoid anything unpleasant, the chase for a state of constant happiness is a dangerous one. All in all Wildflower is a fairly simple summer read, its frilly, gentle, easy to put down and pick up. Just don’t expect any ‘aha’ moments. The Art of Belonging Hugh Mackay When I decided to do a book club this book was front of mind. Hugh Mackay has 50 years of experience as a social researcher and 12 wonderful books. This one is by far my favourite. He takes the reader on a beautiful ride through the cookie cutter suburb of Southwood, a small developer made community that I relate to with the fondest of memories. A fictional town based on our society today in Australia. He switches effortlessly between Reg Blakey and his singleton lifestyle now that his wife has died, or Marie Bilson and how her husband Walter feels excluded now that she sees a psychiatrist for her anxiety to his own narrative on the benefits of immigration on our food culture. All the stories are interconnected just like any community. Even if we don’t know each other’s, names our lives are constantly overlapping and intersecting. He covers online communities, how technology has changed the way we connect, how iPhone’s get in way of our sex lives, how social media is helping Ken and Margie stay connected to their interstate family and the loss of the romance from the boy you like calling you on the coveted home phone and telling you things he would never be brave enough to say to your face. He explores our social hubs and the necessary place they have in our local neighbourhoods to facilitate and encourage incidental encounters that heighten our awareness that we are part of a larger whole. My favourite was his explanation on ‘Herding’ and how the perfect number of 5-8 members brings us the highest level of comfort. How our animal extinct to be part of a herd can change us, make us conform. That a smaller group doesn’t have enough social energy to charge us, where more than 8 the group will break into smaller groups for practicality and so the pattern continues. The Art of Belonging is not a self-help book, it does not explore the intention of the readers interest in the quaint town of Southwood but it provides a story that most can fit in to and understand their place in their own Southwoods and what their responsibility is to make not just their lives but those around them more rewarding and joyful. This book will make you stop and think, this is what I read for. |
For the love of words.Find out what I am reading, and share your thoughts. Please Email me any suggestion you would like to see in the book club. ArchivesCategories |