Gift Shopping

Roberta McReynolds Writes: "Not a Christmas went by without the hope of discovering a brand-new box of 64 crayons to unwrap. Opening the lid released that unforgettable whiff of waxy pigments, and revealed the first glimpse of rows of those perfect tips on display that had never yet touched paper. The body of each stick was double wrapped in paper to lessen the chance of breakage. Those little paper shrouds bore the official name of each color. It was necessary to peel back the paper as the crayons wore down with usage. As I picked at the edge of the stiff paper it would inevitably slip under my short fingernails and stab the tender quick. Tearing back the paper in uneven strips ruined the perfect appearance in my eyes. One time I removed the entire paper from every single crayon to make them all uniform, and soon discovered how difficult it was to discern the differences in the darker colors. I regretted the disaster I’d created and immediately began longing for my next new box of crayons." more »

Jill Norgren reviews three must read books about law and justice: In Philippa Strum’s On Account of Sex: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Making of Gender Equality Law we learn how Ginsburg did notorious work before she became “the notorious RBG.” Ginsburg was one of the many activist women lawyers in the U.S. who have worked on behalf of issues of justice. In Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America Dahlia Lithwick introduces readers to several more, women attorneys who, during and after the Trump years, have sought justice for immigrants, would-be voters, and anti-fascist protestors among others. Rounding out these must-reads is Justice on the Brink, journalist Linda Greenhouse’s account of the U.S. Supreme Court during its 2020-2021 term when three new conservative Trump nominees along with Justices Roberts, Thomas, and Alito took full control of SCOTUS. more »

Jo Freeman reviews My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives by Charlayne Hunter-Gault; nine republished pieces are about Africa and another nine are about different aspects of her personal life in the US – a stay in Harlem when she was five, returning to U.Ga nine years after she integrated it, vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard. Eleven are on women. She interviewed the famous (e.g. Nelson Mandela), the infamous (e.g. the Black Panthers) and the not famous (her grandmother). more »

Jo Freeman Reviews: "The ones who bowed the furthest and fastest were the ones who wanted most to see and be seen with Trump; to call and be called, to hear their names in the media coupled with his. The fact that the masses loved DJT didn’t make it any easier for those who wanted his approval to hold onto a modicum of self-respect. Disagreement with Trump would lead to disparagement, and that could lead to defeat. That’s why so many Republican MCs decided it was time to retire. Two years after Trump took office, almost half of House Republicans were gone or going. A lot, but not all, were defeated in the 2018 election. By then most of Trump’s initial appointments were also gone. Sycophancy was insufficient for survival." more »