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Note: I don’t like giving away the plots of Books during my reviews because why ruin the story for others? I HATE when that happens on Amazon Reviews.
I give a thorough review of each of these books but here’s a quick look at the books on my List
The List
Fiction
Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
I’m Fine and Neither are you, Camille Pagan
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
Park Avenue Summer, Renee Rosen
Non-Fiction
Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini
Lean Out, Marissa Orr
Fiction
I am so tired of logging into social media channels to see perfectly staged and filtered photos by “influencers” who are curating their social media feeds to build the illusion of perfect lives for followers to live vicariously through.
As we know, things are not what always as they seem especially on social media.
All too often we find out the dream marriage that was used to sell books or other ventures was really a nightmare behind closed doors or the luxurious lifestyle was really financed on credit.
These first three books on my Fiction List take on the topics of “Everything isn’t what it seems and appearances are truly deceiving”
Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
I loved the HBO Television Show with its strong cast and superb writing. I was surprised that I enjoyed the book even more than the television show (which I didn’t think it was possible)
I enjoyed the author’s exploration of modern-day realities that women face.
Motherhood has become yet another competitive profession where advancement depends on how well your product (your child) does in the market (education and subsequent success)
The Television show was enjoyable for me because of the depth the writers gave each of the characters. Character development in the book was an even deeper exploration of the characters and their background stories.
The author Liane Moriarty does an excellent job of exploring the pressures of parenthood and family life in the 21st century.
Behind the expensive yoga pants, pedicures, highlights, job titles, and curated social media posts there may be serious issues that nobody knows about except for those involved.
The person with the seemingly perfect life who you admire and envy from afar may be fighting for their very survival.
I’m Fine and Neither are You, Camille Pagan
Is it okay to admit that you’re not okay?
That’s the question running throughout this book. Can we admit that we are not okay with those that are closest to us? Where should our boundaries start and stop with honesty? How much truth should we tell in our relationships?
The main character Penelope grapples with this question as she navigates through the pressures of being a working mother, the primary breadwinner for her family, and keeping her marriage together.
Penelope tragically learns that everything isn’t what it seems and the truth is easy to hide if you really want to hide it.
Scrolling through social media as a single person sometimes it’s tempting to believe that marriage is the missing link in your life.
This book is a great reminder that it takes WORK and INTENTIONALITY to maintain a marriage and relationships. It is easy to become complacent and check out of your marriage leaving one person to shoulder the entire relationship.
At the beginning of this book, I got so fired up about the relationship dynamic between Penelope and her husband, that I wrote down everything that I did not want in a husband and then wrote the opposite down to declare what I DO want in a husband.
I even read the discussion questions at the end of the book and answered them because I felt like the book really hit on some themes that really resonated with me such as the impact of fears of abandonment in relationships due to upbringing.
I would love to read this book as a Book Club Selection one of these days!
(I’m Fine and Neither are You on Amazon)
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
This book takes place during the 1990s which were in many ways a simpler time. The world was a lot bigger due to the infancy of the internet and people still believed that if they followed certain rules they were guaranteed certain outcomes.
Taking place in the idyllic and planned community of Shaker Heights, Ohio (which is a real place) this novel goes behind the scenes into the secret lives and backgrounds of its residents.
What a cast of characters this novel has to offer! The seemingly perfect and wealthy Richardson family in contrast with the mysterious and nomadic Warren family.
It is easy to believe that nothing is wrong when you’re not looking for it because you’ve followed the rules.
It’s easy to believe that you’re entitled to certain gifts in life because you have money and you’ve followed the rules.
You can be a proponent of diversity and proclaim to be inclusionist, but still be completely blind to the plight of others because you follow the rules
Park Avenue Summer, Renee Rosen
This book is Historical Fiction and chronicles the early days of Helen Gurley Brown and Cosmopolitan Magazine in the 1960’s.
Told through the eyes of her fictional secretary Alice Weiss, we see the power struggles of Helen Gurley Brown and the conflicts the young women of that time faced. Here was this new world of career and limitless possibilities opening up but do we still want marriage and family?
Where do these new ideas about sexual liberation fit in with personal values? Is sexual liberation still about being appealing to men?
I enjoyed the story of Alice who, like many of the young women of her era, started as a secretary but had bigger aspirations and dreams. There are even historical appearances of feminist icons like Betty Friedan.
This is a fun book to read and I was sad when the story ended. If we were allowed to go on vacation, then it would be a great beach or pool read. As it is, it’s a great wine and cheese plate read!!
Non-Fiction
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, JD Vance
Hillbilly culture doesn’t get much attention unless it is to make fun of this group of people.
Hillbilly Elegy is the memoir of JD Vance who grew up in Hillbilly Culture and ended up making it out of the culture despite a chaotic upbringing.
I really liked this book was because the stereotypes that are normally attributed to Black people (fatherless homes, “welfare queens”, drug use, lack of education, generational dysfunction, generational poverty) all are part of Hillbilly culture.
This is more than likely why the Hillbilly group doesn’t get much shine because many racist tropes and pathologies attributed to race would have to be re-examined and attributed to a function of poverty and culture instead of race which would upset the racists.
The Hillbillies are a culture in crisis just like other groups due in part to a culture of hopelessness, lack of role modeling, and systemic issues that have affected economic mobility.
Hillbillies have been left behind in the American economy like other groups due to globalization and lack of investment in their communities. What were once thriving manufacturing towns have now become crumbling towns full of unemployed and hopeless Americans. Drug use and crime are often to follow.
How did JD Vance make it out? He attributes it to his stable family members and the opportunity to experience a different life.
Great book with Great insights
(Hillbilly Elegy on Amazon.com)
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini
This book was first published in the 1980s. It’s often recommended for those who work in sales and marketing because it explores how to get people to say YES to what you’re selling.
I think it’s important to read because it gives so many clues to why we’re so divided as a society and people are so easily influenced by social media.
How are advertisers, politicians, and those who wish to exploit the populace able to manipulate society without us knowing and even believing we are being manipulated?
Why do doomsday cults double down when the prophecies fail to happen?
Why do people insist they are free thinkers when they regurgitate the same talking points as someone who poses as an authority figure? (People are often vulnerable to symbols of authority rather than substance)
Cialdini explains all of this in influence as he discusses the weapons of influence
- Reciprocation
- Consistency and Commitment
- Social Proof
- Liking
- Authority
- Scarcity
Included in each of these chapters are tips on how to say no and anecdotes from real people.
If you want to understand why our society seems to be so easily influenced and led astray, then this is the book to read! I would love to read an updated version using social media.
Lean Out: The Truth about power, women, and the Workplace Marissa Orr
Marissa Orr was a high-level employee at both Google and Facebook and she begins to deconstruct the arguments that the reason women aren’t getting ahead in the workplace is because of a lack of ambition and confidence.
Orr directly takes on Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In movement
“Lean In is a battle cry for women to change. It pins the blame for the gender gap squarely on women and offers a prescription on how to behave more like men – From Lean Out
As a former employee of both Google and Facebook (like Sandberg) Marissa Orr also explores the idea that perhaps these women promoting being a “Girl Boss” aren’t really in it to see women thrive and succeed but to promote their own personal agendas.
Wooo I felt that. Men AND women should read this book so we can have a more equitable and thriving workplace without squashing femininity and masculinity.
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