Pride Among the Pines Book Club
Queer Lit Discussion Group
Meets Online
Second Friday of Every Month
7:30 pm
Meets Online
Second Friday of Every Month
7:30 pm
The book we are reading for January is the result of a project started to understand the role of sexual attraction in Western culture when the author was working as a science reporter at The Verge. It has been named one of the Best Books of 2020 by NPR, Electric Literature, and Them.
So, what's the book about?
This powerful nonfiction book is an engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what the ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity.
What exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through life not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about gender roles, about romance and consent, and the pressures of society? This accessible examination of asexuality shows that the issues that aces face--confusion around sexual activity, the intersection of sexuality and identity, navigating different needs in relationships--are the same conflicts that nearly all of us will experience. Through a blend of reporting, cultural criticism, and memoir, Ace addresses the misconceptions around the "A" of LGBTQIA and invites everyone to rethink pleasure and intimacy. Journalist Angela Chen creates her path to understanding her own asexuality with the perspectives of a diverse group of asexual people. Vulnerable and honest, these stories include a woman who had blood tests done because she was convinced that "not wanting sex" was a sign of serious illness, and a man who grew up in a religious household and did everything "right," only to realize after marriage that his experience of sexuality had never been the same as that of others. Disabled aces, aces of color, gender-nonconforming aces, and aces who both do and don't want romantic relationships all share their experiences navigating a society in which a lack of sexual attraction is considered abnormal. Chen's careful cultural analysis explores how societal norms limit understanding of sex and relationships and celebrates the breadth of sexuality and queerness.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in-store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online!
We are open to the public for in-store shopping Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm & you can pickup your orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using the pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery, as well (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting! Reviews & Interviews
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex
-- Library Journal Read Me: Angela Chen’s Ace Challenges Us All to Reframe How We Talk About Sex -- Them 'Ace' is the first book of its kind. Here’s why anyone, asexual or not, should read it. -- Mashable A Conversation with Journalist Angela Chen -- Stonewall National Museum & Archives
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So, what's the book about?
Seamlessly transitioning between the absurd and the tenderhearted, balancing acerbic humor with sharp emotional depth, Afterparties offers an expansive portrait of the lives of Cambodian-Americans. As the children of refugees carve out radical new paths for themselves in California, they shoulder the inherited weight of the Khmer Rouge genocide and grapple with the complexities of race, sexuality, friendship, and family.
A high school badminton coach and failing grocery store owner tries to relive his glory days by beating a rising star teenage player. Two drunken brothers attend a wedding afterparty and hatch a plan to expose their shady uncle's snubbing of the bride and groom. A queer love affair sparks between an older tech entrepreneur trying to launch a "safe space" app and a disillusioned young teacher obsessed with Moby-Dick. And in the sweeping final story, a nine-year-old child learns that his mother survived a racist school shooter. This vibrant story collection about Cambodian-American life--immersive and comic, yet unsparing--offers profound insight into the intimacy of queer & immigrant communities.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in-store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online!
We are open to the public for in-store shopping Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm & you can pickup your orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using the pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery, as well (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting! Reviews & Interviews
Much of her writing pertains to the unique experience of growing up as a member of a tight-knit Indian community in a state where they comprised less than half a percentage point of the overall population. She also writes opinion pieces and commentary regarding her experiences as a Civics teacher in the Boston Public Schools for the last 16 years.
So, what's the book about?
When Neema Avashia tells people where she’s from, their response is nearly always a disbelieving “There are Indian people in West Virginia?” A queer Asian American teacher and writer, Avashia fits few Appalachian stereotypes. But the lessons she learned in childhood about race and class, gender and sexuality continue to inform the way she moves through the world today: how she loves, how she teaches, how she advocates, how she struggles.
Another Appalachia examines both the roots and the resonance of Avashia’s identity as a queer desi Appalachian woman, while encouraging readers to envision more complex versions of both Appalachia and the nation as a whole. With lyric and narrative explorations of foodways, religion, sports, standards of beauty, social media, gun culture, and more, Another Appalachia mixes nostalgia and humor, sadness and sweetness, personal reflection and universal questions.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in-store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online!
We are open to the public for in-store shopping Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm & you can pickup your orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using the pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery, as well (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting! Reviews & Interviews
‘Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place’
-- The Daily Yonder Divisions and Distances in “Another Appalachia” -- Southern Review of Books Author Neema Avashia on identity, relationships, and coming up queer and Indian in Appalachia -- Rural Assembly Neema Avashia describes 'Another Appalachia' -- The Reckon Interview Growing up in "Another Appalachia" is more relatable than you think: "I keep finding myself here" -- Salon |
AuthorsMax Ruthless (they/them) -- Store Owner Event LinkJoin us on Google Meet to chat each month:
meet.google.com/mrx-dhpz-wjq Archives
February 2023
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