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moonyreadsbystarlight's reviews
576 reviews
x/ex/exis: poemas para la nación by Raquel Salas Rivera
emotional
reflective
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia and Colonisation
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall
emotional
informative
reflective
5.0
I expected to like this because I am enjoy graphic nonfiction and thought that this would be an interesting topic -- and one that isn't often discussed. My expectations were fairly high but this totally exceeded them.
This isn't just the story of a few revolts, it is also the author's story of being a Black woman historian studying this legacy. She does not shy away from the real issues that she faced trying to study this. She talks about the barriers to archives because of misogynoir at the time (men not recording details about women) and as it lives on today (being demeaned or even refused entry to some archives). She also goes into some of the weight of learning about such tremendous violence and loss that is a part of her history.
Throughout, she also shares the story of several women throughout history. She shares the story of women leading several revolts in the colonies as well as on the slave ships. She also discusses her connection to her ancestors, even sharing her grandmother’s story of resilience. Some instances where there are no details beyond the acknowledgement that an attempt at revolt was made, she gave some of these women a story. She wraps up the book talking about ancestor and the presence of history.
This was such a powerful book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was soft and warm, so comforting. I have a lot of thoughts but the biggest thing is that this was like a soothing cup of tea in a book form. I need my own copy so I can reread when I need it.
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Marc Lamont Hill, Mitchell Plitnick
informative
2.75
This was kind of tough to rate. I'm not really looking to write a whole essay about it. But I was mostly underwhelmed. It does have some information on political decisions people in the US government have made and it has some information about Palestine's history. However, I don't think it went far enough with any of it. While I know that the title is about how "progressives" (Democrats) are not backing Palestine and how that is inconsistent with their values, I still expected it to go further. I was expecting a larger thesis tying it into other inconsistencies (of which there are many) or even tying it into the global picture of how countries are interacting with Palestine, or at least a call to action on how to address the inconsistencies. None of those things happened. While the authors are pointing out the Democrat's inconsistencies, I didn't get any idea of the authors' positions. It felt very disconnected in this regard. I also don't like how it went back and forth through time -- it felt repetitive.
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.75
An incredible book! He weaves back and forth through time as he tells this story. It is so beautifully written and has so much excellent social commentary.
I will say, definitely take the SA content warning seriously. If you want specifics, it is a bit spoiler-ey:The thing that stood out to me was the fact that the survivor was confronted and not in a delicate way. There was no victim-blaming or saying that she was lying about it happening, however she is confronted becuase she chose the wrong person in the line-up (assumably) after being manipulated. While they do take some care in how she is confronted, it still is not great. While I do think there is a reason the author chose to have the story play out like that, it seemed like something that could be potentially quite triggering.
I will say, definitely take the SA content warning seriously. If you want specifics, it is a bit spoiler-ey:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault and Police brutality
Minor: Miscarriage
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I'm not really sure how to give a star rating for this. Enjoyment was definitely a 5/5. Looking a specific writing things, I think it's probably closer to 4/5. But regardless, this was so great!
I freaking adored this! I've always loved a coffee shop AU, so this seems like something I needed to read. It's cozy and low stakes. The fantasy world is very D&D vibes, so I didn't have to take in a new world, but it engaged with that by talking about how people of different races were perceived and turns some of those assumptions on their head. There is more shenanigans that happens throughout that moves the plot along but it's still a pretty low-key read. There is so much in here about friendship and learning to accept love and take steps to love yourself. There is also a little bit of sapphic romance (it's not the main focus, but it is there and is cute!). I would absolutely love a sequel with just domestic coffee shop bliss (and more of Thimble the little rat man baking -- he is my favorite).
I freaking adored this! I've always loved a coffee shop AU, so this seems like something I needed to read. It's cozy and low stakes. The fantasy world is very D&D vibes, so I didn't have to take in a new world, but it engaged with that by talking about how people of different races were perceived and turns some of those assumptions on their head. There is more shenanigans that happens throughout that moves the plot along but it's still a pretty low-key read. There is so much in here about friendship and learning to accept love and take steps to love yourself. There is also a little bit of sapphic romance (it's not the main focus, but it is there and is cute!). I would absolutely love a sequel with just domestic coffee shop bliss (and more of Thimble the little rat man baking -- he is my favorite).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Sexual harassment
The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.75
All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
3.0
I was really ready to love this book, especially after a great experience with Teaching to Transgress earlier this month. While there is definitely some great insight in parts of this, there were a lot of areas that were lacking. There was a lot that she said about love that I thought was very spot-on. The first few chapters were very strong, while she was first defining love and then talking about childhood and love being incompatable with abuse. Additionally, her point about going through the world with a love ethic was a great perspective. There are even some wonderful quotes about the materialistic society being incompatible with love and the way that patriarchy impacts how we are taught to love.
However, when she went into detail talking about society, the insight from those quotes did not come through in that greater analysis. She talks about how capitalism has made the culture focused on material goods and not people, but she doesn't really address the issue of poverty in that. She talks about people specifically in impoverished situations acting selfishly and talks about the culture; but she doesn't bring nuance into how those people are neglected on multiple fronts nor does she talk about the people who get rich from that neglect. She even mentions prisons and says that so many people are in prison because of selfish choices to get money to buy extravagant things; but she doesn't mention how many people did these things out of need, how many rich people who steal even more money don't see the inside of a prison as often or for as long, or how the very existence of prisons in US today are a direct result of government and corporate greed and power. In this same section, she really simplified addiction in a way that was really unhelpful. While I do think looking at the ramifications this culture can have on individuals is important, it cannot be properly done without also looking at how it impacts them on every level. It was very frustrating for me personally because I could see how easily this idea of a love ethic could fit into this broader analysis of capitalism really well, but she only brought that in small glimpses. This was honestly the biggest issue for me and it made it really hard to engage with the rest of the text that followed.
I also thought there were other points that, while they were often true, really needed nuance. For instance, when talking about forgiveness and letting toxic family members stay in ones life, there was only discussion of why it was necessary to let those people in -- not anything on what it would look like to have boundaries for yourself. There were also a few great ideas that would have been really great to see expanded more (like the idea of healthy interdependency that she mentions in the last chapter).
All that being said, I think it's a worthwhile read for some of the insight from a personal or self-help angle (it definitely exceeds most books that are in that sort of category). A lot of people have benefited from this text and the great insight about love as an action and the complicated relationships that people can have. For me, personally, it just missed the mark with what I was expecting in regards to social commentary.
However, when she went into detail talking about society, the insight from those quotes did not come through in that greater analysis. She talks about how capitalism has made the culture focused on material goods and not people, but she doesn't really address the issue of poverty in that. She talks about people specifically in impoverished situations acting selfishly and talks about the culture; but she doesn't bring nuance into how those people are neglected on multiple fronts nor does she talk about the people who get rich from that neglect. She even mentions prisons and says that so many people are in prison because of selfish choices to get money to buy extravagant things; but she doesn't mention how many people did these things out of need, how many rich people who steal even more money don't see the inside of a prison as often or for as long, or how the very existence of prisons in US today are a direct result of government and corporate greed and power. In this same section, she really simplified addiction in a way that was really unhelpful. While I do think looking at the ramifications this culture can have on individuals is important, it cannot be properly done without also looking at how it impacts them on every level. It was very frustrating for me personally because I could see how easily this idea of a love ethic could fit into this broader analysis of capitalism really well, but she only brought that in small glimpses. This was honestly the biggest issue for me and it made it really hard to engage with the rest of the text that followed.
I also thought there were other points that, while they were often true, really needed nuance. For instance, when talking about forgiveness and letting toxic family members stay in ones life, there was only discussion of why it was necessary to let those people in -- not anything on what it would look like to have boundaries for yourself. There were also a few great ideas that would have been really great to see expanded more (like the idea of healthy interdependency that she mentions in the last chapter).
All that being said, I think it's a worthwhile read for some of the insight from a personal or self-help angle (it definitely exceeds most books that are in that sort of category). A lot of people have benefited from this text and the great insight about love as an action and the complicated relationships that people can have. For me, personally, it just missed the mark with what I was expecting in regards to social commentary.