Lawrence.com

Jessica Gish

@gishgish

Occupation:Junior Librarian, artist, and graduate student of Library Studies

Hobbies: Reading, going to art shows and museums, taking photographs, having crafty time with my friends, trying new recipes, playing stupid games on Facebook

Currently reading: “Half Broke Horses: A True Life Novel" by Jeannette Walls

“It's the life story of the author's grandmother, Lily, who grew up in a dugout house in Texas. Each chapter tells a different story about something that happened to Lily. One of my favorites so far is when there was a flash flood and Lily pulled her little sister and brother up into a tree and they stayed there all night, waiting for the waters to recede. I like it so far, though it is not as good as Walls' first book, 'The Glass Castle,' which is one of my all-time favorites.”

Book everyone should read: “Zami: A New Spelling Of My Name: A Biomythography" by Audre Lorde

“Audre Lorde writes fantastically well about her experience growing up in Harlem in the 1930s. Her parents were immigrants from the West Indies and reading about their home life is fascinating. After she leaves home she lives in New York as well as Mexico and has all kinds of adventures, good and bad. Lorde is unflinching in the way she tells about the racism, classism, sexism, and homophobism she experiences and survives. It's important for people to know how non-white, non-native, non-straight, non-male people experience things, especially living in the United States. On a less serious note, she's just an excellent story-teller and the book is really engaging.”