Twenty Tabs Later

Before I begin, there are a few things you should know about me.  I love history, I love politics, I love to discuss the current political climate in America, and I love to argue.  Obviously, I'm able to contain the last part when it comes to differing viewpoints, like any good debater.  I respect the opposition's view but am certain that I'm right until I'm proven wrong beyond reasonable doubt. So, I'm also stubborn.  These traits have allowed me to connect with this book in ways that I was unable to with Growing A Farmer or Life on the Road.  I'm so pleased to say that I'm very much enjoying Born on Third Base and look forward to reading on.


The thing that I immediately loved about Born on Third Base was that author Chuck Collins isn't afraid to shy away from one of the largest problems in America.  Economic inequality in America seems to be at an all-time high, with the middle class slowly disappearing as the rich continue to get richer.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to wealth.  In fact, I respect it (and those who earn it) and wish to one day be successful enough that I don't have to worry about money issues.  However, some who are extremely wealthy and born into that wealth don't understand the privileges and opportunities that are handed to them on a silver platter.


In Collins' introduction, he states, "Never in the history of human suffering and economic conflict have so few been in a position to do so much for so many" (3).   For some reason, this statement just really touched me.  Maybe it was because he referenced Winston Churchill moments earlier, or maybe it was because of the sheer, undeniable truth to those words.  The wealthiest 1% of America holds so much power in their hands and are in possession of more money than they could ever need.  They have the option to share a portion of their wealth to better the lives of the less fortunate.  They have the option to share a portion of their wealth to assist those that suffer.  They have the option to share a portion of their wealth to do.  They have that option to do these things, and yet many don't do it.  Why?


Being born on third base himself, Collins helped me understand why.

How many of you are familiar with the Archie Comics?

If you are then you'll surely remember the title character, Archie Andrews.  The all-American boy with carrot orange hair, freckles, and the always-there "R" t-shirt.  This past year, Warner Brothers' own CW network has created a live-action tv show adapted from the Archie Comics.  The television adaption, called "Riverdale", stars KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, and Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge.

Today, I'll be discussing why KJ APA is perfect for the iconic role of Archie Andrews.

I'll provide a bit of background on our esteemed main character.  Archie Andrews is known as America's most typical teenager.  The character was born and raised in the small town of Riverdale.  He's got a mop of red (orange) hair, a splatter of freckles on his cheeks, and a nice-boy attitude.  Archie Andrews is most famous for his indecisiveness and his inability to chose between two girls called Betty and Veronica.

Now, let's talk about the actor taking on the role.  Twenty-year-old KJ Apa was born and raised in New Zealand.  He has two sisters and his father, who is Samoan, is the Matai (chief) of his village in Somoa.  He plays both the guitar and the piano and is often hesitant when asked to sing live, but he has a great singing voice.

While I think we can all agree that "My Life on the Road" by Gloria Steinem was a much better read than Farmer, I must admit I was still a bit underwhelmed.  There were aspects of the book that I enjoyed, like the stories of her travels and when she would talk about her family.  The thing I disliked the most about this book was how it wasn't in chronological order.  I get it, she's a free spirit that wants to tell her story her way, and I respect that, but I prefer structure and while the book was entertaining, I wasn't a fan of how everything was thrown all over the place. If you read my last post, you may understand that I had unrealistic expectations when I first began (which did sour my mood towards the memoir slightly).


My lack of knowledge regarding who Steinem was made it a pleasant journey in getting to know her throughout the book.  As stated earlier, I enjoyed reading about her travels, especially India.  I also was fascinated by her activism on college campuses, but I was particularly interested in her roles in political campaigns.  I find politics entertaining, and luckily my views match up nicely with Steinem (or else this post would be a lot longer).  I specifically like this quote on page 165, "Women are always better liked if we sacrifice ourselves for something bigger--and something bigger always means, including men, even though something bigger for men doesn't usually mean including women" (Steinem, 165).  I don't necessarily have a personal connection to this, but I've seen it in action many times.  To close this post, I would admit that I did end up liking this book more than I thought I would.

Before I talk about my early thoughts on the beginning of this book, I want to tell you about my initial expectations and feelings based on the title.  After Farmer, I was trying to begin this reading assignment with an open mind.  If you happened to read my previous blog-post you're aware of my lackluster opinion on non-fiction books.  The idea of reading this book was the equivalent of hearing the incessant screeching of nails on a chalkboard. Still, even I had to admit that the title "My Life on the Road" sounded cool, adventurous, and, dare I say, even fun.  Before reading, I had no idea who Gloria Steinem was, but I did know her name sounded familiar.  Of course, from this idea, I thought she was a famous country music singer.  That being said, I ended up interpreted the title of her book to be about her life on tour.  Again, after Farmer, I was trying to look at it with an open mind so I was (positively) imagining all the cool stories she could tell about the behind the scenes life on tour.  So imagine my disappointment when I finally started the book and realized that Gloria Steinem was in fact not a touring music artist, and this was not a 'behind the scenes' peek at anything but her life.  Immeasurable.

Okay, now let's begin.  Already soured and despite my efforts, I ended up not going into this book with the highest opinion.  The prelude and introduction were underwhelming to me.  As I continued, I was happily surprised that I was actually intrigued.  When Steinem was describing her father after his death, when she was listing of characteristics of his lifestyle, I found it funny that I was completely the opposite of what he preferred.  While I enjoy traveling,  I don't think that I could ever be a traveler.  I like stability and consistency.  I enjoy have a home to return to and relax in.  I can be spontaneous, but I 110% prefer certainty and planning.  Every now and then, I'd grow bored with the words on the page and begin to zone out, but this time I'm able to catch myself after only a few seconds rather than after a few minutes.   I'm only a chapter in, but I can already tell I will enjoy this book much more.

Regardless of my current feelings about "My Life on the Road", anything is better than Farmer.