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A review by alicea
Against Civility: The Hidden Racism in Our Obsession with Civility by Alex Zamalin
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.0
While I found much of the content interesting, the tone of this book reads more like a manifesto than a researched nonfiction book (which is what I thought/hoped it was).
The main point of Against Civility is that historically activists striving for change whether it be to benefit the disenfranchised people of color, marginalized LGBTQ+ groups, women, or all of the above have been cautioned to approach agents of change with a civil tongue. And this hasn't worked to anyone's benefit for meaningful systemic change. Civility washes over real issues and keeps the oppressed people under the heel of the elites which have always been rich, white, and ma!e. Therefore, the answer is to be uncivil and unapologetic.
Each chapter focused on a different activist from history with a variety of critical or congratulatory comments about their particular approach to standing up for what they believed in and fighting for change. This was interesting but I found myself feeling annoyed at how bombastic the author sounded...which I guess was deliberate based on the subject matter. However, I expected a more academic look at this topic which would have been delivered more objectively and that is not what this particular book does.
The main point of Against Civility is that historically activists striving for change whether it be to benefit the disenfranchised people of color, marginalized LGBTQ+ groups, women, or all of the above have been cautioned to approach agents of change with a civil tongue. And this hasn't worked to anyone's benefit for meaningful systemic change. Civility washes over real issues and keeps the oppressed people under the heel of the elites which have always been rich, white, and ma!e. Therefore, the answer is to be uncivil and unapologetic.
Each chapter focused on a different activist from history with a variety of critical or congratulatory comments about their particular approach to standing up for what they believed in and fighting for change. This was interesting but I found myself feeling annoyed at how bombastic the author sounded...which I guess was deliberate based on the subject matter. However, I expected a more academic look at this topic which would have been delivered more objectively and that is not what this particular book does.