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kimaroundtown 's review for:
I’m a dedicated follower of Aja Barber on social media and I love her commentary and the way she takes no prisoners. I was definitely looking forward to her book. After reading it I need to consider it in two ways.
First, the content and argument (or the ‘what’). There is nothing to argue against here. Aja’s argument about supply chains, colonialism, appropriation, fat phobia and a myriad of issues associated with consumerism are all 100% on the money. Her critique of the system is essential and should be widely known.
Second, the structure and style (or the ‘how’). Here’s where I had some issues with the book. Worth noting I come from an academic background so I do carry my own expectations around writing and evidence, but I was slightly disappointed in the editing and construction here. I felt there were too many unsubstantiated generalisations that needed documented proof. Structurally it got ‘stream of consciousness’ in places and the argument lacked rigour. Most problematic for me, it read like extended social media posts with lots of short, one sentence paragraphs, bold text, use of questions and exclamation points. While the tone might be useful to increase accessibility and readership, I couldn’t help but compare with the popular blog “Maintenance Phase” which demonstrates you can have wide appeal with theoretical rigour. I found myself muttering “citation needed” throughout this. The book doesn’t need to be academic but should present evidence to support the argument. Most of this you can align to my stylistic preferences, but I found reading this to be frustratingly loose.
I still recommend the book but I’d suggest it’s best for those very new to the topics and who want a very light conversational style of text.