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bexsur's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
jb134's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad but rather uninspiring. I am sure someone intuitively aware of the references made it is an interesting and engaging read: as proof of this, her emoji essay establishes a connection with the reader. I had unfoundedly high expectations and am left well short.
half_book_and_co's review against another edition
4.0
My favourite kind of non-fiction is a truly probing one, where you follow thought connected to next thought, consider theories. Texts which are associative in nature, and a bit troubling in effect (as in troubling your set way of thinking, as in uncanny, to spark new troubling questions).
Namwali Serpell’s small little book Stranger Faces – part of a new series of “undelivered lectures” – is such a kind of text. Starting from theories about The Ideal Face – which might signify things such as identity, authenticity, transparency, truth – Serpell turns to the kind of faces rarely envisioned in this kind of theoretical discussion. She turns to “stranger faces”, the double meaning very much intended, and complicates theories while uncovering some underlying assumptions on race, ability, and gender.
In five essays Serpell dissects different texts and films to discuss ideas about/around faces: from The Autobiography of Joseph Carey Merrick and disability to racial ambiguity and The Bondwoman’s Narrative to the emergence and use of emojis. Each of these essays got very interesting points, though I struggled a bit to follow the chapter on Hitchcock’s Psycho, especially as I have never seen the film (which is on me and not the book).
While reading the essays my mind also wandered to other texts. I thought of the Faces series in which Ruth Ozeki’s The Face: A Time Code Ruth Ozeki and Chris Abani’s The Face: Cartography of the Void were published. But I also Max Czollek’s Gegenwartsbewältigung in which he discusses a German right-wing/ conservative politician’s claim that to “show one’s face” is part of German culture (of course in the context of an anti-Muslim discourse) and how the discussion has changed now with the pandemic (nationalism so flexible).
In the end, I might not agree with every single point made in the book but these essays got me re/thinking and lightened a spark in me. I started to imagine how an autistic reply might look like (with regards to the importance of face impressions and ideas of humanity) or a reply which takes the thoughts of the Hitchcock essay and brings these together with discussions of the potential trans villain portrayal. So many possibilities. And this book is a wonderful door opener to all these thoughts.
Namwali Serpell’s small little book Stranger Faces – part of a new series of “undelivered lectures” – is such a kind of text. Starting from theories about The Ideal Face – which might signify things such as identity, authenticity, transparency, truth – Serpell turns to the kind of faces rarely envisioned in this kind of theoretical discussion. She turns to “stranger faces”, the double meaning very much intended, and complicates theories while uncovering some underlying assumptions on race, ability, and gender.
In five essays Serpell dissects different texts and films to discuss ideas about/around faces: from The Autobiography of Joseph Carey Merrick and disability to racial ambiguity and The Bondwoman’s Narrative to the emergence and use of emojis. Each of these essays got very interesting points, though I struggled a bit to follow the chapter on Hitchcock’s Psycho, especially as I have never seen the film (which is on me and not the book).
While reading the essays my mind also wandered to other texts. I thought of the Faces series in which Ruth Ozeki’s The Face: A Time Code Ruth Ozeki and Chris Abani’s The Face: Cartography of the Void were published. But I also Max Czollek’s Gegenwartsbewältigung in which he discusses a German right-wing/ conservative politician’s claim that to “show one’s face” is part of German culture (of course in the context of an anti-Muslim discourse) and how the discussion has changed now with the pandemic (nationalism so flexible).
In the end, I might not agree with every single point made in the book but these essays got me re/thinking and lightened a spark in me. I started to imagine how an autistic reply might look like (with regards to the importance of face impressions and ideas of humanity) or a reply which takes the thoughts of the Hitchcock essay and brings these together with discussions of the potential trans villain portrayal. So many possibilities. And this book is a wonderful door opener to all these thoughts.
claremorg's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Fairly academic, but I quite liked the lens and insight of these essays. Especially the one about emojis/emoticons/GIFS, which feels very tangible, but also the one about Grizzly Man. Lots of interesting food for thought and consideration for “the face.”
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
5.0
I went into this thinking it'd be more like Restless Books' The Face series and was pleasantly surprised to find this lighter on autobiography, delving more into theory and criticism. Very easy to follow along even if you're not acquainted with each essay's main topic. I'd never heard of The Bondswoman but think it's necessary to add to my TBR and only had a nodding acquaintance with The Elephant Man and Grizzly Man but still found the essays on these fascinating. The essay on emojis/emoticons/gifs/(digital) symbols was easily my favorite, with the one on The Bondswoman being the runnerup. The idea of sampling the work of other authors and "blackening" them in The Bondswoman reminded me of BIPOC &/or queer poets taking texts, often anti-* ones, to make hybrid works that subvert the meaning of the originals.
criticalgayze's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Last semester, I took a graduate level class on contemporary literary theory. This was both the exact right book and the exact wrong book to read with those ideas floating around in my head.
Writers like Serpell who can vacillate what feels like flawlessly (knowing that the more flawless it looks, the more work it requires) between amazing literary novels (The Old Drift is a modern classic.) and this kind of high calibur academic nonfiction truly make me sick in the jealous bones of my aspiring writer's skeleton. Serpell is truly among the likes of the select few (Roxane Gay and Brandon Taylor spring most readily to mind) who can make any subject or form compelling.
Will most definitely be getting to her 2022 New York Times Top 10 book The Furrows in February.
Writers like Serpell who can vacillate what feels like flawlessly (knowing that the more flawless it looks, the more work it requires) between amazing literary novels (The Old Drift is a modern classic.) and this kind of high calibur academic nonfiction truly make me sick in the jealous bones of my aspiring writer's skeleton. Serpell is truly among the likes of the select few (Roxane Gay and Brandon Taylor spring most readily to mind) who can make any subject or form compelling.
Will most definitely be getting to her 2022 New York Times Top 10 book The Furrows in February.