June was a weird a month both personally and globally. On a personal level it was a very busy but also anxious time. On global level the Black Lives Matters movement dominated the headlines, changed the way we look at police and history and, according to The New York Times, might be the largest movement in United States history.

By the end of the month I managed to finish the two books I had already started and reread a small guide on how to be antiracist.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

The Testaments is a book I’ve been excited to read since it was released. It is not only the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, one of my favorite dystopias, but also written by an author I admire a lot. In this sequel we find out through two testimonials and letters by Aunt Lydia what it is like to grow up, move to Gilead and how to become an Aunt. I loved this book as much as the first, but I think most people would prefer The Testaments over The Handmaid’s Tale. There is a defined climax in the narrative, more action and the end leaves little to be speculated.

If you prefer to watch, check out my June wrap up video:

Pequeno Manual Antirracista by Djamila Ribeiro

Pequeno Manual Antirracista (in french: Petit Manuel Antiraciste et Féministe) is a small guide on how to be antiracist. Unfortunately, it is only available in Portuguese and French, but it is worth checking out if you speak any of these two languages. Djamila Ribeiro did an amazing job explaining what is racism, how it can be structural and how to do to avoid it. Even the person that struggles to understand why it is Black Lives Matters and not All Lives Matters will get it after this book.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

City of Girls tells the story of Vivian Morris, who is 89 years old by the time she decides to share her experiences. After being expelled from Vassar college, Vivian moves to New York to live with her aunt Peg, a theater owner. While she is in the Big Apple, miss Morris starts hanging out with showgirls and doing some things that weren’t socially acceptable for women at the time. I think this book is ok, but a bit too long for the plot.