To celebrate 20 years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, hip-hop journalist Joan Morgan examines the profound impact the album had on hip-hop feminist and analyzes the misexpectation fans had for Lauryn. As a result, Lauryn, whose music paved the way for the next generation of black female artists and whose style defined black beauty, fell out of the limelight and got into troubles. She could not or did not want to follow up with another album. I wish Morgan delved more into the songs because I had listened to Miseducation twice, but had not feeling it. I need to go back to it for more careful listens. Still, this is concise and informative read on the perspective of black feminist.

Gorgeous illustration, striking lettering, and inspiring message make it a perfect book for kids to read and for parents to savor.

This book provides general guidelines for writing based on the four basic workflow:
prepare, compose, edit, and finish. It’s a helpful read, but I was expecting a more laser-focus approach from A Book Apart. I would like to see specific tips on writing clear, concise copy for user interface, product, and marketing. Maybe it should not be a brief, but a full book to cover more practical details.

The President of the United States called a woman a Horseface. His comment is disgusting and misogynistic, but I am not even shocked or surprised given that he himself a piece of fucking Horseshit.

Directed by Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks, Quincy documents the 70-year career of the music legend whose producer credits ranging from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. His accomplishments were astonishing. His marriages were not so much. Still, it’s an intimate, inspiring watch. Check it out on Netflix.

A collection of essays on cultural criticism ranging from politics, music, art, and film. Smith’s writing is thoughtful, honest, and personal. My favorite pieces are on Jay Z, Joni Mitchell, and life-writing.

What a dreadful Monday. Đán and Xuân come down with gastroenteritis. They both look miserable. Xuân vomited on me twice already. I am now extremely concerned about Vương. He’s only a little over two weeks old. I hope he has not caught the virus yet. Both Đán and Xuân had held and kissed him.

I was supposed to be back to work today, but I am taking an extra week. I was planning on doing some more home repairment, but I ended up tending the sick kids and washing loads of clothes.

Last night I did not get much sleep because Xuân’s temperature shot to 103. I am now totally exhausted. I have to sleep early today to catch up. Life with sick kids sucks.

Bethany Heck:

Regardless of if you have imagery, regardless of how good the copy is, and regardless of the typeface, if you force yourself to think of type as a structural tool, you’ll always be able to add depth to your designs. It forces you to go beyond the fundamentals of typesetting to seek new opportunities for interaction and storytelling with typography, and to consider the formal qualities of every typeface you choose in the hunt for connections between its graphical design and the message you want to reinforce.

An informing, enlightening read.

Kevin Mims writes in the New York Times:

The sight of a book you’ve read can remind you of the many things you’ve already learned. The sight of a book you haven’t read can remind you that there are many things you’ve yet to learn. And the sight of a partially read book can remind you that reading is an activity that you hope never to come to the end of.

I probably have two or three unread books because I could not get through them and thinking of getting rid of them. Maybe I should just keep them for now.

Dan Barry and Jeffrey E. Singer’s “The Case of Jane Doe Ponytail” in the New York Times is about a Chinese girl whose American Dream had turned into an epic tragedy. It’s a chilling read.