All Booked: Thankful for Role Models
Hello, fellow bookworms!
It’s been a while since I threw my own book recommendations into the ring! I hope you’ve been enjoying the recommendations from my lovely guest stars Nathan, Sarah, Caitlin, Leslie, Donny, and Richelle the past few months. Richelle chimes in at the end of this column to showcase a book and author coming to town for UCSB Arts & Lectures next week!
In other exciting S.B. book news, UCSB Reads has announced its selection for 2025: The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay, described as “a genre-defying collection of short lyrical essays that celebrate the small, ordinary wonders in the world around us.” Learn more about UCSB Reads and the 2025 book here.
With the spooky season over, we’re delving into the coziest time of autumn: That period full of giving thanks, spending time with family and friends, and, if you’re me, the apple pie I make from scratch with my dad every year. This year, I’ve been feeling very thankful for the role models around me, the people who demonstrate hard work and kindness and how we can all make the world around us just a little bit better.
With that in mind, here are five women whose memoirs I’ve enjoyed this year and who can definitely serve as role models in a myriad of ways. Quick trigger warning: Two of these books feature sexual assault; one involves repeated abuse of a minor.
Just Add Water: My Swimming Life by Katie Ledecky
I don’t know much about competitive swimming, but I know greatness when I see it, and Katie Ledecky is impossible to deny! With 10 Olympic medals to her name at the time of this book’s publication, plus the four she picked up this summer in Paris, it’s easy to wonder, “How on earth does she do it?” Well, let her tell you.
Just Add Water is Ledecky’s love letter to her sport, from the childhood swim-club teammates who cheered her on, all the way to the entire world cheering for her on the biggest stage. Natural talent is only part of Ledecky’s equation — her hard-working spirit; the support of her big, loving family; and her unwavering love of the water are clearly keys to her success. And despite reaching a level of fame that few of us can relate to, Ledecky stays humble; the book isn’t about the level of success she’s reached as much as it’s about all the tiny moments and loving influences that helped her get there.
Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
I’ve listened to Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark’s true-crime podcast My Favorite Murder since I was in college, and after finally picking up their book this summer, I’m so glad I did. We can’t all be Katie Ledecky, but most of us can relate to making questionable decisions, dating the wrong person, dealing with bad influences, trying to stay safe in an unsafe world, and the particular hell that is being 13 years old. And even if we survive these experiences, there’s no guarantee that we learned anything from it.
Kilgariff and Hardstark, with their trademark wit and honesty, lay out the stories of some of their lowest moments — from drug use to alcoholism, divorced parents, and brushes with death — balanced with the hope, optimism, and humor that brought them to the success they enjoy today. Reading their book (and listening to the stories they’ve told on their podcast) feels like listening to your cool older sisters telling you their cautionary tales and making you laugh. Whether in audio or book format, Kilgariff and Hardstark are here to reassure readers that while we might screw up, we can always learn from our mistakes, and life can always, always get better.
Freedom: My Book of Firsts by Jaycee Dugard
Jaycee Dugard has an incredible story. Kidnapped at age 11 on her way to the bus stop and held captive for 18 years by a sex offender and his wife until her rescue in 2009, she needed every bit of hope and strength she had — and she has a lot. Dugard’s first book, A Stolen Life (2011), is a heart-wrenching read detailing her years of captivity. Her second book, Freedom: My Book of Firsts, published after seven years of freedom for Dugard and her two daughters, details her exploration of life outside captivity.
From her first plane ride to learning to drive, adopting her first puppy, learning to ride a horse, and finding her favorite Starbucks order, Dugard takes us along on her journey of discoveries with a humble sense of humor and so much wonder and appreciation for the world around her. From surviving her ordeal to adjusting to the outside world; founding the JAYC (Just Ask Yourself to Care) Foundation, which serves families and individuals who have also experienced crisis or violence; and helping rebuild hurricane-devastated homes in a community in Belize, Dugard is inspirational in countless ways. However, the way that most struck me reading this book was how she maintains appreciation for the people around her, takes nothing for granted, and looks forward to each new opportunity with optimism and hope.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
You might not know her name, but you might know the name of the man who assaulted her. In 2015, Brock Turner sexually assaulted Chanel Miller behind a dumpster on the Stanford campus while she was unconscious. Despite being known throughout the court proceedings as “Emily Doe,” Miller wrote a victim impact statement that went viral (11 million views in four days) and sent shockwaves through the world. It was even read on the floor of the House of Representatives and received an open-letter response from then–Vice President Joe Biden. In her memoir, Miller sheds her anonymity to tell her story again.
This book absolutely blew me away. Miller’s unbelievable honesty, creativity, ferocity, vulnerability, and even humor make Know My Name an unforgettable read and an unflinching look at modern rape culture and how survivors are treated by the media, the court system, and the court of public opinion. Miller presents herself as not just Emily Doe, survivor of sexual assault, but as she is: her own person, a multifaceted human being with dreams, fears, a family, friends, a voice, and so much power.
Do you have a memoir written by a woman that you took inspiration from and think I should read? Email me and let me know! Wishing you all a cozy autumn and lots of time to curl up with a book. Happy reading!
—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com
BONUS READ:
Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott
Always soulful and funny in her new book, Anne Lamott faces the greatest enigma in human history: love. Traversing across her lived experiences, Lamott brings tales of hardship, joy, and sadness to the page in her typical thoughtful fashion. Though this book is a tad bit too religious for my normal tastes, it still approaches life’s complexity of emotions and everyday contradictions with an optimistic view of what can be.
Each section approaches love in a different way from a different perspective and time of Lamott’s life. And with her usual poetic style, each scene is vibrant and you’re pulled in alongside her as her life experiences show her new ways of loving people and facing what can be a harsh reality. She understands the questions we all ask ourselves about being worthy of love through our own messes, and faces them head-on with her own triumphs and faults. Though Somehow doesn’t compare to my favorites Bird by Bird and Hard Laughter, I still found the same comfort of being understood by someone I had never met before on the page.
Lamott will be in Santa Barbara at the Arlington Theatre on November 13, presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, to talk about this new book and share more of her experiences that shaped her book and her perspective on love.
—Richelle Boyd
UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS
Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.
Stay & Play
Tuesday, November 5, 9 a.m. | 1469 E. Valley Rd.
Storytime at Solvang Library
Tuesday, November 5, 10:30 a.m. | Solvang Library
Baby & Me Storytime
Wednesday, November 6, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
Read to a Dog
Wednesday, November 6, 3:30 p.m. | Carpinteria Community Library
S.B. Reads Book Discussion: We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
Wednesday, November 6, 6 p.m. | Faulkner Gallery West, S.B. Central Library
S.B. Reads Love Café for Seniors
Thursday, November 7, 1 p.m. | 1469 E. Valley Rd.
The Art of Love: A Romance Novel Cover Retrospective Exhibition Opening
Thursday, November 7, 5 p.m. | Faulkner Gallery West, S.B. Central Library
Baby & Me Storytime
Friday, November 8, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library
S.B. Reads Romance Author Panel with Alisha Rai, Amy Spalding, and Jessica Joyce
Friday, November 8, 5:30 p.m. | Faulkner Gallery, S.B. Central Library
Raíces y Sueños: Bilingual Storytime
Sunday, November 10, 11 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Art
Preschool Storytime
Monday, November 11, 10 a.m. | Carpinteria Community Library
Stay & Play
Tuesday, November 12, 9 a.m. | 1469 E. Valley Rd.
Storytime at Solvang Library
Tuesday, November 12, 10:30 a.m. | Solvang Library
Bilingual Songs & Stories for Kids
Tuesday, November 12, 11 a.m. | MLK Jr. Room, Eastside Library
Book Talk and Signing: Pascale Beale
Tuesday, November 12, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
S.B. Reads Book Discussion: Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Tuesday, November 12, 6 p.m. | Faulkner Gallery West, S.B. Central Library
Wiggly Storytime
Wednesday, November 13, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library
Storytime at Solvang Library
Wednesday, November 13, 10:30 a.m. | Solvang Library
Baby & Me Storytime
Wednesday, November 13, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
S.B. Reads Book Discussion: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Wednesday, November 13, 5:30 p.m. | Third Window Brewing Co.
UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Anne Lamott: Thoughts on Love
Wednesday, November 13, 7:30 p.m. | Arlington Theatre
Wiggly Storytime
Thursday, November 14, 5 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
S.B. Reads Book Discussion: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Thursday, November 14, 6 p.m. | Faulkner Gallery, S.B. Central Library
Baby & Me Storytime
Friday, November 15, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library
Book Talk and Signing: Maya Johnson
Sunday, November 17, 2 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Book Talk and Signing: Afabwaje Kurian
Monday, November 18, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Preschool Storytime
Monday, November 18, 10 a.m. | Carpinteria Community Library
Storytime at Solvang Library
Tuesday, November 19, 10:30 a.m. | Solvang Library
Bilingual Songs & Stories for Kids
Tuesday, November 19, 11 a.m. | MLK Jr. Room, Eastside Library
S.B. SPOTLIGHT
We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!
The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us.
Rock ’n’ Pole: A Memoir by Aimee Bushong
If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “Local Author Spotlight.”
Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*
Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:
Life at the Dumpling by Trisha Cole; review by George Yatchisin
Awake for Ever in a Sweet Unrest by Chuck Rosenthal; review by Brian Tanguay
*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).
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