Listening, Reading and Watching this week

As always, there is a lot of good stuff out there to hear, read, and watch.

This interview done by Krista Tippett with Ta-Nehisi Coates was so good I listened to it twice the same day. You can find it here at On Being, and listen to the produced show or the uncut interview. Usually I choose the produced show, but in this case, the whole interview is worth it. It is a serious interview on systemic racism within the United States, but it is not all seriousness. I listened while I drove, and more than once realized I was laughing out loud...which almost never happens when I am alone.

I'm going to listen again, at least once, and hope to soon read his book, We Were Eight Years In Power: An American Tragedy. I've already read Between the World and Me, which is completely worth reading at least once, maybe more.

I listen to the TED Radio Hour podcast and am currently nearly finished with an episode called '"How Art Changes Us". As in all TED podcasts, there are several stories. There is how to reimangine Civil War art and monuments; art that uplifts favela communities in Brazil, and more within this podcast. If you have any interest in how the creative arts can uplift and transform us, this is your podcast episode.

I just purchased the book, Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World, by Osheta Moore. I rarely buy books anymore unless I'm sure I'll read them more than once, or find them good enough to share with friends. I haven't read this yet, but I listen to Osheta's podcast. She is in earnest about her walk with God and her mission to spread shalom throughout her home, community, and the world. Her book is organized around the twelve core beliefs that are her faith practice. It includes a section in the back with actions steps in bullet lists for each core belief. Can't wait to dive into this one.

And a movie: Wonder. If you haven't heard of this one yet, you will. I read the book and its companion stories about a year ago, and have been anxiously waiting for the movie since the moment I heard it was being made. We saw it Sunday. I'm a sucker for a feel good movie that has good people trying to do well. It doesn't hurt if it also makes me cry. So now you have an idea of what this movie is like. Another plus is that it has Julia Roberts in it, and the downer is that she only laughs out loud once.