My first encounter with Kitchen, Banana Yoshimoto’s 1988 novel (translated into English in 1993 by Megan Backus) was in the late 90s when I discovered a copy wedged into the corner of a library shelf. It’s a small novel; only 150 pages. Yoshimoto’s language is simple, with short sentences describing action in unromantic language. Despite ...
Good news for a change. Check out Little Bones’ analysis of the Forced Marriage Act recently enacted in Scotland. Yesterday the Forced Marriage (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act, passed in March by the Scottish Parliament, came into force. Based on Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the act aims to protect vulnerable ...
Being single around the holidays opens people up to an interrogation about their sex life from bothersome relatives. There is also pressure at office parties, potluck dinners, and New Year’s Eve parties. But alone no longer translates into lonely. People are slower to pair off than ever before because, quite honestly, being single is fun! ...
Many women are putting kids on the back burner until they get an education and career. The consequence? Some women are left childless. But there’s new evidence that educated women, for the most part, are actually having more kids. Canada is the odd woman out. While women in the US are getting an education without ...
So I don’t have bad karma every Thanksgiving I must say I love the spirit of this holiday. The idea is similar to Christmas and Easter in that you get together with family you may have not seen in awhile to catch up, eat and celebrate some time off work. Now that I have pacified ...
Most people have babies, they don’t win them. But some couples need help to have kids and assisted reproductive technology can be costly and, therefore, inaccessible. Recently, an Ottawa radio station gave couples hope with their “Win A Baby!” contest. You may not literally win a baby, but one couple wins a chance at having ...
Dating is a lot of work. It’s no surprise that often singles dream of the end result and dread the process. So screw it. As a man, single life means going out with your boys guilt-free, not having to spend time and money into pleasing a lady and pampering yourself for a change. The downside ...
Real life sister-wife, Vicki Darger, opens up about her experiences with polygamy and how it affected her post-partum depression in an article for the Huffington Post. “Most men don’t enter this lifestyle so they can have more sex; rather, they have a sincere sense of a higher purpose. I’d rather share Joe than have a ...
Men are the only people who should be in prison, according to the Howard League for Penal Reform. They are arguing that women should not be sent to jail because of the trauma it causes their kids. They reported that thousands of children are separated from their convicted mothers each year. The damages it causes ...
If you have a problem with MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, it might be even harder to accept the reverse: 61 and pregnant. Although she’s old enough to be a granny, an unnamed 61-year-old Brazilian woman is due with her first child this November. After having “undergone a very thorough medical clearance,” her and her 38-year-old ...
Want a cheap, fun date? Stay home with a cheesy romance movie, popcorn, and a bottle of wine. You...
On dates I still love a little bit of chivalry — but it goes too far when the restaurant...
There has been an upswing in royal fever on both sides of the Atlantic since last April. When Kate...
Dear Madame X, I know you say that it’s not good to fake your orgasms, but what if you...
It is one of the oldest institutions in the world. Most humans are actively engaged in it as I...
Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort...
Usually getting fired is a bad thing. But, somehow, this woman is happy about it. Can you imagine...
My attention was drawn this week to an article on the resurgence of the market for men’s underwear. It...
