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tracithomas's review
5.0
This book is so wonderful. I loved it. It is smart and sharp(e) and just brilliant. The notes style allowed me as a reader to glimpse the brilliance of Christina Sharpe's thinking. The format is smart, the commentary is spot on. Just a beautiful portrait of Blackness written for Black people.
dmichb's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
I love Christina Sharpe. This book is a one of a kind work from a one of a kind mind. She is one of the most important theorists/authors/educators working today. We are all better off because her work is in this world.
thundrflap's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
egilmore's review
5.0
Brilliant does not even describe it. My partner even asked me not to stop reading it before bed at some point because a) I’d start spewing ideas at him at 10pm and b) I’d complain the next day that I couldn’t sleep well because my brain was spinning. This is very academic in its delivery (more so than Claudia Rankine), but so grounded in its subject. Sharpe is unrelenting. White people: don’t expect to be coddled. This is not easy. And also, unlike so many books and museums these days, this is not designed for us. But also, to read this work without trying to fully engage with it is an insult to all its weight. For example, I wrote down the names of so many Black writers and artists and works Sharpe mentioned, then criticized myself for milking information in a capitalist-laden greedy haze. You’ll be caught naval gazing no matter what - so catch yourself. You will miss things. I strive to understand and know I cannot.
bookishlibrarian's review
4.0
This collection consists of 248 notes, with subjects ranging from museum exhibits to photographs to personal memories. Each entry is very short, often only a paragraph or two, but very dense in terms of ideas and impact. I was not familiar with many of the subjects of Sharpe's notes (my own deficiencies) and came away with a long list of books, films, and writers to explore. I imagine many of these entries would have even greater impact had I more context for its subjects.
Many of the notes concern ways of seeing or not seeing, and a look not just at the piece of art or writing explored but also its intended audience. Some of the earliest entries concerning museums and what we choose to memorialize--but also how we choose to do so and where we put our focus--were especially revealing and cause for consideration. Though I wasn't familiar with a lot of the subjects, I still came away with new perspectives and new questions to ask to take to other works of art, writing, and news as well.
Many of the notes concern ways of seeing or not seeing, and a look not just at the piece of art or writing explored but also its intended audience. Some of the earliest entries concerning museums and what we choose to memorialize--but also how we choose to do so and where we put our focus--were especially revealing and cause for consideration. Though I wasn't familiar with a lot of the subjects, I still came away with new perspectives and new questions to ask to take to other works of art, writing, and news as well.