MAY I Have Your Attention…
My daughter graduated from college and I ran the London marathon with my husband, brother and a few friends!
What a busy few weeks it’s been! My daughter graduated from college and I ran the London marathon with my husband, brother and a few friends! Race day weather was unexpectedly hot, but the crowds were incredible and the course iconic.
Because of all of my travels, I haven’t had as much time to read as I would like, but I have listened to two timely memoirs that shed light on our digital era.
Book Recs:
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism
Holy C--p! For seven years, beginning in 2011, Sarah Wynn-Williams, worked at Facebook (now Meta), eventually as the director of global public policy. Careless People is her account of a company that, she says, was run by status-hungry and self-absorbed leaders who chafed at the burdens of responsibility, became a vector for disinformation campaigns, and cozied up to authoritarian regimes. It’s no wonder Meta tried to block the book’s publication.
Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age
When Amanda Hess, an internet culture critic for The New York Times, discovered she was pregnant with her first child, she found herself unexpectedly rattled by her own digital identity crisis. In the summer of 2020, a routine ultrasound detected a mysterious abnormality in Hess’s baby. Without hesitation, she reached for her phone, looking for answers. But rather than allaying her anxieties, her search sucked her into the destabilizing morass of the internet, making her vulnerable to conspiracy, myth, judgment, commerce, and obsession. In this book, Hess documents her escalating relationship with the digital world, identifying how technologies act as portals to troubling ideologies, ethical conflicts, and existential questions.
TV Limited Series Rec: A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read
On a cold January morning in a sleepy suburb outside of Boston, a local police officer was found dead on a fellow officer’s front lawn. A few days later, the officer’s girlfriend, Karen Read, was arrested on suspicion of murder. A Body in the Snow is a riveting behind-the-scenes docuseries that tells the story of the controversial trial that has divided a town. What do you think? Innocent? Or Guilty?
TV Series Rec: Your Friends and Neighbors
Your Friends and Neighbors is a fun series about a down-on-his-luck hedge fund manager (Jon Hamm). His wife (Amanda Peet) recently left him for a former NBA star, his teenage children think he’s uncool, and his boss unceremoniously fires him in a jacuzzi. Needing money to support his lavish lifestyle, he resorts to stealing money, jewelry, watches and art from his Westmont Village friends and neighbors. Think White Lotus in the suburbs.
Wildcard Rec: The Met Band-Aids
No one wants to get injured, but if you do, there is no chicer way to dress your wounds than with these limited edition Band-Aids. Featuring art by the Japanese painter and printmaker Hokusai, known for depicting scenes from nature, you can choose between waves, flowers or mountains.
I am looking to lock in my summer reading list. So far, I have pre-ordered Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Names by Florence Knapp. Please email me with any books you’re excited about.
See you in June!
Sincerely,
Greer
Congrats on your Marathon!
Huge props and respect!
Congratulations on your daughter's graduation! My daughter is finishing year one - 3 to go. The marathon is a major accomplishment too. All this and still have time to write my favorite books -you are a superstar!