I know several men and women who have been affected by sexual assault and rape. Some of the cases of rape involved strangers, the man waiting in the shadows ready to attack. What I would call the traditional understanding of rape. However, the majority of the cases of rape from the people I know have … Continue reading
Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel Middlesex is a breathtaking inter-generational novel that addresses issues of the complex history of Eastern Europe, Greek identity, Greek-American identity, growing up in the U.S., and intersex and other LGBTQA identities. It would be easy to talk all day about the complexities of this novel as well as Eugenides’ exquisite prose … Continue reading
The concept of ‘crabs in a barrel’ comes from fishing for crabs. The crabs are caught and placed in buckets, or barrels, for transport and storage. The crabs begin to fight their way to the top in an attempt to escape and they begin hurting each other in the process. Its probably triggered from a … Continue reading
If you are a fan of true crime writing, you will be well aware of Michelle McNamara’s work: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer. It is a truly chilling, terrifying, unsettling, and complicated story that spans decades. Since its release, the cold case also became extremely … Continue reading
Mary Shelley wrote her novel Frankenstein in 1818, which tells of the young scientist Victor Frankenstein who experiments with nature and biology to reanimate a human. Frankenstein’s monster is a combination of body parts. He is hideous in form, yet cannot escape the universal human desire to love and to be loved. Frankenstein’s monster is … Continue reading
Ever since I was a child, you repeated in my ear, “Never end up like me.” I used to think I knew what that meant. I thought it meant getting out of our small town. I thought it meant getting all the papers that society required for you to prove your smarts. I thought it … Continue reading
This year feels a lot like swings and roundabouts when it comes to how things are going in my life. There are moments where I hold my breath and think to myself, “Things could finally be working out” and then the universe steps in with an industrial-sized frying pan and hits me in the face. … Continue reading
In recent years there has been a shift in the Western world in the way that we talk about mental health. Stigma has been addressed head-on and real discussions are happening online, face-to-face, in doctor’s offices, and over the phone about mental health. People are coming forward and talking about their mental health and people … Continue reading
It is nothing new that trans voices have often been pushed aside, forgotten, and oppressed in societies across the globe. The fact that they confuse societal norms about gender binaries and gender-stasis make them terrifying to those who do not understand or prescribe to gender fluidity. This, paired with the flip side of people using … Continue reading
Disclaimer: unapologetic discussions about periods and diarrhea ahead. As soon as I saw this book appear as a new release in Goodreads, I put it on my TBR straight away. As someone who identifies as a woman who also has a uterus, this book spoke to me. I’ve struggled with painful and irregular periods my … Continue reading
