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A review by mxduck
Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It by Shane Burley
5.0
Gonna be honest, this was sitting on my shelf for a month. And then in my bag for another month. I've been meaning to start down the research rabbit hole of current politics, especially as I'm an organizer and there's a lot more to know besides my limited experience. For some reason, though, I was afraid to pick it up and go.
I realize in retrospect that the fear was simply that it'd strike too close to home. And it did! I live in Portland, and the author lives in Portland, and he was talking about events I attended. It helped to pull it into a larger picture of what's going on in the US. And it was terrifying and relieving to learn that some of my own observations weren't just one-offs I'd made up in my head - they're becoming universal. It's not the city I live in, it's the whole damn country. Burley does a terrific job of outlining the threats, and helping you come to your own conclusions.
I've been vacillating between 4 and 5 stars because of one minor detail that's actually a major detail for me, and that's the use of "transgendered" - aren't there editors who're supposed to catch those things? - but, knowing that the author has already gotten that feedback, and knowing he's responsive to it, I'm going with the 5 stars.
I realize in retrospect that the fear was simply that it'd strike too close to home. And it did! I live in Portland, and the author lives in Portland, and he was talking about events I attended. It helped to pull it into a larger picture of what's going on in the US. And it was terrifying and relieving to learn that some of my own observations weren't just one-offs I'd made up in my head - they're becoming universal. It's not the city I live in, it's the whole damn country. Burley does a terrific job of outlining the threats, and helping you come to your own conclusions.
I've been vacillating between 4 and 5 stars because of one minor detail that's actually a major detail for me, and that's the use of "transgendered" - aren't there editors who're supposed to catch those things? - but, knowing that the author has already gotten that feedback, and knowing he's responsive to it, I'm going with the 5 stars.