Hype Lit Book Club discussion

In celebration of Women's History Month we are reading and discussing "Surpassing Certainty" by Janet Mock. Post your thoughts below!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

We had a good time watching the performers at Hamburger Mary's and still managed to discuss the book....a little. Here's some questions from the discussion guide. I'll probably post the full questions in the photo section.

Q1: Would you recommend this book? Why or why not?

Q2: Stirp clubs have had a seedy reputation, but so many modern feminist icons like Maya Angelou, Amber Rose, Cardi B, and Janet Mock have sourced these spaces as providing insight into human behavior and female empowerment, do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? In the book Janet discusses Chris Rock's statements from his standup routine Never Scared, do you support Mock or Rock?

Q3: On page 20 Mock writes about racialized sexism and how white women are applauded, celebrated, and allowed to profit from baring their bodies, but black and Latinx women are shamed. Do you agree? What examples do you see in the media that confirm or dispel this belief?

Q4: Mock calls her gradual disclosure to Troy an "imperfect system". What makes it imperfect? Given how dangerous it is to disclose, what is the ideal?

Q5: Mock writes about the double standard that exists when black women engage in interracial relationships versus black men who engage in interracial relationships, with black women often being labeled as "sellouts" while black men are seen as having "made it". Why does the double standard continue to exist, and what can we do to challenge and eradicate this?

Q6: Mock is very inspired by popular culture. Name 3 movies that have inspired you. TV shows. Albums.

Q7: Mock says that in surviving, persevering, and overcoming the scarcity in her background, she decided to resist writing work that focused on trauma or oppression. Do people from marginalized backgrounds owe it to their communities to create activist work? Can less serious work also be a form of activism or is a safe way to be silent?

Q8: Did the Brown Bag Lunch clique ring true or false for you?

Q9: Early in her career, Mock and her coworker are racially stereotyped using coded language that threatens Mock's ability to move up in the company. Have you experienced anything similar? If you have, what would your advice be to others who feel stereotyped or diminished in their career.