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A review by sophielaura1
The Reckonings: Essays by Lacy M. Johnson
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
3.stars ✨ I went into this book thinking the essays were going to be primarily focused on the authors sexual assault, her life from that point with little bits of feminist topics dribbled in, but it wasn’t that at all. The overarching theme of this book, in my opinion, was most definitely justice. Johnson stated that she didn’t want the man who kidnapped and assaulted her to be harmed, but that she wanted accountability and for justice. Similarly, justice cropped up in the other essay topics; Hiroshima & Nagasaki, the Kennedy assassination, racial violence, wrongful convictions, police brutality and the riots that stem from it, 9/11, mass shootings, natural disasters and the election leading to Trump’s presidency.
I found the authors earlier essays to be much more compelling, raw and real. The pacing was faster and they were more gripping. There were some chapters, the BP oil spill in particular, that I skimmed over a little as I did attempt to fully comprehend it, but having no prior knowledge on the topic, made it a little difficult to hold interest as the language wasn’t the most accessible. The Against Whiteness chapter really could’ve delved a little deeper, it felt very surface level.
Overall, it was competent, but nothing mind blowing. It was easy to decipher that Johnson is a very intelligent writer and I can see myself picking up more of her work.
I found the authors earlier essays to be much more compelling, raw and real. The pacing was faster and they were more gripping. There were some chapters, the BP oil spill in particular, that I skimmed over a little as I did attempt to fully comprehend it, but having no prior knowledge on the topic, made it a little difficult to hold interest as the language wasn’t the most accessible. The Against Whiteness chapter really could’ve delved a little deeper, it felt very surface level.
Overall, it was competent, but nothing mind blowing. It was easy to decipher that Johnson is a very intelligent writer and I can see myself picking up more of her work.