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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Why I Picked This Book: Feeling like I needed some critique on books marketed almost solely as BIPOC. I didn't have words to explain the nuances of the dichotomy between feeling that representation matters and feeling like some books are only about a statistical representation rather than something reflective of a culture or an individual. I wanted an inkling of how to move the discussion further than the vague "read diversely". From the marketing and the few Goodreads reviews I skimmed, I understood this was kinda academic-lite with a larger focus on pop culture - maybe a little counter-culture. As a result, I expected some of these essays to read like a blog post of a grad student/recent post-grad. The book's saturation within book social media signaled that it would likely be fairly basic, but I was excited to read about it from an American-Filipino perspective. I wanted to see how someone else in the Filipino/SE Asian label grapples with the questions brought up in diverse publishing.
Thoughts: I liked the first two essays, the last few pages of the penultimate essay, and the very last essay. I think it was the first essay that discussed how writers of color are often served up to the market as an ethical consumption for white readers to practice empathy. I felt like the point of that essay was that the "diversity matters" chant doesn't address the systemic disparities regarding race and class. Based on the first essay and the title, I was expecting a prescriptive approach, which isn't what the author is going for. The other essays lacked focus and often didn't seem to be building new ideas. Often, I got an "I'm not like other readers" vibe from the author, which exacerbated my issues with the middle essays.
Thoughts: I liked the first two essays, the last few pages of the penultimate essay, and the very last essay. I think it was the first essay that discussed how writers of color are often served up to the market as an ethical consumption for white readers to practice empathy. I felt like the point of that essay was that the "diversity matters" chant doesn't address the systemic disparities regarding race and class. Based on the first essay and the title, I was expecting a prescriptive approach, which isn't what the author is going for. The other essays lacked focus and often didn't seem to be building new ideas. Often, I got an "I'm not like other readers" vibe from the author, which exacerbated my issues with the middle essays.
informative
reflective
8.5/10
this book isn't exactly what i expected: it's less about literary criticism and more about critical thinking and politics. the author says the title should be 'how to dismantle your entire critical apparatus', though it doesn't directly teach you: it urges you to do the work and read the world around you with an observant eye. it's a wonderful work on so many levels, even though it's a bit chaotic in the middle and some essays are definitely better than others.
this book isn't exactly what i expected: it's less about literary criticism and more about critical thinking and politics. the author says the title should be 'how to dismantle your entire critical apparatus', though it doesn't directly teach you: it urges you to do the work and read the world around you with an observant eye. it's a wonderful work on so many levels, even though it's a bit chaotic in the middle and some essays are definitely better than others.
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation
Moderate: Hate crime, Death of parent
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual violence
Will return to this when work is less stressful and when I the right level of attention to devote.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I listened to this via audiobook read by the narrator and I found it easy to read.
I appreciated delving into different works to read them differently than most western white people do, but I do think I would have got much more out of this book had I actually read or had more knowledge about the particular books and works she was referencing; as I did not.. it was mediocre for me.
I will however take the opportunity to widen my lens when reading books so for that it was great.
I appreciated delving into different works to read them differently than most western white people do, but I do think I would have got much more out of this book had I actually read or had more knowledge about the particular books and works she was referencing; as I did not.. it was mediocre for me.
I will however take the opportunity to widen my lens when reading books so for that it was great.
challenging
informative
informative
informative
fast-paced
Castillo put into words feelings and thoughts I’ve been trying to articulate about frameworks of understanding books that de-centers identities with privilege and power. While adding knowledge, perspective, and furthering understanding about why it’s important we work to do this and what we gain by prioritizing re-learning how we read.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced