writesdave's reviews
359 reviews

Futbolera: A History of Women and Sports in Latin America by Joshua Nadel, Brenda Elsey

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

Fascinating academic look at the history of woman athletes—well, you see the subtitle. I got educated these past few weeks, though I knew of the recent struggles to have world-class women's football in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Did you know women's football was illegal in Brazil as recently as the 1980s? Yeesh.

The book serves as a reminder (as if we needed more) of women's resilience and the fight to belong and succeed in the face of systemic misogyny. And this doesn't just apply to sports. It applies to every corner of the culture, and it applies at every level, from the pitch to the executive suite.

"Futbolera" would work wonderfully as a text in classes on Latin American history, women's studies and physical education (especially for teachers in ethnically diverse areas). Overall, excellent read for open-minded sports nuts.

Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The prose is stunningly beautiful and the stream-of-consciousness style takes you on a psychedelic journey into the mind of a dissatisfied wife. That said, within the first three chapters I thought, 'I liked this a lot better as "The Awakening."' At least "The Awakening" had a resolution at the end.

Fresh in my mind was a tweet I saw decrying the notion that if a man's wife is happy, then the marriage is not normal. The unhappy wife trope dominates television, movies, literature, the arts generally. So maybe I should have waited to read this until I had brushed the taste of that social media post out of my mouth. I also have to consider the time period and the expectations levied upon women, especially in South America, and perhaps I should realize that in a life like Joana's, there is no resolution. No one in a marriage ends up happy, even if you change your situation. 

I'll give Lispector's short stories a shot.

Check it out for the prose—providing the translator got it right. And understand in this listing that the translator (Giovanni) is listed first.

Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Roads of Sports by John Branch

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey in the American South by Emma John

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

5.0

I didn’t enjoy reading this book, which is kind of the point. Long before a book printed the “Lies my Teacher Told Me,” Dee Brown got started on the task by culling hundreds of thousands of pages of documents, interviews, reports and newspaper accounts representing both Indigenous peoples and their white conquerors, all to chronicle how the west was lost. Over time, we all learned the U.S. military did some bad shit in stealing the land from those who were there first, but you couldn’t imagine the depths of the government’s depravity. Anything to shed light on the atrocities and debunk some of the myths of exceptionalism, I’m in favor.

This book is mandatory reading, the kind of book that makes a certain segment of the population impotently angry at seeing those myths crash down on their heads like stones. Those people should have it read to them by elders, the only ones who can do justice to Brown’s rhythmic prose.

I fell in love with the American West and lived there more than a decade and a half. But whose West did I fall in love with—the wild, wide-open, untamed vision of Geronimo, Crazy Horse and Black Elk? Or the clear-cut, tamed and sanitized vision of L.L. Bean?

We Gon' Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Brilliant story about one man's journey through the immigrant experience. The book drips with empathy when you realize the stateless nature of immigration, when you leave behind the only home you've known and attempt to put down roots in a new place with a new language and a new culture. And then your offspring grow up in the "new" culture, knowing no other way but still receiving a healthy dose of the old country.

The main character, growing up American and Bengali, bears the name of his father's favorite Russian novelist, adding one more blind spot to his existence. He's a high achiever who bucks his parents' expectations in many ways, and sets about being his own man above all else. This book features little denouement at the end, but it's a fascinating trip with compelling characters and vivid settings throughout. 

I read this for AAPI Heritage Month specifically, but also to broaden my own perspective by reading about the immigrant experience. What can I say, I'm a fairly smart white liberal who seeks out literature that can erase some of those blind spots. 

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I didn't find it the magnum opus of baseball journalism others have anointed it, but it kept my attention and punctured a few myths built up over the years about the Jackie Robinson years. Kahn reported the hell out of it without staying too clinical; I guess he has set the template for reporting on your favorite team. Furthermore, this book presents a realistic view of athletes after the cheering stops—existential crises, different focuses, new beginnings, old paths. All-around enjoyable.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

challenging emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan by Jessica Luther, Kavitha Davidson

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5