I can’t believe it, but this is the last installment of Voter Literacy, with Traci. Not because I am done writing at SheReads.com, but because this is the last month before the election *screams in existential dread*. By this time next month we will have a new president-elect. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to leave you all, but what I decided is that no matter what happens in these upcoming state, local, and national races, the issues I’ve been writing about this year will still be top of mind for many of us.
Since this column started, a whole bunch of books have come out into the world, including many that address the topics we’ve already covered here. So, with that in mind, this final Voter Literacy, with Traci will be one additional book recommendation for each of the categories we covered that have come out this year. I also gave you one final book that I suggest for anyone who wants to get involved and doesn’t quite know how.
I hope that all these books and the many others I’ve featured in this column will help you to make the best choices for you, your community, and the world when you head to the polls on November 5th.
ABORTION
Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win by Jessica Valenti
If you’re looking to talk about the rights of women to control their bodies and have access to healthcare with anyone who isn’t enthusiastically on board with that opinion, you must read this book. Valenti herself says her book isn’t about “preaching to the choir” , it is about “arming” them. She has filled this book with facts, data, talking points, and compelling arguments for the importance of bodily autonomy for women, and in turn everyone.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
EDUCATION
They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms by Mike Hixenbaugh
In this deeply reported book we see how one win for conservatives in the courts in Texas is threatening to undermine public education in the United States. The book exposes the many forces and interests at play when it comes to some of the most potent culture wars being fought in schools, like book banning and the attack on LGBTQIA+ students and teachers.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
HEALTHCARE
How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom by Johanna Hedva
So much of the conversation around healthcare revolves around medical insurance and policy. This book is very much about how those policies apply to people in real life. The essays in this collection subvert the broad public discourse to drill into the funk and mess of pain and illness, and to remind the reader that these issues are important and that no one is outside the scope of health, care, and accessibility.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
IMMIGRATION
Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America by Paola Ramos
Before anyone yells at me, I know this book is not exclusively about immigration, however it does tackle issues around immigration in the Latine community beautifully. Ramos talks about the ways race, political trauma, and identity politics play into the rising trend of some Latine voters in supporting conservative politicians and the debates around immigration.This is an extremely well reported book that highlights the diversity of Latine people and their perspectives on politics and culture.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
ISRAEL & PALESTINE
The Threshold of Dissent: A History of American Jewish Critics of Zionism by Marjorie Feld
There have been a lot of books that have come out this year that I could whole-heartedly recommend to you in this category (two other off the top of my head are Forest of Noise a poetry collection from Mosab Abu Toha, and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ latest The Message). The one I chose is The Threshold for Dissent because it challenges many assumptions around “Jewish thinking” when it comes to Israel. It highlights the long standing tradition of Jews to speak out against Zionism, and explores how that history is not new to the last year but has been informing the debate for decades.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson
When I wrote about political violence this summer I talked about the different kinds, and one of those kinds is the violence of a group of civilians against other civilians. In that vein, The Barn, is a fascinating look at the murder of Emmett Till and the history of the land on which his blood was shed. Wright Thompsn delves into the history of Mississippi, specifically the Mississippi Delta, and shows how centuries of violence of the state against the people led to one of the most infamous murders of a civilian in US history.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
PRISONS
The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice by Dan Slepian
This book follows author Dan Slepian as he investigates the stories of six men who were wrongfully convicted. The book has echoes of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, in that it mixes Slepian’s personal experiences with the stories of the men he follows. This book will give you a glimpse into a system that was designed to disregard truth in place of convictions, and the people who lost their freedom because of it.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
THE SUPREME COURT
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson
When the first ever Black woman on the Supreme Court writes a memoir, it is a must-read. This book not only gives us a glimpse into the justice’s life and what it takes to get on the court, it also gives us insights into what happens behind closed doors from a person who is fresh to the bench.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
HOPE
Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives by Sami Sage and Emily Amick
If you’re looking for a book to help you feel hopeful and engaged not only in election season politics but beyond into your everyday life, this is your book. Get tips and tricks (and worksheets and prompts) to help you take your passion for any issue and turn it into action and activism. This book is welcoming for even the most reserved among us. It is practical and inspirational. It will make you excited to fulfill your civic duty in your own community.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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