Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval by Saidiya Hartman

3 reviews

akaspiderlily's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

The most brilliant testimony and love letter to unsung black women and black queer folk I have ever read to date. I found myself in the chorus that crafts this story with the author, my history in its texts, my life in-the small corridors and poor dwellings- the loud, wayward habits of rebellious girls - the collective recounting of unmitigated assaults that have been distributed on our bodies and our identities. I loved it thoroughly, appreciated it even moreso.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Torture, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Incest, Hate crime, Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia

gsher002's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Police brutality, and Physical abuse

dominic_t's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

5.0

This is absolutely fantastic. One of the best books I've read all year.

It's a history book, but it's written through the eyes of the Black people who are the subjects. The book focuses on gender marginalized Black people. Most are cis women, but some of them expressed masculine identities and ambivalence regarding gender and might not have identified as women. The author used archival materials to glean details about their lives and then wrote from their perspectives. She provided historical context as to what was going on around them and how that might impact their choices. The author has a lot of love for the people she's writing about, and that comes through in the text. I think it's great that she expresses admiration for the people she writes about. She points out the ways in which their lives were groundbreaking and innovative. She shows how they struggled and fought back against a deeply racist, cruel society. 

I also learned a lot about the Great Migration, and she showed very clearly how the anti-Black policing at that time provided a foundation for the racist policing practices today. She writes very detailed accounts of lynching and prison conditions. It was sometimes painful to read, but it gave me a really clear look at what was going on at the time.

I really liked the framing devices she used. She had some chapters that compared the subjects' stories to movies or theater. She used archival photos in ways that really enhanced the story.

Overall, this was a great book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse