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Can't explain how much I love all of this, my friend! Little Women is very possibly my favorite movie of all time. I still remember a time at the cabin in the height of the pandemic when I threw it on just to see if I could feel something anymore. I sobbed hysterically, felt my chest explode, and was warm all over by the end. It just absolutely never fails to restore my faith in life.

I had not heard about the Dahl controversy but I unfortunately don't find your observations surprising. You described it perfectly--if a book promotes outdated biases, even ones "of their time," I just won't be reading that to my kids because WE CAN DO BETTER NOW. This kind of reminds me of how I can't watch How I Met Your Mother anymore. I found the series fairly charming at times, but upon rewatching I realized that Barney constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY, makes fat-shaming comments. And the worst scenes are when Barney's fatphobic comments are reiterated by other characters; that's the death kiss for me, because one "kooky" character with hateful beliefs is one thing, but the main characters are supposed to know better. When Ted agrees with Barney's blatant objectifications, we see the show's true colors. It's just insane to me that the early 2000s were a time when fatshaming was still widely accepted as funny and accurate. It's a no for me these days. (Not to mention the series finale that completely betrayed fans and The Mother. But I digress!)

Lastly, your mention of the word "Dust" made me wonder if you've ever read His Dark Materials by Pullman. As my preferred source of deep thinking about spirituality, I would be very curious to know your thoughts.

Thank you for sharing your writing, friend. It gives me so much joy. But also, and I'm talking to myself here, don't feel like you need to share it in the moment. I'm trying my best these days to remember that most writing throughout the history of the world was labored over for years without a shred of the instant gratification of clicking "post." That's the good shit, and it's worth holding out for. <3

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“More is always coming—we need not worry that there will not be wondrous, delightful literature for our children to discover.” This whole piece was insightful and enjoyable and kind. I love your writing, Lindsey!

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