Well friends, we did it: we made it through March 2020. You know that old saying, March comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb? Yeah. I think the weather (mostly) got that memo, but everything else still seems to be stuck on big cats. My March reading list is brought to you courtesy of Audiobooks From My Local Library, which has generously allowed me to do other fun quarantine activities like cleaning while still reading away. (Really though, Overdrive is awesome.)
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Read this. It will make you mad.
Subtitled “Data Bias in a World Designed for Men”, Perez takes sixteen chapters to break down the aspects of life in which women are at statistical disadvantage. As it turns out, that’s pretty much all of them. From medicines to the design of tools and technology to mass transit to breast pumps, things just don’t seem to be made with women in mind. Why is that? As Perez concludes time and again: male is default, and woman is deviant. And things stay this way because gathering the badly needed data on women is just too hard.
Perez wields the available data like a scalpel, and highlights the gaps where data isn’t. Here’s a quick taste of what’s in store for you:
1: Almost no medical trials include female subjects in Phase I testing. They have those pesky hormones and aberrant physiologies, and whatever works on males works on females, right? However, researchers have discovered that there are some drugs that only work in the presence of estrogen. That means they don’t work on men, and therefore never even make it to Phase II, where the female testing generally starts.
2: The average smartphone is too large for the average woman to use one-handed. It’s also much too large to fit in the average woman’s pocket (ASSUMING THEY HAVE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE). It’s ok, of course, because women put them in their purses instead. And don’t worry, they’re probably not going to get any bigger from here. Why’s that? Oh, because we’ve reached the limit of what the average man can use one-handed.
Male is default, woman is deviant.
Unmaking the Presidency by Benjamin Wittes and Susan Hennessey
Another anger-inducing book for you! Wittes (a national-security-and-law journalist/Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute/Cofounder of the Lawfare Blog) and Hennessey (Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute/Executive Editor of the Lawfare Blog/former NSA attorney) team up to dive through the history of the American presidency, and point out the ways in which the current office holder is an aberration. And not just an aberration — how he has the potential to change the presidency for good, if we let him.
There are so many examples that I frequently found myself going, “Oh wow, I completely forgot about that major incident!” Which is, of course, a normal feature of today’s political climate. What’s more, the body of this book was written before the Ukraine scandal came to the fore, before it triggered an impeachment. That’s right: a book’s worth of historically-backed proofs of deviations from the previously-accepted norms without impeachment, before Covid-19. It’s been a wild ride, and this book reminds you about all the rapids and waterfalls that we’ve already encountered and have probably forgotten.
Even if you’re tired about hearing how bad things are now, the anecdotes of past presidents are worth the read. The book is well paced to maintain interest, with enough moments of levity to keep it from getting bogged down. Fun linguistic and topical bonus: throughout the book, the authors use he and she interchangeably to refer to any hypothetical person. It’s amazing what a cognitive difference I felt to hear hypothetical presidents casually called “she” instead of the male default. I approve.
A Natural History of Dragons – The Tropic of Serpents – Voyage of the Basilisk – In the Labyrinth of Drakes – Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan
Or, the Lady Trent Memoirs. Now for the fun part of my March reading. These five books follow the life of Isabella, Lady Trent, as she makes all the discoveries she possibly can about dragons. While it is ostensibly set in a fantasy world, everything is easily recognizable as elements of our world in the Victorian era, renamed. But of course, let’s not forget: with the addition of dragons. Isabella starts her tale as a child obsessed with learning about dragons. In spite of the societal expectations that she grow to be A Lady, she embarks on a journey to learn everything she can about all the different kinds of dragons: what counts as a dragon, how to classify them, how to account for differences between species, how they reproduce… In short, A Natural History of Dragons.
Charmingly narrated from the point of view of an older (and sassier) Lady Trent looking back on her eventful life, you get to make all the discoveries along with the younger Isabella. And it’s great. At many points, the dragons are only periphery to her experiences with the different cultures she encounters on her trips around the world. This includes what in our world would be everything from the Carpathians to West Africa to Polynesia and beyond, all underwoven with the mysterious remnants of the ancient Draconian culture.
Each book features a main “big discovery” about dragons. And let me tell you, they just keep getting bigger. I got through the last two books in about a day and a half each, because I just couldn’t put them down anymore. (Er, press pause on them.) If you’re looking for some exciting escapism, this is it. It has everything: scientific discoveries, political intrigue, cultural examinations, personal struggles, you name it. Highly recommend.
March Reading Roundup Review
Everything’s gone political these days, it seems. My March reading did not escape that. I know a common talking point during crises is to say that now isn’t the time to be political. Don’t rock the boat now, there are bigger fish to fry. Why are you worried about the hurricane coming when your house is on fire — or should that be the other way around? But crises are exactly when we need to be paying attention. They’re exactly when the problems of society are most on display.
So yeah, there’s a lot going on in the world right now. And yeah, it can be overwhelming. Other crises don’t go away when another one comes along. Just remember to make sure that you take care of yourself, both mentally and physically. Take breaks, step back from the world, read a book. Even though my March reading wasn’t all fun and games, it can be weirdly cathartic to look at things that aren’t global pandemic, even if they’re also not so great. Variety is the spice of life, or whatever. Anyway. Stay safe, and wash your hands.
Want to read more? Check these out:
- Great Books Roundup of 2021A bit overdue, but here we are. 2021 has definitely ended. Probably. If you perchance wish to bury your face in a book (which would be weird, considering how great the world is right now), hopefully you can find some here that pique your interest — or that you might now know to avoid.
- The Story of Democracy?Let’s go win democracy! First you find your Main Character, then you fight your battle harder than the others, then YOU HAVE WON!
- Who Are You, or Is Your Personality Your Facebook Profile?Is it possible that, by sectioning off parts of your life (facets of your personality?) that you aren’t being true to yourself? Could it be the case that when you behave differently around your children compared to when you’re at work you lack integrity?
- The Reconciliation in Truth and ReconciliationLast week I started in on the topic of Truth and Reconciliation by examining the truth. Now it’s time for more thoughts on reconciliation than you ever cared to read! In order to reach reconciliation, we must first have a common truth, a common history. After all, what is history but the story we tell to explain our present? The dead don’t care what we say.
- Truth and Reconciliation: Thoughts on TruthIf you’ve been here before, you know that I like musing on basic subjects: fear, isolation, motivation, fear again. For my sanity, I’m going to break my thoughts on Truth and Reconciliation down in a similar way. The logical place to start then is with truth.
Putting these on my list!