June 2021

What I’m Reading

Book Reviews

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Family by Patrick Radden Keefe: Click here to read my review

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: Click here to read my review

Other

“Michelle Wie West Was Ready to Retire. Then She Got Mad.” by Karen Crouse | June 3, 2021 | The New York Times

“Can ‘Sex and the City’ Still Matter?” by Sonia Saraiya | June 10, 2021 | Vanity Fair

“What is Going on at Yale Law School?” by Lizzie Widdicombe | June 19, 2021 | The New Yorker

“How Lin-Manuel Miranda and Friends Made an Old Bookstore New” by Michael Paulson | June 6, 2021 | The New York Times

“The Forgotten Woman Who Helped Save Countless Birds by Challenging the Fashion for Feathers” by Malcolm Smith | June 28, 2021 | TIME

“What Does the Future of Golf Look Like?” by Daniel Rapaport | June 9, 2021 | Golf Digest

What I’m Listening To

“In 'Somebody's Daughter' Ashley C. Ford Confronts The Crimes Of Her Father” | NPR’s Fresh Air

“Sweeping Family Sagas for Classic and Contemporary Tastes” | Novel Pairings Pod

“George Packer on Our Divided America” | New York Times Book Review Podcast

“Elin Hilderbrand Chats Beach Reads, Nantucket Eats, and More” | Bad on Paper Podcast

The Book

Today, I’d thought I’d share one of the first things I uncovered in my research — Bessie’s bible, given to her by her Sunday School teacher when she was thirteen. Filled with her various annotations and reflections, it offers a beautiful glimpse into Bessie’s inner life — a view entirely separate from what can be gleaned from the newspapers, magazines, letters, and photographs.

From time to time, I reread her notes, and it feels like we’re having a conversation — as though she’s telling me what she struggled with, what she questioned, and what she believed.