The Golden Notebooks

The Golden Notebooks explores themes in feminism, poetry, teaching, and leftist perspectives through a variety of lenses including movies, literature, historical events, and notable personalities. It addresses societal issues, personal struggles, and the importance of memory, creativity, and activism, often intertwining personal anecdotes with broader societal critiques.

Feminism Poetry Teaching Techniques Leftist Ideology Documentary and Movie Analysis Historical Analysis Personal and Societal Struggles Activism and Social Justice Memory and Creativity Literature and Reading

The hottest Substack posts of The Golden Notebooks

And their main takeaways

Movie Corner

58 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Movies Documentaries Feminism Art Activism
  1. The writer enjoys watching documentaries directed by women with feminist themes.
  2. The documentary 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' is praised for its impactful storytelling and visual contrast.
  3. The movie 'Barbie' is viewed through the perspective of a child, exploring the relationship between imagination and reality.

Welcome to the Golden Notebooks

58 implied HN points • 19 Sep 22
  1. The Golden Notebook is a novel about wanting a big life and making disparate aspects of life cohesive.
  2. Handwriting and drawing can impact our honesty and creativity differently than typing on a computer.
  3. The internet can lead to losing personal content and memories, like the disappearance of an essay about grief.

Over and over, all born into great pain

19 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
🎶 Music Artists Songs Albums Abuse
  1. Sinead O'Connor was a sincere and real artist who faced backlash for speaking out against abuse and corruption in the Catholic Church.
  2. She created powerful music and openly addressed personal struggles, motherhood, and societal issues in her work.
  3. Her bravery in challenging authority and advocating for change left a lasting impact, inspiring others to stand up against injustice.
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Out of the Nine Month Dark

39 implied HN points • 03 Oct 22
  1. Childbirth amnesia is more about selective forgetting than total memory loss.
  2. The TV show 'Severance' explores themes of work-life balance and the idea of severing oneself from memories.
  3. Alienation and separation can be sought as a means of relief from deep experiences like grief and childbirth.

Linda Pastan (1932-2023)

19 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
📚 Literature Poetry Aging Death Philosophy Writing
  1. Linda Pastan was a poet known for her philosophically bold and unpretentious writing.
  2. Pastan's poetry explores the theme of aging, offering rich layers of different life stages and perspectives.
  3. Pastan's work reflects on the idea of being a dutiful student and the pressure to measure up in different aspects of life.

Coming soon

0 implied HN points • 19 Sep 22
  1. Newsletter about feminism, poetry, teaching, and all things left
  2. Focus on The Golden Notebooks
  3. Coming soon from lauratanenbaum.substack.com

45

0 implied HN points • 22 Dec 22
  1. The author set a goal to read 50 books but read 45 instead.
  2. The author shared highlights from the books read, including a story about organizing workers in Arizona.
  3. The author discussed favorite poetry books and insights gained from reading them.

A psychoanalyst would say . . .

0 implied HN points • 05 Dec 22
  1. Obsessive reading can be both pleasurable and troubling.
  2. Misplacing a book you're obsessed with can intensify your absorption.
  3. Assigning meaning to obsessions can help manage them.

The Gears of the Machine

0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Books Activism Biographies Art Poetry
  1. Comparison across different regimes and movements helps us understand the world better.
  2. Nonfiction works like Schulman's ACT-UP oral history and Royko's biography of Daley focus on collective stories and illuminate social structures.
  3. Writing collectively about people without becoming abstract requires forms like collective biographies and oral histories.

Who Won the French Revolution?

0 implied HN points • 02 Nov 22
  1. Understanding history requires looking at context and complexity, not just generic narratives.
  2. Statues and monuments can reflect power dynamics and societal values.
  3. Revolutionary ideals and fears of history repeating itself can intertwine in modern society.

Everyone is Serious But Me

0 implied HN points • 18 Oct 22
  1. Teaching literature can lead to new insights and perspectives from students
  2. The concept of seriousness in society has evolved over time
  3. Balancing playfulness and seriousness can be challenging, especially in response to current events