Movie Review: Butterfly in the Sky

Butterfly in the Sky is a documentary about Reading Rainbow.

Was this something you watched as a kid?

My Thoughts: I watched this as a kid - the theme song gets stuck in my brain.

But I don't remember too much about it. 

So, I was excited to see this documentary, and it was everything I wanted it to be.

I did tear up a little at the end.

I had no idea that this program lasted for 26 seasons.

I loved how they used kids with created book reviews - and from all backgrounds.

They all shared a love of reading

And of course, there was some celebrity narrators who helped with the publicity for the show

I loved the passion behind the show - you could that everyone really believed in this project.

I loved seeing behind the scenes moments - like the bat cave (I wouldn't go in there either)

The fashion was fun to watch.

Also Loved that this featured Jason Reynolds. 

I have half a mind to go back and re-watch all the episodes.

Here the wonderful LeVar Burton

* On Netflix

Movie Review: Miss Americana

Taylor Swift's documentary made lots of great points about women and society, eating disorders, mental health, happiness, and learning how to speak up for your beliefs.

It was really intriguing to watch and yes - I'm a huge fan. 

Small Pieces:

I loved the musical performance snippets.

I loved watching her work out the song lyrics and music

I loved the peeks into her journals. I love that she used quill and ink for a while.

Big Pieces:

I admired how she changed herself from being the good girl seeking everyone's approval to thinking for herself to standing up for her beliefs. It's not easy, but she did it.

I love how she opened up about social media and looking at her body and how that made her feel. I love that she talked about the spiral of hate and how she stopped looking at photographs of her for her mental well being. I love that she talked about how damaging it was to spend time looking at herself through the eyes of society - and how she stopped eating and exercised all the time. And came to the conclusion that it wasn't healthy. her body wasn't healthy and neither was her mind. So she took note and changed.

I felt terrible for her about the whole Kanye debacle, but I love that she came out the other side with new music because that was the one thing in her life she could control. And I loved how she used this horribleness to find happiness on her own terms.

My heart broke for her as she talked about the court case - where a person in the musical industry groped her. She had seven witnesses and a photograph as evidence. And still it was horrific. She described the process as dehumanizing and even though she won the case, it didn't feel like a victory. And what happens when the woman isn't believed? I loved the moment when she opened up about that in a concert one year later.

This is the moment that everything changed for her. 

She listened. She educated herself. And she started speaking up.

Times Up.

And it's amazing. I'm glad she spoke up. I'm glad that she share her political views, even though the men on her team didn't want to her to. I'm glad she spoke about not just getting out and voting, but who she was voting for and why she was voting for that person. I'm glad that she talked about the values that mattered to her. 

Even though her first political goal failed, she's not giving up. She's doubling down. In listening to her new song Only the Young, I'm all fired up too.  I'm ready to help.

Where do we start? What's next?

Review: Girl Rising

From Goodreads:

Girl Rising, a global campaign for girls’ education, created a film that chronicled the stories of nine girls in the developing world, allowing viewers the opportunity to witness how education can break the cycle of poverty.

Now, award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone uses new research to illuminate the dramatic facts behind the film, focusing both on the girls captured on camera and many others. She examines barriers to education in depth—early child marriage and childbearing, slavery, sexual trafficking, gender discrimination, and poverty—and shows how removing these barriers means not only a better life for girls, but safer, healthier, and more prosperous communities.

My Thoughts: I haven't seen this film (yet) but man was this book ever powerful. First - the pictures were great and very vibrant. I love how the book had details about the girls after the movie ended. I also loved the back of the book for the How to Help section because after reading this, you DO want to help. I loved this book because these girls were strong, determined, intelligent, brave, and inspiring. A heartbreaking reading but so inspiring at the same time. 

Cover Thoughts: Powerful
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Purchase for ALL libraries. Share this book and talk about it - with everyone!