mckaley

I would say I devoured this book. Pun not intended. It was an incredibly easy read. Bourdains candor, nuance, and authenticity was captivating! He would be honest about his faults and the faults of his crew while praising them. He showed us all the possible colors of the kitchen while delivering it through spectacular prose. Glad i took the chance to read it.

I can’t believe I finally finished this of a series!!! i’ve never read something where we follow someone’s life in such detail from beginning to end. I felt heartbroken by some of the people who died in this final book. And I felt sympathy for both Elena and Lila. They really and truly were always opposites to some capacity. I think something that was interesting about this in particular from the others is it talked a lot about identity “I” through the lens of womanhood. I will say I think the impact of this one wasn’t as heavy hitting as maybe I wanted it to be. it’s interesting how elusive remained, and how childish Elena could be.

the third installment of my brillant friend was a bit slower for me. less focus on the friendship they shared and more about the rift between them. it was interesting to see how everyones stories weaved together and what became of each of those children Elena knew growing up. this one is the most political and focuses on feminism and female sexuality- also the act of becoming. i'm moved to get. more informed about topics of communism and early feminism. its interesting this balance between the hard realities and commentary of the era versus the soap opera quality to the events Elena and Lila experience

This poetry book has become one of my favorites. Conceptually, the book is thoughtful in its research and how it exposes to us, the unfortunate and horrible circumstances for many lgbt black and brown women and musicians. The writing itself is spectacular. The use of alliteration is amazing. My favorite poems were “alternate ending, ending in song,” “ I know enough about moderation,” and “goodbye summer.”

There is a lot of good and interesting things said in these essays. I tabbed many the gender sexuality section to come back and read again. similarly to gay I had this perspective that I couldn’t call myself a feminist because of the decisions I made in the way I conducted myself and my day-to-day life. But I think I need to be a feminist now more than ever.

I also enjoyed the section race and entertainment sort of challenged me to think about things I normally wouldn’t. I feel it expanded my perspective and challenged some of my own biases that I didn’t even realize I had within me. (for example, i did enjoy the help when i was a child.)

I think overall this has essays I want to return to and I found this to be much better than her memoir. I think her strong suit is definitely short form. I’m glad I read it