Book of the Week - Stolen Pride by Arlie Russell Hochschild

Reviewed by Pia Eisenhardt 🙏

“Hochschild is the grande dame of American sociology, and after Trump’s election in 2016, she trained her sights on his voters, writing one of the most nuanced, empathetic books on the subject, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, based on in-depth interviews with Trump voters in rural Louisiana. The metaphor used for the simmering populist anger is that of people who feel that they’ve been left behind, patiently waiting in line for their turn, only for other people (meaning, minorities) to jump the queue.

Last year saw the publication of Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right. Trump margins are consistently largest in rural areas, and Stolen Pride applies the same feature journalism style on Appalachian Kentucky, by any measure one of US’ poorest regions (a lot about the US makes more sense if you think of it as the world’s richest country with a third world country - measured by any UN development indices - embedded within it).

Economists tend to focus on the monetary economy, but there’s an overlooked and equally important ledger, namely that of pride (as in “dignity”) and humiliation. In a culture where individual success is lauded, the flip side is that lack of success is internalized as shame, and that dynamic is most at display in economically deprived rural areas. Or put another way, emotional narratives may turn out to be a stronger driver of voter sentiment than macro economics, and while not all Trump voters believe that the 2016 election was stolen in a literal sense, the more symbolic theft feels very real: something that was theirs by right was snatched away by the very same people who deny them their dignity, and in this framework, the appeal of Trump is that he holds out the promise of pride restored, or at least an emotionally satisfying retribution.

The great strength of Hochschild’s work is her willingness to just listen, and by listening to the fears, hopes and dreams of Trump’s rural voters, she renders them human rather than caricature, no mean feat in today’s hyper polarized atmosphere.”

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The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

Reviewed by bookstore founder and owner herself, Isabella 🌞

“The quiet days following Christmas lend themselves well to a completely immersive read. Time to read an entire book in just a few days, the pinnacle of luxury. With that comes, as we all know, the pressure of finding the right book!

My choice this Christmas turned out to be a book that has had me up at night, feeling emotional, nostalgic, fearful, and hopeful all at once.

The Lion Women of Tehran is the story of two young girls from different parts of Iranian society, their friendship and struggles through the turbulent history of Iran from 1950 to today.

The fight for women’s rights, culturally and politically, is at the center of this easily read historical novel full of betrayal, redemption, and with a cast of carefully woven characters, including the city of Tehran itself, that all play important roles in charting the dramatic paths drawn by the revolution.

I left Iran as a 10 year old girl just before the revolution of 1979, so my memories of the country (and city of Tehran) are frozen in time full of longing and nostalgia, and, years later, also full of questions about the life we lived, the society we lived in, and the atrocities committed under the Shah, and since under the Islamic Republic. So the book hit home in many ways, especially through its use of Persian words and phrases sprinkled throughout.

But Iran and Iranians are so much more than their politics. They are warm, funny, passionate (dramatic:) people who serve amazing food, and create beautiful art set against the backdrop of a 3000 year old history.

Iranian women are fierce - fiercely loyal and fiercely loving - and not to be messed with. This truth is not only at the heart of ‘The Lion Women of Tehran’, but also visible every single day, through the incredibly brave actions of women on the streets and in the prisons of Iran.

The recent fall of the Syrian regime left more than a few Iranians thinking ‘If only that could happen in Iran’ after almost 50 years of fundamentalist rule. The fate of Syria is still unclear, but at least they now have real hope.

Here’s to a 2025 with real hope for Iran 🇮🇷”

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All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Brinkley

Reviewed by Jonas Amir Smith

“Patrick Bringley’s All the Beauty in the World feels like getting a backstage pass to one of the coolest and most famous museums in the world, The Met.

Bringley leaves his, what some might call comfortable or cushy, job at The New Yorker to become a regular old guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art after his brother’s death.

Bringley shares a super personal and genuine look into his life among the art. Throughtout the book I realized how it’s so much more that guarding paintings, or making sure people don’t take photos / touch the artwork. It’s about finding a new way to cope with loss and discovering unexpected beauty in the day-to-day, and while it might not work for everybody, you see first hand how it works for him.

Through Bringley’s eyes, you get to experience the quiet magic of the Met. From the grandeur of the ancient sculptures to the secret corners most visitors miss, his stories are like snaphots of moments that make you think and feel, whether he is describing what seems to be a simple and slow day of watching over a gallery, or the constant reflection on how art connects us all.

The book blends the richness of this colorful world with deep, relatable life lessons. I think the reason why I connected with this book a lot is because it tells the story that many of us have felt where we have wandered through a museum and felt a kind of peaceful awe. It is a heartfelt tribute to finding peace, comfort and inspiration in the most unexpected places.”

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Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior

Brilliantly and thoughtfully reviewed by our very own Catalina. It is clear that the book made a lasting impression.

Happy Reading!

“In Crooked Plow, Itamar Vieira Junior delivers a powerful narrative that intertwines the wisdom of farmers deeply connected to their land with a stark portrayal of ongoing structural violence and injustice.

Set in rural Brazil, the story follows a community of tenant farmers whose lives are shaped by exploitation and the remnants of slavery under new guises.

Vieira Junior’s prose is evocative, capturing the essence of survival amidst a hostile landscape plagued by drought and violence. We witness the resilience and indignation of a community tethered to the land yet yearning for freedom and justice.

Over generations, the workers’ consciousness and desire for freedom grow, shaping new relations within the community and creating new conflicts between owners and tenants.

The author skillfully navigates themes of labor, ownership, and the enduring legacy of oppression. It reminds us that some injustices ‘travel across time.’

All in all, the storytelling in this book gripped me so intensely I couldn’t put it down. I was captivated by the author’s exploration of human resilience and the intricate dynamics of justice, vividly portraying life under the oppressive yoke of exploitative landowners.

Beyond its literary brilliance, this book is a powerful catalyst for reflection on crucial contemporary issues: justice, power dynamics, and the essence of true freedom.”

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