Winter Reading List: Mediocre, Breaking Clean, Confessions from Your Token Black Colleague & Shit, Actually

This list isn’t the most cohesive one—these are four exceedingly different books that, by default, became my winter reading over the last few weeks.

Mediocre

By Ijeoma Oluo. I have been anxiously awaiting this book since I knew Oluo was writing it. Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America tells a compelling history of The United States through a series of focal topics, with each one illustrative of how centering and idealizing the perspective and success of white men has harmed various people, institutions, and country as a whole. Among the topics are cowboy culture and wild west individualism, Bernie Bros and their toxic righteousness, who gets to succeed in the workplace, and even football. In each instance a clear picture emerges of the ways that the white male identity and hold on authority is prioritized over other values in consistently harmful ways, even towards most white men. For Ryan there were moments of introspection and occasional recognition in the pages. I was immediately hooked with the first chapter titled “Cowboys & Patriots” which is a topic I think (& write) about often, and one Oluo summarizes so clearly. All along the book is extremely readable, well researched, serious, but with just enough wit to keep the reader going. I immediately bought two more copies to gift. Needless to say, we highly recommend this one.

Breaking Clean

By Judy Blunt. This book, published in 2002, was probably a 10 cent purchase from the back of my hometown public library and has set on my bookshelf for the last twenty years. This autobiographical novel takes place in the ranchlands of northeastern Montana, where hardiness and self-sufficiency are necessary for survival. The story is, in some ways, your standard coming-of-age one—where a girl living in rural America in the 1960s-70s recognizes her life options are limited no matter her capabilities. The prose is gorgeous & clean, but the character development and narrative itself are lagging. By the time Blunt actually “breaks clean” from her predetermined and tedious life as a ranch wife and packs up a car with her three kids and heads to Missoula—the book ends. Side note: “Ranch wife” is still a thing since MEN are still the only ranchers in 2020 (obviously). Anyway, the “tedious life” isn’t an insult to ranchers (any gender) but per Blunt’s own experience. I enjoyed this read for the semi-commentary on sexism in the rural West and the familiar spaces—big skies, horses, wide open prairies. But mostly, this book bored me to death.

Confessions from Your Token Black Colleague

By Talisa “Tali” Lavarry. Thanks to Ms. Lavarry for this non-fiction book about racism in the workplace. This book includes very personal, raw, and often heartbreaking stories from Lavarry's experiences in the corporate world. Racism experienced by Black folks is not, of course, unique to corporate settings and Lavarry’s lessons—through her titled “confessions” and her “proposals for atonement and reconciliation” can be applied across fields. I certainly needed to challenge myself as a white woman while reading specific stories shared—not to be "shocked" or dismayed by the racism and abuse that the author experienced daily in her workplace(s) but rather to personalize how I have inflicted harm in similar situations. I am humbled that Lavarry’s stories have been shared to a wider audience. The writing /editing is rough around the edges at times which can be distracting (which you could also say about my writing), but the content is very worth your conscious reading and attention. This book should be required reading for HR departments in any sector, but really for anyone who values workplace equity and is here to listen and learn.

Shit, Actually

By Lindy West (who is, by the way, Ijeoma Oluo’s sister-in-law). This yellow book is roughly 250 pages of comedic entertainment. Everything else on this reading list is pretty heavy, so this book is for the light side. West reviews mostly terrible, but awesome movies from the 90s and early 2000s, based on an x/10 rating of The Fugitive (her favorite movie). It helps if you are actually familiar with or have seen these movies in the last decade—classics like Jurassic Park, The Rock, American Pie, Harry Potter, and Speed among others. Sometimes she gets so in-depth with the plot lines (Face/Off) that you are left perplexed, but still laughing. West is generous with ALL CAPS, which can be aggravating at times and amusing at others. I imagine that the people who dislike this book were genuinely offended when she ripped their favorite bad movie into tiny pieces. The other people who probably dislike this book are those that are offended by West actually pointing out shitty racist and sexist movie tropes—the horror. Anyway, the book inspired *us (royal) to go on a shitty movie marathon over the last few weeks. And yes, I know Love, Actually (where the Shit, Actually titled is inspired) is shit, actually…really, it is terrible, but I still reluctantly enjoy it after a glass of Merlot. I also wish she had reviewed The Long Kiss Goodnight (better Christmas movie than Die Hard?!?).