What comes to mind when you hear the words Girl Scouts? Chances are the first word that comes to mind is cookies because, let's face it, Girl Scout cookies are delicious. But for me, the first phrase that comes to mind is the organization's motto Be Prepared. That's because I was a Girl Scout for 9 years. That's right. NINE years. I started out as a Junior scout and remained … [Read more...]
‘For Today I Am A Boy’ is For Everyone
When I was in college, I took a human sexuality course and sat next to a beautiful woman who had, as it turned out, been born a male. And so was her girlfriend. To top it off, one had reassignment surgery and the other had not (but was planning to). Naturally, the class was abuzz with whispering about whether they were heterosexual (due to body parts), homosexual (due to birth … [Read more...]
The Lovable Lucy Ann Lobdell
What a cool book! I know that's an odd description for a novel, especially one that falls into the historical fiction category, but I just can't think of a better word. This book is just soooo cool. And incredible. And beautifully written. And you know what's even cooler than the book? The story about how it came to be! (see video below)The BackgroundThe author, William … [Read more...]
‘The Friend’ Found Its Way With These Essays
The Friend Who Got Away: Twenty Women's True Life Tales of Friendships that Blew Up, Burned Out or Faded Away by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell (author of Blueprints for Building Better Girls, which is on my Kindle) is a book of essays written by women who lost a female friendship. Some were by choice, others by mistake, and a few for no reason at all. As a woman who is … [Read more...]
‘Outrageous Acts’ is Outstanding
About two months ago, during a class simulation, I was in the hallway speaking with several male classmates. Despite that fact that I had done my research and was an active participant, 90% of the men I was with completely ignored me, despite my overt attempts to join the conversation. It was so bad, in fact, that all but one of them walked away while I was still talking. … [Read more...]