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The words \u201cspring break\u201d tend to conjure images of wild college trips, wet t-shirt contests, and phosphorescent drinks in sweating plastic cups. For parents of younger children, however, the week off is more often an opportunity to sit down, keep half an eye on the kids to make sure they don\u2019t accidentally destroy themselves, and maybe read an Oprah\u2019s Book Club selection or two.<\/p>\n
Judging by Ivanka Trump<\/strong>\u2019s Instagram photo dump on Tuesday<\/a>, the latter was the vibe of her recent family vacation with husband Jared Kushner<\/strong> and kids Arabella<\/strong>, 14, Joseph<\/strong>, 11, and Theodore<\/strong>, 9, to Costa Rica. Of the 18 photos and videos included in her carousel, just one slide does not feature the beach and\/or a horse: a picture of her reading list.<\/p>\n And, boy, is it interesting to read into her picks.<\/p>\n In the post\u2019s caption, in which she gushes about how \u201cgrateful\u201d she is for the trip (the word \u201cdoesn\u2019t begin to cover it,\u201d she insists), Trump describes \u201clogging off and tuning in. Grounding in nature\u2019s rhythm. Feeling the sacred in the silence, in the laughter of my children, in the breath of the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivanka also, in her own words, \u201cread until the sun dipped low.\u201d Three favorites are arrayed on a bedspread: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow<\/em><\/a> by Gabrielle Zevin<\/strong>, The Women<\/em><\/a> by Kristin Hannah<\/strong>, and The Tell<\/em><\/a> by Amy Griffin<\/strong>. The books have a few things in common: They\u2019re all written by female authors, and feature main characters that could fall under the \u201cstrong female lead\u201d umbrella. They are all distinguished members of the New York Times<\/em> bestseller club. The two fictional entries, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow<\/em> and The Women<\/em>, both had their film rights snapped up in big-deal movie contracts before the books even hit shelves.<\/p>\n Although none of the three authors have openly criticized Ivanka\u2019s dear old dad, Donald Trump<\/strong>, they carry thematic messages that he might not love so much. And the books she read have been praised by other authors and public figures who have<\/em> spoken publicly against her father.<\/p>\n Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow<\/em>, which was published in 2022, follows two friends and eventual creative collaborators through decades, from childhood to middle age, co-creating a hit video game along the way and facing various slings and arrows, together and apart. A major theme of the novel is the push-pull between money and art, a salient topic in a time when artists face personal and financial peril under an unsmiling government.<\/p>\n The book was a critical and commercial success, and made the New York Times<\/em>\u2019 list of the 100 most notable books of the 21st century<\/a>. Among its fans are author John Green<\/strong>, who has been vocal about his take of Trump as a national disaster. Green called the novel<\/a> \u201cone of the best books I\u2019ve ever read.\u201d Bill Gates,<\/strong> who donated some $50 million<\/a> to organizations supporting Kamala Harris<\/strong> before Election Day and has since publicly sounded the alarm<\/a> on the current administration\u2019s cuts to public health, loved it too. He said that the book \u201cresonated with me for personal reasons,\u201d but also that the story is \u201ca terrific metaphor for human connection.\u201d DNC speaker Oprah Winfrey<\/strong> included the book<\/a> in her list of the best books of 2022.<\/p>\n More recently, Zevin was at the center of a controversy when a Chicago bookstore removed the novel<\/a> from consideration for the store’s book club, calling Zevin \u201ca Zionist\u201d in an email and explaining that they didn’t want to give her \u201cmonetary support.\u201d She has never publicly spoken about her views on Israel, and was also included on a separate list of reportedly Zionist authors<\/a> for readers to consider boycotting. The bookstore publicly apologized<\/a> for removing her book from the poll without discussion, and to their Jewish customers, but not to Zevin herself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n