all your Reads in Here

Let's start with the definition of "throwing shade" from Merriam-Webster. The dictionary says it's a "subtle, sneering expression of contempt for or disgust with someone - sometimes verbal, and sometimes not." When White House photographer Pete Souza started posting his photos on Instagram, contrasting pictures of President Obama with tweets from Trump, readers started commenting that he was throwing shade. The title of Souza's latest book is  Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents . Souza started using photos of President Obama's actions in contrast with Trump's tweets as early as January 2017 when Trump insisted the inauguration had "the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period." Well, no. According to Souza's photo, "The biggest crowd in history was really on January 20, 2009", and he illustrated that with a two-page spread showing the crowds on the Mall during President Obama's inauguration. Month by month...

This post isn't what I planned for today, but I received this book in the mail yesterday. It's a quick read. So many of us could use the book M. Sweeney edited,  Hugs from Obama: A Photographic Look Back at the Warmth and Wisdom of President Barack Obama . Hugs from Obama is a "photographic tribute to his compassion and warmth". There are pictures of the President with children, hugging John Lewis, meeting with the Dalai Lama, with his family. There are pictures you'll recognize, along with quotes from speeches he made throughout his presidency. The book includes lines from his speeches at conventions, from inaugural addresses, from his farewell address. The chapter titles emphasize the tone of the book; "Embracing a Legacy", "Leadership", "Unity", "Hope and Change", and "Progress". In so many speeches, President Obama touched on the past while emphasizing the present, and, sometimes predicting the future. In fact...