Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Culture Warlords: My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy by Talia Lavin

8 reviews

flufficorn's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

4.0

This book is not a traditional call-to-action book, and that is not a bad thing. This book is a series of informative, first-hand essays about the author's experience in online white supremacist spaces. The author plainly explains that the goal of this book is to inform so that we, the readers, can learn to identify radical white supremacy and call it out as needed. While call-to-action books are great, they don't work if we don't first understand when to act. This book should be considered the step before a call-to-action book. 

As someone who lives publicly as a Jewish person, I found this book informative, enraging, and a little sad. Hearing some stories about how people came to these movements, why they believe what they do, not only makes me angry, but makes me sad as well. 

I also learned a lot of terminology from within these movements, the difference between different white supremacy movements, and about events that these people cling to as proof that their world view is the one right world view. Because of this, I think this book is immensely important and should be read by anyone who says they aren't a white supremacist. 

The reviews about "I wanted this book to be..." are ridiculous. Open your mind, Broaden your horizons. That's what books are about. Duh. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

 - I think it is important, when you can manage it, to look at horrible things straight on so you know what you're up against. That said, CULTURE WARLORDS is filled with some of the most horrifying and horrific things I've ever read, all the more terrifying because it's all happening right under our noses.
- I think if you've spent any time at all learning about (or experiencing) what the far right is up to, there isn't a lot of new information in this book. However, Lavin really does a great job of linking seemingly disparate ideologies, events, and social and governmental failures together to show how we arrived here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Police brutality, Murder, Suicide, Transphobia, Racial slurs, Rape, Blood, Racism, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, War, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Stalking

collins1129's review against another edition

dark informative fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Stalking, Violence, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Death, Domestic abuse, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Colonisation, Gore, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia

outtoexist's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.75

I enjoyed this book, but often the writing was difficult to orient myself in, as someone who doesn't know the names of right-wing politicians much less mass shooters. It felt wandering at times, and I often lost the thread of the chapter about half way through only to remember when she started to sum it up at the end. That said, the information and details on white supremacist groups in this book are horrifying but essential to know. Understanding how normal ass people get sucked into these hatefilled groups is the only way to understanding how to get them out of it. Seeing them as full people who weren't always neo-nazis and who see their neo-nazi-ism as a deeply held belief they've read & researched. It is essential to know their experience to know how to define them - not to excuse their behavior, but to better understand how they got where they are and how they can be brought back into the light.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia

yavin_iv's review against another edition

dark informative fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Antisemitism, Genocide, Hate crime, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Sexual violence

deepcurvesahead's review against another edition

This book was just too much for me to read right now. I may try again in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Violence

ncoletti's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia

amarchetta's review

challenging informative reflective

3.0

I’m glad I read this book because it reflected the grueling work the author did in her research. It was difficult to get through due to the weight of the material present. I hate to give this a lower star rating because of the incredible insights the author could provide, but I didn’t find the flow/format of the book very readable. I can’t say anyone would enjoy reading the vicious hate spewed by the book’s subjects, but the work itself wasn’t as engrossing as I had hoped. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia