SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: December 31, 2021] You Can’t Be Serious
S. and I were wrapping presents for Christmas this year and put on A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (which I thought was new and didn’t realize was ten years old). I had said something about thinking Kal Penn was really cool and respecting his decision to work for the White House.
And lo and behold but there was this book in my Christmas pile.
Kal Penn, Jersey represent!, has led a fascinating life. And he seems like a very cool (but not scoring you weed on the weekend kinda cool) guy.
Kal starts his book by saying that in kindergarten, the fastest, dumbest boy in his class called him the n-word. He didn’t know what it meant, but he knew it was bad from the way the kids reacted.
A traumatic way to start a book and a school. But things got better from there. He recalls not paying much attention in school and also class trips to Old Sturbridge Village–that’s over three hours away! His class went there–multiple times? He loved the acting that went on there.
He talks about getting picked on for being a nerd. But also about being grateful for living in a diverse New Jersey town–he went to a lot of mitzvahs. His story of being on a boat for someone’s mitzvah is pretty funny. And yet, he also talks about a hate group called Dotbusters based in Jersey City (I am so shocked to hear about this) who harassed assaulted and even killed Indian people. His aunt lived there and his grandmother visited her there. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 