Total Pageviews

Thursday, November 17, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Hey, friends! I'm glad you've stopped by to smell the books.

24453082

(Photograph: goodreads.com)

Today we will be talking about my most recent read: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is a nonfiction book designed to help readers tune into their creativity. Gilbert addresses a lot of issues surrounding the creation of art today. She brings up a lot of questions like "Should we strive to make a living off our art?" and "Why should we continue to make art even if it isn't good enough for other people?"

The author definitely has some drastic views about how creativity works; I don't agree with a lot of the things she claims (like the notion of ideas as separate entities, floating around and waiting for a human to catch them), but she has definitely given me a lot of new ideas and perspectives about my own art.

Big Magic is not a book for thinkers and philosophers, but if you are a reader hoping to get a quick bite of inspiration and motivation, this book is for you! I believe I picked this book up at the right time: I have been very blocked and unable to focus on my personal writing because other things have gotten in the way. Reading this book was a breath of fresh air and reminded me of why I love to write and make other art: because it really, truly makes me happy.

My rating: 7/10

BOOK REVIEW: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Did you know that the cure and medications for many diseases - including polio, cancer, and STDs, were all developed by scientists studying cells from only one person? Back in the 60's, Henrietta Lacks was a young black mother, and after claiming to have "a knot in my womb," had a cancer sample taken from her cervix and it forever changed medical history.

Henreitta's cells were so special that they were able to continue growing and multiplying after they were removed from her body. Before Henrietta's special cells were discovered, every other tissue sample taken from other people usually died after a few days living in culture.

6493208

(Photograph: goodreads.com)

For decades, no one ever knew who Henrietta Lacks was, and neither did they know the affect her cancer cells had on medical research. The author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, wrote a three-part memoir about this woman's life and the affect she had on people around them.

The most interesting thing in the book for me was the way Skloot arranged the plot. She does an intense amount of research - interviewing family, looking up history, searching for medical records, and visiting the places Henrietta lived - and all of this is recorded in the book.

A recurring theme of this story is the idea of ethical research. Henrietta lived in a time where people of color were treated unethically in many ways when it came to medical research. In the story, Henrietta's cells were taken without her permission and she had no idea of what her cancer treatment would do to her. Skloot also brought up the Tuskegee Syphilis Studies, where many black men were experimented on and not informed of certain aspects of the study - aspects that left them dead or dying. This part of the story made me more aware of how far our medical practice has become in this day and age. I am glad Skloot did not shy away from this important topic.

Here is Skloot's website where you are able to learn about the impact of Henrietta Lacks. A movie will be out soon!

Also, check out The Henrietta Lacks Foundation. This website does a lot of charity work for victims of unethical medical research.

My rating: 6/10

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Raven Bookstore: My Favorite of All Time

The Raven Bookstore is my absolute favorite bookstore of all time. They are an independent bookstore located in Lawrence, KS and they are awesome about supporting local or independent authors!

Check it out!