Scrapbook Saturday – March 2019
Katie 
Florida & Kelly Clarkson (aka anything from March that isn’t Australia)
Scrapbook Saturday – February 2019
Waitress and Matt Nathanson
Book Review: Anti-Racist Ally
With all that has been coming to light lately with other races, I have been trying to read more about what it means to be Anti-Racist and an ally. I never really realized how much white privilege there is out there and how much of it I had benefited from until I started doing more of a deep dive into reading about racism. This is a short book and is a relatively quick read – which I liked. Everything was broke down into small, easy to digest sections to make me think and figure out ways to react. I am honestly not sure I will every fully be Anti-Racist, but that doesn’t mean I won’t continue to work towards it and continue trying to make progress. I also liked that the end of the book had a list of other related books to read. With this one being so short, if I wanted to take a deeper look into other similar topics, I have a list of them all right at my fingertips.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
Join the fight for racially marginalized people with this pocket-sized guide filled with practical insights from one of the leading voices of the movement for equality and founder of the @officialmillennialblack Instagram.
As the tragic murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement has demonstrated, not being racist is not enough. To fulfill the American ideal, to ensure that all people are equal, you must be actively anti-racist.
In this essential guide, Sophie Williams, goes beyond her popular Instagram @officialmillennialblack, providing sharp, simple, and insightful steps anyone can take to be a better ally in the fight against racism. While the book’s focus is on race, it also touches on sexism, classism, ableism, oppression, and white supremacy.
Written in her iconic Instagram style, this pocket-sized guide is a crucial starting point for every anti-racist ally, covering complex topics at the heart of anti-racist principles. Whether you are just finding your voice, have made a start but aren’t sure what to do next, or want a fresh viewpoint, Anti-Racist Ally introduces and explains the language of change and shows you how to challenge the system, beginning with yourself. Sophie reminds you that this is a learning process, which means facing difficult truths, becoming uncomfortable, and working through the embarrassment and discomfort.
The fight for justice isn’t easy there aren’t any shortcuts or quick wins. But together, anti-racist allies can use their power to truly change the world and lives.
Scrapbook Saturday – February 2019
Gaelic Storm
Scrapbook Saturday – February 2019
A February show that wasn’t canceled but I couldn’t get to due to a snow storm.
Book Review: Survival of the Thickest
I knew Michelle Buteau from her cohosting VH1 Morning Buzz with Nick Lachey and thought she was pretty funny, so I wanted to check out her book. It was kind of what I expected – a lot of pop culture references – most of which I got even though I am under 38 😉 It was definitely interesting to hear about her life growing up and being light skinned. Her Dad is from Haiti and her Mom is from Jamaica.
The book seemed to bounce around a bit on the timeline which confused me at times and I also could have gone without her reminding us about how big her tits were every other chapter (despite having gotten a reduction.) But Michelle is funny and that came through for sure when reading this – it was easy to hear her voice coming through as I read along. Though a comedian, she did touch on some tougher topics like 9/11/01 and dealing with IVF and miscarriages and I thought she wrote about these topics well. That may be why she was considering journalism before she went into comedy. She has a skill for both.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
From the stand-up comedian, actress, and host beloved for her cheeky swagger, unique voice, and unapologetic frankness comes a book of comedic essays for fans of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling and We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union.
If you’ve watched television or movies in the past year, you’ve seen Michelle Buteau. With scene-stealing roles in Always Be My Maybe, First Wives Club, Someone Great, Russian Doll, and Tales of the City; a reality TV show and breakthrough stand-up specials, including her headlining show Welcome to Buteaupia on Netflix, and two podcasts (Late Night Whenever and Adulting), Michelle’s star is on the rise. You’d be forgiven for thinking the road to success—or adulthood or financial stability or self-acceptance or marriage or motherhood—has been easy; but you’d be wrong.
Now, in Survival of the Thickest, Michelle reflects on growing up Caribbean, Catholic, and thick in New Jersey, going to college in Miami (where everyone smells like pineapple), her many friendship and dating disasters, working as a newsroom editor during 9/11, getting started in standup opening for male strippers, marrying into her husband’s Dutch family, IVF and surrogacy, motherhood, chosen family, and what it feels like to have a full heart, tight jeans, and stardom finally in her grasp.