Weighing the pros and cons of titles for my blogs

While contemplating what specifically I’m taking away from my experience of reading Black Swan Green and laying on my bed, a lyric from my favorite band popped into my head: “And your fingers, / foxtrot on my skin, I’m / going under this time.” It was “Provider” by Sleep Token, and unfortunately for the narrative timeline of this blog, that song is not at all what this blog is about; instead, it is about a different Sleep Token song, which this little situation had inspired me to make the connection for. Also, shout-out Harmony for making me feel less insecure about writing a blog connecting a song to one of these books.    Sorry for the preamble. The song is “Past Self,” by Sleep Token —after we finish Black Swan Green , it’s sounding like there are already some connections, huh? For a little context, Sleep Token as a band has its own storyline, and so as to preserve the sanctity of the lore they are creating, they remain anonymous, don masks, and portray characters. In a w...

  It’s possible that this is the hottest of hot takes I will ever produce in this class, but throughout my reading of Sag Harbor , I feel like I haven’t actually seen much of Benji’s actual coming-of-age. Sure, he’s experienced plenty of quintessential coming-of-age moments: having a first kiss, drinking beer, sneaking out of houses, navigating friendships, etc. etc., but has he come out of the end of the summer actually having “grown up” any more? For me, I don’t really think so.  I’ll be the first to admit that my reading of Sag Harbor wasn’t nearly as dedicated as some of the other books we read; when I read Fun Home , I considered it the best book I had read in years, and I was always equal parts excited to read about Jason Taylor and also full of dread (man does that little teenager have an insane amount of misfortune). So, in a way that’s inherent to this big of a change of pace, I found myself less enraptured by this last novel.  Even so, I think that the contrast...