Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

18 reviews

ammmiiiii's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

A collection of thought-provoking, outstandingly written essays about life, love, sexism, misogyny, racism, and growing up. Each one is short enough not to be tedious and simultaneously long enough to really explore the topic. It’s evident that writing comes naturally to Tolentino.

My two favourites were Pure Heroines (which examines the changing presentation of heroines in literature over time) and We Come From Old Virginia (which explores the intersection between rape/rape culture and gender using the University of Virginia as an example). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual violence

Minor: Racism and Drug use

mads_jpg's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.0

Yet another audiobook that was so good I need to read my own physical copy so I can annotate it. So many interesting stories and analyses that I need to pour over again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Cultural appropriation

owenwilsonbaby's review

hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

‘The nature of a revelation is that you don't have to re-experience it; you don't even have to believe whatever is revealed to hang on to it for as long as you want. In the seventies, researchers believed that MDMA treatment would be discrete and limited—that once you got the message, as they put it, you could hang up the phone. You would be better for having listened. You would be changed. They don't say this about religion, but they should.’

I really enjoyed this, particularly the essays ‘The I in Internet,’ ‘Ecstasy,’ ‘The Story of a Generation in Seven Scams,’ and ‘We Come From Old Virginia.’ Tolentino’s writing style is sharp and her voice is compelling. She often articulated feelings I’ve had about the internet, for example, with shocking ease and extraordinary understanding, in a way that I never could. 

I struggled with one small part at the end of ‘The Cult of the Difficult Woman,’ where I felt there was a less evenly-weighted mixture of grace and criticism directed towards Hillary Clinton - it felt very idolising and a bit uncomfortable to read when the rest of the book was so nuanced, thoughtful and critical. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, Racism, and Rape

abbysnofun's review against another edition

4.0

if you're sensitive to discussions of rape, skip We Come From Old Virginia

some of these essays are absolutely incredible and thought provoking, but others felt flat in comparison.
 

My favorites were:

- Always Be Optimizing

- Ecstasy

- The Cult of Difficult Women

- The Story of a Generation in Seven Scams

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Rape

Moderate: Racism

laurelmb's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Racism

phretta98's review

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Racism

camoo3032's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

3.75

The first half was a bit of a struggle to get through but I thoroughly enjoyed the second half. My biggest criticism would be that she often recounts information or includes personal tales that are tangential to the point that she's trying to make. I also fear that aspects of this book will lose their relevance the further away we get from the Trump Administrative 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, and Sexism

Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence

Minor: Body shaming, Genocide, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Abortion, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Sexual content, Transphobia, Classism, Slavery, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Infidelity, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, War, and Fire/Fire injury

nelligoround's review

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence

Moderate: Racism

gellyreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Ableism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Rape, and Sexism

saskiahill's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

The first 4 essays were brilliant and I understood and found their content engaging and intriguing. I got lost in the essay about ecstasy and religion and never fully recovered from there (though the final essay on marriage was interesting). I tend to read books as a whole, but perhaps this is better digested as a series of one-offs, and if I'd chosen the essays based on my mood and interest in the subject matter I might have enjoyed them all as much as the first 4!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, Religious bigotry, Racism, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Sexism

Minor: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol