I was wowed by Margo Jefferson's memoir, Negroland, which is about growing up black and privileged in Chicago in the fifties and sixties. It was a window into an alien world. Obviously, I'm not black, but what was really alien to me was her family's focus on respectability. I was never taught when to wear white gloves, what length skirt is appropriate.
Justine LarbalestierA difference in self loathing? Please. The only difference between a gun and a rope is the time it takes to tie the knot.
Justine LarbalestierI re-read The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter. It's a book every one should read, particularly Americans, as the USA is her primary focus. Her book demonstrates that white is not universal, that white is not neutral, that it has a history, which she eloquently delineates. It's not often you finish a book understanding how the world operates better than before you read it.
Justine LarbalestierEating good food is my favourite thing in the whole world. Nothing is more blissful.
Justine Larbalestier