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Matt B Gets Lit

polomexgetslit@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 4 months ago

Is that a hardcover, or are you just happy to see me?

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Kevin Michael Kruse: Fault Lines (2019) 4 stars

"In the middle of the 1970s, America entered a new era of doubt and division. …

"'The ideological shift to diversity led to a reconception of the very nature of America,' historian Bruce Schulman noted, 'to see the nation not as a melting pot where many different peoples and cultures contributed to one common stew, but as discrete peoples and cultures sharing the same places--a tapestry, salad bowl, or rainbow.' While such changes did much to preserve and protect the individual cultures of different groups, they effectively eroded any sense of national community along the way and established one of the deepest of the new fault lines. Instead of a coherent and cohesive identity, Americans now had diversity and division."

Gerald F. Seib: We Should Have Seen It Coming (2020, Random House Publishing Group) 5 stars

Review of "We Should Have Seen It Coming"

5 stars

I've been posting my book reviews in the order I read them this year, but this one felt too prescient to wait. I finished it just last weekend.

After the recent election, I found myself reflecting on how we got here. Trump's sweeping second win and the divisiveness in the country reminded me of Reagan's 1984 landslide victory, where he won 49 of 50 states. Reagan is a polarizing figure—celebrated by some as one of the best Presidents and criticized by others as one of the worst. I picked up "We Should Have Seen It Coming" to learn more about how each presidency and decade influenced the next. I wanted to see the historical dominoes in action and understand how the Republican Party transformed over time. What I learned is that Trump's rise didn't happen in isolation. The populist movement didn't come out of nowhere—it was a slow simmer, building …

Tal Ben-Shahar: The pursuit of perfect (2009, McGraw-Hill) 4 stars

DO YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO BE PERFECT?We're all laboring under our own and society's …

Review of "The Pursuit of Perfect"

4 stars

This year, I've been exploring books on perfectionism, including "The Pursuit of Perfect" by Tal Ben-Shahar. I took a lot of notes while reading, and revisiting them reminded me of just how much the book offered, even if some ideas were more common sense than groundbreaking.

The central message of the book is clear: striving for perfection often leads to dissatisfaction, while embracing imperfection helps foster resilience and joy. The author distinguishes between perfectionism and "optimalism," the latter being acceptance of ourselves as we are while striving for growth. As psychologist Carl Rogers put it: "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."

The book also dives into relationships and the importance of balancing conflict with kindness. Ben-Shahar emphasizes that little to no conflict might indicate avoidance, while healthy relationships require a mix of positivity and occasional challenges. I particularly loved …

Anna James, Paola Escobar: Pages & Co. (Paperback, 2020, Puffin Books) 5 stars

Pages & Co . The book wanderers is where an 11 year old girl Tilly …

Review of "Pages & Co.: The Bookwanderers"

5 stars

Yada, yada, yada, something something, "book by its cover." However, when I saw this one sitting on the bargain table at a bookstore, I couldn't resist. I love creative works that are "meta" or self-referential. So this was a quick buy for me.

"Pages & Co.: The Bookwanderers" follows 11-year-old Tilly Pages, who lives with her grandparents above their cozy bookshop. Tilly has always loved stories, but her life changes when she discovers she can "bookwander," stepping into the pages of her favorite books and interacting with beloved characters.

As Tilly explores this magical ability, she encounters characters like Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland. Tilly also uncovers secrets about her mother, who disappeared years ago, and learns about the danger that comes with bookwandering. Like in any good story, there are villains to face, and Tilly’s journey is as much about bravery as it is about the …

David Levithan: Hold Me Closer (2015) 4 stars

It’s Tiny Cooper’s turn in the spotlight in this companion novel to New York Times …

Review of "Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story"

4 stars

I read "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" in March, and it was easily one of the best books I've read this year. One of the standout characters in that book was Tiny Cooper, the larger-than-life best friend of one of the Will Graysons. Tiny's sole mission in Will Grayson, Will Grayson is to produce his autobiographical musical, Hold Me Closer, and readers get a few hilarious snippets of it in the story. At the time, I told my book club that I wanted to see Tiny's musical, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Imagine my surprise when I found out… it exists!

"Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story" is a companion book to "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" and dives headfirst into the world of Tiny Cooper. Instead of a traditional narrative, the book is written as the musical script Tiny is directing in the earlier novel, complete with songs, monologues, …