Cruel Compendium #36 š¢
No regrets, filling the void, and attending the Turtle Party
IāmĀ Jillian Anthony, and this is Cruel Summer Book Club, a newsletter about change and living well. In the Cruel Compendium I send out links to everything Iām reading and thinking about.
Last week I celebrated two years of writing CSBC! AND I announced that the Cruel Summer Book Club podcast launches August 5! I canāt wait to share more details with you. Have a great week!
Iām reading
Diary of a meltdown by Sarah Campbell in her newsletter, Tiny Revolutions. Having a hard time? Why don't you literally interview yourself? I love this conversation between Sarah and herself about going through a mental health rough patch and self-care.
All the bad men and what to do with them by Lyz Lenz in her newsletter, Men Yell at Me. Lyz brilliantly writes about how societyās demand for forgiveness for ābad menā is a tool of oppression.
Simply put, it is not my job to make the world better for abusive people. My job is to make the world better for the victims. Which is why, when people say, āWhat about forgiveness?ā I say you are asking the wrong question. Why are we so worried about the future of this man, when his victims are still suffering? The question answers itself in uncomfortable silence.
Can ābad menā ever change? by Amelia Schonbek. Can face-to-face meetings between a victim and an abuser act as restorative justice?
The gender health gap makes peopleās lives hell by Rachel Thompson. Doctors still know so little about recognizing and treating common womenās health issues such as endometriosis and PCOS, and women are expected to simply cope with excruciating pain and years of misdiagnoses.
Womanhood doesnāt have to be so painful by Jill Filipovic
Underlying all of this is an assumption that womanhood, and particularly motherhood ā or the avoidance of motherhood, and the desire to have sex for pleasure ā demands sacrifice. And surely motherhood, and good parenthood generally,Ā doesĀ demand sacrifice ā but we donāt have to make that sacrifice wholly unnecessary, offered up simply because thatās what mothers do, and demanded of women even when there are better, less painful options. We donāt have to accept the old story of pain as Biblical punishment for female curiosity and freedom, of physical suffering being indelibly tied to womanhood ever since Eve took a bite of the apple.
Questionable self-care advice
Support system
Vision board
Obsessions
āļø Writers, sign up for a mini #1000wordsofsummer August 8-13
š» If youāre interested in creating your own newsletter, hereās a great list of pros and cons for different platforms
š¼ļø Get a poster made of pics from your Instagram
š I often wish I was a fish in a tube, jetting off to my next destination, not a care in the world
š The gospel truth of dating in your 20s vs. your 30s
šÆ āBestie, the reason theyāre treating you terribly doesnāt matterā
š¢ Iāve been visiting the Turtle Party here in Austin
Minerva moment
Her only mood this summer
Anthem
āSteamā by Leon Bridges. CANNOT GET ENOUGH!
Check out the full CSBC playlist
Mood
Cruel compliments
Thanks to everyone whoās excited for the Cruel Summer Book Club podcast! āØāØāØ
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Thank you so much to readers Alla, Amelia, Andi, Annabel, Anne Marie, Ann-Kathrin, Brenna, Brittany, Brittany, Cara, Catherine, Christine, Courtney, Danielle, Edith, Erin, Esme, Grace, Hannah, Jacki, Julia, Kate, Katie, Katie, Mallory, Maria, Molly, Naureen, Rachel, Rahul, Riddhi, Rocky, Samantha, Sarah, Sasha and Scarlett for your support!
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