Vinson Cunningham's Great Expectations is a novel about the 2008 election, which draws heavily on Cunningham's experience on the Obama campaign. It's about the disappointments of being closely involved in electoral politics, but it's also a close-up look at the interconnectedness of political and religious faith. I liked it a lot, and Cunningham talked about it with Brittany Luse on It's Been A Minute. When I was 17, right after Oprah promoted the Optifast shakes she used to lose a bunch of weight, I was put on that program by my doctor. As was the case for Oprah herself, it was not a long-term solution. Many years later, I remain aggravated by her involvement in the weight-loss industry, and I can't think of anyone more qualified to dig into it than Tressie McMillan Cottom. Netflix has a new season of Physical: 100, a show where 100 people are gradually narrowed down to a single winner over the course of a bunch of grueling competitions. When the first season aired, I was absolutely certain I would not be interested in it, and then I turned it on, and then I went into a trance, and then I lost a bunch of hours until it was over. |