Book Review: Read this when things fall apart

Kelly Hayes, ed., Read this when things fall apart: letters to activists in crisis. Chico, CA: AK Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781849355841. 

Genre: politics, activism

Subgenre: letters, advice

Format: trade paperback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College  

 

This is one of the most moving books I've read so far this year. Though it is geared to activists, regular folks like me can gain benefit, encouragement, and inspiration from this book. I am a librarian and teacher/educator at best. For me, this is a powerful book. 

The book is a collection of letters written by activists for activists. In the struggle, there will be setbacks and defeats. You may come to feel angry, frustrated, tired, ready to give up. That's when this book can help. The book features 21 letters on various topics. Note that some letters do come with a trigger warning. Some letter topics include: 

• If you're losing and discouraged.
• If you're panicking about collapse.
• If you are heartbroken.
• If you are struggling with grief. 

Whether you are an activist in the trenches or just a decent human being about to lose hope after looking around, this book is for you. It can remind you why the struggle is important. It can bring you comfort in your darkest hour. It can give a bit of healing when you need it. And after you read the book, share it with someone else who may need it. 

Though you can read all the letters, you can also pick and choose to read just what you need. You may identify strongly with some topics. Other topics may not call to you as much. I'd say read them anyways and learn something new. The letters bring in a bit of history, personal experiences, and plenty of practical advice. Social justice work and struggle are not easy. This book can bring some written advice and support to keep going in the Hard Times. 

I recommend the book for public and academic libraries. In academia, schools with strong programs in social justice, peace studies, and similar fields will want this book. I ordered it for our library, and it is a good fit for us. 

Overall this book is an essential reading. 

5 out of 5 stars.  

 

Additional reading notes: 

 

What the book is and is not: 

"This book is not an organizing handbook. It is a humble, personal offering grounded in an awareness that there are some moments, on all fronts of struggle, when, despite all our best efforts, things fall apart. At such times, we sometimes need a kind thoughtful voice amid the chaos or an outstretched hand to reach for" (3).

The editor notes that the book is no substitute for having a community, but there are also moments community is not enough, and you need a bit more. Consider this book your lifeline for such moments. And maybe these letters may inspire you to write a letter to others.

 

On living in the United States: 

"We live in a class dictatorship thinly disguised as a democracy. Our speech is not free, and the level of surveillance and repression by the state and its parallel institutions has been astounding. Even in our colleges and universities-- institutions whose primary missions are the spread of knowledge and free inquiry-- the will of donors has overruled the edicts of open discourse and student needs" (19). 

 

Book qualifies for the following 2026 Reading Challenge: 

 

 

  

Book Review: Surviving the Twenty-First Century

Saúl Alvídrez (Author)(Interviewer), Noam Chomsky(Interviewee), and José Alberto Mujica Cordano (Interviewee), Surviving the Twenty-First Century. New York: Verso Books, 2025. 

Genre: politics and current affairs

Subgenre: interviews  

Format: trade paperback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College 

 

Activist Saúl Alvídrez brings together scholar and theorist Noam Chomsky and guerrilla fighter and former President of Uruguay Jose "Pepe" Mujica for a series of conversations. They speak on various topics such as culture, war, technological disruption, China, fascism, democracy, and a few other topics of interest in the Hard Times. They look at the situation today. They look at history and how we got here. Then they provide some ideas for solutions and how to move forward. 

The book is arranged into four parts. Once we get past part one, which has author introductions, we get to the interviews and conversations. In a way reading this book feels like listening to two elders discussing politics while sitting on a porch. These are knowledgeable leftist elders who have been in the activist trenches for many years, and we get to hear their experiences and their advice to younger people. 

I wanted to like this book more, but it has some issues. For one, it can get a little repetitive once you get about halfway through the book. Two, the book was published in 2025, but some of the interviews happen years before. As a result, current events have overtaken some of their observations and speculations. Some parts may be out of date by the time you read the book. Third, much of this is very theoretical. This last may be I just don't share some of their optimism given the Hard Times. Some of their solution ideas, as good as they sound on paper, just don't seem feasible given the Hard Times and the people who actually hold power. 

On a positive note, we may learn some new things about American and world history. We also consider how things could've been different if one or two decisions had been different. 

Overall the book was OK. It was interesting in some parts. It was less so in others. You listen to the elders speak, nod, possibly agree, then still wonder how exactly will we survive  the century without some radical change. Values like democracy, freedom, sustainable living, and community are great, and we need such value to make it through. I don't feel they really answer how do we get there because just hoping for others' goodwill and self-interest-- note they are by their admission libertarians on the left-- is not going to cut it in the Hard Times. In the end, this may be more a book for leftist political theorists and leftist activists who likely already share their ideas. Still, the book is accessible enough for regular readers and people wanting to learn. 

2 out of 5 stars. 

 

Additional reading notes: 

Alvidrez understands the real pandemic of our time: 

"...I came to understand a hard truth that haunts my generation: depression is the real pandemic of our era, because capitalism not only exploits everyone, it also depresses us all. At its root lies the greatest contradiction of our time: capitalist success and human happiness are simply not compatible" (xix).

 

The two big challenges the elders see: 

"The two awesome challenges to decent survival are, of course, nuclear weapons and environmental catastrophe. The best defense would be a functioning democracy in which informed and engaged citizens join together to develop means to overcome the threats-- as can be done" (18).

 I am not sure if the idea of an informed and engaged citizenry is meant to make us cry or laugh given our current times and policies enacted to prevent such citizen engagement. This is where I recall George Carlin's idea of the Real Owners. 

 

One of Mujica's greatest concerns: 

"Will humanity have time to right itself, or will be succumb to ecological holocaust? Will we fail to make the important political decisions?" (31). 

I don't feel too optimistic trying to answer those two questions. 

 

Mujica on the need of creativity because, let us be honest, a lot of the so-called "left" now kind of sucks: 

"It seems to me that creativity must be encouraged, because we are in a world with an old left that lives too much on nostalgia, a left that finds it hard to realize why it failed and has great difficulty in imagining new ways forward. I believe that this is a time of much rehearsal, a lot of experimentation and creativity" (44). 

That line about the old left living out of nostalgia resonated quite a bit for me. As for the rest of the description,  it is spot on for the U.S. Democrats, also known as the useless Republican Lite. 

 

Chomsky on terrorism: 

"We call terror what others do to us, but not what we do to them" (62). 

Oh so true. 

 

 

 

Book review: Esther's Army

Katie Gaddini, Esther's Army: the Christian women who power the American right. New York: W.W. Norton, 2026.

Genre: politics, women

Subgenre: U.S. politics, American history

Format: e-book galley

Source: Edelweiss Plus  

 

Let's start with a brief description of the book, from the publisher: 

"How and why right-wing Christian women have risen to the forefront of American politics."  

I read this book in part because I am a believer in knowing my enemy, and right wingers who seek take away my rights and those of others in my circle certainly are an enemy. Within that bunch, right wing conservative women are seriously dangerous. It is not because they are loud, boisterous, and carry guns-- though some do carry guns. It is because very often they use a wholesome motherhood image to manipulate others and get their way. I am getting ahead of myself, so let's look at the book. 

This book looks at the rise and powerful prominence of right wing Christian women in conservative politics in the United States. The book is arranged as follows: 

• An introduction.
• Six chapters. Each chapter covers one type of right wing conservative women: college women (mainly educated at Liberty University), Black conservative women, the "Mama Bears," the anti-feminist political powerhouses (who often, ironically perhaps, use feminist methods to get ahead without calling it that), the social media influencers, and the white suburbanites.
• An epilogue, notes, and an index. 

The author has an "in" into these women's world because she was a right wing Christian conservative woman. This was her world, so she knows their ways and language. She also still has contacts in that sphere, which facilitated her research. Unlike other "guided safari" books seeking to explain American conservatives, this author as a guide once was one of the natives so to speak. She knows her way around and how to speak to the current folks in that sphere. 

A strength in the book is how well the author embeds herself in these women's world. She does interviews. She connects and networks. She attends rallies and events. She observes, and she listens. She also let's the women talk and tell their stories. The author may comment or make some observations, but for the most part she allows the women to speak for themselves and show you who they really are. If you are a liberal, here's your warning that a lot of what these women say and do may cause you to cringe: a lot of it may confirm the concern that often the female is really the most dangerous of the species. 

Many Americans think right wing Christian women are brainwashed, submissive, and silent in relation to their husbands. There may be one or two women like that, but overall this book should disavow readers of that idea. These women, each in their own way, can and do wield a lot of power and influence while wrapping themselves in domesticity, motherhood, often using feminine charms (for example, Fox News blondes, read the book for details), and wrapping themselves in the American flag. These are complex women who use various tools and abilities, within a very misogynistic political realm, to rise in power and continue their right wing religious conservative agenda. Does it sound contradictory at times or paradoxical? That is part of the deal. 

The book if anything reveals that while some women may be conservative due to family raising, for others it is a more active choice, often to preserve or gain some power and/or privilege. Thing is they do so while making the men believe they are going along in the submission, but in reality they got the control in their realms. 

Another strength of the book is that the author blends in history with current events. These women and their power politics did not just suddenly appear. These women are the successors of conservative Christian women who came before them. Some of those names, like Anita Bryant, you might recognize or recall, but others may be new to you. 

Another thing the book does, from the view of conservatives, is point out constant mistakes Democrats make and why Democrats often low key certain votes like the women vote. Now, Democrats can gripe all they want, but the observations are not wrong. Republicans wooing this women vote know women care for issues other than abortion and feminist theory, and they calibrate their message accordingly. To be honest, a lot of Democrat damage is self-inflicted, and they refuse to listen. 

The book is a relatively easy read. It is accessible and well documented. It pretty much read it a chapter at a time, and the narrative just moved along. 

Overall, I think this is a good solid read. We often hear of conservative men and Christian right wing men. The women are not just at the side of those men. As this book shows, they are often ahead of the men, even if the men don't quite realize it. Liberals and the Left really need to read this book and heed its lessons. One reason is that very often these women cannot find a place in the American Left, and the Right is more than happy to fill the void for them. 

 In the end, for some this may not be an easy read, but it is a necessary read. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Academic programs in political science, U.S. history and politics, religion, and women and gender studies may want this book. I'd order it for our library. 

 4 out of 5 stars. 

Additional reading notes:  

On the women who got Trump his second presidential term:  

"They pulled it off, I thought.  From the Mama Bears who prayed at state capitals for the past year, in driving rain, swirling snow, and blistering heat; the social media influencers who gathered millions of followers and praised Trump's commitment to make America healthy again; the White suburbanites, who warned their Bible study friends that immigrants were flooding the southern border and assaulting women and girls; the Black activists who traveled door-to-door in Alabama, explaining to other African Americans that Trump understood them, that he too faced an unfair, biased criminal justice system; the college women who convinced other students that Trump would recognize only two genders; and the powerhouses, who ran for office so they could carry out Trump's mandate on the local level, to ensure his second administration wouldn't be hindered by any obstacles" (2) 

As I often say, give the devil their due: they sure can organize and play the serious long game. This is an area where Democrats fail miserably, especially in recent times. Also note that when critics say Trump has a "woman problem," it mostly means left leaning liberal woman. As the above shows, he certainly did not have a "woman problem" with women in his base. As the author goes on to write, 

"...he made gains with almost every group of women, including  those who are Black, White, Latina, and Gen Z" (2). 

To be honest, in my humble opinion, if he had not done stupid stuff like starting an unnecessary war, he'd likely have kept the GOP in full lockstep instead of the party's current fragmentation. 

 

On the contradictions of right-wing women. I would add that those women suffer from some serious cognitive dissonance: 

"These results are even more puzzling when you consider that some of these voters disavow feminism yet borrow from feminist rhetoric and strategy to make their political claims. They praise intensive, stay-at-home motherhood, yet frequently prioritize their political careers over their kids. Many work to reform the country's public education system, yet send their own kids to private Christian schools (or homeschool them).  They are simultaneously disadvantaged by womanhood within their religious communities and deeply committed to advancing them" (3). 

By the way, the word "reform" above is doing a lot of charitable work given what these women really do regarding public education. While the author does not demonize these women, she certainly can be very sympathetic and charitable to them and their agendas. This is likely a reflection that she used to be one of them. 

 

How these women perceive themselves: 

"They perceive themselves to be maligned and misunderstood by the Left, like a minority faction under siege; they feel that their place in the country's social order is being dismantled" (7). 

Translation: their privilege is not what it used to be, and they're pissed about it. Plus the usual Christian persecution complex among right wingers. 

 

Christian conservative women over history: 

"Christian conservative moms campaigned against American intervention in World War II in the late thirties, protested busing policies in the fifties and sixties, fought against abortion in the seventies, porn in the eighties, and sex education in the nineties. Often these conservative women explicitly cited their role as mothers to claim a moral authority over their political concerns. Other times, it was just insinuated" (45). 

So basically they've been historically on the wrong side of just about every issue for decades. They justified it themselves by embracing the Christian mom label, and everyone else be damned.  

 

 Book qualifies for 2026 Netgalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge. 

 

 

Book Review: Postcolonial Astrology

Alice Sparkly Kat, Postcolonial Astrology: reading the planets through capital, power, and labor. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2021. ISBN: 9781623175306. 

Genre: postcolonial studies, astrology

Subgenre: politics, political theory, activism

Format: trade paperback

Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library

 

I picked up this book out of curiosity. Sure, the subtitle-- "Reading the Planets Through Capital, Power, and Labor"-- should've been a warning for me. I figured it might be similar to books like Tarot for the Hard Work and Magic for the Resistance (links to my reviews of the two books). Those books are political, but they also offer lessons, rituals, and other practical elements. Not this one. This book is basically a long political manifesto. 

The book is arranged into 10 chapters; each chapter looks at the etymology of a planet, say Chapter 2: Etymology of the Moon. Each chapter then looks at the origins and historical development of the planet's name and any associated words and concepts with a postcolonial, labor, power, capital, and feminist lens. That is basically it. It does not offer much in the way of doing astrology. It is basically a long and fairly dry text of political theory applied to astrological concepts. 

In addition, this is not a book for beginners. The book assumes readers come in with at least a basic understanding of astrology. Long time astrology practitioners seeking to politicize or add a more activist element to their practice could be interested in this book.  

The book includes a works cited page featuring 166 works. Out of those only 10 are about astrology, barely. The rest are basically general political theory and history. Some of the authors featured I read back in graduate school when I did critical theory along with a few other things. 

Overall, if you want a practical book about astrology and how to do it, this is not it. If you want a political treatise to add some leftist politics and decolonization to your established practice, this could be for you. For public libraries, this is highly optional. This is not a book for casual readers nor beginners. For academic libraries, still optional, mainly for academic libraries with strong interests in postcolonial studies, some political theory courses, and maybe peace and social justice studies. I'd order it for our library if a patron requested it. 

In the end, for what it does, the book is OK. 

2 out of 5 stars. 

Book Review: The People's Project

Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith, eds., The People's Project: poems, essays, and art for looking forward. New York: Washington Square Press/Atria, 2025. ISBN: 9781668207024. 

Genre: politics, current affairs

Subgenre: anthology, essay, poetry

Format: small hardback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College 

 

This small book is a collection of essays and poems on what people can do given the 2024 United States elections. This is basically a collection of advice, strategies, and calls for hope and inspiration for the Hard Times. 

The book features 27 items including essays, poems, and one art piece. It features a very diverse group of authors. The pieces call forth various emotions ranging from sadness to anger, yet there are notes of hope, assuming folks do the necessary work. For me, that is the catch: are people willing to do the necessary work?  

The book as a whole is a short and easy read. Most of the pieces are relatively short, yet they are moving and powerful. These pieces may stay with you after reading the book. 

I'd recommend this book for public libraries. Some academic libraries, especially those with strong social justice interest and curricula may want to add it as well. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

 

Additional reading notes: 

Start with not abandoning yourself: 

"What does it mean to abandon yourself? It means to pretend you don't know what you know, don't hear what you hear, don't see what you see. In other words, to gaslight yourself. To stay quiet and compliant. To make nice. To compromise your values to keep the peace, which is not peace at all" (13). 

That is part of why I ended my politics/social issues/activist material moratorium. After the regime part one came to power in 2016, I needed a serious break. I was burned on politics, etc. But in 2024 I could no longer stay silent and pretend to be ignorant, or at least tuned out partially given a good librarian can never really tune out completely. So I am reading again books like this book, and sharing what I read and learn. It is my small contribution for the good of the cause. 

And by the way, once you set the intention and work to not abandon yourself, make sure you do not abandon others. 

 

On taking care of yourself: 

"For those of us who are constantly under attack, contributing requires prioritizing ourselves on purpose. When everything is set up to diminish you and insist that you diminish yourself, defending yourself will only speed your destruction. Our time and energy are better spent on whatever will allow us to embody a proactive stance more often than a defensive posture" (34).   

 

Qualifies for the following 2026 Reading Challenge: 

  

Holiday Post 2025: What the heck happened?

Welcome to the fourth and last post in the 2025 holiday posts series. For me, being Puerto Rican, I am still in the holidays spirit well into January. In fact, as I am typing this,  Tuesday was Dia de Reyes (Three Kings Day) in Puerto Rico and much of the Hispanic world. In Puerto Rico we keep going with  "las octavitas." So still plenty of holiday cheer to go around. The weather has been between seriously cold and unseasonably warm this winter season so far. I do appreciate the warm days as it makes it easier for me to do my morning runs, but I am also aware it may be a sign of climate change getting worse. Best I can do is take it a day at a time. 

In this post, I take a look at what happened in 2025. Boy, I thought 2024 was a pain in the ass, but damn, 2025 is a year I am definitely glad is gone.  2025 was a year I made sure to stay up to midnight not to celebrate but to make sure it got the fuck out of here. Not that 2026 is looking any better given that I woke up on Sunday, January 4th, 2026, logged into social media only to see people ranting about the Pendejo In Chief invading Venezuela (story via CBC) and kidnapping President Maduro. This will most likely make it to the top events list when I write the "what the heck happened?" post for 2026 next year. To be honest, as I am looking over the articles I am compiling for this year's summary, and I look back at the 2024 post, heck, 2024 is starting to look like a picnic compared to the hellscape of 2025, and sadly, it is not going to get better anytime soon.  

 

Top news events of the year

•  Once again, the year that was is on track to be among the hottest on record. Al Jazeera reported 2025 was on track to tie for the second hottest year on record. 
• Truthout also covers the story of the 2025 top rank as one of the hottest years.  
• Time Magazine named the "architects," also known as the rich tech bros who threw money in, of artificial intelligence, better known as AI Slop, as their "person of the year."  Story via BBC, but it has been covered in a few places. 2025 certainly feels as the year when those assholes really put in the effort to shove AI Slop into anything and everything. Sadly a lot of people, including some who should know better, keep falling for their scam machines.
• For Counterpunch, 2025 was the year the U.S. stopped giving a fuck about democracy. From what I have read and learned, I think the U.S. never gave a fuck about it, or gave it lip service at most, but last year the American Empire did go into full overdrive.  

 

What the heck happened? 

(Big news overviews) 

 

 

For 2025, I did not find much in terms of the usual big news summaries, like CNN for instance, or I did not find them as interesting, pretty much the same. What I did find was a variety of smaller and niche summaries of the year looking at a variety of topics, so here is a selection of what I found to help us recall what was going on, especially besides the usual. 

• In technology, 
• As if AI Slop was not bad enough, there are also hackers and cyberattacks. The Street looks some of the cyberattacks of 2025. It is the sort of stuff that makes you wish you could just go off the grid. 
• The Verge offers their tech year in review, and of course, AI Slop figures prominently. This is a podcast episode you can listen to.
• Truthdig notes that 2025 was the year that tech bent the knee to Trump. I think they did more than just bend the knee. If you have not figured it out by now, the article explains how Big Tech was never liberal; they just kept a good mask on until now where we all can see them for the predatory assholes they really are.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) presents The Breachies, the worst data breaches of the year.  
• EFF also has their 2025 in review feature. 
• In climate and environmental news, Grist notes that 2025 was the year the U.S. said fuck it on any efforts to address climate change while the rest of the world steps up as they see they need to do without the United States. 
• Despite all the awful stuff of 2025, the United Nations points out we did have some good health advances in 2025.  
• Type Investigations highlights their 5 must-read stories of the year.
• Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has their most read posts of the year. Their summary: "The rise of authoritarianism was the big story of 2025, and the censorship that goes along with it. The resistance to the dismantling of democracy continues to be underreported. The power of tech bros looms. And Israel/Palestine continues to be the greatest international concern." 
• Pro Publica offers their most read stories of the year and their 25 investigations you may have missed. Some good stuff here.  
• Dissent Magazine also lists their most read stories. 
• Mother Jones offers their list of heroes and monsters of 2025, and boy did we have quite a few monsters this year.
• Speaking of monsters, Counterpunch looks at the year that was 2025 in ICE abductions and abuses. Please note the story came out before ICE killed that woman up in Minnesota at the start of 2026.
• Despite that, Counterpunch somehow managed to find 10 good things that happened in 2025. 
• FactCheck.org looks at the "Whoppers of 2025." No, these are not burgers. These are the big lies of the year, in other words, a sampling of politicians talking.   
• Open Secrets has a wrap up for 2025, and if you are interesting in topics like following the money this may be for you.  
• The Daily Yonder has their rural year in review.  
• Washington Blade has their top 10 LGBTQ+ national news stories.  
• In libraries and library science, LIS News has their 10 stories that shaped 2025. Yes, AI Slop made this list too. 
• In higher education. 
• Inside Higher Ed has a list of 16 nonprofit colleges that closed or died off in 2025.
• Impact of Social Sciences looks at the culture of academic publishing in 2025 and they look at research in the age of AI. 
• In science.
• Knowable Magazine offers their top science stories of the year.
• Brujula Verde (Spanish language source) offers their 24 extraordinary archeological discoveries that amazed us.
•  Finally, here is what I often consider the best end of year wrap up, and that is the Rude Pundit's annual haiku end of year event. He has people submit a haiku over a few days, and he publishes them on his blog. The haikus are great brief summaries of what happened in the year and how people respond. I always enjoy reading these. 
•  One haiku after another.
• Wake up haiku man. 
• No other haiku. 
• House of Haiku. 

 

 

A bit from around the world  

 

• From Latin America: 
• Task Force on the Americas has their 2025 in review. 
• From Puerto Rico, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo has their list, in English, of their most read investigations for 2025.  A lot of local corruption along with abuses from the gringo colonial overlords went on.
• From Puerto Rico, La Perla del Sur reports that 2025 ended on the island with 426 homicides based on police reports.  
• Across the pond in the United Kingdom, Freedom News (UK) reports that "2025: A gilded year for the right, hubris fulfilled on the left."  
• Washington Blade lists their top 10 LGBTQ+ international stories.  
• The Walrus (Canada) has their 2025 year in review from around the world.  They also report on the year in business, or as they say, a year without money (well, for the rest of us), and they managed to find some things to bring us joy. 

 

 

Film, music, and television

 

 

While I do enjoy media, I am not obsessive about keeping up with the newest and latest. I will add that these days a lot of media comes out of the paid streamers, and since I do not subscribe to any of those, I just go on blissfully with my life. Usually I know enough of what is in film, music, and television to be aware. Like yes, I am aware such a show exists, but that may be about it. So looking over these lists helps me see in a quick glance what has been coming out and making waves for some people over the year. If any of you is a fan of anything that came out or was chosen this year, let me know. Maybe I will check it out. 

• Movies and film. 
• Here is Rolling Stone's list of best 25 movies. From the list, the new at this time Frankenstein and Weapons are the only ones I've heard about. I'd heard of Eddington only because I've seen it featured on some YouTube folks' worst films of the year list. 
• Rolling Stone also ranked their best horror films. Naturally, Frankenstein and Weapons made this list too. Sinners is the one I keep hearing about; I am a bit skeptical as I am not a fan of the "one actor playing twins" gimmick, but a vampire film does make me curious enough to seek it out down the road. 
• Out Magazine offers a list of 11 top LGBTQ+ films of the year.  Only film I heard about from the list was the Wicked sequel, and probably because it is mainstream enough many, including me, would not have thought of it as an LGBTQ+ film. I also learned there is another remake of Kiss of the Spider Woman. 
• The Detroit Metro Times just lumped their lists of best films and television together, so here ya go.
• And we need to have at least one worst movies list, and UPI delivers it. Aside from the Minecraft Movie, which has gotten panned in other places, the rest of the list items I had not heard about until now.
•  Television.
• Here is Rolling Stone's best television list.  Most of the stuff is from streamers because to be honest legacy television ain't putting out much worth a damn. From the list I've heard of Andor, mainly because Star Wars in social media often won't shut up about it. The other show on this list I've heard about is The Pitt, again, because folks on social media keep yapping about it. At times this is a reason I don't feel much of a need to seek out articles on a movie or show. Social media folks, if it is a big deal to them, will keep talking it up. If it sounds good, I look it up and add it to my list of things to watch. If it does not interest me, I had the title to the filter list on social media to not see it again. 
• Variety also has their best TV shows list.  There is a bit of overlap with the previous list, but not much. 
• Out Magazine has their list of best LGBTQ+ shows for the year.  
• If reality TV is your thing, Reality Blurred has their list of the best reality TV for the year. They provide a small overview of the year, and the author notes the list is from shows they actually watched. To be honest, aside from a cooking show here or there, reality TV is just not my thing, and most of these again are on streamers. But feel free to comment and make a case why I should watch one of these shows or not. 
• Music.
• The Guardian lists 50 best albums.   
• Variety has their list of best albums too.    
• Rolling Stone has a list of best Latin and Spanish language albums. 
• Out Magazine has their list of best LGBTQ+ albums and their list of best songs. 
• Louisville Public Media offers a list of 10 best classical music albums.  

 

 

Books and reading 

I already did a holiday post on books and reading, so this covers some lists I found interesting that I may have missed and/or came after that post, plus some trivia about books and reading. On a side note, let me mention that I will be writing and posting my end of year reading list and report later this month on this blog, so stay tuned to see what I read in 2025.

•  Literary Hub presents the 29 best (old) books they read in the year. Everyone always does the best books they read in the year, and they are usually books published in that same year. This is a nice idea for a change. There are a few really old books here and some interesting choices. 
• Inquest has their year in books. From this list, I have read This Book is Free and Yours to Keep (link to review). 
• Gizmodo had 20 authors pick out their favorite books of the year in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. 
• The Comics Beat has their list of best comics of the year.  
•  Not every book is great or good, and Steve Donoghue lists his worst fiction of 2025. Do you agree? Have you read any of these? Feel free to comment. 
• Literary Hub also has a list of the most scathing reviews of 2025. 
• Claridad (Puerto Rico, Spanish language) looks at the vices and virtues of end of year book lists. They also list some books in Puerto Rican history and culture. 

 

 

Adult and risque 

 

 

If this is not your thing or interest, you can just scroll down to the final category.  I do enjoy some adult entertainment, and I find the trivia around it interesting, so here are some stories from the adult entertainment and porn world. 

•  Pornhub released their annual trends report, which among other things reveals details like top online searches on various topics. Unfortunate for me, Kentucky is one of those retrograde states pushing for privacy violating age verification, which I am not doing, but if you live in a better state you can see the report. Highlights from the report can be found at Pride.com, at AVN, and XBiz. 
• For gay folks, someone sorted out their top 5 gay sex positions.  Via Pride.com.
• Clips4Sale gets a bit into the "word of the year" with their fetish of the year, which was gooning. You can read more about it and see their list of other growing fetishes for the year on their blog.  Hat tip to AVN. 
• In awards, via AVN.
• The 2025 Adult Empire Awards announced  “which honor the best and most popular stars and movies on the award-winning platform within a given year."
• The 2025 Femdom Awards announced.

  

 

Miscellaneous

 These are stories that did not fit any of the categories above and/or just random trivia.

• Contenders for "word of the year."
• Dictionary.com named "67" (whatever the hell that was) as their word of the year. Story via ABC (US).  
•  Macquarie Dictionary went with "AI Slop" for their choice. Story via ABC (Australia). 
• Merriam Webster kept it short and chose "slop" as their word of the year (story via NBC).  
• The venerable Oxford Dictionary decided on "rage bait."  Given how angry the year was I would say this is a pretty good choice.
• The Conversation has an overview of words of the year, highlighting some of the above a few others. A common theme they saw is digital disillusionment.  
• Best video games. I suppose I could have put these up with the other media, but they did not quite fit for me. Video and computer games are not an area I really keep up with. I do enjoy a game here or there, but I am pretty much seriously casual in my video and computer gaming, so these stories help bring me up to speed on the topic. 
• Here is Rolling Stone's list of best video games for 2025. Apparently this was a pretty good year given there were a lot of releases. They list 25 games. A few are sequels of classics, but to be honest most of these I did not hear about until I read the article. 
• The Toronto Sun has a list of 10. At least three titles here overlap. 
• Maxim offers a list of their top 20.
• In photography, My Modern Met offers 45 photos from around the world.
• In liquor and booze: 
• Maxim has their list of  "The Best American Single Malt Whiskeys Of 2025."
• Drinkhacker offers "The Top 20 Whiskeys of 2025."
• The Drinks Business looks at  "The biggest drinks acquisitions of 2025."
• Marion Nestle has a food politics roundup for the year.
• The Pen Addict shares "Stationery Things I Learned In 2025." 
• Teen Vogue sums up the "11 Biggest Celebrity Breakups of 2025."  
• Quartz highlights a report on  "The 8 richest families in the world." You know, the rich assholes making life hard for the rest of us. 
• Some anarchist reading.
• Top posts from Polar Blast.
• Top posts from The Slow Burning Fuse.   
• Deaths of the year.
• The Toronto Sun's In Memoriam. (video segment) From this list, for many I am sure Pope Francis passing was the highlight of the year. There are a few folks I missed that said to myself omg they died this past year. Ozzie Osbourne was a hard one for me this year. For me, Dick Cheney and Charlie Kirk fall into the good riddance category. 
• Out Magazine has a list of  "16 LGBTQ+ celebs who passed away in 2025." 
• Literary Hub lists "Notable Literary Deaths in 2025."

 

Predictions for 2026

 

A fluffy cat with a cloth on head, necklace, and crystal ball. Text: Let me check my crystal ball.

 

 

Predictions was a new category I added to this in 2023. People love to make all kinds of predictions about new year, and I found quite a few. This year I am breaking this down into trends, you know the pundits, experts, and gurus who tell us what to expect, and into esoterica where we look at things like astrology, Tarot, and other esoteric ways to predict what will happen. 

Trends:

• Metro (UK) has a list of predictions (slide show) based on Old Moore's Almanac. Extreme weather will continue in 2026 is one of their predictions. That seems straightforward enough. 
• Quartz predicts prices will keep rising as they look at what is likely to cost more in 2026.  To be honest, this one is not predicting much that we do not know already like rising grocery and utilities pricing. 
• Fitch Ratings expects higher education to keep deteriorating. Story via Higher Ed Dive. This is another prediction that seems more like it's already happening.
• Al Jazeera looks at "all the big elections to look out for in 2026" including the 2026 midterm elections in the United States, where we will see if gringos finally get their fucking act together or if they keep going down the abyss.
• Not quite a trend, but maybe we can make it a trend and care for our mental health in 2026. The San Juan Daily Star has a list of  "9 ways to take care of your mental health in 2026."   

Predictions and looking at the future: 

• On an interesting note, Metro (UK) went back to see if their resident soothsayer, dubbed "The New Nostradamus," got their predictions right or not from 2025. For 2026, he is predicting the Ukraine and Russia war will end. He also predicts the AI bubble will burst. I admit I can see that bubble bursting, but not quite sure yet if 2026 will be the year for it, so we will see.
• From Om Times.
• Their 2026 Tarotscope forecast. I read my sign, and it looks pretty good. 
• Their 2026 astrological overview.  It foresees a rise of spiritual warriors, and given the Hard Times I can certainly hope. 
• Lisa Eddy of Angelorum offers "2026 Astrology: Complete Horoscopes for All 12 Zodiac Signs." 
• From Theresa Reed, the Tarot Lady.
• She has her ultra-deluxe superfly astrology guide for 2026.  
• She also figures out the Tarot card for the year.  This is a universal card, but you can also figure out your own individual card; this is usually based on your birth date. I probably should check mine for this year, but I digress. 
•  Collective World has "What Each Zodiac Sign Should Be Excited About Going Into 2026."
•  Teen Vogue has "2026 Astrology Guide: Retrogrades, Eclipses, and Tarot Card Pulls for Your Zodiac Sign."
• Finally, I did a small Tarot spread for 2026. It is not predictive, but more a bit of advice and lessons to keep in mind in 2026.  

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Burned by Billionaires

Chuck Collins, Burned by billionaires: how concentrated wealth and power are ruining our lives and planet. New York: The New Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781620979099. 

Genre: business, economics, politics

Subgenre: wealth

Format: E-book galley, though the publisher did also send a print galley

Source: Edelweiss Plus for the ebook galley.    

In a nutshell, the author exposes the constant and often reckless and cruel damage that the uber rich inflict on society as a whole. In a time when ordinary people are showing resentment and a desire to deal with billionaires, this book is timely.

The book is organized in three major parts: 

• 
  Part One defines "the wealthy." It explains how people become billionaires, and a lot of it is privilege and unfair advantages, but that is explained further in the book, and how billionaires were created. 
• Part Two is the core of the book where it explains how billionaires impoverish the rest of us, and they pretty much don't give a damn about the rest of us. From trashing the planet to making us pay more taxes to buying and stealing votes and government, the uber rich are truly toxic for the rest of society. This chapter illustrates well George Carlin's term "the real owners." 
• Part Three offers some solutions, or attempts at solutions. This is the part of the book where I am highly skeptical. The usual reforms, in my humble estimation, are not going to get us out of this hole. Billionaires are started to forget that if they keep exploiting the regular people for greed's sake it will be a matter of time before revolution happens. It may be a while given how anesthetized and lazy Americans can be, but give it time. Anyhow the author sees small signs that change may be possible. I am not that optimistic, but your mileage may vary.

This is a book to read a bit at a time. It is timely, and it is informative. If you want to learn more about how billionaires got where they are now, how they stay there, and what they do to keep their dynasties going, then you need to read this book. It is a straightforward exposition of how our common enemy operates and stays entrenched. 

The book is a relatively easy read, so anyone can read it. The book also includes charts and graphs to reinforce points. In addition it also features a few cartoons to add a little humor to what is a heavy topic. 

If you know someone who falls for the myth that billionaires are "self-made men" and/or are special in some way, hand them this book to read so they can dispel that myth. 

Your odd uncle who swears Trump is a financial genius? Hand them this book to read and tell them to shut up. 

Billionaires are not special. Very often they just had luck, maybe a good idea, privilege, and fortunes to draw on whether from family or government subsidies. Meanwhile society pays the true costs. This book shows and explains what those social true costs are. 

The book is not always an easy read, but I still recommend it for public and academic libraries. I'd say it is one to borrow then pass on so others can read it and learn as well. For me, it was worth reading, even if I have already read similar books. Barons comes to mind as a book with similar appeal factors.  

4 out of 5 stars. 

 

Additional reading notes: 

The focus of the book according to the author: 

"Still, the focus here is not on wealthy individuals; there are both scoundrels and generous souls among the lot. Instead, this book argues that an economy that is growing billionaires at all, much less at their current rate of increase, is not a sign of prosperity but of policy failure, resulting in a systematic problem with hugely consequential and negative impacts for society" (3). 

Where the author is finding those "generous souls" I am not sure since the scoundrels clearly have abundant numbers. And while he views the phrase "abolishing billionaires" as "extremist," I certainly don't have a problem with it, and I get the feeling more people may be willing to consider bringing back guillotines. These are Hard Times, and being polite is not cutting it. However, I do agree with the authors that focusing on "abolishing a system of economic laws, rules, and practices" that keeps billionaires flush and the rest of us suffering is a good idea. However, that takes a degree of will a lot of Americans lack, in part because so many of them see themselves as temporarily inconvenienced millionaires. Until Americans change that view, roll up their sleeves, and work for a common good the author's idea is mostly pie in the sky. 

 The drivers of billionaire expansion: 

"There are essentially three economic forces driving the billionaire expansion: the suppression of wages for average working people (even as those workers became more productive); the meteoric rise in the stock market; and massive tax cuts for the wealthiest households that accelerated in the Reagan era and have continued to the present day" (48). 

If you have been around at least a while and paid attention, you know the above to be true. Costs keep going up while wages stagnate. When your groceries, rent, and other daily living costs keep going up but your wages don't, you do notice. Politicians and economists can make all kinds of arguments and excuses, but in the end people do note higher prices and wages that don't keep up. At some point, as the author mentions in the book, oligarchies breed revolutions. That revolution may be slower to come in the United States, but give it time. Time can be a great equalizer.  

Why you would be better off living in Canada or northern Europe, and why I wish I could afford to move to one of those places: 

"Because these countries make government investments in early childhood education, broad access to health care, debt-free higher education, and job and skills training-- all drivers of economic mobility" (56).

 

This book qualifies for the following 2025 Reading Challenge: 

 

 

 

Book Review: Fulfillment

Alec McGinnis, Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2021. ISBN: 9780374159276. 

Note: Seems a year later publisher reissued an updated edition with a somewhat more ominous title: Fulfillment: America in the Shadow of Amazon (publisher link).  I do not think it is different enough to seek out. 

Genre: nonfiction, business, corporations

Subgenre: Americana, economy, retail, Internet, tech, government

Format: hardcover

Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library 

 

 

"'They call themselves a technology company, but it's really a sweatshop,' she said. 'They have such a hold on our economy and our country'" (6). 

 

This is a book ostensibly about Amazon, but not really. The author investigates and explores the impact the company has in various places and levels of society. In revealing who wins, the Real Owners, and who loses, pretty much anyone else, the author exposes the growing inequality in the United States and the real price of Amazon's path of destruction as they strengthen their monopoly without regard for consequences. 

The strength of the book is in the individual stories such as the small family owned office supply company that Amazon crushes by undercutting them for a school district's contract. There are also some terrifying moments such as a warehouse worker killed by a machine. The description of the death is pretty gruesome, but what may truly anger readers is the aftermath where OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) basically absolves Amazon of any responsibility on what can charitably be described as a technicality. 

We also get a view of corruption both from Amazon and governments from municipal and city to state and federal. Towns and cities in decay, or at least weakened by manufacturing losses, bend over backwards to give Amazon all kinds of tax breaks, incentives, rebates, and other advantages the company neither needs nor deserves, advantages at the expense of their own people. Amazon naturally demands them and bullies the locations. It is a disgusting pattern of preying on the vulnerable and outright extortion. And let's not go too deep into the federal level of corruption up to and including Amazon's army of bribe agents (oops, "lobbyists") to assure they get their way regardless of who gets hurt. 

After a while though, you get tired of reading about Amazon's corruption and devastation across America. Sure, news of a new warehouse or data center are found in local news, but you'll never hear about the real costs nor the people trampled under to build those facilities. In this book, just when you think Amazon can't do worse, it then does a lot worse. Reading this book can get seriously depressing at times. 

It is easy for every other liberal out there to say "boycott Amazon." If you can do it to some degree, good for you, but assuming anyone else can is privileged bullshit, and I doubt anything will come to pass unless there are some serious structural changes. In reality, if you live in Bumfuck, USA, odds may be Amazon may be the supplier, often the only one, of things you want and need from  house necessities to a nice thing here or there to essential medications. You think Walmart is bad, imagine places where not even Dollar General will go. Try telling Nana or some harried single mom to find affordable Christmas gifts in the middle of nowhere to boycott Amazon. . . exactly, so shut the fuck up. 

But let's say a miracle happens, and you can boycott Amazon's retail operation. You also canceled Amazon Prime. You are nowhere near out of the woods yet. There is also Amazon Web Services (AWS), and that is embedded in just about any web service imaginable. You use the internet? Odds are sooner or later you will hit AWS. Odds are you are making your self-righteous Amazon boycott declaration on social media that uses AWS, so chill with the performative virtue. In the end, as I stated, unless some serious, substantial legislation, regulation, and standing up to Amazon happens, you can't really get away from the company. The company has truly built a one-click America, and Americans, through their elected officials of both parties, pretty much allowed it to happen for a few silver coins. 

In the end, this is not always an easy book to read. It can get heavy at times. It can be upsetting. A strength of the book is how it humanizes the ordinary people, folks trying to make an honest and often modest living, that Amazon basically destroys without any regard nor remorse. Sure, this is a book about Amazon, but more so about America, the Bad Economy, inequality, exploitation, corruption, and a whole lot of lives ruined. 

I liked the book, and I still recommend it for all libraries. For academic libraries, those with strong programs in peace and social justice, business and economics, and political science may want to acquire it. Having said that, this is a book to read once, borrow it if you can. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

Book qualifies for the following 2025 Reading Challenge: 

 

Book Review: Bad Law

Elie Mystal, Bad law: ten popular laws that are ruining America. New York: The New Press, 2025.  ISBN: 9781620978580. 

Genre: U.S. politics

Subgenre: legislation, policy

Format: E-book galley; hardcover

Source: Edelweiss Plus; Hutchins Library, Berea College 

 

Elie Mystal is back with a new book about bad laws that keep causing harm but Americans consistently choose to keep them in the books, often for bigoted and privileged reasons. The book discusses 10 bad laws and one constitutional amendment that are, as he writes, "bigoted, ignorant, and unfair. . ." (6). The catch is these bad laws can be repealed, often quite easily, but Americans choose not to do so. And while most of these terrible bits of legislation were brought forth by Republicans, Democrats often went along aiding and abetting the Republicans. 

The book includes an introduction, 10 chapters, an epilogue, and a set of notes documenting the author's facts and research. Some of the topics the author discusses include voter registration, incarceration, LGBTQ rights, and religion. 

Mystal is a good writer, and he is very good at explaining ideas in a clear and accessible way. He can take legal concepts and break them down so ordinary folks can understand them. Add in a sense of humor, often dark humor, and some sarcasm and snark, and you have an entertaining and educational read. You do learn quite a bit about how laws work in the United States, mostly to uphold white privilege while oppressing anyone else not white, not a certain brand of Christian, and not male. 

My one disappointment is the book's conclusion, which, after railing about the evils of both political parties (rightfully so), goes to the old Democrat plea of "vote harder." We are way past that lame plea, and while I may not have an answer now, that conclusion does not inspire much faith, especially in the very Hard Times of 2025. 

Is the book worth reading? All in all yes, Should more people be reading it? Absolutely, but again, as I often say and write about books like this, the people need to be reading it never will. Those who will most likely read it are pretty much part of the choir. For me, at this point in time I am breaking my moratorium on reading and engaging with political/social issues/activist material. That is the moratorium I gave myself after the 2016 U.S. elections, which I did to keep my sanity. Breaking the moratorium to read this book was worth it. Despite an issue here or there, this is a book I will talk about and try to get more people to read it. 

Overall I really like the book, and I think it is a necessary book in these Hard Times. I did order a copy for our library, and I strongly recommend other libraries, public and academic, order it for their collections. 

4 out of 5 stars.

 

Additional reading notes: 

A reason, for me, for when some Americans whine "not all of us" or a variant of that line it is not an excuse: 

"In our society, we, the people, govern our laws, not the other way around. We choose them. We choose what's legal or illegal; we choose what's punished or rewarded. We choose to live this way" (1). 

It may not be all, but enough Americans constantly choose this and the rest are either too busy trying to live or just don't care anymore. 

 

The kind of laws the United States has and nurtures: 

"Our laws promoted bigotry and discrimination, the rapacious accumulation and hoarding of wealth, and vigilante justice, even at the cost our own children die in the cross fire. We have oft-repeated euphemisms to justify these choices: we call the hoarding of wealth 'fostering competition,' we call bigotry 'religious freedom,' and we call the mass murder of school children 'the Second Amendment'" (2). 

And these laws are by choice and very much self-inflicted wounds. In these Hard Times this may not be an easy book to read, but like a prophet the author preaches trying to get our society to see. But again, as an old saying goes, "no hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver." 

 

What the book does in brief: 

"This book will give you arguments to deploy against the forces of injustice, along with demands you can make of your elected representatives" (8). 

 

An example from the book where the author and I part ways: 

"We would all wake up tomorrow and simply decide to do better and voted for people with a more robust appreciation for fairness and equality" (8). 

We could, but I know, and I am willing to bet he knows it ain't happening any time soon if ever. I am more likely to win the Powerball lottery drawing, or better yet become a famous writer (this one if I put in the work I could do, which is more than most Americans are willing to do to fix their country). 

 

What the "American experiment" is really about: 

"The 'American Experiment' is not and has never been an experiment in democracy or republican self-government. It has always been an exercise in wealthy white male domination where everybody else, and the only question has been how long those whites can get away with it before everybody else comes together to defeat them" (16). 

 

Oh no, Mystal would not say both parties are the same, that would be simplistic, no way: 

"I am of the opinion that there is an important, cognizable difference between the people who want to keep America white through civil law and deportation and the people who want to keep America white through criminal law and armed good squads hunting immigrants" (45). 

Just so we are clear. 

 

Book qualifies for the following 2025 Reading Challenge: 

 

Some random thoughts on how I get my news

This piece is prompted by two things. One, this report from PEW Research on "how Americans get local political news" and two having read the book Avoiding the News (link to my review). The book is based on a series of interviews the authors did with people who both enjoy following the news as well as people who avoid the news completely. In one of the appendices the book includes the interview questions they used. I decided to use some of the questions to help me reflect on my own news engagement and how I was socialized into reading news and keeping up with news and current events. As the title of this blog post states, these are some random thoughts. Questions from the book are as provided. The replies are my own. 

"What do you see as the most important issues in your life day to day?"

Pretty much making it to the end of another day and hoping Trump and his administration do not make things worse but knowing he will. While I am not in as bad a situation as other people out there, I certainly am vulnerable and there but for the amusement of the Cosmic Joker go you and me. It is not just one thing. It is really the overall sense of dread wondering what will happen next in the current clusterfuck. I am also concerned about things like inflation, price gouging, so a bit anxious not to spend money on non-essentials. Better to save that money just in case. 

"How about in your community? What kind of things are your neighbors worried about? What about your coworkers? What about friends /family?" 

I have no idea what the neighbors worry about, but given that they are all pretty much Trump and GOP people they probably do not worry much, including the one neighbor with the cutesy sticker on her SUV of "God, Guns, and Trump." I am sure she is feeling fine as long as someone else is getting the shaft. I could not care less what the neighbors worry about or not.  

These days what remains of my family, outside my immediate family at home, does not talk about politics much if ever, and I am good with that. 

At work, my coworkers in varying degrees worry about current events and the regime, but once the first few days of the 2024 elections in the U.S. passed on, they sort of quieted down and settled in.  

"Do you feel like you have all the information  you need to know enough about what's happening in your community? Where do you turn to for information about what's happening in your community?" 

I feel that there is enough in terms of local information. Not a lot, but what there is suffices. Locally, the Berea Citizen weekly is pretty much the main source. It is not that great, but it is what is available. I try to give it a quick read when I can though not as often as I used to do when I moved into town. Some city agencies here use Facebook of all things to make announcements, etc.. I've mostly stopped using Facebook, due to various reasons up to and including their horrible ethics, but I find I do not really miss it. If I need to find some local information, I know where to look and who to ask. I know one or two local people who are connected to the local networks I can ask if needed. 

"Do you feel like you have all the information you need to know enough about what's happening in the United States [and the world]?"  

In terms of overall news, I have a variety of news sources lined up on my RSS reader. I scan through the sources once a day during the work week. On weekends, I mostly disengage from formal news reading, although as we all know by now some news always makes it to your social media, and my social media, mainly Bluesky and Mastodon these days, is no exception to that rule. In addition, I am an academic librarian, if I need to find additional information sources, I either know the sources already or know where to find them or who to ask. 

"Would you say it is important to stay informed about the news?"

For me, yes, it is important to stay informed and at least have a sense of what is going on. A big issue in the United States is the large amount of uninformed citizens who vote. We'd probably not have as many problems as we do now if people actually bothered to read news, be informed, and also evaluate the news they get. If all you do is watch Fox News, you have no advantage over someone who just does not read nor watch news at all. If anything, the uninformed person may have a slight advantage over the Fox News viewer. I know staying informed is not easy, but if you are going to be a responsible and decent citizen you need to make the effort. 

Being informed is also important to be able to navigate the world we live in. For me, as a librarian, being informed helps me do my job better, which enables to help others get the information they need better.  

"Growing up, did anyone in your family read the newspaper or follow the news?"

I remember at home growing up we had at least one newspaper, often two or three. My dad was the one who read the newspapers regularly, often at the end of the day when he got home. Mom, who was a stay at home mom, would read them during the day. At the time, in Puerto Rico, the main two newspapers were El Nuevo Dia, which still operates today, and El Mundo, long gone. There was also El Vocero, which still exists also though it seems to have changed over the years. At the time, El Vocero was basically the local crime sheet. It was known for taking the worst crimes, picking the most gruesome one on a given day, and splashing it on the front page with a headline written in red letters. Mom would often say on seeing it that the newspaper would be bleeding. They basically had "click bait" and "rage bait" before they was the thing it is now. Once in a while we might get an edition of El Vocero if a headline interested my parents. 

At the time, there was also an English language newspaper, The San Juan Star, which my dad began a subscription when we started learning English. He was likely hoping it would help us learn the language, and for me at least it worked since I did start reading it here and there. 

Finally, in terms of newspapers, there was Claridad, which still also operates.  Claridad was the socialist party pro-independence newspaper. Mom would buy it once in a while; she was independendista. However, my memory of reading Claridad comes from one of our neighbors at the time. We used to share carpooling to go back and forth to school. Dad would take us and a kid or two from the neighborhood in the morning, and often one of their parents brought their kid and us back home. One of those parents was also independentista, and he read Claridad regularly. He put a copy in my hand one day telling me that it was important, essential for me to read and be informed, and to read it all, not just what the major mainstream news published. When Claridad was at home, I'd do my best to read it too. 

While I was not a huge news reader, I read enough to know what was going on. I particularly liked science stories. This was the time when Voyager spacecraft were making new discoveries in the Solar System and NASA's Space Shuttle was the new wonder of the time. I found those stories fascinating, and I even would clip a few of them, especially the photos. 

These days, I still read, or at least glance at news sources from back home. El Nuevo Dia and Claridad have RSS feeds, so I have them on my feed reader.  I usually check the headlines of the former, may read an article if it interests me, but I do read from Claridad more often. There is also a new to me newspaper, La Perla, that also has an RSS feed, so I read that one too. When it comes to news from Puerto Rico, I read just enough to have a sense of what is going on. I have not lived in the island for many years now, and my return looks unlikely, so I don't feel a need to have a depth of knowledge. However, if I needed that depth, I can likely catch up with ease. 

As for other news sources, dad often kept the radio in the car on the news station. Keep in mind this was before AM radio became the right wing talk wasteland it is now. The radio news station mostly provided headlines and a bit of information on the headline every hour on the hour, which could get a bit repetitive. On Sundays, the station did have a political talk program-- the program featured local political pundits, but they did make an effort to somewhat balance the politics unlike today-- that dad also listened to, at least until mom got tired of it and told him to change the station.  As for television, you got news during the week in the morning, around 10am if I recall, then 6pm and 10pm for the late viewers. If you did not catch one of the broadcasts you missed it that day. Things like VCRs did not come until a bit later, so you had to make the effort to watch the news if you wanted  to do so. However, if you missed the news broadcast, you did have the option of reading the newspaper the next morning. 

Even though news sources were accessible at home, to be honest, my parents and family did not talk about news very much at home or with other family when we went to visit or they came to visit our home. Part of it I think was the old rule of "things not spoken in polite company," which tend to be politics and religion, news often gets included in that. 

Anyhow, that is how, in a nutshell, I got socialized to reading news and keeping up with news. 

"Was news ever talked about when you were in school?" 

To be honest, not really. I remember there were some school programs to provided newspapers in schools for students to read, but I never was in a school that offered it. Teachers just stuck to whatever the curriculum was at the time. High school seniors had to take a year of Puerto Rico history, and no, nothing current was really taught nor discussed. Given that pro-independence sentiment is on the rise on the island now, I wonder if that has changed any in schools, but at the time, no, not really. And my peers pretty much could not have cared less about news or talking about news. Someone like me who read a lot, news and books, was seen as the nerd type, so I did my reading on my own, and talked about whatever else it was kids talked about in school at the time. 

"Have you ever felt the need to take a break from the news? Deliberately changed your media habits?" 

After the 2016 U.S. elections, given the results, I felt a need to take a break. I declared a self-moratorium on reading anything related to politics, social issues, and activist topics. Before that, I used to read news, and other things, in those topics regularly to stay informed as well as keep learning. Also, I did it to stay informed in order to be a good reference and instruction librarian. After the 2016 elections, I just got burned out. While I did not totally tune out those topics, I made a conscious effort to minimize my exposure. I read and skimmed just enough but I did not share any of what I was reading as I usually do on social media. In fact, I had a small penance where if something I read in those topics moved me enough to share it on social media, I would post pictures of kittens right after to cleanse the social media feeds. It was a bit of light humor in the Hard Times. 

For the most part I managed to keep the moratorium going fairly well. However, with the results of the 2024 U.S. elections, I have found myself drawn into the politics, social issues, and activist materials news cycle, so I have been gradually phasing out the moratorium. One, there is way too much stuff, most of it bad, that I DO need to know about so I can stay alive in the Hard Times. Two, again, in order to help patrons I feel the need to be informed so I can answer their questions. And three, completely tuning out is not a viable option, not if you are going to try to survive and help others do the same as well. So I am reading more news in those topics, and more importantly, reading books on such topics again, which I then write reviews on this blog. For me, reading and reviewing those books is a small way to provide reader's advisory, to inform others, and hopefully help others be educated and informed so they can do the work. It's my small form of doing the work. 

"Do you TALK or SHARE a lot of news with others?"

In person, not much. Online, yes, I do share a bit of what I read through my social media. Sometimes it is serious. Other times I just share the news item with a bit of humor and/or snark.  While I appreciate if others respond to it, politely, I do it mostly for myself to remember and/or entertain myself a little in the Hard Times. For the most part, people on my social media feeds react positively. Part of it I am sure is I have my social media fairly well curated, including blocking as needed, so the explainers, pedants, hardcore partisans, and other assorted fuckbagels get little to no chance of coming in my feeds to bother me and others who may follow me. For anyone who wants to say some bullshit along the lines of needing an open mind or listen to others, I say fuck you. I do not owe anyone my time and my space, and I sure as hell do not owe anyone a "debate." You can take yourself elsewhere with that crap. 

Sometimes folks do ask me for information, and I am happy to help out where I can. However, one thing I stopped doing long ago was any form of fact checking in social media. Given people online really are not interested in facts, I found it is not worth the effort trying to provide those people with accurate information if they do not want it. Some folks are just beyond any redemption, and I am not bothering with them. 

 

And there you have it, some random thoughts on how I get my news. I ended up writing a bit more than I planned, but I needed to write it out. How about folks out there? Feel free to share how you get news, your experiences, so on in the comments below. If you have a blog, and you write a longer piece, you can share the link in the comments. I will do my best to check it out when I can. If you read this far, thank you for stopping by.