April 26, 2016

Emma Watson picks 'The Argonauts' by Maggie Nelson for Our Shared Shelf




Dear OSS,

I've been searching high and low for our next book. The club has been much more international than I had anticipated - and much bigger. I'm really proud of my club members - discussion-wise - you are all hitting it out of the park. I'm having to find books that are accessible, cover multiple perspectives and languages, that are unique and not too well known already... So without further ado... 

Our next book is going to be The Argonauts, by Maggie Nelson. The story is about the author’s relationship with artist Harry Dodge, who is fluidly gendered. It's about their romance, the birth of their son, the death of Harry’s mother and their changing bodies, as Maggie becomes pregnant and Harry undergoes surgery, but it’s also about inclusion and the powers and shortfalls of language. It might require a bit of work but The Argonauts rewards us with an expansive way of considering identity, caretaking, and freedom—along with a liberation from, what Maggie calls, “the demand that anyone live a life that’s all one thing.” I am excited to read this book with you. Maybe it will change the way we think and speak about others and ourselves?

Hope I did you proud,
Em Wats X 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How about something about people who have solid identities of man of women but do not wish to be fluid cross gender. I respect all types of people, and I have friends who are homosexual and lesbian and they are beautiful people. Many of these say that they hate it when people make a monkey out of their life. 'This is not really helping us,' one friend said. A homosexual or a lesbian does not need to flaunt their sexuality just as other people do not flaunt having children or just being single. How about privacy.'