December MB Musts
We don’t know everything, but we know a few good things.
We’re reading:
Writer Stephanie Land is back after blowing us away with her memoir Maid, which was handpicked by President Barack Obama as one of the best books of 2019 and adapted into the hit Netflix series Maid. Her new book, Class, picks up where Maid left off. We follow Land as she finishes college and pursues her writing career, facing barriers at every turn including food insecurity, the student loan system and fighting for a college education while living under the poverty line and raising a child. Land is excruciatingly raw and honest throughout sharing her journey, making this an incredible follow-up to a pretty damn incredible debut.
This book takes on the tricky, following the deterioration of a Black British couple’s relationship after the boyfriend’s name is included in an anonymous online spreadsheet naming sexual abusers and predators.
Inspired by several real-life lists, including a 2017 crowdsourced spreadsheet, this story explores how people think about and respond to sexual assault accusations since the #MeToo movement. There are no easy answers but plenty of questions posed, including how we can best protect women from abusers, and can anonymity be weaponized on the Internet?
The suspense and glamourous setting ease the thematic uncomfortableness. You’ll breeze through light but be thinking heavy long after you’re done.
How Menopause Changes Your Brain by Alisha Gupta.
This New York Times article about how menopause changes your brain - something we discussed in last month’s Not Your Mother’s Menopause.
We’re Watching:
Loosely inspired by the story of Mary Kay Letourneau, this highly-anticipated film debuts on Netflix December 1st, following an actress (Natalie Portman) who travels to Georgia to meet and study the life of the controversial woman (Julianne Moore) she is set to play in a film. Portman’s presence stirs up buried issues for the couple and tensions escalate. With Oscar buzz surrounding the film and the power duo woman leads, you’ll want to curl up on the couch for this one. Bonus: elder millennials can reminisce on a story that helped define the sensationalist tabloid culture of the 90s. Warning: you also be even more alarmed remembering the story now as our kids could very well be the age of the boy when the abuse began.
We’re Looking Forward To:
The March release of Kara’s Alaimo’s book, Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls – And How We Can Take It Back. The communications professor and CNN Opinion contributor demonstrates how social media affects every aspect of the lives of women, girls and nonbinary people —from relationships and parenting to our physical and mental wellbeing.
Older millennials have gone through the experience of becoming moms and raising kids during the rise of social media — and we’re now able to truly examine what this has meant for us mentally, emotionally and even economically. Alaimo’s book is a way to explore what it means to live in this world social media has wrought – whether you’re constantly connected or have deleted your accounts forever. Pre-order here.
We’re Loving
This moment from our Mama Beasts Holiday Stress Summit when writer Minna Dubin responds to a question about a mom who feels guilty being overwhelmed and wanting help as a SAHM because her partner is the sole financial provider.