new reviews, new issue of The Point, new books

Hi, all. Not a lot of rigorous thinking from me today. Just updates and pleas to click on various links. I’m a bit of a hypothyroidism slug at the moment as I adjust my dosage of levothyroxine (the hormone replacement medication that I’m taking in lieu of….having a thyroid), and this is all I can muster. In about 3-4 weeks, the new dosage will kick in and I’ll feel like less of a slug, but I’ll also have to begin the absolutely dire low-iodine diet I have to follow before undergoing radioactive iodine treatment later next month. Anyway:

1. I’ve written a few pieces about books I like lately! The week before last, I wrote about Elisa Gabbert’s charming new essay collection , and this week, I wrote about Jill Ciment’s fascinating and provocative new memoir, which is about her 45-year marriage to a man she met when she was 17 and he was 47. (The latter is obviously the sort of thing about which people are deranged, so I’ve been assiduously avoiding the comments.)

2. There’s a new issue of The Point! It’s about men, mostly. You should read it, subscribe, etc. You should DEFINITELY read this banger about weightlifting by

   Phil Christman
   , one of the best essayists alive today.

3. Speaking of The Point, editors Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman have an great book about parenthood out soon. It’s received its first review, an excellent and lengthy one in the New Yorker, recently. I don’t know that I fully agree with one premise of the piece—namely, that progressives speak as if there is something slightly shameful or embarrassing about having children—because it still seems to me that we live in a fairly child-philic (not to say pedophilic, thankfully) world, and I still think that after centuries of basically compulsory child-rearing the old cultural habits and assumptions die hard. Obviously, my only evidence for this is vibes and personal experience: many if not most of my friends want to have kids (although I myself do not), I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone in my circles question the notion that kids are basically an unmitigated good, and I’ve encountered plenty of people subtly insinuating that I ought to want to have kids and basically no one who seem to think it’s a better idea to be childless. Still, the piece is thought-provoking and the book itself is great. It’s out on the 11th. You should pre-order it!

4. Finally, if my health permits (and at this moment I have every reason to think it will), I will be speaking at the Brainwash Festival in Amsterdam in late October. If you live in the Netherlands, or if you just happen to be around, it would be great to see you. I’ll probably also make a stop in Belgium, and maybe some other places in Europe. Perhaps I will see some of you there!