Tried to read this as it was supposed to be a definitive work on the historical trajectory of the religious right into hypermasculinity in politics, rTried to read this as it was supposed to be a definitive work on the historical trajectory of the religious right into hypermasculinity in politics, religion, parenting etc. but the writing is so repetitive and dry despite not being academic at all (it keeps referencing things without citation or true causality) that I couldn’t get anywhere with it. I get it though - civil rights advances for women and minorities freaked out a certain group of people who decided to double down on traditionalism even as it failed to serve them. ...more
A fun, diverse alternate (supernatural) history in Depression-era South written and drawn by diverse creators. Sneaks in real American history that weA fun, diverse alternate (supernatural) history in Depression-era South written and drawn by diverse creators. Sneaks in real American history that we rarely learn of in school (Native residency schools with assimilation/cultural genocide as the goal, Chinese immigrants in the South) and provides a picture of a rarely represented group: black Indigenous residents.
Two black, Choctaw girls are starting to grow in their magic which means they will soon be sent away to the residency schools unless their families can come up with the funds to bribe their way out. Enter their mentors who race in illegal broom races for winner-takes-all prizes and who want to train the girls to join them in the largest (and most dangerous) race of all before the races are shut down. ...more
This is a great concept with beautiful (if especially gory) art and so-so plot execution. I like the time-travel rules here though the existence of thThis is a great concept with beautiful (if especially gory) art and so-so plot execution. I like the time-travel rules here though the existence of the passage to travel through is hand-waved, there is a throughline about fate interwoven between the future dystopian scenes and the scenes in the 1400's. I think perhaps that's my biggest problem with it - if we're going to assume some amount of fatalism, taking out Columbus seems like a noble undertaking but ultimately, not sufficient or lynchpin enough to halt the inevitability of European conquest. It does however provide readers who aren't well versed in history with the most notable explorer in American culture so I get the decision.
I'll definitely read the next volume but doubtful that I'll spend money on it as I did for this heralded debut. ...more
listened to the author discuss this on "Pod Save the UK" and it sounds really great - how (especially in-groups) we can have conversations with other listened to the author discuss this on "Pod Save the UK" and it sounds really great - how (especially in-groups) we can have conversations with other people for change (rather than to win debates) based on activist and community group experience. Looking forward to when it is published across the pond!...more
**spoiler alert** Hazel loses and then gains and then loses again a kid brother. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. For a volume that start**spoiler alert** Hazel loses and then gains and then loses again a kid brother. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. For a volume that starts with a western-looking space outpost named “Abortion Town,” this episode in the renegade family’s life was handled with empathy and dexterity. And that’s really what is great about this series - it’s obscene and in-your-face with issues that aren’t typically acceptable in dinner conversation. But it’s shoved in one’s face because these are very real issues impacting very human people and the ensuing confrontation of those issues is extremely humane. I’ve seen sci-fi and fantasy use metaphor for earthly issues before... here instead we have aliens dealing with earthly problems; war, proxy wars, refugees, maternal health, sexual and gender issues, nuclear and divided families, incarceration and more. No metaphors required. These are my people!
Merged review:
Hazel loses and then gains and then loses again a kid brother. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. For a volume that starts with a western-looking space outpost named “Abortion Town,” this episode in the renegade family’s life was handled with empathy and dexterity. And that’s really what is great about this series - it’s obscene and in-your-face with issues that aren’t typically acceptable in dinner conversation. But it’s shoved in one’s face because these are very real issues impacting very human people and the ensuing confrontation of those issues is extremely humane. I’ve seen sci-fi and fantasy use metaphor for earthly issues before... here instead we have aliens dealing with earthly problems; war, proxy wars, refugees, maternal health, sexual and gender issues, nuclear and divided families, incarceration and more. No metaphors required. These are my people!...more
excellent in audio format with 3 very good narrators for Olga, her brother and their Mami. New York/Brooklyn felt alive, Olga's family was vibrant, heexcellent in audio format with 3 very good narrators for Olga, her brother and their Mami. New York/Brooklyn felt alive, Olga's family was vibrant, her relationships were messy but believable and her/her brother's trauma and growth really propel the story.
part of the 2022 Tournament of Books Bracket...more
I really wanted to like this - aside from everyone I admire buzzing about it, and it's place in the 2022 Tournament of Books - it has amazing world buI really wanted to like this - aside from everyone I admire buzzing about it, and it's place in the 2022 Tournament of Books - it has amazing world building and thoughtful things to say about society, the history of colonialization, language, and more. And there is magic (in language!, in the space/gulf between the meanings of words between languages!), Dickensian children abandoned or used by their father, Oxford academia and class politics. But, like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell, I just couldn't get interested and ultimately failed to pick it back up again one of the many times I laid it down to scroll on my phone or read something else. ...more
There's a lot of 'gee-whiz' 'aw-shucks' look and feel to this tale which I didn't understand till reading the background information included in the eThere's a lot of 'gee-whiz' 'aw-shucks' look and feel to this tale which I didn't understand till reading the background information included in the end... eventually it charmed me but initially it felt unsophisticated. To that end, I wish the explanatory piece was a foreword rather than an afterword because it increased my appreciation for the tale several-fold. This is actually a retelling/adaptation of a radio program that was truly delivered in the mid 1940's when the Klan was resurging (and turning into a money-making business rather than just a disorganized mob) and anti-Asian sentiment had peaked with Pearl Harbor, written and performed by several anti-Klan journalists and Jewish writers as a direct challenge to the Klan's alarming rise in popularity. Superman, the pre-eminent model of American exceptionalism was, after-all from Krypton and more alien than any human on earth. And when he accepts his differences as strengths and supports the many members of the community moving out of ethnic enclaves and into the traditionally white cities and suburbs (due to the post WWII G.I. Bill) by proclaiming his alien-ness, the moral gauntlet is thrown. It's a children's story but it had a profound effect on America and the Klan at the time, as it did on Gene Luen Yang who brings the story to life here and shares the parallels to his family journey in the afterward as well. It's an incomplete tale of course, just as the G.I. Bill was incomplete in its equitable delivery (Black servicemen were specifically excluded e.g.) but it gave me hope --- and it was an incredibly relevant year for the tale to be revisited (published in total in 2020). ...more
gonna put some thoughts down since it just lost the Opening Round of the Tournament of Books and while I walked into the reading with a heavy cynical gonna put some thoughts down since it just lost the Opening Round of the Tournament of Books and while I walked into the reading with a heavy cynical chip on my shoulder ('she's just writing this to capitalize on Handmaid fever') - it turned out to pleasantly surprise me. I realized there were several viewpoints I'd been longing for from Handmaid; that of the women supporting the oppressive regime (what were their motivations!? did they regret anything? did they actually get something out of it?) and that of the 1st generation of girls to grow up in the Gilead regime (did they know what they were missing in not learning to read? did it make them easier to brainwash? etc.). This novel delivers both along with a bunch of stuff I didn't ask for or need - e.g. details on how the coup occurs (the hints from Handmaid were scarier and somehow more believable as they were more a gentle slide into martial law rather than an overnight fait accompli... really, no men pick up guns to prevent the widespread arrest of any professional women?!) or a girl's adventure tale of infiltration from Canada despite no obvious aptitude for subterfuge (or listening to one's trainers). Also, she injects a lot of dark humor.
It's fast paced and engaging while Handmaid was introspective and full of dread which made it a very readable (ahem, listenable) book, but provides ample reasons to excuse those who hate on the sequel in favor of the original. It's been likened to fanfic, and really that's mostly what it is, just written by the very steady hand of the original author. I would have preferred this as a story collection from all different points of view, especially as it is supposedly being relayed 100+ years in the future at a historical symposium. That would provide some juicy insights without wrapping things up in a neat bow. Harder to syndicate I suppose (oh, there's that cynicism!) but more in the spirit of continuing the story.
Some of the best, most relevant pieces were those reflecting on the backlash that is always to hand against women stepping into visibility/leadership as well as the default willingness of men to allow other men to be terrible when the perpetrator provides a convenience to themselves & targets only women. There was a lot of subtle commentary on men not seeing crimes against women (and unhappiness with the regime) because it benefits them (oh, and any complainers are of necessity punished) which is oh so relevant today. I am hoping Atwood stops here & doesn't decide to turn this into a trilogy where she suddenly shows the dangers of the #MeToo movement going too far once men are being held accountable because for the moment, she's halfway to redeeming herself in my eyes. (She still owes a better apology than, "I'm sorry if some people felt..." for her shenanigans)
Much latitude is given by those in power to professionals who can relieve them of pain – the doctors, the dentists, the lawyers, the accountants – in the new world of Gilead, as in the old, their sins are frequently forgiven them.
Sciorra and Hannah both talked about the forces that keep women quiet. Hannah said she’d told anyone who would listen from the get-go. “And it didn’t
Sciorra and Hannah both talked about the forces that keep women quiet. Hannah said she’d told anyone who would listen from the get-go. “And it didn’t matter,” she told me. “I think that it doesn’t matter if you’re a well-known actress, it doesn’t matter if you’re twenty or if you’re forty, it doesn’t matter if you report or if you don’t, because we are not believed. We are more than not believed—we are berated and criticized and blamed.”
This is a piece of investigative journalism that reads like a spy novel (more exciting than a few notable ones I've read!). It is also a work of non-fiction that highlights all the ways in which men (and some women) and institutions are actively and passively involved in covering for powerful men - to the point where the author Ronan Farrow is repeatedly reminded of how little he did to support his sister's allegations against their father and how he too was one of those fathers/brothers/significant others who encouraged the women in their life to 'let it go' or be silent lest they ruin their lives. He is deeply tempted till the very end to provide cover for the NBC cover-up due to his admiration for the company's work and his desire to continue his employment with them - one of his main reasons for conscience in this regard, was his active investigation of CBS' Les Moonves cover-ups which he couldn't very well pursue while letting his former bosses off the hook. And this is an incredibly principled reporter/brother/advocate for women we're talking about. If he feels gaslit by multiple powerful players and overwhelmed/tempted to give up in the face of all the threats/pleas/cajoling/bribery/offers of friendship etc. - imagine how the women in this story feel.
This is a great example of why crazy big money in institutions is not a good thing - it acquires power and warps those institutions into something unrecognizable and threatens elections, the legal system, the free press, and the culture that we live in... all the things Americans trust to protect them as long as they're 'good' and hard working citizens. The truth is that if the most vulnerable of us isn't safe, none of us truly are as much as we'd prefer to think otherwise to justify our ignorance or dispassion.
Listened to the audiobook Sept ‘20 and it was even better (I didn’t think it was possible) - also reading it this close to the next election makes it Listened to the audiobook Sept ‘20 and it was even better (I didn’t think it was possible) - also reading it this close to the next election makes it all the more vivid. May our country redeem itself in Nov. definitely teary at the end. ————————— This wasn’t what I expected but it was what I needed. The author/narrator discusses her experience as an American POC growing up in New Mexico where she was the kind of brown that didn't fit the norm, dated boys/men who exoticized her, was shut out of a DAR mtg where she was supposed to present her winning essay (when they received her school photo in advance), endured family members in India who believed her ugly due to her shade, experienced the bonding and subsequent hostilities in NYC after 9/11, married a white Jewish boy with whom she had a son with his own questions about color and identity and then faced down the 2016 election and aftermath with in-laws who voted for Trump and closed their ears to any discussions of the real fear and impact on POCs from his rhetoric. All this through very real (funny, heartfelt, angry, patronizing, scary, hopeful) conversations. Thank you Mira Jacob
I purchased thinking my sister could read with her 12-year old adoptive son and they could use it as a jumping off point for race discussions. It's not that, and her family is conservative enough that the author's sex life would be a no-go. But I do think it is one in which themes of identity and prejudice (including from POC) is really well discussed and for a family comfortable with discussions of sexuality, this would be a good tween-age and up book. It's also amazing at showing how well-intentioned people who love each other can still cause a lot of hurt when they refuse to hear & empathize with each other's experiences. (Especially in the case of privilege). Apparently graphic novel memoirs are going to do therapy for me this year (The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui is another great one and an example of why this medium is SO perfect for memoir....more
I finally got around to reading Chabon and somehow he predicted in an alt-history dark and Yiddish humor noir tale the teaming up of far-right militanI finally got around to reading Chabon and somehow he predicted in an alt-history dark and Yiddish humor noir tale the teaming up of far-right militant Orthodox Jews with American evangelicals to bring about the apocalypse. I think I would have enjoyed this tale years ago because the Yiddish spin on hard-boil PI speak (in this case homicide detective but it's hard not to compare to Chandler) is pretty funny and also challenging (didn't discover the glossary of Yiddish words and slang till I finished the book so without my pre knowledge of a lot of the words, the lack of exposition would have been challenging - as it was the context clues still take 2-3 times before you figure out what is being referred to as in the words use for mobile phone or for handguns) and I personally enjoy being dropped into an alternate world and figuring things out through the storytelling rather than a bunch of explanatory asides. Plus the characters (and they are also CHARACTERS) are interesting and weird and absolutely believable even at their zaniest. But having the aforementioned prescience now scaring me in the present (mid-2024) makes this a 4-star read. ...more
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