butch's reviews
110 reviews

Women and Revolution: The Living Example of the Cuban Revolution by Asela de Los Santos, Arelys Santana

hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

a great primer for the more extensive book Women in Cuba: The Making of a Revolution Within the Revolution (which I’ll be reading next!) that gives context and perspective to the work. 

The East Was Read by Vijay Prashad

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

a multi-faceted variety of personal essays examining the role and influence of Soviet socialist media and culture on contributors’ lives and their respective communities that I found to be challenging in a productive way. there were conflicting emotions and experiences throughout, but I enjoyed the specificity each writer brought to the table. 

Bit Tyrants: The Political Economy of Silicon Valley by Rob Larson

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

a thorough analysis of multiple facets of Big Tech that doesn’t hold back. it’s pretty incredible how much the narratives surrounding these corporations have been utterly warped (ie. origins of tech and government funding), like everything else this godforsaken country touches. though this came out in 2020 it already feels like the industry has shifted more in the year or so since, especially with so many of these CEOs setting their eyes on space and other horizons. 

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

im absolutely blown away by sheer weight and continued relevance of Lorraine Hansberry’s work. i had goosebumps reading this and have never felt more engaged reading a play before. will definitely be looking into her other works. 

Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought by Briona Simone Jones

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring relaxing medium-paced

4.5

Comrade of the Revolution: Selected Speeches of Fidel Castro by Fidel Castro

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

excellent selection of speeches by fidel covering a large expanse of time. i'm thankful for the unlearning ive had to do as a descendant of cuban exiles and i'm glad that i have not been robbed of the conviction, sincerity, impact, and legacy of fidel and the cuban revolution because of that indoctrination. every speech in this collection had relevance and weight in the present and held valuable lessons of history. i will definitely be exploring more of his speeches and che's work.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney

challenging informative slow-paced

5.0

This was an incredible and wholly relevant read. Rodney provides such a detailed and rich history of the African continent, its economic, political, and cultural systems prior to and during colonization. His case examples, which reference exploiters such as the US's Firestone brand tires who sourced much of their rubber from colonized nations on the continent, still feel so pertinent to the present. Though detailed, Rodney really keeps this text accessible without sacrificing specificity and nuance. I especially appreciated his analysis on the role of education in colonization, which would be used to serve indoctrinating and underdeveloping purposes, and the will of colonized peoples to fight for the expansion of education opportunities before, during, and after colonization. Definitely a necessary read.

A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt

4.0

Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog, Richard Erdoes

challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

Mary Crow Dog's story brought me a whirl of emotions. The details surrounding Leonard Crow Dog's treatment in jail and other violent interactions with white people or goon squad members were devastating to read. But learning about AIM's efforts at Wounded Knee and the spiritual work that other folks like Leonard Crow Dog were involved in as well as the complex dynamics that existed in these spaces brought me a different perspective about AIM and its members. 

Stokely Speaks: From Black Power to Pan-Africanism by Mumia Abu-Jamal, Stokely Carmichael, Kwame Ture

challenging informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

I definitely need to read/listen to more of Kwane Ture's work and words beyond the time span covered in this book. Ture is direct, evolving (this book spans the 1960s and 1970s so you can see changes in his thoughts), and incredibly insightful. He doesn't hold back and his words have challenged me in many ways. His points on combating white liberalism are especially poignant: "I think that the problem with the white liberal in America, and perhaps the liberal around the world, is that his primary task is to stop confrontation, stop conflicts, not to redress grievances, but to stop confrontation. ... his role, regardless of what he says, is really to maintain the status quo, rather than to change it. ... The liberal is afraid to alienate anyone, and therefore he is incapable of presenting any clear alternative." I also really enjoyed that he attributes and documents his influences and other revolutionaries whose efforts and ideologies have contributed to his own.