Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House by Audre Lorde

2 reviews

mads_jpg's review

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challenging hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

A beautifully written book that's still so relevant to today, inspires hope and action rather than doom and gloom.
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laran_s's review

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challenging hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

Poetry Is Not a Luxury - 4.5 stars. This was my favourite essay in the collection, about the need to deeply feel & express one's lived experience, to bring about new dreams and ideas. It was an inspiring read which got me thinking about what emotion in me needs expressing, and what radical imaginings could come from that.
"This is not idle fantasy, but a disciplined attention to the true meaning of 'it feels right to me'. 
Uses of the Erotic - 4.5 stars. I love how this text frames eroticism as a deeply felt satisfaction with being alive. I found this essay to be the most hopeful and empowering. It paired excellently with the first - both deal with feeling as a source of power. 
My capacity for joy comes to demand from all my life that it be lived within the knowledge that such satisfaction is possible
The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House - Given that this title was why I picked up the book, I was disappointed that this was only a 2 star read for me. I already so firmly believe in the need for intersectionality & celebrating differences that there wasn't much new food for thought (personally). I think I expected more discussion about fighting for change within vs. without existing power structures.
Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism - 4 stars. This essay made a compelling argument that we must give our earnest attention to each other's angers, rather than turning away, and to use our own as fuel for bringing change.
My favourite part of the text was when Audre Lorde defines the difference between hatred and anger: 
Hatred is the fury of those who do not share our goals, and it's object is death and destruction. Anger is a grief of distortions between peers and its object is change. 
What I found missing was discussion on how to express anger constructively without raising fear or defensiveness. Though perhaps in clearly telling her angering/heartbreaking stories of racism (without acting as the "fiery fingers of judgment"), we are given a template.
Learning from the 1960's - 2 stars. I think I found reading this last essay too depressing. It made me think about how generation to generation, the subjugation which so crushes the human spirit persists. The low rating reflects my low mood on finishing it. 
The consciousness of our intended slaughter is all around us

Overall - I'd highly recommend this little book - particularly the first, second, & fourth essays. For the size, it packs a great punch. That said, readers should be aware that the writing is addressed pretty exclusively to & for "women". I found this unhelpful & contradictory to the message of the writing. 

P.S. I love how Audre Lorde doesn't capitalize the words american or european. Such a small rebellion, to take the power away! 
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