I am truly afraid – still.

It has been a strange few months for me.  As I write this, I am listening to Leonard Cohen on Spotify – because: sob.  And I’m especially vulnerable to sobbing right now. This election has left me heart broken and frightened.

I used to read The Handmaid’s Tale every few years, but I loaned my copy out and never got it back.  But I am going to my local bookstore to spend some time with a good friend on Sunday, so I plan to buy a new copy then.  I recently read Reading The Handmaid’s Tale In The Year of Trump on Book Riot and know that I need a refresher.

But beyond my own rights as a white, lower middle class woman, I am worried about the rights of others that are much more vulnerable than I am.  So I’ve retreated into what brings me the most comfort: lists.  I want to share them in case anyone else is looking for a way to understand what’s happened or a way to fight against the oppression that Trump has promised throughout his campaign.  For me, the best case scenario is that it was all a lot of bluster just to get elected.  But there is no solace in knowing that his platform got so many votes.  So let’s rally around each other and not let this man and his voters do what they’ve promised, mmkay?

From the New York Times: 6 Books to Help Understand Trump’s Win.  Some of the books on this list look painful to read, but if it helps broaden our understanding of how this happened, then maybe we will have the knowledge it takes to bridge some gaps with others that seem so different from ourselves.

From BookRiot: Books For Rising Up.  There are a lot on this list that look so good.  I think the first one I will grab will be bell hooks’ Teaching to Transgress.    I’ve loved everything that I’ve read by bell!

And on a lighter note from BookRiot: Book Cures for Your Post Election Hangover.  I’ve been considering re-reading the Harry Potter series, so this was a definite push for me.  But I also really love The Phantom Tollbooth!

It’s hard to say why, but these lists help me.  Maybe it’s because they’re proof that other people are as devastated as I am – and with more reason, given that the lives that they’ve so carefully cultivated for themselves could be in jeopardy.  But books are powerful – they give us the knowledge we need; we learn from the wisdom of those that have been there, done that; and books remind us that, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – Dumbledore.