A Book A Month: All About Love

This year, we are picking up on our beloved series, A Book A Month. I’m so excited about it! I’ve talked a lot about community when we entered 2019, and have since posted about it too. And one of the many ways I tend to find my community is in my local bookstore, but also, in reading the words of others. I was reminded of something Aminatou Sow said the other day (thanks Emma), “read a fu**ing book.” And its true, times are hard. Lately, books have inspired me, fed me, got me excited about life,and comforted me. In short, books (and all of the new and amazing authors) have given me hope.

While the kids spent four days down south after Christmas, I was able to dive into All About Love, which had been on my nightstand for a few months. Here’s the gist…

Where I Read It:
On the couch cuddled with the kittens, and at solo candlelight dinners.

How Long Did It Take To Read?
I was spending my days catching up on work without the kids, so I saved this for an hour or less in the evening. It’s a deliciously easy read, so it would have been shorter if I had more daytime hours.

Stand Out Quote
“Living by a love ethic we learn to value loyalty and a commitment to sustained bonds over material advancement. While careers and making money remain important agendas, they never take precedence over valuing and nurturing human life and well-being.

…

I know no one who has embraced a love ethic whose life has not become joyous and more fulfilling. The wide spread assumption that ethical behavior takes the fun out of life is false. In actuality, living ethically ensures that relationships in our lives, including encounters with strangers, nurture our spiritual growth. Behaving unethically, with no thought to the consequences of our actions is a bit like eating tons of junk food. While it may taste good, in the end the bod is never really adequately nourished and remains in a constant state of lack and longing.”

In My Eyes
Bell Hooks writes as if you’re right there, sitting with her and engrossed in a conversation. This book is deeply personal and easy to understand. This book not only honors the way in which we need to move forward with love, it acknowledges the unconscious dysfunctions one may have with love. And at the same time, please don’t think Hooks is only writing about romantic love. The love described and broken down throughout the book can be universally applied. Many times I would associate a paragraph with a past relationship. Then a few pages later, I’d jump into a friendship I had to let go of. And many times, I was forced to look at myself.

In my opinion, there is nothing else to start the year off with. It’s not just a book, its a guide to a way of being during this time. Look to Bell Hooks.

Required Reading

YES!!!