KWICK 6: Victoria's Secret, Yasuke, and Foundryside

Thought of the Week:

I have been thinking about discipline this week. I have the opportunity to be disciplined in a few areas of my life that I haven't been lately. Finances and health are the main ones. I have to quit relying on motivation to make the changes I want to complete in my life. I need to be disciplined.

What I've Consumed:

Victoria's Secret and the Modeling Industry's Problem with Abuse

I have never been crazy about VS. I was an athlete, so they didn't appeal to me. Plus, they were pricey. However, last week I listened to a podcast called Fallen Angel. It is a documentary podcast about Victoria's Secret start, its influence, and the abuse many models suffered. The women who were there tell the story. In conjunction with that, I ended up watching Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons on Hulu. This documentary covered much of the same information but dug deeper into Lex Wexner's connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

Both documentaries were informational, but in the age of true crime, I could tell they were also for entertainment purposes; I mean that both documentaries left a lot for the listener or watcher to fill in. But it allowed us to come to our own conclusion. Did Wexner's wealth and power allow Epstein undue influence? Were Wexner and other powerful men really clueless about Epstein's crimes?

On top of that, both illustrated how modeling is an industry ripe for abuse but did not offer much about if it has changed. Victoria's Secret has made strides to change but has the industry made those strides? Overall, I would recommend both. I came away with a more cultural understanding of VS and its influence. However, I  also came away with a further belief that wealth and power unchecked can cause trauma and damage.

Yasuke and the Age of Samurai

I finished African Samurai, and I really enjoyed this book. I can see myself coming back to this book in the future. Maybe listen to the audiobook. I think the story of Yasuke is fascinating. Yasuke was taken as a child and sold into slavery, where he became a child soldier. He fought in places such as India and protected Jesuits traveling to Japan. His story is one of luck, survival, and perseverance. I will say this book has heightened my interest in this period. On Netflix, I watched a live reenactment documentary called Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan, which covers this same period. Although Yasuke was not mentioned in this program, it heavily featured the man who made him a samurai, Oda Nobunaga. It was interesting to see two different depictions of Nobunaga. In the book, a quote that sums up his characterization is:

"Battle and destruction were not everything Nobunaga was about, although it sometimes felt that way. The rule of law, and the welfare of his people were central to Nobunaga's concept for a New World."

However, in the Age of Samurai, Nobunaga was depicted as a tyrant who may have been a little insane. They gave credit to his military genius, but they seemed to downplay the little changes he made to the people's life in Japan. I also plan to watch Netflix's anime Yasuke for a fictionalized version of the man.

Some reviews of this book highlight that the author struggled to find a balance between narrative nonfiction and historical fiction. I found that I enjoyed that struggle. It allowed him to go down rabbit holes about different aspects of the way of life in that period. As the reader, I got to "see" the world surrounding Yasuke. Reviewers also critiqued the historical viability of Yasuke. They state that the author embellishes a lot of the book because people like the Jesuit priest did not feature Yasuke in their writing. However, I think this is a sorry critique as 'historical texts' is written by those who 1) can write and 2) the wealthy and powerful. As such, it is believable that the Eurocentric priest and even the Japanese wealthy would only mention an African soldier minimally. I recommend the book to those who don't read a lot of nonfiction or historical texts. This book is an easy transition type of book as the author sticks mainly with a narrative style. I would also pair it with the Age of Samurai on Netflix, as many names tend to run together, and the visual aspect helps. I highly recommend both.

Thieves and Trauma

Foundryside was really good! It opens with a thief doing what she does best, executing a heist. We jump straight into the story, and I always enjoy that in sci-fi and fantasy. The magic system is more of a technological system, but it is understandable. One of the best parts of this book is the friendship between Sancia and Clef. The story follows Sancia after completing the heist and the consequences of completing the theft. The story has a bit of a mystery to it. Who is the client? What or who is Clef? How does this all tie to the ancient legends? The story also had some depth to it. Sancia, a formerly enslaved person and thief, and Gregor, a founder's son and soldier, both have trauma that drives them to be who they are. As the story unfolds, we see how these two characters clash but also how they come together. While there is a bit of a romance in the book, it is minimal and doesn't come up until the latter third of the book.

Some of the critiques are that it reads like a young adult novel and is repetitive. I can understand those critiques. Sancia does read young, but I believe the overall story has enough hints of darkness that lean adult. Yes, it is repetitive in that the author does a lot of explanation through dialogue. However, I could overcome that because the bulk of the story moved fast. Overall, I thought Foundryside was a good time. It was action-packed, fast, and a little suspenseful. Although it is not a 5-star book, I am excited to continue in the series and see the aftermath of this story. It did wrap up nicely but left enough questions to lead me into the next book. I would recommend it.

Religious Freedom and the "American Jesus"

Lately, I have read a few articles and listened to podcasts about the Supreme Court's handling of religious freedom. From what I have gathered, the Court is willing to let state and religion mix and interact in ways contrary to settled law. Right now, I have not consumed enough to have a well-thought-out opinion. However, I plan to read more about how America's views of Jesus and Christianity have affected the Court. I am also interested to see if the Court is willing to extend the same latitude to other religions that they are for Christianity. Or are these cases limited?

Currently Reading:

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

2% completed. I have started a new fantasy, and this one is thick. It is a 693-page tale about a young man with forbidden magic and a journey element. I am excited to read this book. I've heard good things about it.

The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism by Jamar Tisby

22% completed. This book takes a look at the church's history against racial equality. But I picked this book up because it offers a solution. It is not meant to shame the church but push it forward and be the shining light. The author states on page 22,

"The goal of this book is not guilt. The purpose of tracing Christian complicity with racism is not to show white believers how bad they are. It is simply a fact of American history that white leaders and laity made decisions to maintain the racist status quo. Even though the of this work is not to call out any particular racial group, these words may cause some grief, but grief can be good."

I am looking forward to reading and learning. After reading African Samurai, I know this will be a challenging book; however, it is pretty short, and I should be able to finish by the end of the month. So far, it is just laying out the foundation.

Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Like and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago Forte

8% completed. A couple of years ago, I came across the idea of a commonplace book and read a couple of books on note-taking to improve. This book is another extension of that. I am always looking for ways to improve my process so that the output is painless. I hope this book will help me tweak and improve my approach to help me stay consistent with KWICK 6.

Until next time. If you need some recommendations, check out my Goodreads or StoryGraph. And then follow me on Instagram and Twitter. One of my favorite newsletters to read for current events is Morning Brew. Check it out.