Scan barcode
anjalasagne's reviews
39 reviews
Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam by Nick Turse
challenging
dark
informative
3.0
Abolish the Family: A Manifesto for Care and Liberation by Sophie Lewis
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
wow. just wow.
Takeaway: Stories From a Childhood Behind the Counter by Angela Hui
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
was pleasantly surprised to find out this takeaway is in Beddu, Wales, literally down the road from where I grew up. The racism and xenophobia experienced by Angela and her family was heartbreaking, but not surprising. The lack of diversity in the valleys really reinforces this sense of us and otherness, which should never be acceptable.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I don’t usually read celebrity memoirs but this was an incredibly validating but difficult read. Jennette McCurdy details her abusive relationship with her mother and the harms she experienced from others as a child actor. McCurdy is best known for her role as Sam in iCarly. Trigger warning for s*xual and emotional abuse, disordered eating, and self-harm.
The Man Who Loved Dogs by Leonardo Padura
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Easily my most memorable read this year! An interesting fictional analysis of the motivations of Stalin during the Bolshevik Revolution and the assassination of Trotsky in Cuba. This was such a page turner. Highly recommend
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Essentially how the opioid crisis in America started with one man’s greed. Incredibly sad to think a generation of lives were lost to the OxyContin epidemic. Trigger warning: details of addiction and abuse.
Girlcrush by Florence Given
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It’s described as a reimagining of Jekyll and Hide but I think the author really missed the mark on this one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s funny, relatable, and reflective at points, but the best part of the book is definitely the cover. I don’t like the follower count at the start of a new chapter, nor the comment sections. Just doesn’t add anything to the narrative. The feminist angle is really overplayed and it’s hard to get past that.
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A dark, graphic, and unsettling read about human disparity and desperation in the search for meaning when tragedy occurs, oftentimes drawing parallels with modern life, forcing you to reflect on humanity. Naturally because of its medieval setting, there was a large focus on religion throughout the novel… the poor seeking comfort in religion when atrocities are committed while the rich maintain the facade of religious appearance while living lives lead by greed.
“Perhaps it is most miraculous when God exacts justice even when no human lifts a finger. Or perhaps it is simply fate. Everything seems reasonable in hindsight. Right or wrong, you will think what you need to think so that you can get by.”
There were multiple characters which overall felt coherent and Odessa did a brilliant job demonstrating how intertwined village life is. The characters felt multidimensional despite embodying a specific archetype within the village.
Overall I enjoyed the book and thought Odessa’s style was really ambitious and distinctive. It’s definitely a memorable read.
This is definitely not your average medieval novel. So if you can stomach gore, graphic descriptions of violence, sexual assault, incest and cannibalism, then this one’s for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
A heartwarming story of a mother-daughter relationship, self actualisation and growing up mixed race in America told through the culture of food. A great read if you’re feeling homesick.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
A brutal yet powerful account of British colonial reign over Palestine over the last century.
The author, Rashid Khalidi, nephew of Dr. Husayn al-Khalidi, former mayor of Jerusalem and representative to the Arab Higher Committee (AHC), talks about various Palestinian revolts against British colonial powers following the Balfour Declaration in 1917. The Balfour Declaration was issued by the British government during the First World War, announcing its support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine (whose Jewish population at the time was approximately 6%). Among the British government’s motives at the time of issuing the Balfour Declaration was a philo-Semitic desire to “return” the Hebrews to the land of the Bible, and an anti-Semitic objective to reduced Jewish immigration to Britain “…linked to the conviction that World Jewry had the power to keep newly revolutionary Russia fighting in the war and bring the United States into it…”. Beyond these motives, Britain ultimately desired control over Palestine for geopolitical strategic reasons that antedated World War I which was reinforced by wartime events. Prior to the Balfour Declaration, commitments were made in 1915 promising independence to the Arabs led by Sharif Husayn of Mecca (enshrined in the Husayn-McMahon correspondence) and a 1916 secret deal with France - the Sykes-Picot Agreement- in which the two powers agreed to a colonial partition of the eastern Arab countries. Before World War I, Palestinians began to regard the Zionist movement as a threat, though the British Empires’ endorsement of the Zionist movement promised sovereignty and complete control of Palestine.
The author, Rashid Khalidi, nephew of Dr. Husayn al-Khalidi, former mayor of Jerusalem and representative to the Arab Higher Committee (AHC), talks about various Palestinian revolts against British colonial powers following the Balfour Declaration in 1917. The Balfour Declaration was issued by the British government during the First World War, announcing its support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine (whose Jewish population at the time was approximately 6%). Among the British government’s motives at the time of issuing the Balfour Declaration was a philo-Semitic desire to “return” the Hebrews to the land of the Bible, and an anti-Semitic objective to reduced Jewish immigration to Britain “…linked to the conviction that World Jewry had the power to keep newly revolutionary Russia fighting in the war and bring the United States into it…”. Beyond these motives, Britain ultimately desired control over Palestine for geopolitical strategic reasons that antedated World War I which was reinforced by wartime events. Prior to the Balfour Declaration, commitments were made in 1915 promising independence to the Arabs led by Sharif Husayn of Mecca (enshrined in the Husayn-McMahon correspondence) and a 1916 secret deal with France - the Sykes-Picot Agreement- in which the two powers agreed to a colonial partition of the eastern Arab countries. Before World War I, Palestinians began to regard the Zionist movement as a threat, though the British Empires’ endorsement of the Zionist movement promised sovereignty and complete control of Palestine.
Through various local newspapers shutting down during the war, government censorship, tight Allied naval blockades of Ottoman ports and British troops occupying Jerusalem in 1917 banning the publication of the promulgation, Palestinians did not learn about the Balfour Declaration for almost two years. By that time some forty thousand Jewish immigrants had arrived and eighteen new colonies (of a total of fifty-two) had been created by the Zionist movement on land it had purchased from absentee landlords.
From 1917 onwards, Palestinians have suffered increasing loss of land and rebels and opponents of the Zionist movement, such as the AHC, were executed or exiled, including Dr. Husayn al-Khalidi. In 1937 an armed revolt swept the country which achieve remarkable temporary success, though it was brought under control some two years later by the redeployment of British troops to Palenstine after the Munich Agreement in 1938 and the British arms sales to the Zionist movement to suppress the revolt. Between 1917-1939, it is believed 10% of the adult male Arab population were exiled, killed or imprisoned.
Deep differences appeared among the Palestinians. Some aligned with the Peel Commission’s recommendation of a partition as it would ensure Palestinians would retain some of its land, however most strongly opposed to all aspects of the recommendations. As the 1937/8 revolt reached its peak conflict between the Palestinians who favoured no compromise and those in favour of the partition weakened the might of the Palestinians. The outset of the revolt was directed at he English and the Jews, but by the end transformed into a civil war.
Palestine became a bargaining chip in an inter-imperialist rivalry between the West and the Middle East. As support for the Zionist movement endures for most of world, Palestine continues to be annexed at an alarming rate with virtually no consequences. This is ethnic cleansing.