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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Some of it reads a bit like a textbook, or at least a dissertation or coursework, but there's a lot of great stuff in here. I'm really liking the Goodreads and Kindle link where it keeps track of all your notes and highlights, so I don't have to keep re-typing every quote I like into my progress updates. I'm also knocking a star off because her style can get a bit repetitive (she uses the same narrative ticks over and over and over again; maybe it's less glaring when you read it on a blog post every week or two, but as a collection of essays, it can be a bit grating). Otherwise, again, highly recommended, lots to chew on and think/talk about, she's got a great voice, etc etc etc. I really need to start reading some truly terrible or truly transcendent books, because I'm beginning to feel like every review I write is exactly the same...
¿Es posible que los yanaquis llamen "ensayo" a lo que nosotros llamamos "entrada de blog con etiquetas de #filosofía, #reflexiones y #mislocuras"?
I found this collection of essays informative and energizing. Great read if you're interested in both the publishing industry and how women are treated in the realms of fandom.
I feel like I always have to say this, but 2 Goodreads stars means "it was ok."
I started out really digging the essays but they quickly became repetitive. When her novel and her awards and her abusive ex-boyfriend and her time in South Africa were mentioned in each essay as if this was the first time we had heard of them, and then I saw the citations in the endnotes were merely links* I realized that these were originally blog entries, and not written for the purpose of being in a collection together. Because the individual essays are so autobiographical I wish they were edited to flow better in one book.
Also, the 'geek' in the title is basically referring to the sci-fi/fantasy literary world. So if you're a gamer or a coder, you're not going to find much about your interests.
*Because some ebooks are weirdly unavailable, some of us still have to go to the library and get hardcover books. I'm never in a million years going to type in a full URL from a book into a web browser.
I started out really digging the essays but they quickly became repetitive. When her novel and her awards and her abusive ex-boyfriend and her time in South Africa were mentioned in each essay as if this was the first time we had heard of them, and then I saw the citations in the endnotes were merely links* I realized that these were originally blog entries, and not written for the purpose of being in a collection together. Because the individual essays are so autobiographical I wish they were edited to flow better in one book.
Also, the 'geek' in the title is basically referring to the sci-fi/fantasy literary world. So if you're a gamer or a coder, you're not going to find much about your interests.
*Because some ebooks are weirdly unavailable, some of us still have to go to the library and get hardcover books. I'm never in a million years going to type in a full URL from a book into a web browser.
Hay algo mágico en saber (y no solo sentir) que un libro está escrito para ti, y en este caso estoy completamente segura de que Hurley escribió estos ensayos para personas como yo. Apasionadas por la literatura y la escritura, mujeres (principalmente), preocupadas por reclamar su sitio en el mundo y conocer su papel en la lucha (en la que siempre hemos luchado, la que cada vez hacemos más nuestra). Hurley narra su historia y sus vivencias para explicarnos su visión del mundo, denunciando lo que ve que está mal y a la vez reconociendo sus propios privilegios (aquí dejo que sean las personas pertenecientes a los distintos colectivos que juzguen esta parte, yo solo puedo hablar como mujer blanca cishetero).
Aunque hacia la mitad de esta colección mi interés bajo un poco (eran escritos más personales y que hablaban de cosas con las que yo no conectaba tanto, salvo algunos que eran salseo del bueno del fandom americano), el principio y el final son apoteósicos. El último ensayo, «Siempre hemos luchado», tiene un merecidísimo premio Hugo y mi amor eterno por hacerme soltar lágrimas siendo un texto de no ficción. Pero el primero, el que habla de la perseverancia, me arrancó mi corazón de escritora, escondido en mi propia negación, y lo abrió de par en par para mostrármelo tal y como era.
Creo que, por primera vez desde que me considero adulta, voy a tener un libro de cabecera que releer una y otra vez.
Gracias, Kameron Hurley.
Aunque hacia la mitad de esta colección mi interés bajo un poco (eran escritos más personales y que hablaban de cosas con las que yo no conectaba tanto, salvo algunos que eran salseo del bueno del fandom americano), el principio y el final son apoteósicos. El último ensayo, «Siempre hemos luchado», tiene un merecidísimo premio Hugo y mi amor eterno por hacerme soltar lágrimas siendo un texto de no ficción. Pero el primero, el que habla de la perseverancia, me arrancó mi corazón de escritora, escondido en mi propia negación, y lo abrió de par en par para mostrármelo tal y como era.
Creo que, por primera vez desde que me considero adulta, voy a tener un libro de cabecera que releer una y otra vez.
Gracias, Kameron Hurley.
This is a great book for an aspiring writer, especially female or POC writers who are trying to break into a genre traditionally white male dominated.
At the risk of being obvious, collected essays often come from different sources. In each piece and in each intended audience, the author often has to cover some basic ground before getting to a point. This ground tends to repeat itself when you're reading these essays back-to-back.
A lot of her points and stories are very interesting, however, and worth reading. Especially if you're thinking about becoming a writer. (Sounds a bit horrible.) This book covers a lot about the inside of publishing, dealing with trolls, public relations spin, avoiding cliches, etc.
A lot of her points and stories are very interesting, however, and worth reading. Especially if you're thinking about becoming a writer. (Sounds a bit horrible.) This book covers a lot about the inside of publishing, dealing with trolls, public relations spin, avoiding cliches, etc.
Hurley's collection of essays will definitely challenge your perceptions and preconceived ideas of women in literature and women in the world. Even though I haven't seen True Detectives - Season 1 - her analysis of it is brilliant.
I was a little disappointed in the essay regarding internet trolling and the "Requires Hate" incident from a few years ago. Whereas in all the other essays, there's no doubting Hurley's stance on any issues, this essay feels different. She seems to be calling out trolling behavior and excusing it at the same time without being overly explicit about taking a stance. At least that was my take on it.
Over all definitely a good listen/read and would recommend.
I was a little disappointed in the essay regarding internet trolling and the "Requires Hate" incident from a few years ago. Whereas in all the other essays, there's no doubting Hurley's stance on any issues, this essay feels different. She seems to be calling out trolling behavior and excusing it at the same time without being overly explicit about taking a stance. At least that was my take on it.
Over all definitely a good listen/read and would recommend.
09/07/2018: Relectura pre-Celsius, sigue siendo un libro imprescindible.
Como mujer, friki, escritora y lectora necesitaba mucho leer este libro. ¡Ahora necesito que lo lea todo el mundo!
Apenas tengo palabras para describir lo que significan para mi las ideas de Hurley sobre la representación en la ficción y la importancia de luchar de la manera que cada uno pueda para cambiar las cosas para las mujeres en la literatura, pero también para otros colectivos invisibilizados y para construir un mundo mejor para todos.
¡A leer!
Como mujer, friki, escritora y lectora necesitaba mucho leer este libro. ¡Ahora necesito que lo lea todo el mundo!
Apenas tengo palabras para describir lo que significan para mi las ideas de Hurley sobre la representación en la ficción y la importancia de luchar de la manera que cada uno pueda para cambiar las cosas para las mujeres en la literatura, pero también para otros colectivos invisibilizados y para construir un mundo mejor para todos.
¡A leer!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor Books for the advanced copy given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Pre-reading : This better be intersectional feminism. Tired of being disappointed by whitewashing in femlit.
Post- reading : Well, I shouldn't have worried about the whitewashing, Hurley definitely tried to be inclusive. She was very vocal about acknowledging the need for diversity, and in her own shortcomings as a white writer who sometimes makes mistakes with representation in her fiction.
I didn't love this collection, however. And maybe it`s because I read it on the back of the phenomenal Bad Feminist, but the essays in here just didn't move or educate me. I actually feel like 2/3 of the book is falsely advertised - this isn't a collection with feminism at the core, it is more a collection of autobiographical tidbits with feminism as a strong undertone. If I had gone in expecting to mainly be reading about Hurley's life, and her process as a writer, maybe I wouldn't be so disappointed. If you are a young female writer penning SF stories, then this is for you. Hurley gives a lot of advice on how to write (although I often felt that the essays came across as an infomercial for her own books) and she shows how she has failed in the past, and how she persevered until she succeeded. This is all great, but when a book is sold as being about feminism, but is actually a how-to autobiography on becoming a successful SF writer in a male dominated world, it is a bit frustrating.
I did ADORE her final essay, We Have Always Fought, but it was written a few years before The Geek Feminist Revolution and is available for free online. I also loved her essay on what it was like to go from able bodied to chronically ill, and her first hand experiences with the mess that was the pre-Obama American health care system. I found both essays eye opening and extremely well written.
I think one of my main issues with the collection is how thin it all seemed. Hurley mentions a few things over and over- I know she won a Hugo award (because she mentioned it way too often for it to pass my notice), and I know she lived in South Africa (but as a South African, it was really disappointing to read another thin, stereotypical representation of the homeland), I know she is passionate about feminism and standing up for women on the internet and in the Geek sphere - but there was no meat to the bones of her experiences. The essays in this collection left me wanting so much more. Hurley is talented, and seems like someone I would love to have at the dinner table, if only to have the opportunity to get more out of her brain.
Pre-reading : This better be intersectional feminism. Tired of being disappointed by whitewashing in femlit.
Post- reading : Well, I shouldn't have worried about the whitewashing, Hurley definitely tried to be inclusive. She was very vocal about acknowledging the need for diversity, and in her own shortcomings as a white writer who sometimes makes mistakes with representation in her fiction.
I didn't love this collection, however. And maybe it`s because I read it on the back of the phenomenal Bad Feminist, but the essays in here just didn't move or educate me. I actually feel like 2/3 of the book is falsely advertised - this isn't a collection with feminism at the core, it is more a collection of autobiographical tidbits with feminism as a strong undertone. If I had gone in expecting to mainly be reading about Hurley's life, and her process as a writer, maybe I wouldn't be so disappointed. If you are a young female writer penning SF stories, then this is for you. Hurley gives a lot of advice on how to write (although I often felt that the essays came across as an infomercial for her own books) and she shows how she has failed in the past, and how she persevered until she succeeded. This is all great, but when a book is sold as being about feminism, but is actually a how-to autobiography on becoming a successful SF writer in a male dominated world, it is a bit frustrating.
I did ADORE her final essay, We Have Always Fought, but it was written a few years before The Geek Feminist Revolution and is available for free online. I also loved her essay on what it was like to go from able bodied to chronically ill, and her first hand experiences with the mess that was the pre-Obama American health care system. I found both essays eye opening and extremely well written.
I think one of my main issues with the collection is how thin it all seemed. Hurley mentions a few things over and over- I know she won a Hugo award (because she mentioned it way too often for it to pass my notice), and I know she lived in South Africa (but as a South African, it was really disappointing to read another thin, stereotypical representation of the homeland), I know she is passionate about feminism and standing up for women on the internet and in the Geek sphere - but there was no meat to the bones of her experiences. The essays in this collection left me wanting so much more. Hurley is talented, and seems like someone I would love to have at the dinner table, if only to have the opportunity to get more out of her brain.