I go through phases with my media and literature consumption- one where I’m a sponge and try to learn as much as I can about the past and present world we live in and another where I want to read page-turning, riveting trash. I think both groups are important, but I’m currently in the first phase where I have a desire to consume information, as you can see by the movies and books that I’ve read and watched recently. I highly recommend each of these picks, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
WATCH
Food That Built America, The History Channel or Hulu: For generations of Americans, food entrepreneurs like Henry Heinz, Milton Hershey, John and Will Kellog, and the McDonald brothers have literally been household names, but most people don’t know their stories. Before they were brands, they were brilliant, sometimes ruthless visionaries who revolutionized food and changed the landscape of America forever. This History Channel documentary series is entertaining and informative. It’s done in a style that is very similar to The Men Who Built America and The Men Who Built America: The Frontiersmen series, which are also exceptional and worth a watch.
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, CNN or Hulu Premium: It has been a few years now since I was last in Italy, and I’ve been dreaming of going back once things fully return to normal. In the meantime, I’ve been living vicariously through Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy. In this series, Stanley Tucci travels across Italy to discover the secrets and delights of the country’s regional cuisines. Tucci comes prepared with a bottomless appetite for it all, showing us how the diversity of Italian cooking offers a gateway through which you can glimpse Italy’s history and culture.
The Professor and the Madman, Netflix: Based on a true story, this movie shows Professor James Murray’s work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century. To complete this monumental task he asks for volunteers to help, and he receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor. Somehow I’d never known this story, and if you aren’t aware of it either, I highly recommend watching this movie. You could also read the book that it was based upon, The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester, if you’d prefer.
Seaspiracy, Netflix: During the first 15 minutes of this Netflix documentary, I was worried that it was going to tell the same story we hear everywhere- by using plastic we are killing sea life, but the documentary took a twist that I didn’t see coming. It illuminates alarming — and not widely known — truths about the widespread environmental destruction to our oceans caused by human behavior. This whistleblower documentary is stunning, tragic, and emotional, but so important to watch.
READ
Quiet, Susan Cain: I’ve heard good things about this book for ages but I kept putting it off. Even as an introvert myself, it sounded boring. But after watching the author’s Ted talk I decided to finally start it and once I did, I could not put it down. Usually, with non-fiction, I will slog through, reading slowly… but that was not the case with this book. I was so drawn in that I found myself nodding and shaking my head for most of the book. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet will make introverts and extroverts alike think twice about the best ways to be themselves and interact with differing personality types
life after five 