What got me thinking in March

This post is going to be similar to the What I’m reading this MLK Day post from a couple months ago. I talk a lot about books on this blog, but I’m sure that we all read more than that on a daily basis. Here are some of the things I read that got me thinking this past March. Feel free to add some links to articles that really got you thinking as well!

We’re all reading  folk around here, so I wanted to start off with Book Riot’s thread of book recommendations by people of color. It’s great, and has authors I’ve never even heard of. If you’re looking to diversify your list, it’s a must click. Speaking of diverse reads, I’m also providing For Harriet‘s call for writers and submissions. They’re a website specifically for a black women audience, so if you’re interested, the link is here.

Also for you writers and grammar fiends out there, I present the epic read “America Needs Y’all.” You haven’t been reading long enough if you haven’t seen me use the word y’all on this blog. It’s a brilliant gender neutral alternative for “guys,” and Vann Newkirk II builds a great case for it’s legitimization.

If you were as angry as I was about Batman vs Superman (which was a nice film on it’s own, but pretty bad within when actually evaluating it from within the fandom), I’d head on over to Birth.Movies.Death for “Superman and the Damage Done,” for a thoughtful eulogy for the superhero that Snyder ruined.

The Superman in recent films seemed fundamentally different than the original, and perhaps the same argument can be said for Nina Simone in the upcoming film starring Zoe Saldana. Many critics have discussed the her casting, saying that it’s a slap in the face to Simone’s memory– Ta Nehisi Coates does the subject justice in The Atlantic.

Earlier this month, I read Writing My Wrongs, where author Shaka Senghor discusses his time in prison. I toss NPR’s “Doubling Up Prisoners In ‘Solitary’ Creates Deadly Consequences” into the ring for consideration because it’s an eye opening look at yet another major problem with American prisons. These are people who are likely guilty of heinous crimes, yet what’s being done to them in prison is oftentimes criminal (if not at least criminally negligent) as well.

I can’t possibly discuss criminality without discussing politics. It’s just not possible. I present to you what is likely one of the wildest things I’ve read in a while. Today, Bloomberg Businessweek published “How to Hack an Election.” The long read focuses on Andrés Sepúlveda, who has admitted to hack his way into hoards of elections throughout Latin America. It’s frightening. When asked about the American election, he says he’s “100 percent sure” that it’s been tampered with.

If the previous article is the most shocking read of this month, I’d say this one is the most devastating. In this Washington Post article, a woman discusses forcing herself to talk about her sister’s suicide in the hopes that the story helps others. The story is powerful and necessary– but don’t read it on a gloomy day.

I know that so many of these articles are rather heavy. Ending things on a lighter note… here’s an excited goat. Let me know what stuff you were reading this month that really got you going!