Well-researched, engaging and thought-provoking commentary on some of the "bad gays" of history. Lemmey and Miller thoughtfully examine the ties betweWell-researched, engaging and thought-provoking commentary on some of the "bad gays" of history. Lemmey and Miller thoughtfully examine the ties between homosexuality and (de-)colonization, fascism, misogyny and the masculine ideal in Western society. Tackled with plenty of nuance and pithy comments that provide some levity.
I was particularly interested in the chapters on Weimar Berlin and Pim Fortuyn, the latter of which I somehow didn't even know was gay - which really just proves the book's point that the LGBT+ community tends to be rather selective in which figures we claim as our own.
Great premise, impeccably executed. I was very happy to learn that there's also a podcast, which I am hereby also heartily recommending for those who prefer that kind of thing. ...more
We are not idealized wild things. We are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push it away, failed by our very complication, so We are not idealized wild things. We are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push it away, failed by our very complication, so wired that when we mourn our losses we also mourn, for better or for worse, ourselves. As we were. As we are no longer. As we will one day not be at all....more
I don't believe in the concept of 'books everyone should read'. People have different tastes, different experiences. No one book is going to work for I don't believe in the concept of 'books everyone should read'. People have different tastes, different experiences. No one book is going to work for everyone.
That being said, I think this is a book a lot of people would benefit from reading. Despite the fact that every one of us has dealt or will have to deal with grief at some point in our lives, the way Western society handles grief is shockingly flawed. Megan Devine offers a possible counterpoint, and she does it in a way that is both sympathetic and no-nonsense.
A book to read and return to, both for the words and for the excercises included....more
I told you in the course of this paper that Shakespeare had a sister; but do not look for her in Sidney Lee's life of the poet. She died young--alas, I told you in the course of this paper that Shakespeare had a sister; but do not look for her in Sidney Lee's life of the poet. She died young--alas, she never wrote a word. She lies buried where the omnibuses now stop, opposite the Elephant and Castle. Now my belief is that this poet who never wrote a word and was buried at the cross-roads still lives. She lives in you and in me, and in many other women who are not here tonight, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed. But she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh.
Inspiring and still very relevant, written in Woolf's typical witty, sinuous style....more
I admit to not being a big fan of self-help books. I'm sure that they can be a great help to people, but I've given them a feThis book was not for me.
I admit to not being a big fan of self-help books. I'm sure that they can be a great help to people, but I've given them a few tries and ended up annoyed each time. Sadly, 'All About Love' is no exception. The preface and first two chapters were promising. I especially liked the bits about abuse and love being unable to co-exist, as well as hooks' thoughts on how toxic masculinity influences relationships. The repeated claim that love is an action, not just a feeling, really resonated with me.
It was all downhill from there, though. The overall novel is incoherent and vague. Hooks makes various general statements on society, how women and men behave (containing a serious amount of gender essentialism, by the way) and relationships in our current society. None of these statements are supported by facts or studies. If we're lucky, hooks may include a personal anecdote or refer to one of the numerous (mostly unsourced) quotes, but that's as far as the scientific/academic angle of this book goes. I was expecting a bit more theoretical support to substantiate all of these claims.
About halfway, there is a chapter on divine love. I got the feeling hooks was trying to come across as neutral as possible, but if so, her attempts mostly failed. There's an undercurrent here of the idea that spiritual love is the solution to the lovelessness in our capitalist society. While she does not equate spiritual love to organized religion, I still find this whole reasoning a little biased, considering what we know of history and religion. Hooks is a religious person, I'm not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Yet at least this chapter still sticks to general references to 'spiritual' love, which can be interpreted pretty broadly. The final chapter abandons this neutrality and inexplicably assumes the existence of angels. I'm not sure what this added to the novel, and I knocked off half a star for this final chapter alone.
Furthermore, the overall tone of the novel came across as rather condescending to me, with the Christian references only adding to the sermon-like quality of the writing. Hooks' attitude towards poor people is inconsistent. They're presented either as a romanticized ideal of people who are able to love even without wealth (vs. the lovelessness in our capitalist society), or addicts who cannot love because they are obsessed with wealth - something they lack. Meanwhile, the references to LGBTQ people are sparse, with hooks' own lesbian sister being brandished as a lesson on forgiving homophobic family members, because if you're lucky they might one day respect your identity! Yeah alright, miss me with that.
Let me conclude by saying that this novel did contain some gems. There were some genuinely interesting insights which I would have loved to read more about. I'm sad to say though that they were lost in what became a hate-read for me. 'All About Love' is a self-help book which contains no practical solutions, only generalizing statements and quotes from books which I would have probably preferred reading. I'll leave you all with one of the most baffling quotes of this novel, when hooks goes full-on preacher mode and criticizes Monica Lewinsky's giving in to greed:
"Concurrently, [Lewinsky] manipulates facts and details, and ultimately prostitutes herself by selling her story for material gain because she is greedy for fame and money, and society condones this get-rich-quick scheme. Her greed is even more intense because she also wants to be seen as a victim. With the boldness of any con artist working the capitalist addiction to fantasy, she attempts to rewrite the script of their consensual exchange of pleasure so that it can appear to be a love story." (124)...more
Loved this collection of essays. They're angry but hopeful, and familiar for someone like me who spends a lot of her time online in fan spaces. Some oLoved this collection of essays. They're angry but hopeful, and familiar for someone like me who spends a lot of her time online in fan spaces. Some of it gets a little repetitive, but it's such an easy read it didn't bother me all that much....more
An account of modern-day Russia that's as much surreal and fascinating as it is terrifying. More of a collection of personal anecdotes than a real anaAn account of modern-day Russia that's as much surreal and fascinating as it is terrifying. More of a collection of personal anecdotes than a real analysis, but still touches upon many aspects of Russian culture and politics. Overall this is a great, eye-opening read, especially if you're mostly unfamiliar with the topic....more
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