Current Reads: Winter 2011

My current reads: Winter 2011

Transparent

by Cris Beam 

This book is absolutely wonderful. As an engaged Los Angeles resident I am just devouring this book about transgender youth living in L.A. I think I am attracted all writing about Los Angeles, but I am particularly excited about this; a look into the lives of some of the most marginalized and downtrodden youth in the area. It's isn't just a pity party, though. It' simply illustrates the lives of these youth: the happy, the sad, the daily grind, the fights, the families. Genetic boys who make themselves look like girls, genetic boys who look like boys but want to be girls, genetic boys who just look a little fabulous, and still identify as boys.

I am so happy to be learning more about the lives and histories of trans youth in LA.

Venezuela Speaks!

by Carlos Martinez, Michael Fox, and Jojo Farrell

This book is all about the politics of Venezuela within the past 20 years. The goal of this book is to give a well-rounded perspective of what has been happening, not the Chávez-centric perspective that we often get. The book is broken up into sections about different sectors of society working towards political change in Venezuela, working on the process of creating a “Bolivarian” society. The sections include: land and housing reform; gender and sexual diversity movements; workers and labor; community media, arts, and culture; indigenous and afro-venezuelan movements, the student movement, and community organizing. The book provides a holistic view of people who are doing work just as important and active as that of high-ranking politicians. I was in Venezuela in 2009, so I am really enjoying reading about this land.