I whole-heartedly concur with your Read and Watch recommendations! Project Hail Mary is one of my top 10 all time favorite novels - it's a sci-fi novel for people who don't like sci-fi - really a touching buddy story set in space - amazing story and I can't wait to see it come to life with Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace - should be amazing. The Quilters is such a touching story of responsibility and redemption. These men, while still struggling with the demons of their former selves, are meticulous and thoughtful about their fabric choices, and the quilt design and block layout, making sure that the corners are clean and there are no puckers, giving these kids the recognition and care that they will never know about and that those kids' families never did in order to atone and pay forward and to heal both themselves and those kids. They are not transformed into perfect humans, but they have been given a purpose and that purpose has made them want to be better members of society. And I think that is beautiful and the best outcome you can hope for. Hankies required!
We loved The Quilters 🧡 I thought it was a beautiful examination of what one aspect of restorative justice could look like. And I agree -- seeing the attention to detail and thought they put into the quilts was really touching. It made me think of a post I shared a few months ago (in No. 243) about the meditative benefits of knitting and how women have used it for generations as a coping mechanism and nervous system regulator. Dawned on me that most "male hobbies" do the opposite. Quilting is another great example of a hobby that inadvertently supports active meditation and I loved the scene where two of them discussed how knitting helped them address the crimes they committed and take responsibility for what they had done --- even though they didn't connect the dots I think they were talking about how the practice helps them regulate.
My mom is a stellar quilter, has been my whole life. She also watched The Quilters and is now sending a bunch of her old fabric to the prison for them to create with!
I whole-heartedly concur with your Read and Watch recommendations! Project Hail Mary is one of my top 10 all time favorite novels - it's a sci-fi novel for people who don't like sci-fi - really a touching buddy story set in space - amazing story and I can't wait to see it come to life with Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace - should be amazing. The Quilters is such a touching story of responsibility and redemption. These men, while still struggling with the demons of their former selves, are meticulous and thoughtful about their fabric choices, and the quilt design and block layout, making sure that the corners are clean and there are no puckers, giving these kids the recognition and care that they will never know about and that those kids' families never did in order to atone and pay forward and to heal both themselves and those kids. They are not transformed into perfect humans, but they have been given a purpose and that purpose has made them want to be better members of society. And I think that is beautiful and the best outcome you can hope for. Hankies required!
We loved The Quilters 🧡 I thought it was a beautiful examination of what one aspect of restorative justice could look like. And I agree -- seeing the attention to detail and thought they put into the quilts was really touching. It made me think of a post I shared a few months ago (in No. 243) about the meditative benefits of knitting and how women have used it for generations as a coping mechanism and nervous system regulator. Dawned on me that most "male hobbies" do the opposite. Quilting is another great example of a hobby that inadvertently supports active meditation and I loved the scene where two of them discussed how knitting helped them address the crimes they committed and take responsibility for what they had done --- even though they didn't connect the dots I think they were talking about how the practice helps them regulate.
My mom is a stellar quilter, has been my whole life. She also watched The Quilters and is now sending a bunch of her old fabric to the prison for them to create with!