READ: October Child by Linda Boström Knausgård

Translated from Swedish by Saskia Vogel, Linda Boström Knausgård’s intense memories and experiences are within the flowing journal-esque pages of the book, as it is directly influenced by her time in a psychiatric ward just a few years ago. The personal accounts of childhood memories, broken marriage, and details of life in the “factory” let the reader get close to the narrator– all the way to her deepest depths and emotions. It’s a heartbreaking struggle that Knausgård made into an incredibly raw and honest read.

From the Publisher:

From 2013 to 2017, the narrator was periodically interned in a psychiatric ward where she was subjected to electroconvulsive therapy. As the treatments at this “factory” progressed, the writer’s memories began to disappear. What good is a writer without her memory? This novel, based on the author’s experiences, is an eloquent and profound attempt to hold on to the past, to create a story, to make sense, and to keep alive ties to family, friends, and even oneself. Moments from childhood, youth, marriage, parenting, and divorce flicker across the pages of October Child. This is the story of one woman’s struggle against mental illness and isolation. It is a raw testimony of how writing can preserve and heal.

Get it Here

WATCH: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Over the course of six weeks during the summer of 1969, thousands of people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating Black culture, music and fashion. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s debut as a director presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film and part historical record created around this huge community event. Through conversations with attendees and performers who are reflecting on the memories, this documentary not only captures what the concert was like, but also the optimism and power of Blackness among the history of race issues of the era and onward.

Watch on Hulu

LISTEN: Jenn Champion

Jenn Champion (formerly “S”) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in LA. Her newest project is in collaboration with Andrew Eapen (Oyster Kids)– the two became fast friends when they realized they both love sad pop songs. Maybe perfectly described as emotionally charged pop music that you will want to dance around to (a crying in the club moment forsure), the ‘Love Nobody EP’ sounds like a soundtrack to an ‘80s teen romance movie–the synth sounds and lyrics are fit for the ensuing heartbreaks.