Books I read in July 2022
July was really trying to show off. I read 4 books in July due to being on vacation and then getting COVID :P
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
If you think about beautiful women, Emily Ratajkowski is definitely a name that comes to mind. However, we don't think of her as a feminist activist or a vulnerable woman trying to make a name for herself in society and a woman trying to own her own image while shedding the image that society has placed on her. But that is what this book does to me. It makes you see this physically beautiful woman as a strong daughter, wife, mother and member of society.
The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Han
I read this book after watching the TV show on Netflix and the book didn't disappoint! It had everything one could want from a YA romance! A love rectangle(!) and a triangle! It's a sweet romance and I can't wait to read the sequels when they become available on Libby and watch the new seasons as they come out on Amazon Prime!
Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie
I got early access to the preview of this book thanks to Riverhead Books! I was immediately transported to memories of attending high school right along side the protagonists! Maybe because I went to the same high school as Kamala Shamsie the author! It's a story of two friends who are opposites to each other but still are the best of friends. It speaks of their differences and how it both is a bedrock of their friendship but also how it tests the strength of their relationship over time. The best part of this book was definitely seeing how the protagonists viewed each other and learn about Maryam through Zahra's eyes and vice versa. It definitely made me confront the idea that the outward personality we create for ourself is not always the way we perceive ourselves or the way we want to be!
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
This is another book that I got in advance! And it prompted a large amount of conversation between my husband and I about what we would do or how our perception of ourselves and society would change if we woke up being of a different gender or skin tone. It's definitely something I have been thinking about since then and as an individual thinking about if I can make some of those more positive changes right now? For e.g. how would I conduct myself if I woke up as a white woman? Would I be more confident? If so why can't I be that now?
This book is not just one of self discovery but also of how relationships around you change as people around you learn more about themselves but you too learn moreabout yourself.