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heathererosky 's review for:
The Geek Feminist Revolution
by Kameron Hurley
Kameron Hurley's essay collection showcases previous blog posts along with some pieces specifically written for this book. No editing seems to be done on the older essays, so they come across as overly angry and repetitive rants. Let me clarify. I am a feminist. Sexism makes me angry, but at a certain point, constant displays of anger hurt your cause rather than support it.
I agree with many of Hurley's points, but I struggle with her critique of popular female tropes in science fiction writing because I find part of her reasoning hypocritical. She calls this lazy writing, yet she fails to summarize events properly for unaware readers (e.g. True Detective and GamerGate). She does include some sources at the end of the collection, which is great for readers who take charge. However, this places the burden of research on the reader and excludes a whole group of people who are unfamiliar with what she is writing about.
More evidence of Hurley's laziness can be found in the amount of curse words throughout her writing. Cursing serves a purpose, but I can't understand why any writer would use them unless they were the only option. In some instances, they come across as filler. In others, it seems like Hurley cannot come up with the word she really wants to use. It's not that she lacks skills as a writer, so I attribute this to her level of emotion or an inability to revisit and revise first drafts.
The other major issue in this collection is that Hurley establishes herself as a source of credibility by means of self-promotion. An example of a formula she tends to use would be the following: action readers should be taking, action she has already taken. She's a social justice warrior, but she wants the masses to know what she's done. Equality is a constant everyday struggle, and speaking out against the patriarchy is necessary and encouraged. Telling someone you spoke out is not the same as speaking out. Painting yourself as a hero does not make you heroic; it makes you arrogant. It is also not an effective method of getting readers interested in activism.
I agree with many of Hurley's points, but I struggle with her critique of popular female tropes in science fiction writing because I find part of her reasoning hypocritical. She calls this lazy writing, yet she fails to summarize events properly for unaware readers (e.g. True Detective and GamerGate). She does include some sources at the end of the collection, which is great for readers who take charge. However, this places the burden of research on the reader and excludes a whole group of people who are unfamiliar with what she is writing about.
More evidence of Hurley's laziness can be found in the amount of curse words throughout her writing. Cursing serves a purpose, but I can't understand why any writer would use them unless they were the only option. In some instances, they come across as filler. In others, it seems like Hurley cannot come up with the word she really wants to use. It's not that she lacks skills as a writer, so I attribute this to her level of emotion or an inability to revisit and revise first drafts.
The other major issue in this collection is that Hurley establishes herself as a source of credibility by means of self-promotion. An example of a formula she tends to use would be the following: action readers should be taking, action she has already taken. She's a social justice warrior, but she wants the masses to know what she's done. Equality is a constant everyday struggle, and speaking out against the patriarchy is necessary and encouraged. Telling someone you spoke out is not the same as speaking out. Painting yourself as a hero does not make you heroic; it makes you arrogant. It is also not an effective method of getting readers interested in activism.