Books are the best weapon in the world

I've started using my local library - and their ebooks service - more and more lately. It's saving me heaps of money on the cost of buying books, as well as storage space for keeping them. And it also means I can try reading lots of books, types of books, genres, authors, subjects etc etc that I wouldn't normally try.

So far this summer, from this library experiment of branching out into different subjects, I have read

• Bill Bryson - The Body: A Guide for Occupants. A damn good 4.5/5, I learned a huge amount, really enjoyed Bryson's voice and he's on a list to check out more of.


• Allison Hoover Bartlett - The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession. A 3/5, interesting but it felt a little underdeveloped, a little too much of the author's opinion and not enough about the men involved - only what she thought about them.


• Anne Frank - The Diary Of A Young Girl. 4/5. I hadn't actually read it before, and felt like I should. I'm glad I did, but don't think there's anything I can say that many people have already said, better than I could

My current read on Libby is The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person

From the perspective of the friend everyone should have, Frederick Joseph offers an essential read for white people who want to be better about race—and people of color who long to see their experiences validated.

“We don’t see color.” “I didn’t know Black people liked Star Wars!” “What hood are you from?” For Frederick Joseph, life in a mostly white high school as a smart and increasingly popular transfer student was full of wince-worthy moments that he often simply let go. As he grew older, however, he saw these as missed opportunities not only to stand up for himself, but to spread awareness to the white friends and acquaintances who didn’t see the negative impact they were having and who would change if they knew how.

Speaking directly to the reader, The Black Friend calls up race-related anecdotes from the author’s past, weaving in his thoughts on why they were hurtful and how he might handle things differently now. Each chapter includes the voice of at least one artist or activist, including Tarell Alvin McCraney, screenwriter of Moonlight; April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite; Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give; and eleven others. Touching on everything from cultural appropriation to power dynamics, “reverse racism” to white privilege, microaggressions to the tragic results of overt racism, this book serves as conversation starter, tool kit, and invaluable window into the life of a former “token Black kid” who now presents himself as the friend many of us need. Back matter includes an encyclopedia of racism, providing details on relevant historical events, terminology, and more.

It's already hard-hitting and eye-opening, especially to a decidedly middle-class white woman - it's making me aware of some unconscious biases I have, and making me examine some of my beliefs. It's doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing and making me uncomfortable in the process. This is not going to be an easy read but it's going to be incredibly educational for me.

So I'm opening up the floor - do you have any recommendations, fiction or non-fiction, of books you would recommend, books you think I should read, books you absolutely love and rave about? I will see if my library has them, and I'm excited to open myself up to even more challenges and experiences