Must Love Books | Shauna Robinson | Book Review

In Must Love Books, Nora’s life is not going how she planned. She’s always loved books, and publishing seemed like the perfect job. Now, five years in, she’s still just an undervalued assistant stuck doing more administrative work than actual book-related work. When a new wave of budget cuts hurts Nora’s already low salary, she takes a freelance position with a competing publishing house in order to make ends meet. It’s not ideal, and weighs heavily on Nora, but at least she can pay her rent. Then she gets to know author Andrew Santos. He might be the one to turn everything around if she plays her cards right. But Nora wasn’t counting on falling for Andrew in the process, and the person she thought might save her could just be the one to send her tumbling over the edge.

In the process of trying to figure out her life, many of Nora’s thoughts do get dark. If thoughts and discussions about ending one’s life are triggering for you as a reader, please be cautious when reading this book. While some of the people closest to Nora are happy, sunshine characters, I can’t even call Nora a grumpy character; she’s too far gone for even that. Nora is all the hardest parts of Millennial culture (career dissatisfaction, financial insecurity, mental imbalances) all rolled into one, and Must Love Books is her journey to not only face her problems head on, but also find ways to make her life worth living again on her terms.

I have to applaud author Shauna Robinson for including such wonderful social commentary in this book, and not shying away from any of it. Our main character, Nora, is biracial and Robinson effortlessly brings Nora’s experiences into the conversation multiple times. I was really glad to see several discussions on the lack of representation in the publishing industry, both from Nora (who is half Black) and her romantic interest Andrew (who is Filipino).

With closed door romance, Must Love Books was able to really focus on Nora and her journey. While Nora’s job was the catalyst for that journey, so much factored into her story and watching it all play out on the page was at times both heartbreaking and beautiful to read. Must Love Books might not be for anyone looking for a light, quick read. But if you’re looking for a heartfelt story about overcoming, I highly recommend Nora’s journey in Must Love Books.

 

Sapiens: A Brief History Of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Book Review

“A meaningful life can be extremely satisfying even in the midst of hardship, whereas a  meaningless life is a terrible ordeal no matter how comfortable it is.”

― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

What made it possible for Homo sapiens to subdue the other species? What makes us capable of the most beautiful works of art, the most unimaginable scientific breakthroughs, and the most horrifying wars? In a relatively short span of 300,000 years, Homo sapiens went from being just one of the many human species that inhabited the Earth to become the most dominant species on this planet.

 

The story of how this transition came about and how it led us to the completely interconnected world we have today is the subject of Sapiens – A Brief History of Humanity by Yuval Noah Harari.

 

Formally, the book is divided into 4 basic parts and 20 chapters. What is particularly striking here is the subdivision into three revolutions, unfortunately not usually addressed or taught. Harari divides his narrative into three events, which he considers milestones for the advancement of the human species. It begins with the cognitive revolution, the starting point for man's existence, and goes through the agricultural revolution and scientific revolution, which now calls into question the existence of humanity as we know it.

 

The first part looks at the cognitive revolution (68,000 BC), which mainly relates to the emergence of Homo sapiens and the evolutionary differences between our species and the other now-extinct human species. The unique 'fictitious' language of Homo sapiens is cited as the main attribute that distinguishes us from other animal and human species.

 

The second part deals with the agricultural revolution that took place around 12,000 years ago. After two and a half million years as hunters and gatherers in this revolution, humans began to interfere with natural processes.

 

In the third part, Harari tells us how people around the world have united. Therefore, the three reasons for the unification are invented myths: the world empires, money, and religions.

 

Finally, the last part of the book describes the scientific revolution that started about 500 years ago and, in some ways, is still going on. It represents the rise of science due to insight into ignorance. The direct connection between scientific progress and power is remarkable here. In this part, Harari also addresses modern capitalism, and in doing so, he contrasts both the successes and the downsides of capitalism.

 

Sapiens is a really good book that is definitely worth reading. A book in which history is told differently, which does not look at it as a simple series of events, analyzes causes and effects, observes trends, and brings both information and observations essential to understand its course. Those who have always thought that history is boring, and those who have always wondered where we came from and where we are going, should read this book. 

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men | Caroline Criado Perez | Book Review

“When we exclude half of humanity from the production of knowledge we lose out on potentially transformative insights.” 

- Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women

Invisible Women is a very concrete book, full of examples taken from everyday life. It is a non-fiction book and its purpose is simple and straightforward: to demonstrate how women are systematically forgotten by society in all aspects of daily life.

In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez focuses on the enormous data void that exists when it comes to women and the catastrophic consequences this data void causes. The data void exists in everything from medical research, technology, and politics to media and disaster management. Perez has collected an impressive number of studies and reports which point out the lack of regard for women in all these areas. 

In the six chapters:

• everyday life
• At work
• design
• The doctor's visit
• Public life
• If something goes wrong

Caroline Criado Perez uses numerous examples to explain the so-called gender data gap, i.e., the gap in gender-specific data, which disadvantages women in all areas of life.

The spectrum of topics raised by Criado Parez is impressively broad, from smartphone sizes and jeans pocket depths, through urban development planning and communication timetables to medicine and car crash testing procedures. The shocking lack of available data on women's bodies, habits, and needs. As in the case of smartphones, developed based on the size of men's hands; or the average office temperature, calibrated on male metabolism; or medical research, which excludes women from testing "for the sake of simplification." 

Starting from these surprising cases and examining many others, Caroline Criado Perez gives life to an investigation that shows us how the vacuum of gender data has created a pervasive and latent prejudice that has a profound, sometimes even fatal, repercussion on the lives of women. 

The author, through such data, has tried to show that our realities have been shaped by men for centuries, creating a world comfortable for them without taking into account the needs of women. This is happening in every field and company, from local to international. Everyday items are designed "by default" that is for men. 

The author has documented the problem going on for centuries that makes half of the world's population invisible. According to her, documenting these issues proves that many discriminatory situations could be avoided if we collect data covering the division by gender and took it into account while making decisions.  

In my opinion, Invisible Women is an essential book that may profoundly change your vision. It is a comprehensive presentation on the consequences of the absence or ignorance of gender data. This reading is instructive and necessary whether you are a woman or a man.