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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

The Sunday Post #286

On The Blog This Week

• On Tuesday, I recommend some books to read in winter.

In My Reading Life

Last week, I finished An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle For Domination by Sheera Frenkel & Cecilia Kang. It's about the behind-the-scenes drama at Facebook and how the site misuses the data it collects from users. The book is mostly a history of the company from its founding until 2019-ish. I have a lot of thoughts, so I'm going to blather about Facebook for several paragraphs. Feel free to skip this section if you don't care about social media nonsense. 

Don't read this book if you want to be happy. Facebook is an infuriating company. They spy on everything you do online and use that data to target specific ads at you. (That's how Facebook reads your mind. They know so much about you that they can predict what you need before you realize you need it.) Facebook has gotten in trouble many times for invading privacy and not keeping user data secure. They just apologize and keep misusing data, which is annoying.

The book also talks about misinformation and if Facebook has a responsibility to control it. The company is very reluctant to fact check posts or take down hateful content, which means they ignored warnings and looked the other way while Facebook misinformation fueled the mass murder of Muslims in Myanmar.

I guess I can't hate Facebook too much because they're in a no-win situation with misinformation. They're too big to check every post in every language. Then, there's the blurry lines between information and misinformation. Like, is satire misinformation because not everybody understands jokes? What about information that's true but worded in misleading ways? Should politicians be exempt from rules because it's important for voters to know what their leaders are thinking? Facebook can't win at managing misinformation, so users need be better about not sharing garbage.

For me, the most infuriating thing about Facebook is that they discovered how to create a happier, more factually accurate news feed. They chose not to use it because shock and outrage keep people on the site longer. Facebook's algorithm will keep boosting posts that make people hate each other because that's how Facebook makes money. They can serve you ads with your outrage.

I think Facebook's biggest problem is that they care about growth and money more than anything else. They'll eagerly treat Facebook users like lab rats if they can profit from it. The company is growing so fast that they can't keep up with the problems that come with rapid growth.

Okay, that's it. I'm done blathering about Facebook. Let's talk about the book for a second: If you've been following news about Facebook for years, then you probably won't learn a ton from reading An Ugly Truth. A lot of the information in the book has been reported on before. I still think you should read it, though. Clearly, I got a lot out of it. It's one of the most thought-provoking things I've read this year.

Moving on: I read The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—And Why by Amanda Ripley. If you're new to survival nonfiction, please start with this book! It's a great introduction. The author interviews survivors of disasters and analyzes why they survived while others didn't. How does the human brain react to a sudden catastrophe? The Unthinkable is an engaging, readable book that will (hopefully) make you aware of how your brain might sabotage you in an emergency. (Don't you dare grab your luggage from the overhead bin if your plane is on fire. People die from smoke inhalation because other people won't leave their luggage alone. You need to fight your brain's programming: Let the stuff burn; don't let the humans burn!)

If you've read a bunch of books about survival, then there isn't a ton of new information in this one. The author kept referencing other survival books, and I kept saying, "I've read that. And that. And that." It is an excellent starting point, though. Well-researched and easy to understand.

Next, I read Moonrise by Sarah Crossan. This novel is stressful, people! I stayed awake all night to read it because I couldn't sleep until I knew how it ended. Luckily, it's a novel-in-verse, so you can finish it in a few hours. It's about a 17-year-old who is attempting to save his brother from death row. It feels so realistic that every plot twist almost gave me a heart attack. The author does an excellent job of showing messy family relationships. Love is complicated. It can't be turned on and off like a light switch. If your brother commits murder, you're probably not going to stop loving him in an instant. Relationships are messier than that. The characters in this book have to work through some complex issues.

I'm not sure if I fully "get" novels-in-verse. In this book, the poetry format doesn't always enhance the story. Most of the poems could have been written as paragraphs and had the exact same impact. So, in my opinion, this book isn't poetry; it's prose formatted to look like poetry. It makes me wonder why the author chose verse. If the poetry format doesn't change anything, why is it necessary? Or, maybe I just don't understand poetry and need to stop overthinking. Bottom line: This is a very good story. Read it, if you don't mind having a thousand mini heart attacks.

I just started She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. It's described as "literary historical fantasy," so I'm interested. It's about a peasant girl in 1300s China who steals her brother's identity and tricks her way into becoming a monk. So far, it's very dense, but I'm enjoying it.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy last week:

1. We decorated for Christmas! Instead of one big tree, we have 4 small ones. Our hallway is lit up like a festive airport runway. It's overkill, but fun.
2. I got Baby Brooklyn a safari ornament advent calendar. Every day, she gets to open a new animal ornament and hang it on her tree. I thought "safari" would mean giraffes and hippos. Instead, it's sheep and dogs. It's hilarious. I guess "ornament safari" sounds more exciting than "ornament farm."
3. Speaking of Baby Brooklyn, she's getting so big! When we walk to the playground, we have to cross a drainage ditch thing. I usually hold her hands on the stepping stones so she doesn't fall in the nasty water. Yesterday, she jumped from stone to stone by herself. I didn't know she was that coordinated.
4. I'm listening to Christmas music right now.
5. I finished watching Locke & Key. Now I don't know what to do with my life. Recommend more shows! I stared Wheel Of Time, but I'm not sure if it's my type of thing.

I Won't Induce Rage On Your Socials

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!