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A review by sallysimply
Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Blackie
Did not finish book. Stopped at 66%.
I couldn’t even finish the chapter with the transphobic rant (which, for folks wondering, is chapter 7).
I was quite enjoying the first third or so of this book. I wasn’t aware of the transphobia until somebody else asked me about it and to let them know how bad it is. Maybe that made me more wary, or maybe the book just lost me, but for a few chapters, I was starting to check out. Then things picked up for a couple of chapters, only to come to a screeching halt here.
It’s odd to me how out of place this feels. The chapter starts by celebrating the trickster archetype, and the ways we can challenge and improve culture by highlighting the gaps. Then it seems like she misses her own point by defending TERFs and claiming that any criticism they receive is unfair because they helped fight for the rights we have today? Huh? We can call people in and call people out if they are actively harming the advancement of our collective liberation. That is something we get to do.
I completely reject the notion that we need to prioritize deference and comfort over the actual safety and livelihood of folks from marginalized communities or with marginalized identities (and that goes way beyond trans issues). I do not owe you anything if you refuse to learn WHY that position is wrong.
So yeah no, fuck this book. Everyone do your thing, but personally, it didn’t feel worth finishing. It was not adding sufficient value to my life for me to engage further.
I was quite enjoying the first third or so of this book. I wasn’t aware of the transphobia until somebody else asked me about it and to let them know how bad it is. Maybe that made me more wary, or maybe the book just lost me, but for a few chapters, I was starting to check out. Then things picked up for a couple of chapters, only to come to a screeching halt here.
It’s odd to me how out of place this feels. The chapter starts by celebrating the trickster archetype, and the ways we can challenge and improve culture by highlighting the gaps. Then it seems like she misses her own point by defending TERFs and claiming that any criticism they receive is unfair because they helped fight for the rights we have today? Huh? We can call people in and call people out if they are actively harming the advancement of our collective liberation. That is something we get to do.
I completely reject the notion that we need to prioritize deference and comfort over the actual safety and livelihood of folks from marginalized communities or with marginalized identities (and that goes way beyond trans issues). I do not owe you anything if you refuse to learn WHY that position is wrong.
So yeah no, fuck this book. Everyone do your thing, but personally, it didn’t feel worth finishing. It was not adding sufficient value to my life for me to engage further.