I didn't know (or I'd forgotten) about Dorothy Height, who was a quietly formidable force to be reckoned with, championing Black rights and women's rights. A truly remarkable person. Excluded at the March on Washington, Dorothy Height Went on to Become the ‘Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.’ See How She Built a Movement with Women at the Center. What historical tidbit have you've learned recently?

We do have a rule against self-promotion in this community. (Thank you, everyone, for sticking to it and helping to make this community great. It's much appreciated!) But I thought we could have the *occasional* post where members can share their stuff, whatever it may be. So have at it! Comment on this post (and only on this post!) and share your website, social media, Skool community, links to your books, Substack, etc... whatever you like! It doesn't have to be HF-related. Two requirements: (1) Tell people what to expect. So if you post your Substack newsletter or your IG or your Skool community, tell us what it's about. Don't expect people to have to go look at your link to find out. Let them know if they might be interested. If it's about cooking, writing memoir, travel, makeup, business, photography, reviewing horror novels, whatever... tell us what it's about. (2) Don't just drop a comment and run. Check out other people's stuff. Read through the other comments, like them, and — if you're interested in the description — check out their links. Enjoy 😊

Happy Fourth of July to our members in the US! Hopefully, you’ll be able to squeeze some reading in around the festivities. What are you reading? I’m reading our group read, On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. It’s 1950s historical fiction about a trio of Black singing sisters.

I finished only 3 in June, when I usually manage 4-6, so I have fewer to choose from and none of them was really anything to write home about, unfortunately. Hopefully July will be better. What about you?

Just finished The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, published in 1963 under a pseudonym "Victoria Lucas." It wasn't written as historical fiction, but I guess it would qualify nowadays. The accurate portrayal of how depression was treated in the late fifties is important history, I believe. It was a very hard read; if you have experience with or knowledge of mental illness, you will understand. It's real. I've never read anything remotely like it, though Howard Moss of the New Yorker said, "there was something girlish in its manner (that) betrays the hand of the amateur novelist." Huh! In 2019 BBC News listed it as one of the 100 most inspiring novels. Gee, I don't know if I'd say "inspiring." I persisted, because the writing is so beautiful. Her metaphors are indeed inspiring. The fact that she died by suicide, believing her writing would never amount to anything, breaks my heart. In 1982 her book, The Collected Poems, won a Pulitzer Prize. If only she'd had better help, she might still be with us, having written even more incredible works. I'd recommend it, for her raw honesty and unique writing style. So sad, but very true.