Happy Holidays!

Hope you're enjoying the holidays (and the extra time to read) with the people that you love!

--Whitney

Green Living: Make Use of Your Books

Over at Apartment Therapy, they've featured a cool post on how to reuse your vintage books. You know. The ones collecting dust but you are loathe to get rid of? Well, bust out the creative thinking and a few old pieces of furniture and voila!

Photos: Apartment Therapy

SheReads: Bessie, The Fabulous Do-Gooder

SheReads looks at the reading lists of cool chicks. If you want to be featured, send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.

We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness by Alice Walker. "This book is a beautiful collection of essays and speeches by Walker that reflects wisdom, compassion, and social activism. This book took me on a journey with Alice Walker as she wrote about everything from childbirth, to love, to womanism, sexism, and life."

When Chicken Heads Come Home to Roost: A Hip Hop Feminist Breaks It Down by Joan Morgan. "I read this book in college but I still pick it up and read it every now and then, that is how much of an impact this book has had on my life. This book speaks on the reality of being an African-American woman and touched on male-female relationships in the African-American community. I was definitely able to see myself in several of the chapters."

A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown. "This book about redemption chronicles the life of the author as she goes through abuse, neglect, prostitution, and then on to college and law school to become a successful lawyer and, now, author. I love stories of redemption, because in life we will all enter a season that will end in redemption at one point or another."

Bessie is an Atlanta-based young women's advocate and social entrepreneur who's equal parts fabulous and philanthropic. Catch up with her at Twitter.com/FabDoGooder or via her Web site, TheFabulousDoGooder.com.

Voices: The Egalitarian Chick on 'Push' by Sapphire

We came across this review of Push by Sapphire, which is now a Golden Globe-nominated film. Check it out:

I love it when a book--any book--is hot property. This is certainly the case these days for Push, which I bought from a book vendor on 125th street. because the title was so popular the weekend Precious came out he had to summon another vendor who came sprinting down the street, book in hand.

So is Push any good, hype aside? Yes. It's a quick read, and a painful read--Sapphire doesn't pull any punches and her heroine suffers every kind of tribulation imaginable--but I found it incredibly worthwhile first as an example of experimental narrative, second as an incredibly real window into a place and time and a person's psyche.


Read the rest at The Egalitarian Bookworm.

--Whitney

Uptown Literati Gift Guide, Part II: For the Kiddies

It's back! Part two of the Uptown Literati Gift Guide is dedicated to the wee ones in your life: your kids, nieces and nephews, cousins, and every other little person with an appreciation for books.

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas [Ages: 3-6, Jane O’Conner ($10.00, Amazon): All the rage right now, the Fancy Nancy series has a special Christmas story for the young and imaginative minds in your life. For Nancy there is nothing better than fanciness and nothing fancier than Christmas. The New York Times loves the Fancy Nancyseries, stating “Nancy's joy is infectious, and her over-the-top elegant vocabulary pays off in a warm twist.”


The Polar Express [Ages: 5-8], Chris Van Allsburg ($11.07, Amazon): Republished just in time for your holiday shopping (well, really for the release of the film starring Tom Hanks), this book tells the classic tale of the young boy who experiences a Christmas Eve every kid dreams of. Up waiting for the sound of Santa on his rooftop, he discovers the Polar Express outside his home. Already filled with children, the train takes them on an adventure to the North Pole that he never forgets.


The Princess and the Frog [Ages: 8-12], Irene Trimble ($4.99, Amazon): Every little girl wants to be a princess. Now young black girls everywhere have one to call their own. This “junior novelization” is a great way to get your little princess reading chapter books. Not only will she be enthralled with the enchanting love story of Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, but she will be delighted to have eight full-color pages of scenes from the movie.



A Really Short History of Nearly Everything [Ages: 9-12], Bill Bryson ($11.69, Amazon): Perfect for the child in your life who can’t stop asking “Why?” about nearly everything. This book will help them understand the fundamentals of the coolest science concepts out there, from atoms to astrology to energy. It’s all there. The best thing about putting this book in their hands? Shhhh… They won’t even know they’re learning.

What do you think of the list? Tweet your reactions to @UptownLiterati!

--Nikita Mitchell

Uptown Literati Gift Guide, Part I: For the Ladies

It's here! Part one of the official Uptown Literati Gift Guide is dedicated to all the fly gals in your life: mom, sister, aunt or maybe your best friend. A good book is always the perfect holiday gift, especially if you choose one of these:


Changing My Mind, Zadie Smith ($17.79, Amazon): Smith's latest is a collection of essays by the award-winning novelist. It's great for the woman that appreciates witty discourse in short chunks (i.e. a train or bus commuter). We haven't read the book yet, but Amazon.com says the subjects range from "literature, movies, going to the Oscars, British comedy, family, feminism, Obama, Katharine Hepburn, and Anna Magnani."

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat ($14.61, Amazon): Cupcakes are huge these days, with designer creations going for upwards of $4 a pop. With everyone tightening their belt and everyone and their mama thinking their something of a domestic goddess, why not gift your favorite girl with a guide to whipping up these simple pleasures?

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz ($10.08, Amazon): According to many, Diaz is the best young writer this side of the pond. If you love his writing, pass it on! Oscar Wao, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is a great introduction to his amazing talent. And, in the words of book tweeter @TatianaRichards: "@uptownliterati The Alchemist, Oscar Wao & Daddy Was a Number Runner are my faves to give!"

Girl Trouble, Holly Goddard Jones ($10.19, Amazon): After reading a great review from Oprah.com, this short story collection immediately made its way to our Wish List. The site describes the books with "the eight stories collected here poignantly dissect a group of trapped people—mothers, lovers, students, dads—all doing the best they can."

Other books to consider:

Girls in Trucks, Katie Crouch

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer

To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism, Foreword by Rebecca Walker

Nanny Returns, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (will be released on December 15)

What do you think of the list? Tweet your reactions to @UptownLiterati!

--Whitney Teal

Oh Snap!: 'Glee'-ful About Vonnegut

Quinn Fabray of 'Glee' may be working it out with all kinds of accessories, but the one thing a girl can never have too much of is a good read.

--Nicole

Photo: Jezebel

Uptown Literati x Clutch Weekly Reading Recommendation 11.20.09

Who: African-American novelist Colson Whitehead

What: Sag Harbor. The story of a black teen belonging to a community of upper class African-American professionals and his growth out of pre-pubescence and into self-awareness during summers spent at the gated community Sag Harbor. Using diction and cultural references that lends themselves to the era—the 1980s—Whitehead paints a colorful and humorous sketch of a black teen during the days when ice cream color shirts and jeans, high- top shoes and fades were new fashion statements and not a throwback. Whitehead’s protagonist Benji Cooper is an all-white-prep-school-attending-Lite FM listening-Fangoria magazine-loving teen during the fall and winter back in Manhattan. But during the summers at Sag Harbor his mannerisms morph into a dap-giving-Run-DMC-listening-slang-talking kid. It’s this dichotomy of self in different environments that Whitehead explores in his fourth book.

Why: Using humor in literature requires skill, especially when tackling the issue of race identity. Whitehead’s humor adds a new dimension to the discussion of what it means to “act white” or “act black” without diminishing the significance of the conversation. Through Benji, Whitehead questions what is stereotypical behavior and attitudes of a young black man? How does he fit into or evade the box of black identity? But Whitehead does not approach this question with resentment. Instead, he employs nostalgia to transport the reader back to when they, too, were a teen and how confusing, awkward, and memorable it was for a lot of people, despite your race.

Rating: 3.5 stars

--Nicole Crowder

Oh Snap! McCainin' It

Actress Rachel True got a dose of inspiration from Meghan McCain's now-infamous Twitpic while reading Feminista.

Photo: The Feminista Files

-- Whitney Teal

Uptown Literati x Clutch Weekly Reading Recommendation 11.13.09

The Weekly Reading Recommendation is a weekly book column written by Uptown Literati's editors for Clutch.

Who: Novelist Sue Monk Kidd

What: The Secret Life of Bees, Kidd’s well-loved novel, which was turned into a popular film last summer. Imbuing much of Kidd’s own colorful childhood, the story is narrated by motherless teen Lily Owens. Along with her Black caretaker Rosaleen, the girl is forced to flee her hometown in 1960’s South Carolina and winds up in the care of the eccentric Boatwright sisters, who are a brand of sophisticated African-Americans that Lily has never encountered. She and Rosaleen experience a short, dreamy reprieve from their usual lives, which were previously filled with longing (for Lily) and animosity (for Rosaleen), before more tragedies strike.

Why: Centering on an orphan’s heart-felt discoveries, the book is emotional and earthy, almost to the point of being overly emotional. Although narrated by White Lily, most of the characters are Black and there is a reverential tone to many of the characterizations that borders on being offensive. But despite flaws, the novel is a celebration of family and sisterhood.

Rating: 3 stars

-- Whitney Teal