rights – MANDY'S READING LIST

May 31, 2022December 10, 2022

Beautiful Quotes from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is an amazing book, and I definitely agree that it is worth the hype. It is one of those important topic books that is a great conversation starter, though (*trigger warning*) it does cover many difficult topics.

The novel tells the story of the fictional Old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who, at age 79, gives a final interview to an unknown journalist.

I found it to be quite sad, and there are many scenes that are tough to read. But the uncomfortable scenes are what make the writing so good–it makes you feel angry, and happy, and it makes you feel understood and seen, because they are relatable. It is also a book that makes readers think about big topics–*TW* sexual assault, rape, domestic abuse, homophobia, biphobia, alcoholism, and lgbtq+ rights, just to name a few.

I found so many powerful quotes, and highlighted so many lines in my book! Here are a few of my favorites:

July 10, 2020December 10, 2022

Internment

Amazon.com: Internment (9780316522694): Ahmed, Samira: Books Silence is Violence was the theme for this emotional book. “If we stay silent, whats next?”

This was a crazy read. It is eerily relevant and totally frightening to imagine. Set in a dystopian future where Muslims are herded into internment camps because of the racist president’s Islamophobia, our main character fights for freedom using the only thing she has left: her voice. I liked so much about this book, because it was very realistic and illustrate the consequences if we as a people become complacent and stop fighting for our rights. Continue reading “Internment”

August 26, 2018December 10, 2022

The Handmaid’s Tale: Comparing The Novel To The Series

Image result for the handmaids tale book hulu I read The Handmaid’s Tale in high school, and I didn’t ‘get’ it, TBH. I understood it, of course, but it didn’t resonate with me in the way my teacher had hoped it would. It wasn’t until watching the new Hulu adaptation that I was really interested in the story. But I couldn’t understand why my memories of the book were so far from what the show was saying, so I dug out my old copy, still covered in post-its and margin scribbles, and forced myself to give it a second chance. Image result for the handmaids tale hulu

With my first reading, for whatever reason, I had a very obscure picture of the world Atwood was writing about. I wasn’t able to imagine what it would be like. But, after watching the series, I was able to really picture the world of Gilead, and it made me want to understand it better. So I decided to revisit the book, and I re-read it while watching the show. It completely changed my opinion of the novel, and now I love a book that I once hated.

Although I loved both the book and the series, I can’t ignore their differences. Though both are important and relevant, they have different missions and different lessons. The ideal would be for audiences to read and watch both; they inform each other, each provides what the other lacks. Continue reading “The Handmaid’s Tale: Comparing The Novel To The Series”