Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Abortion
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Torture, Pregnancy
I definitely buy that Zheng's ideas about empowering workers and the redistribution of wealth were deliberately forgotten by historians (see also Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas about class and how little people know about them).
But the concept of a worker focused revolution being started from the top down seems weird to me (and the text itself calls out the contradiction). While Zheng may want the workers empowered, there's certainly no suggestion that he wants to flatten society completely. He very much wants to be in charge of everything and everyone and I do have the sense he actually means it and it isn't just a way of controlling people who are the most likely to be able to challenge his power (although I don't doubt there's some of that, too).
The idea that people want to improve their own circumstances relative to people with more power but want to maintain their power over those with less power rings very true, as does the blindspots in seeing that's what's happening.
I appreciate that Zetian struggles with these things herself and has to remember that freedom to make choices means freedom to make choices that are not the choices that she would make.
It also suggests a lot people just need permission to become violent and taken vengeance and I'm not sure I buy that, either. Some people do, sure, but I think that's a small minority.
I was sorry we didn't get to see more of Di Renji. He seemed really interesting and a bit Holmesian and I would have liked to have spent more time with him, though it was pretty clear Zetian was going to end up killing him at some point.
I was also troubled by her lack of qualms about men having to be castrated to join her in battle. Yes, a big part of it has to do with gender identity but that seems to be the part she's focused on almost to the exclusion of the fact that they're being asked to undergo a form of mutilation not unlike the feet binding or amputation of a limb. And since they're both prisoners it isn't exactly a free choice. There are lifelong health consequences, which surely must have been understood. Granted, none of them are expected to live particularly long.
I like the underground queer culture, though as with everything else, I feel like there's a large risk in becoming more open and there doesn't seem to be much recognition on Zheng or Zetian that they may have made a lot of people targets that would be swiftly punished if they both died fighting the gods. I have no doubt that if that had happened all their changes would be swiftly rolled back, the people who backed them harshly punished and history rewritten.
I'm very much looking forward to the next one.
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War
Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic