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I鈥檓 not generally into books with ghosts鈥 but this has held my interest, especially learning ...more "
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"Artists, in particular, loved this way of thinking about color; it seemed to confirm something intuitive 鈥 since the moment they were conscious of seeing the world. But this talk of color also appealed to people like the General, who thought that the shortcut to bettering the nation鈥檚 race, ascending the tower of skin tones in those casta paintings, might be found in an alchemy of diluted science and faith." — 9 hours, 7 min ago
"Artists, in particular, loved this way of thinking about color; it seemed to confirm something intuitive 鈥 since the moment they were conscious of seeing the world. But this talk of color also appealed to people like the General, who thought that the shortcut to bettering the nation鈥檚 race, ascending the tower of skin tones in those casta paintings, might be found in an alchemy of diluted science and faith." — 9 hours, 7 min ago
Laurel
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progress:
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"Ugh, if there is one thing she hates more than anything, it鈥檚 feeling small and helpless. She only likes acting like a helpless little old lady; she doesn鈥檛 actually like being one, for goodness鈥 sake." — Mar 17, 2025 06:58PM
"Ugh, if there is one thing she hates more than anything, it鈥檚 feeling small and helpless. She only likes acting like a helpless little old lady; she doesn鈥檛 actually like being one, for goodness鈥 sake." — Mar 17, 2025 06:58PM
I never grew to feel like I was from there, or anywhere else for that matter. I got antsy when I stayed in the same place for longer than a year or two, afraid of getting stuck, like a barnacle to the hull of a ship. This is the curse of
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“My grandparents鈥 stories are my inheritance; each one is an heirloom I carry. Each one is a monument to an era that still courses through my grandfather鈥檚 veins. Each story is a memorial that still sits in my grandmother鈥檚 bones. My grandparents鈥 voices are a museum I am still learning how to visit, each conversation with them a new exhibit worthy of my time.”
― How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
― How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

“When we cry, we save ourselves a little.”
― The Heartbeat Library
― The Heartbeat Library

“The whole Abrahamic world invests itself in this promise: Don't lie, don't cheat, don't fuck or steal or kill, and you'll be a good person. Eight of the ten commandments are about what thou shalt not. But you can live a whole life not doing any of that stuff and still avoid doing any good. That's the whole crisis. The rot at the root of everything. The belief that goodness is built on a constructed absence, not-doing. That belief corrupts everything, has everyone with any power sitting on their hands. A rich man goes a whole day without killing a single homeless person and so goes to sleep content in his goodness. In another world, he's buying crates of socks and Clif bars and tents, distributing them in city centers. But for him, abstinence reigns.”
― Martyr!
― Martyr!

“Something about that memory moved him. It revealed the foresight of memory which, without us noticing, records life and presents it to us when we are finally able to understand it.”
― The Heartbeat Library
― The Heartbeat Library

“The performance of certainty seemed to be at the root of so much grief. Everyone in America seemed to be afraid and hurting and angry, starving for a fight they could win. And more than that even, they seemed certain their natural state was to be happy, contented, and rich. The genesis of everyone鈥檚 pain had to be external, such was their certainty. And so legislators legislated, building border walls, barring citizens of there from entering here. 鈥淭he pain we feel comes from them, not ourselves,鈥 said the banners, and people cheered, certain of all the certainty. But the next day they鈥檇 wake up and find that what had hurt in them still hurt.”
― Martyr!
― Martyr!

we read and discuss fiction and nonfiction books to deepen our understanding about the climate and the environment.

newark-based book club for progressive ladies and gents interested in reading and discussing nonfiction, historical fiction and really whatever suits ...more

Welcome to the official Oprah's Book Club group. OBC is the interactive, multi-platform reading club bringing passionate readers together to discuss i ...more
Laurel鈥檚 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Laurel鈥檚 Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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