Book lovers! Hello!
I am SO excited to tell you about this week's Mad Cool Book! Like so many books in the past, I discovered it thanks to my book club (Here's a shoutout to A + K! Love ya, gals!). I originally picked up a copy of The Book of Essie in the library, skimmed through the synopsis, and came upon two words ("preacher's daughter") which made me go like, "meh." What a mistake! Only after I read it for my book club I realized that this book is mercilessly subversive, extremely important, and most of all, incredibly absorbing! I hope you'll love it!
Sending love & books your way,
Katarina
Meghan MacLean Weir: The Book of Essie
336 pages/11 hrs and 3 mins of audiobook time
Keywords: reality TV, feminism, gay rights, Bible Belt
Snapshot: Preacher's daughter and a reality TV star devises a plan to take down her family after she learns she's pregnant.
Why I think you need this book: I hate to use that word, but Essie is SO badass, and you'll be rooting for her from the start until the end.
Non-Spoiler Book Talk
The book opens at 17-year-old Essie eavesdropping on her mother discussing her future and the future of her unborn child with the producer of their family reality show. (The first sentence literally goes like, "On the day I turn seventeen, there is a meeting to decide whether I should have the baby or if sneaking me to a clinic for an abortion is worth the PR risk.") She knows she has no say over the matter. Or at least not a direct say.
Essie is anything but your typical teenager. She has been in the spotlight of cameras and the nation's hunger for a preacher's wholesome family since before her birth. "Six for Hicks" is a reality show about her family and basically your "Keeping up with the Kardashians" for the Bible Belt. Essie's dad is a preacher in a (scary) mega church in a small town who every Sunday delivers his reliably racist and homophobic sermon. While Essie's mom is the perfect, God-fearing housewife on the screen, in reality she's cold and calculating, and there's nothing she wouldn't give for money and fame. Essie has an older sister, who mysteriously hasn't showed up at home since she left for college, and an older brother who is about to announce his political career. Hicks family is insanely rich (which somehow is totally fine with the Bible) and on the screen happy and content even though there might be a secret or two that might ruin everything.
And then Essie devises a plan. She will not only win her freedom, she will also take her bigoted family down.
Guys, this book was such an awesome ride! Meghan Weir is ruthless in her merciless tearing down of bigotry and lies. I applaud her.
And I hope you'll love this book as much as I did. Make sure to drop me a line if you pick it up!
Cool fact about Meghan Weir
Megan Weir grew up in a rectory herself! Her dad was a preacher and while The Book of Essie is not the story of her life, you gotta admire the dedication with which she cuts through the hatred masquerading as religious faith.