August 2021 In Review

AUGUST 2021  |  IN REVIEW
READ  |  WRITE  |  DISCUSS  |  PRAY  |  SERVE  |  REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

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Read

A Survey of Summer Reading and Lessons that are Never Too Late to Learn

Why read books that plunk you down right in the middle of the worst events in history?  Isn’t the news bad enough?  Why suffer more?  As I reflected on several books I read this month, I was reminded of why we should put ourselves through it: The emotional experience of art draws empathy, and the attention to detail breathes life into those whose dying wish was to be remembered.

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Write

Men We Reaped

Jesmyn Ward’s memoir provides a personal look of the larger story of the inequities and injustices of growing up Black in the South, in her community in Mississippi, as she explores the question of why her brother died while she lived.  My writing class read this book collectively, in order to learn more about the memoir craft.  Here is a summary of our summer lessons.

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Discuss

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

Overall, people really liked this one, even though we were a little stumped by some of the terms of the deal Addie made with the devil.  As we followed Addie on her quest for freedom, we enjoyed reimagining what that looked like, ultimately concluding that the answer lies in self-expression.

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Pray

Rain, and a vaccine

While walking my dog this month, I reflected on my prayer requests from last summer, how they had been answered, and how intimidated I was to ask for anything more. 

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Serve

Code Talker

During our end of summer road trip to the Grand Canyon, I came across the memoir of the last original Navajo code talker from World War II.  What was even more incredible than reading about how this spoken code secured victory in the Pacific, was learning the tremendous sacrifice and courage of a group of people who weren’t even treated like American citizens, who, with their actions, redefined what it means to serve one’s country.

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Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

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VISIT THE SITE

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

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