Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement by Nadya Okamoto

My rating: 4/5 stars

“In some parts of the world, menarche is a day that young menstruators may learn to dread. A first period can hold the weight of signifying the transition from girlhood to womanhood, and it is often the single event that leads to a girl’s dropping out of school, getting married early, undergoing female genital mutilation, or in some places even being forced into social isolation.”

Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement

Two weeks ago (before I picked up this book), I thought I was pretty well-versed with all things periods and menstruation related. After all, I’ve been bleeding out of my vagina, once a month for the past 264 months.  (I almost decided not to use the word “vagina” right there, but then that would mean I didn’t learn anything from this book). 

So yeah,  there I was thinking, I’m pretty knowledgeable about periods, I experience them every month but sure let me see what this book is about. And turns out this book is about A LOT. Turns out that I wasn’t as “woke” as I thought I was. I didn’t realize how often I engage in behaviour that promotes period associated shame. For example: hiding my sanitary pad on my way to the washroom at work; saying it’s “that time of the month” instead of flat out using the word “period”; being paranoid about the outline/bulge of my pad showing through my pair of jeans etc. 

“When discussing menstrual equity, it’s so important that we’re inclusive about the language that we use and the actions that we take”

Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement

Another thing this book brought to my attention is the need  to be aware of inclusivity when fighting for period rights. I LOVED that the people experiencing menstruation are referred to as “menstruators” and not “women”. This was not the first time I became aware of other people besides women experiencing menstruation but it was honestly the first time I had ever heard of the phrase “menstruators”.

The time and research that was put into this book is remarkable. You can tell that this is something Okamoto is truly passionate about. As the title of the book says, this is indeed a manifesto for the period movement. Okamato touches on so much. To name a few:

• Period Products
• History of period related stigma
• Period poverty (its effect on the homeless, young girls education, health and well being)
• The effect policy can have on the period movement

Like I said earlier, this book covers A LOT. Okamato is inspiring, her passion for this movement is evident throughout this book and it makes me so happy to see what she has accomplished so far. A true period warrior. 

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

My rating: 4/5 stars

“Life is long and full of an infinite number of decisions. I have to think that the small ones don’t matter, that I’ll end up where I need to end up no matter what I do.”

Maybe in Another Life

Hannah is done moving from city to city. At 29 she is ready to find some sort of stability in her life. She returns to Los Angeles (home of her best friend Gabby and first love Ethan). On one of her first nights back, Hannah goes out to a bar with Gabby and her husband, where they meet up with Ethan and few other old friends.

Maybe in Another Life explores two versions of life Hannah would have if at the end of the night she left with Gabby & her husband or with Ethan.

This was a very enjoyable book and it was very exciting seeing both versions of Hannah’s life unfold. I love how similarities and differences between the two versions existed at the same time.

“So I have to think that while I exist in other universes, none of them are as sweet as this.”

Maybe in Another Life

This is something Hannah said at the end of both versions, while reflecting on her life and I just couldn’t help but smile.

I feel like the overall message of the story is that; ultimately we will end up where we’re meant to be, when we’re meant to. We will end up with who we’re meant to be with, if it’s meant to be. And the choices you make or don’t make today could lead to many different extraordinary lives, and we can spend days or weeks or years thinking of what was or what could’ve been, all the while not realizing our extraordinary lives are happening right now.

After reading Daisy Jones & The Six recently, I was excited to pick up another Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I’m happy to say I was not disappointed. 

Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions by Briallen Hopper 

My rating: 3.5/5 stars

“I am not a mother and maybe I never will be. For a long time I have been trying to understand and manage that anticipated maternal ache— to see my childlessness as an effect of my privilege as well as of my powerlessness; as a gift from affordable birth control as much as it is a curse from the men who didn’t love me enough….I feel compelled to mourn the ways that maternity is thwarted by circumstance, and to honour the ways women have found  to survive nonetheless.”

Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions

20 essays/confessions centred around  love, in all its various forms. Hopper’s essays are influenced by friends and family, books, writers, movies and tv shows. 

There were five essays in particular that I really loved:

How To Be Single

Definitely the funniest story in this collection. Hopper gives advice on how to end a relationship, remain single, and how to avoid accidentally falling into a new relationship. From hilarious tips like “Tinder is great because it doesn’t matter which way you swipe as long as you never meet anyone in person”, to “Sometimes when you’re alone you remember something they said and laugh aloud with involuntary joy. When this happens, it’s best to friend-zone them aggressively right away”; Hopper’s advice is comical yet practical and true to navigating dating/relationships in the age of high speed internet, dating apps, & ghosting. 

Young Adult Cancer Story

An entire essay praising The Fault in Our Stars & the YA genre? Yes, please. More than that though, Hopper shares how the famous John Green novel helped one of her very best friends through her own cancer battle. TFIOS was to her what An Imperial Affliction was to Hazel Grace. 

Everything You’ve Got 

In this essay, Hopper dissects the relationship/dynamics of the main characters in the 80s tv show ‘Cheers’. I had never heard of this show prior to reading this chapter but I was completely captivated by Hopper’s analysis of some of the show’s key moments. 

The Foundling Museum 

The Foundling Museum is one of the shorter essays in this collection but is also one of the most powerful. Hopper relates the story of Hagar from the bible (Abraham’s slave ‘wife’) to the hardships of many women today. 

“Even as I write this, there are women crossing the Sonoran Desert, looking for shade, looking for water, afraid to watch their children die. There are women divided from their children by bureaucracy—the official forms of ICE or CPS that tear families in two. These women are Hagar’s sisters..”

Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions

Moby-Dick

“In self-pitying moments I thought to myself: You’ve devoted decades to loving the people you love, and you’ve spent endless hours and immense emotional energy getting to know them and taking care of them, but you’ve apparently reached the age of almost-forty without having a single solitary person in your life who is willing to jack off into a cup for you.”

Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions

Hopper shares the beginning of her journey towards hopefully becoming a mother someday soon and her realization about the ways she would have to achieve it. 

Hard to Love is for the most part an intense read. These are not trivial issues that are being discussed and the essays/confessions are very personal. Hopper is clearly an extremely talented writer and her ability to be open and vulnerable adds to the beauty of her writing. 

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

My rating: 3/5 stars

I sat down to write this review about five hours after I finished reading the book and as I started to type I realized I couldn’t remember the main characters name :/. Which pretty much sums up how I felt about: nice but not memorable. 

In summary, this book is about Ruth who finally decides to make the big move to Hollywood (with her grandmother) to pursue her dreams. She writes a show called ‘The Next Best Thing’ which is loosely based on the life she and her grandmother have shared. When her show gets picked up by a network, she quickly realizes that things might not go as planned. She also realizes people in Hollywood are not always as they seem and also struggles to feel fulfilled in her personal relationships. 

What I did like about this book, was the insight into the creation of shows in Hollywood. Weiner gives great detail on the writing process to casting to production; it was all very interesting to read. 

The rest of the story though was just alright.  Some aspects more interesting than others but overall, I didn’t feel particularly attached to any of the characters or even the outcome events.