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sky130's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book starts out kind of slow, but make no mistake: by the end, you will be rapt and horrified, watching it spiral out of control and knowing full well it will end badly. It's like watching a train wreck - it's violent and tragic and you can't look away for a second. For all the painful turns the story takes, it never feels like the violence and misfortune is written in just for the sake of tormenting the characters. Unfortunately, it's pretty true to life despite being speculative fiction. I would still really recommend checking the trigger warnings, as the book is an absolute onslaught of trauma of every variety. If you feel like you can handle that, I would give this book a shot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Police brutality
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, and War
Minor: Deadnaming and Colonisation
miggyfool's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hankatcol's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Deadnaming, Rape, Vomit, and War
stwriter92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I pre-ordered this book after searching up "solarpunk" on TikTok and coming across Sim Kern's page. It quickly became one of my favorite pages on that godforsaken app and when I saw that they were publishing a book, I knew I had to pre-order it immediately. When it came, I was still in the midst of finishing up other books (which I have yet to write reviews on, oops. I feel super behind. Oh well.) but something drew me to it on Friday and I slipped it into my bag to read while I was out. Perhaps it was because of everything that has been going on in the world. I felt that I needed a bit of hope, fictional or otherwise.
Let me say: I have not sat in a cafe reading for so long in my entire life. I read the first half entirely in one sitting.
The novel centers on a greenwashed solarpunk alternate universe in which Al Gore won the presidential election and declared a War on Climate Change instead of a War on Terror. This has led to a society that has been built with the intentions of creating a more environmentally friendly society. However, it soon becomes clear that the entire thing is one big greenwashing ruse. Our narrator, a young white woman named Maddie Ryan, soon realizes that without fixing the deep rooted problems of racism, classism, and capitalism, the "environmentally friendly" society will be nothing but a greenwashed facade built to protect the capitalist endeavors of the ruling white upper class.
In their novel, Sim Kern has masterfully navigated themes of racial injustice, intersectionality, and activism in what seems to be a hopelessly bleak capitalist country. How can we have any sort of hope when we are up against a seemingly all powerful government? How can we have a voice when every shout feels like it's being swallowed up by the void? We do it slowly and consistently. As Shayna says towards the end, "we grow our network--we spread our mycelium, we strengthen our community." Change must start from the ground up. To make a change outside, we need to start by making a change in our own communities.
I would encourage anyone and everyone to read The Free People's Village. I feel that, especially in the current geopolitical climate, the message needs to be spread far and wide.
(Also, I have added all of Gestas's books to my TBR. I encourage you all to do the same.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Alcohol
Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and War
feministy's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Pros:
- A character with neopronouns is always a nice thing to see.
- Some of the passages around organizing really hit home, especially the ones that centered ideological disagreement amongst protesters.
- Always here for the fight for Palestinian liberation shown in a positive light.
Cons:
- Maddie is a pretty insufferable MC (main character) most of the time.
- It's very "white cis lady is on a journey" for the first half of the book, and it's exhaustkng even for me as a white AFAB person who also had to learn and come to radical viewpoints.
- Maddie's love interests are consistently awful and it's frankly hard to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Sexual harassment
anxiousutopian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Police brutality
Moderate: Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and War
mayarobinson831's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I could not put this book down.
The settings of the story were both familiar and felt fresh when examined from this angle. I cried. I laughed. I gasped.
The settings of the story were both familiar and felt fresh when examined from this angle. I cried. I laughed. I gasped.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Alcohol, and War
caseythereader's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thanks to Levine Querido for the free copy of this book.
- THE FREE PEOPLE'S VILLAGE is unlike any book I've ever read before. I never thought a book about the internal struggles of a group of activists would rivet me, but I absolutely could not put this down.
- This book is entirely from the POV of Maddie, a young white woman joining a Black-led movement to preserve a Black neighborhood. She doesn't always handle new information and situations perfectly (or even well), and she eventually has to reckon with her place in the movement and take accountability for actions she does or does not take. I think Kern struck the right balance here - Maddie is not a white savior, but she is given space to catch up on the history and politics she does not know (and even then, she is reprimanded for never bothering to learn these things!)
- Looking at this book from a wider perspective, I appreciated how Kern took the fork in the road that we often romanticize - Gore winning the 2000 election - and showed how even if there was massive movement on the climate, our society would still find a way to use those changes to enrich white people and push out poor and BIPOC people. Honestly, this book is one to give to white liberals who you wish would consider leftist ideas.
- THE FREE PEOPLE'S VILLAGE is unlike any book I've ever read before. I never thought a book about the internal struggles of a group of activists would rivet me, but I absolutely could not put this down.
- This book is entirely from the POV of Maddie, a young white woman joining a Black-led movement to preserve a Black neighborhood. She doesn't always handle new information and situations perfectly (or even well), and she eventually has to reckon with her place in the movement and take accountability for actions she does or does not take. I think Kern struck the right balance here - Maddie is not a white savior, but she is given space to catch up on the history and politics she does not know (and even then, she is reprimanded for never bothering to learn these things!)
- Looking at this book from a wider perspective, I appreciated how Kern took the fork in the road that we often romanticize - Gore winning the 2000 election - and showed how even if there was massive movement on the climate, our society would still find a way to use those changes to enrich white people and push out poor and BIPOC people. Honestly, this book is one to give to white liberals who you wish would consider leftist ideas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide attempt
Minor: Deadnaming and Pregnancy
ebook_em's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Free People’s Village is a heavy, immersive read that made me feel equal parts anger, sadness, pride, hope, and cringe. I get the sense that evoking each of those feelings was intentional.
The plot unfolds in an alternate timeline in which Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election and declared a “War on Climate Change.” As a policy researcher, I was so impressed by how Sim Kern revealed what can go wrong in the implementation of liberal policies — like rich people abusing the carbon tax system and greenwashing galore — and how the Democratic platform on climate change is totally insufficient to tackle environmental racism and imperialism. In fact, this story shows how the “war” on climate change could be weaponized in very conventional ways against people of the global majority. The fact that climate policies in this story were used to further expand the scope of policing also felt chillingly realistic.
The coalition of organizations, activists, homeless folks, and others who made up the Free People’s Village seemed very real as well. I loved Kern’s depiction of the boring and mundane aspects of organizing (figuring out how often to empty the port-a-potties is something I’ve had to do and didn’t care to remember, lol) plus the circular, mind-numbing infighting that is inevitable in any long-term organizing effort. Around the middle of the story, there’s an inciting incident when the movement fractures into very different tactics — the secrecy, guilt, and political questions around this incident were really compelling.
I also appreciated the treatment of SA in this book. Rape culture and flimsy restorative justice responses to violence within activist spaces are way more typical than many organizers want to acknowledge. Not including some mention of sexual violence in an encampment setting would’ve felt like a major omission, but it didn’t feel perfunctory as a plot line either. All these examples highlight Kern’s explorations of power dynamics throughout the book: between landlords and tenants, cops and citizens, people with criminal records and those without, Black & Indigenous organizers and white voyeurs, cis and trans people, etc. The depiction of the technologies and media also seemed true to life; in many ways, this book felt like a fiction analog to Zeynep Tufekci’s “Twitter and Tear Gas.”
Now for the aspects that will be unappealing to some readers. The first-person POV of the white main character, Maddie, is cringeworthy more often than not. The cringe factor is intentional, as Maddie is a young white teacher and baby activist entering Black-led organizing spaces for the first time, and she messes up a lot in the process. I thought the author did a pretty good job of not making this a white savior story, though there were times Maddie could’ve taken more ownership of her actions without endless coaching from Black and brown people. Maddie participates in some actions but repeatedly chickens out and mostly does grunt work while her friends and bandmates do the more high-profile leadership work. Even though her inner thoughts are painful to read, I think her perspective will resonate with people. Some readers might also be turned off by the didactic tone of the book. Personally, I don’t mind heavy-handed social commentary in fiction and thought it made sense to learn fundamental theories and principles through Maddie’s naive POV.
Overall, this was a great read that left me with a lot to think about. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.
The plot unfolds in an alternate timeline in which Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election and declared a “War on Climate Change.” As a policy researcher, I was so impressed by how Sim Kern revealed what can go wrong in the implementation of liberal policies — like rich people abusing the carbon tax system and greenwashing galore — and how the Democratic platform on climate change is totally insufficient to tackle environmental racism and imperialism. In fact, this story shows how the “war” on climate change could be weaponized in very conventional ways against people of the global majority. The fact that climate policies in this story were used to further expand the scope of policing also felt chillingly realistic.
The coalition of organizations, activists, homeless folks, and others who made up the Free People’s Village seemed very real as well. I loved Kern’s depiction of the boring and mundane aspects of organizing (figuring out how often to empty the port-a-potties is something I’ve had to do and didn’t care to remember, lol) plus the circular, mind-numbing infighting that is inevitable in any long-term organizing effort. Around the middle of the story, there’s an inciting incident when the movement fractures into very different tactics — the secrecy, guilt, and political questions around this incident were really compelling.
I also appreciated the treatment of SA in this book. Rape culture and flimsy restorative justice responses to violence within activist spaces are way more typical than many organizers want to acknowledge. Not including some mention of sexual violence in an encampment setting would’ve felt like a major omission, but it didn’t feel perfunctory as a plot line either. All these examples highlight Kern’s explorations of power dynamics throughout the book: between landlords and tenants, cops and citizens, people with criminal records and those without, Black & Indigenous organizers and white voyeurs, cis and trans people, etc. The depiction of the technologies and media also seemed true to life; in many ways, this book felt like a fiction analog to Zeynep Tufekci’s “Twitter and Tear Gas.”
Now for the aspects that will be unappealing to some readers. The first-person POV of the white main character, Maddie, is cringeworthy more often than not. The cringe factor is intentional, as Maddie is a young white teacher and baby activist entering Black-led organizing spaces for the first time, and she messes up a lot in the process. I thought the author did a pretty good job of not making this a white savior story, though there were times Maddie could’ve taken more ownership of her actions without endless coaching from Black and brown people. Maddie participates in some actions but repeatedly chickens out and mostly does grunt work while her friends and bandmates do the more high-profile leadership work. Even though her inner thoughts are painful to read, I think her perspective will resonate with people. Some readers might also be turned off by the didactic tone of the book. Personally, I don’t mind heavy-handed social commentary in fiction and thought it made sense to learn fundamental theories and principles through Maddie’s naive POV.
Overall, this was a great read that left me with a lot to think about. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you, NetGalley, Levine Querido, and Sim Kern for the e-ARC. The opinions below are my own.
Imagine a world where Al Gore won is a great premise. The promise of this book is to explore a social movement, the relationships within it, and the impact it has on its participants. While it did that, I had some major issues with the story that I couldn't shake.
Maddie is a young 20 something, divorced, ex-Catholic teacher. She's in a band based out of a crusty band house owned by a white dude in a predominantly Black neighborhood. The white dude in question is her boyfriend. She has a crush on her bandmate, Red (Xe, xim, xir). The drama. When a new hyperway is threatening the neighborhood, Maddie joins the local organizers to save the neighborhood. The story follows the arcs of the relationship and the movement.
I liked how Kern envisioned the alternative timeline. The impact of green washing on poor Black and brown people. I loved how real the coalition of organizations felt. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of Native people in Texas. I, like Maddie, was taught these people were "extinct." I also liked the setting. It really felt like Houston and a nasty band house. I loved getting to know the other characters through Maddie.
There were some issues with pacing, and I don't tend to like books with lots of heavy foreshadowing. My biggest issue was the choice to center Maddie in a story about Black and brown people. At every turn, she was coached, mentored, loved, and chastised by Black and brown people.
It turned into a huge "magical, wise global majority mentorship" trope. The author even acknowledges it right at the end during a conversation with Shayna. When Maddie is like 'look at me, crying and getting comfort from you a Black woman', and Shayna is like 'we're friends...not strangers on the internet.' It was a little late for me.
Every relationship Maddie has taught her something, and the entire story served as Maddie's teaching tool. It was like reading Babel or Yellowface without Letty and June being unsympathetic characters.
Maddie made mistakes I've made, but the story expects the community to reform her not for her to do it herself. In the author's note, Kern thanks one sensitivity reader. Given the intersectional nature of the story the book wanted to tell, it needed more, including from an asthmatic.
Final thoughts: this book wasn't for me. It's a compelling story. I know it will find its readers. I'm just not one of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault