leviofmichigan's reviews
299 reviews

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

medium-paced

4.0

Lots of good parts, and lots of unnecessary parts.

There Is No God and Mary Is His Mother: Rediscovering Religionless Christianity by Thomas Cathcart

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

Randomly saw this book at B&N and found it on Hoopla. When I saw it, I thought, maybe this book will help me understand the way my progressive Christian friends approach Christianity (I am not longer a Christian), and it did just that. The fact that the author quoted Episcopalians and a Mary Oliver poem near the end really drove that home for me. 

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective

5.0

Love it. Would recommend to anyone who might benefit from a fresh perspective on autism. Certainly portions where you get the “body/space” liberal jargon, and I’m saying that as a liberal/leftist, but other than that, no complaints. And that’s barely a complaint, it almost comes with the territory. 

The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet by Leah Thomas

3.0

I guess I finished this on Earth day, which is cute. If you’ve read literally anything about intersectional feminism, I would not recommend. There was literally not one factoid or anecdote that I wasn’t at least vaguely familiar with. Like, seriously could have been a blog post. 750 words, max. 

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Absolutely could have been shorter, but all in all, quite meaningful. 

The Art of Communicating by Thích Nhất Hạnh

5.0

So relevant to my life right now, and I imagine, to anyone’s life. Probably in the top 5 or top 3 of TNH books for me.

Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

0.0

Not a simple subject! But I do think this book has gifted me with some invaluable nuance.

Update: 3/22/24 wow this book is just straight up propaganda! And I totally fell for it. 

The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention by Julia Cameron

0.25

Honestly, I’m usually all for woo-woo, but for some reason, once this book put the woo-woo fans on full blast, I could not stand the strength of that wind.

In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

This is super sad, but I learned a lot, and I can definitely say my thinking on assisted suicide is more compassionate after listening to their story.

At some point I may write a full essay about this, but I was just now reminded of when I've heard someone say, "if I had ______, I would kill myself." I have heard people say this about mental disorders, about memory issues, about HIV, and a whole host of other things. And while I respect anyone's right to have opinions about their own quality of life, I think a lot of these statements can be really hurtful. It can so easily go from, "If I had _____," to, "since you have ______, you might as well..." Which ultimately is about the value of human life, and who we see as worthy of care. I once heard someone say that, they might as well not visit their loved one in the nursing home, since they don't remember it. Again, I respect the way that person must have felt when they said it, but to me, I don't want to live in a world where people are only seen as worthy of love and respect if they have a functioning memory. I'm not trying to cast judgment on what Bloom's husband chose to do, or her involvement in that. I just wish there was more writing about the value of people as they are, even without the memory that seems to make them who they are.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Buddhish: A Guide to the 20 Most Important Buddhist Ideas for the Curious and Skeptical by C. Pierce Salguero, C. Pierce Salguero

challenging informative fast-paced

4.0

I would certainly recommend this book to any person who is considering taking on the label of Buddhist, or bringing Buddhist practices into their life for the long-term. Here are some things such a person would learn, in some amount of depth: 

1. Buddhism is, in fact, a religion. Is it also a philosophy? Sure. Are there teachings that line up nicely with scientific findings? Sure. It's still a religion, with all the things you'd expect from one, like cosmology, rituals, and yes, fundamentalists.
2. There is quite a diversity of Buddhist schools of thought (denominations, if you will). 
3. Buddhism, like any other religion, has strengths and weaknesses. 

There were parts of this book where I wish the author had been more reflective, or open about his own experiences, even if they were not related to Buddhism, although I get that this is a book with a pretty specific aim. I also felt he was a bit pedantic in places, and some of the writing definitely comes from a place of frustration. In fact, I think part of the reason the author identities as “Buddhish” is because of a frustration with people who full-send their Buddhist identity but maybe don’t understand it as fully as the author does. 

To give some background, since that’s what I wish the author had done, I will say that I do identify as Zen Buddhist, but I used to identify as Christian and Buddhist, and definitely support others who hold to multiple religions at once. I take a lot of skepticism to Buddhist practice and philosophy, and while there are teachers I appreciate, like Thich Nhat Hanh, there is no one I hold up as incapable of wrongdoing.