November MB Musts
We don’t know everything, but we know a few good things.
We’re reading:
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donough
Give us a coming-of-age tale that begins with a millennial English major lusting after her older professor and we are here for it. There are serious Sally Rooney vibes (perhaps a cheerier Sally Rooney after a glass of Prosecco) as we follow an Irish 20-something finishing school during the 2008 recession with a magnetic guy bestie by her side.
If you’ve ever been young, broke and obsessed with the intricacies of relationships in your life, it’s a nice walk down memory lane. Bonus points to O’Donough for working in some often-overlooked recent repression of women’s rights in Ireland such as the fact abortion access was completely illegal in the country until five years ago.
Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood by Minna Dubin
After her essay “The rage mothers don’t talk about,” went viral in 2019 and a pandemic-related follow-up piece, writer Minna Dubbin has written a whole book exploring mom rage, something Dubbin always believed was a personal problem. Spoiler (well, is it?) — there are bigger, societal issues at play. Through her exploration, Dubbin provides validation a lot of women out there need and normalizes what can feel downright shameful.
We’re watching:
Based on the New York Times best-selling book Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, we get to watch Oscar-winner Brie Larson play Elizabeth Zott, a socially challenged and brilliant woman whose dream of being a scientist is put on hold in a patriarchal society. She reluctantly accepts a job hosting a TV cooking show only to use it as platform to school the man. We’re here for it.
At times a tough watch, this powerful Netflix drama follows the creation, rise and ultimate tragedy of OxyContin. If you were a teen in the 90s, it’s interesting to watch the actions and equally as important, non-actions, that spurred an opioid crisis that would follow our generation for years and impact the younger ones as well.
In a positive note, Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) is all grown up and gives an amazing performance as a hardworking dad who slowly descends into an agonizing addiction after a work accident. While watching the opioid crisis unfold can feel tragic, the series reminds us it wasn’t a sudden tragedy. It was manufactured.
We’re loving:
This amazing moment when this stadium of older millennials loses their minds. Enjoy — perfect for The Pink Issue!