Reading Rebellion

Authoritarian movements don’t fear noise. They fear readers. Reading builds independent thought, empathy, and complexity, all of which threaten systems that rely on control, simplification, and unquestioned power.

This new year reflection began with a simple question: If 2025 was a book, what would it be called? The answers—raw, funny, frustrated, and hopeful—offer a collective snapshot of where we are and a gentler way to welcome the year ahead.

Tea and women’s rights have long been intertwined. In Victorian times, even women drinking tea was treated as a moral threat—not because of the drink itself, but because it created space for conversation, rest, and independence. Sometimes described as “scandal broth,” tea became a quiet symbol of resistance in a world determined to control women’s behavior.

Reading has always been more than a pastime—it’s a quiet act of defiance. In a world where stories are challenged, censored, or erased, opening a banned book becomes a powerful way to protect curiosity, truth, and imagination. From Orwell to Vonnegut to every author who dared to question the status quo, this post explores why reading as rebellion still matters—and how pairing these stories with thoughtful tea blends turns the simple act of reading into a ritual of resistance.