Sexy Feminism: A Girl’s Guide to Love, Success, and Style by Heather Wood Rudolph and Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
Don’t let the title fool you - this is not some Cosmo-inspired booklet for tweens; it’s a genuine hands-on guide for getting in touch with your inner feminist at any age. When someone hears the word “feminist”, I’m sure that most people envision some version of a man-hating, opinionated, hairy-legged activist at rallies. But there’s more to feminism than the typical stereotypes and it’s a state of mind that every woman (and man, for that matter) can embrace. This book not only gives a history of bikini waxing, plastic surgery, horrible dating myths and the like for those who want to know how these sometimes ridiculous rituals got started, but shows women how they can be positively feminist in their everyday lives. From supporting patronizing cosmetic companies with positive and proactive agendas to having healthy relationships, this book shows you how to make feminism uniquely yours while still having a positive impact to the ideals themselves.
The book is available through SWAN. If you want more feminist reading, check out the authors’ blog, Sexy Feminist.
-Judy, Reference
Play Ball!
Take me out to a Bolts’ game,
Take me out to Crestwood,
Buy some dollar hot dogs and a couple o’ beers,
We will be filled with nothin' but cheers.
Cuz it’s root, root, root for the home team,
They are the ones wearing blue,
And it’s only about three miles away,
From Acorn Library, too!
Okay, so it went a little flat there at the end but I digress…
Crestwood’s Windy City Thunderbolts Baseball is the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon or evening. Tickets range from $8-$10, every night promises something extra in the form of various tchotchkes, dollar refreshments and food, seat-based raffles or fireworks. There are also entertaining happenings on the field in between each inning to make everyone laugh and cheer…especially when the giant (and I do mean GIANT) underpants make their appearance!
On top of all that, there’s some really good baseball. I don’t mean multi-million dollar dilettantes yawning their way through another game from the bench because they sprained their pinky with some overly zealous scratching and adjusting. I’m talking down-and-dirty, love the game, hold down second jobs and sleep on the bus levels of dedication from these guys. They love it and so will you. So, grab some kids or a date or your grandparents or anyone else you think might enjoy baseball as it was meant to be and head on over to cheer for your real local team…just make sure to run the other way if you see about twelve square feet of white cotton briefs headed your direction!
-Danielle, Tech Services
Fables by Bill Willingham
Fables is a comic book series about well-known fairy tale and folklore characters known collectively in the series as Fables. The series focuses on a group of Fables who have left the Homelands after the invasion of an enemy who now rules an empire that includes most of the Homelands. The exiled Fables build their own city in what has become modern-day New York City. When the story begins, King Cole is mayor, Snow White is assistant mayor, the Big Bad Wolf (here known as Bigby Wolf) is sheriff, and other familiar characters play important roles. The compelling story, the fantastic artwork, and the humorous dialogue combine to make it a light-hearted, enjoyable read. We have the first two of eight hardcover volumes at Acorn.
-Mike, Reference
The Bling Ring
I'm a big Sofia Coppola fan, and her latest is an (okay, fine--another) exploration of the Bermuda Triangle that is youth, fame, and materialism. It chronicles the short-lived but incredibly prolific reign of a group of teens who used Google and the collective lack of a prefrontal cortex to stake out and pillage the homes of their favorite celebrities. In the process, they became their idols--wearing their clothes, hanging out in the same clubs, heedlessly seeking their next great sensory experience--and manage to shed light on our avaricious, sensationalistic culture.
As with Coppola's other movies, the casting is perfection. Two unknowns (Israel Broussard and Chicagoland's Katie Chang) confidently carry the movie with graceful, subtle performances. The supporting actors are also very strong, with Emma Watson killing it as Nicki, a vapid terror with a serious case of vocal fry, and Leslie Mann stealing every scene she's in as her misguided mother who worships on the alter of Angelina Jolie.
The movie is currently in theaters. It was based on a Vanity Fair article (naturally), which was expanded into a book, which can be requested from SWAN.
-Megan, Reference
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