This Week In My Library 11.21.23

maternal instinct, dog whistles, and major writing milestones

Life of a Bookman

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

Longtime fave: Anything Kristin Hannah writes, I read. I'm very excited about her 2024 release, but in the meantime, if you haven't read The Great Alone, it's a wonderful winter book. Cozy up with this story set in the Alaskan wilderness. I'm fascinated by people who live off the grid, and this book takes a journey through that life in the 1970s. This one did not disappoint.

What I'm writing: I submitted That Novel to my agents!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After 7 months of revising, I can honestly say this process tested me, almost broke me, and ultimately, taught me more about myself and my craft than any creative process I've ever gone through. I'm feeling REALLY proud of myself and really grateful for all the support and cheerleading from so many people in my corner, including all of you. #batshitgrateful What happens now, you ask? Well, we see what my agents think and if it's ready to shop out to publishers! Stay tuned…

Women’s Studies

What gets passed down becomes our history. A few for the canon: Maternal instinct is a myth? Or that's what new research published in the New York Times is pointing to. Mainly, the idea that women innately hear a baby's cry and “just know” isn't because we're magically wired that way... it's because we've spent significantly more time bonding with the child. And that actually, maternal instinct is available to either parent. The parental brain is changeable. Those who invest time and intention in caregiving can be just as attuned to a child's needs.

Pass it on

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine: As I've written here before, my trip to Israel this past May was a transformative experience. It's hard to put into words what it means to me (even more so now the Israel-Hamas war rages on, leaving utter devastation for the people of Israel and the people of Gaza). However, one thing is super clear...the people I met on that trip changed my life, and continue to change my life. One of my dearest friends from the journey, a brilliant man I took to calling “Rabbi” (potentially sacrilegious of me but if you met him you'd call him that too.) Also known as Brandon Kaufer, he just released the Dog Whistle Dictionary, which breaks down the coded language of anti-semitic conspiracy theories and the connections among them. It's an important resource, one that has taught me a great deal, and I encourage you all to check it out and help combat online hate and anti-semitism.

xx