Last night, I finished my third book since giving birth nearly one year ago. That's a tragically low number, particularly for someone who generally has turned to reading as a necessary balm against our world's cascading messes. But try having a kid, an event that quickly collapses the concept of free time, and suddenly you develop a serious allergy to anything that isn't faceplanting on the bed—or at least I did.
The first two books, which I'll leave unnamed, were meh. But this most recent, Stay True by Hua Hsu, finally hit differently. Brimming elegantly with nostalgia and grief, Hsu's forthcoming memoir is a simple yet glittering examination of friendship when you're at the age of trying so desperately to form some kind of identity. It filled me with memories of being a bored kid on a summer night, safe in the suburbs but sitting on the verge of immense change.
I often lament about the internet on here, wishing for days when it was fun, mostly harmless, and exciting. And at various points, Hsu recalls similar moments: surfing AOL chatrooms, a time when receiving an email felt like a true personal gift. (You can read an excerpt of Hsu's book over at the New Yorker. Pre-order it here.)
BeReal, the Paris-based photo-sharing app, is nothing like those halcyon online days. But lately, it's the only corner of the internet that I feel at least sort of excited to engage with. As I wrote earlier today, BeReal is deliriously stupid and simple to use. My selfies there are some of the ugliest photos I’ve ever committed to the internet.
But now, Instagram appears to be reeling its vulturish head. I'm not totally sure why I'm so pathetically annoyed by this development, but I tried exploring why here. I think the main takeaway for me though will be to keep the book momentum going, forget "the algorithm," and find more gems like Stay True.
—Inae Oh
