Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump

I don't even know where to being with this post. This was the most scathing take down of a person told in the most detached and clinical way possible for someone who is part of the family she is writing about.

Mary is the daughter of the oldest Trump son, brother of Donald (from here on referred to as Toddler-In-Chief). When she writes about her father's life she mostly refers to him as "Freddy" and her mother as "Linda." Occasionally she refers her father/dad but mostly when she is interacting with him. He is where my heart ended up being by the time I was done with this slim, 211 page, but HUGE book.

Too Much and Never Enough doesn't try to excuse away Toddler-In-Chief's actions or let him off the hook. What she does is give a picture of how he ended up like this. There is a lot of blame for how we got here. His parents, the media, banks, congress, and the many hangers on.

Fred Trump was a monster of a man. He pitted his children against each other for love that didn't exist. He taught them early on that his way was the only way and it was a lesson all except Freddy learned early on. He, as the older son, was expected to take over the Trump business but his heart wasn't in it. He wanted to fly and he tried. For a short time Freddy was able to be a pilot and he was good at it and he loved it. But Fred  wasn't having it and the rest of Freddy's short life was spent in paying for the transgression. Toddler-In-Chief learned early on that his father valued selfishness and cruelty and he learned the lessons well.

When Toddler-In-Chief was an adult (in age anyway) Fred was invested in helping keep up the image being built as were the banks invested in him. But as time went on his failures were becoming bigger and the bigger Toddler-In-Chief's failures the more he spun it as wins, and the more people who encouraged/allowed this.

And then here we are today. With Toddler-In-Chief doing major damage to our country, literally and figuratively, destroying our relationships with our allies, courting authoritarian leaders, and getting people killed. The conclusions Mary comes to won't surprise you. But the back story of how this family ate its young and was made into the vehicle to support the delusions of Toddler-In-Chief.

I would suggest you read this. It won't improve your feelings about Toddler-In-Chief. The only comfort you will take from this is that you will feel the stain of the attempted gaslighting removed and your clear headed sanity return. The prologue alone is scathing and removes the fog FoxNews would like to cast over the American people's brains.
Samples:

(Finished July 16, 2020)

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Continuing my efforts to educate myself and to help me be a better ally, to not just say I'm not racist but to truly be antiracist.

It isn't an easy to look within and acknowledge biases and work on changing them. But it is a worthy endeavor and one I will have to, we all have to, work on each and every day.

One of the ways I have been working on this is reading books, watching movies and documentaries, reading articles, and taking advantage of the opportunity to attend (virtually these days) seminars and lectures.

Ibram X. Kendi writes this book from a personal point of view, sharing his own missteps and growth as he teaches his reader history, terminology, the value in being willing to have your mind changed, and learning from mistakes.

The focus of How To Be An Antiracist is on the role policy plays in racism. There is an exploration of the intersection between race and other identifiers, gender, sexuality, class, and how hard it is to pull them apart, my interpretation being that we can't and shouldn't be. There were times I had to reread a passage a couple of times to really take in and digest the meaning. I say this not to say that the book is a difficult or unapproachable read, it isn't either of those things, but because it is so rich and full of big ideas and a lot of information that slowing down and really soaking it in is called for. After laying out his case for what being antiracist means Kendi offers ideas on how to bring about change, a cure if you will.


I think a huge take away for me upon finishing this book is how much I had learned so far and how much I still needed to learn.


(Finished July 11, 2020)

My Antiracist Reading List So Far:
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
White Fragility
Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice

Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, Olivia Gatwood

I got this book because I was getting books for a friend's 6th Grade Classroom library at her request. I say at her request because she deserves the credit for putting this AMAZING on my radar.


Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice may look like a kids picture book and the art is amazing and will hold younger children's attention if you read it to them. But the ideas and message will speak to older students and adults. So I would call this an all ages book even though the publisher lists the ages as 8-12 (3rd-7th grade).

The poems each cover a theme:

Activism

Ableism

Ally

Body Positivity

Community

Empathy

Equality

Forgiveness

Freedom Fighters

Gender

Immigration

Intersectionality

Individuality

Joy

Justice

Prejudice

Privilege

Protest

Resistance

Resourcefulness

Silencing

Stereotyping

Volunteering

Woke

And that is the overarching theme, inspiring the reader, targeting young people, to stay woke and become activists. 

This will get a lot of rereads and quoting. I love it. 

(Finished July 8, 2020)

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States was my Pride-2020 read #8

Samantha is an author & journalist. She likes waffles shaped like Texas. She appreciates a good double rainbow. And she is a transgender woman. And this book is her love letter to the LGBTQ+ communities living and thriving in Red States.

On a road trip with her friend Billy Samantha revisits some places she spent time in before this trip and visits others. She is in Texas the night that SB 3 passes. She is on her way to her next destination the morning trump tweets about his ban on Transgender people in the armed forces. She revisits her Mormon upbringing in Utah and Bloomington where she met her wife.

With humor and honesty and love Samantha reminds us that there are vibrant LGBTQ+ communities in places between the East & West Coasts and we get to see these place and meet some amazing and beautiful people.

(Finished July 1, 2020)

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Ever After is my Pride-2020 read #7

I have also read Queen of the Conquered and This Is Kind of An Epic Love Story by Kacen,

And I got to meet Kacen at LeakyCon in October of 2019 and was charmed and will forever adore them. When I heard this book was coming out I knew I would need to read it. When I saw the cover I was immediately in love with the art and the idea of Felix.

 
We say we can empathize with people. And sometimes we can. But more often what we mean is that we want to and we think we can. But we can't because we can never really understand what it is like for a person or a group of people we will never share experiences with and without that, without at least the possibility of the shared experience we can't truly empathize with someone. We can care and feel for them, but we can't fully grasp the moments.

This is why own voices stories are so important. Own voices stories give voice to characters and experiences that are told from a place of true understanding and empathy. This gives groups of folx not often given center stage in books their much deserved time to shine. It reaches people who never get to see their lives reflected and truly told to feel fully connected to the written story. And as an added bonus, because we the other readers aren't the important part of the equation, it gives those of us who want to be better supporters a chance to listen to these voices, these amazing stories. We still can't fully know but we can deepen our compassion and add to our vocabulary and knowledge.

More importantly for readers who share this voice, it is an opportunity to finally see yourself and/or your experiences in the books you read. For example young queer kids now have access to story books where the Prince falls in love with the Knight and the Princess falls in love with the Maiden or a little boy can be a mermaid.

But for now let's talk about Felix. Felix is an art student in NYC and he lives with is dad in Harlem. His mother isn't in the picture and I won't say more about that, it is for Felix to tell you about. Felix's best friend is Ezra. His dad is trying to come to terms with or understand Felix's transgender identity and so is Felix. A supporting cast of characters push Felix to really look at himself and it isn't always easy or comfortable. He wants what most of us want, to be loved, to be happy, to feel fulfilled. But he is plagued with doubt, wondering if he is worthy of love and if he can ever find his way, his place.

Someone hangs pictures in the school lobby that Felix never wanted anyone to see. It made the search for self Felix was on that much more complicated. But it also helped Felix learn who he loves and trusts and can rely on. It helped set Felix on a journey to find himself and his art.


Felix Ever After is an amazing and powerful story of coming to terms with who you are and how you feel and not the way the world tells you to be or feel or act. It is a coming of age story and a love letter to queer teens trying to find the answers. Kacen writes with love and compassion and honesty. You can feel Felix's heartbeat in the pages of this book!! And you can feel the wonder that is Kacen and it feels like a privilege to spend time here.

I want to tell you so much more but I want you to take the journey with Felix yourself and not give away too much.

(Finished June 28, 2020)

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue was my Pride-2020 read #6.

At work I was intrigued by this one from the moment it showed up in the store. With just the blurb inside the dust jacket to go on I was able to sell many copies of this. I put it in the hands of people wanting a great romance, people wanting specifically a m/m romance, and people wanting an LGBTQ romance without preference to the gender. All he feedback I got after was how much they loved it. Every. One. I. Sold. No one ever came back and said they didn't like it. Yet my TBR was so out (is so) out of control and I don't often want to read romance novels, I mean I don't mind romance in my stories, but I don't often seek out a romance novel. But when I wanted to cancel my BOTM and I saw this was available I used one of my remaining credits for it, I figured it would go well with my annual Pride Read-athon.


I LOVED THIS STORY!! I feel really hard for Alex and Henry. I loved their use of historical letters. I loved how much they each had these broken places the other could soothe but didn't try to own or "fix". It was a healthy understanding of loving a person as they really are and not trying to make them into you or what you want them to be, I loved Alex's sister and their best friend Nora and I loved Henry's sister Bea.

Red, White & Royal Blue is part political caper, part family drama, part buddy story, and all romance. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love. And you will too!!!

I was thinking before reading it that I was kind of surprised it wasn't a YA Romance, but after reading it I wanted to let you know why incase age appropriate content is something you have concerns over. There aren't graphic sex scenes but they bump right up to that edge which for younger teens might not be where they are maturity wise. So keep that in mind if you are getting this or sharing it with a young person. I would say 16+ maybe....



(Finished June 25, 2020)

Out Now: Queer We Go Again! by Multiple Authors

Out Now: Queer We Go Again! was my Pride-2020 read #5

I was so excited when this was announced for publication. I am so glad it coincided with my annual Pride Read. And I was so excited to see some of my favorite authors (I'll read anything they write) had contributed stories, Caleb Roehrig, Mark Oshiro, and Julian Winters.

This book is a collection of short stories and I loved the experience. These stories are about a piece of the journey a young person is on to be true to themselves, learn who they are, find a safe place, find love, have adventure, and even the undead and aliens. There really is something for everyone and you should get this book into the hands of all the Queer teens you know and all the adults who love them and want to support them. And of course anyone who loves a good story.

A little about the collection, I am not going to review all 17 stories individually, but I will say that while I liked some better than others there wasn't a single one I didn't like, but I do want to share a few highlights.

Of course it will come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention that Caleb's story starts with the word VAMPIRE. What Happens in the Closet is a crazy bloody fun vampire romp but it also a coming out story, unlike any you've ever read before.

 Mark and Julian didn't disappoint either and their entries confirmed their place as "if they write it I am there for it" authors.

Mark writes a painfully beautiful story about two young men trying to find love and struggling with body image. I appreciate this story so much, it needs to be known that it isn't a "girl thing" to struggle with feeling good in your body or comfortable with your size and shape, it is a human thing and it happens to boys too.

Julian's story was wonderful too. He writes about Luke Stone and his desire to ask a boy to the winter formal. The backdrop of struggle is his desire to be a good son to the dad he loves so much and is so grateful for. But he doesn't know how to or who to ask and worries about what his dad will think about him being gay. It is the kind of loving and compassionate story Julian's readers have come to expect from him and he hasn't let us down.


But I really want to tell you about two stories that stole my heart and introduced me to authors I hadn't read before. And has added two new people to my above mentioned list.

First there is Seditious Teapots by Katherine Locke. I loved the whole idea of the teapots and the wordplay. But this story is so much more. It is the most honest writing about the pain of trying to find out who you are for yourself regardless of what the world says you are.

Then there was Star-Crossed in DC by Jessica Verdi. This one had be begging to know what happened to Savannah after she makes her decision to take a stand. Literally since I tweeted my please to Jessica!! The story is on the surface, as the title implies, about star-crossed love interests. Savannah is the child of the current president and Emily is the daughter of the rival for the office. But it is so much more. It is a story about finding your voice and the strength to use it even when it is so very difficult and scary.


I really enjoyed the time I spent in this book and I think you will too.

(Finished June 21, 2020)