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clivemeister's reviews
380 reviews
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
It's about climate change and geo-engineering, but as much about the politics of it all as about the technology itself.
Elevation by Stephen King
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Liar's Key by Mark Lawrence
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Torture
Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
For me, spent a long time developing the plot, but then a good strong ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Violence
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Blood
The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice by Shon Faye
This alone puts any moral panics into a totally different perspective, but isn't what the media have as their headline.
The book was also strong on the history of trans people and their treatment. A lot of this was UK-centric, and none the worse for that, I felt. There are (so I learned) notable differences between trans communities in the UK and in the US, for example, some of which are historical, but others of which are to do with their interactions with others in the LGBTQ communities. I found these puzzling, but many of these things are path-dependent, and ultimately all one can say is things may have turned out otherwise.
There are some points where Faye's strong socialist line goes too far, at one point saying for example:
The problem with lines like this, attention-grabbing though they are, is that (a) almost all western countries are going to be capitalist for the forseeable future, given the economic dominance of the model, and that even if that were not the case then (b) there are no examples of trans liberation in non-capitalist societies. China, for example, has a shocking record here.
Does this mean there can be no trans liberation anywhere, ever? I sincerely hope not! Faye goes on to justify this point thus:
This, for sure, needs to change, but capitalism does not depend on this idea (and again it's a feature of most non-capitalist societies as well - again, see China). Faye unfortunately then doubles down by saying:
The only societies in the modern era which claimed to have no unemployment are communist ones, where the track record for higher wages and better conditions is not exactly shining.
All this is simply to say that I didn't agree with everything in this book, but the balance was very much in the favour of things I found both thought-provoking and mind-changing. Highly recommended.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This book really broadened my perspective on the implications of being transgender, and the responsibilities that society has towards those who identify as transgender. Although I didn't agree with everything in here by any means, it gave me a lot to think about, and definitely changed my understanding of the complexities. Given the Office of National Statistics estimates there to be between 200,000 and 500,000 trans people in the UK, this is not a small issue, and society's often shameful response reflects poorly on us all.
Some good points: Shon Faye interviewed many transgender people, and their stories and personal experiences come through vividly. There is also an impressive depth of research on the problems that trans people face in our societies - from problems accessing appropriate medical care through everpresent prejudices (in particular from the media, both right wing and more traditionally liberal), to much higher levels of unemployment and criminal prosecution. Although many of these were perhaps predictable from the outside (if unexpected in magnitude), some were not: see, for example, the often complex interactions between feminists, lesbians, and trans people.
There are many many good examples throughout the book, but to pick out one, we can look at the way in which many in the media are happy to fan the flames of moral panic about trans women and the risk they pose to cis women. They do this by hilighting very rare incidents, such as the incidence of abuse of women by trans women in prison, whilst failing to note the much higher incidence of abuse by male wardens or male police. Even inside women's prisons, of the 97 recorded sexual assults by other prisoners from 2016 to 2019, only 6 were recorded where a transgender prisoner was the assilant. That's 2 per year. Only sixty trans people are in prison having been convicted of a sexual assault. The book comments:
Some good points: Shon Faye interviewed many transgender people, and their stories and personal experiences come through vividly. There is also an impressive depth of research on the problems that trans people face in our societies - from problems accessing appropriate medical care through everpresent prejudices (in particular from the media, both right wing and more traditionally liberal), to much higher levels of unemployment and criminal prosecution. Although many of these were perhaps predictable from the outside (if unexpected in magnitude), some were not: see, for example, the often complex interactions between feminists, lesbians, and trans people.
There are many many good examples throughout the book, but to pick out one, we can look at the way in which many in the media are happy to fan the flames of moral panic about trans women and the risk they pose to cis women. They do this by hilighting very rare incidents, such as the incidence of abuse of women by trans women in prison, whilst failing to note the much higher incidence of abuse by male wardens or male police. Even inside women's prisons, of the 97 recorded sexual assults by other prisoners from 2016 to 2019, only 6 were recorded where a transgender prisoner was the assilant. That's 2 per year. Only sixty trans people are in prison having been convicted of a sexual assault. The book comments:
The rhetorical importance given to this small cohort can be exhausting for the 200,000–500,000 trans people in Britain who fear being tainted – and denied civil rights – by association.
This alone puts any moral panics into a totally different perspective, but isn't what the media have as their headline.
The book was also strong on the history of trans people and their treatment. A lot of this was UK-centric, and none the worse for that, I felt. There are (so I learned) notable differences between trans communities in the UK and in the US, for example, some of which are historical, but others of which are to do with their interactions with others in the LGBTQ communities. I found these puzzling, but many of these things are path-dependent, and ultimately all one can say is things may have turned out otherwise.
There are some points where Faye's strong socialist line goes too far, at one point saying for example:
There can be no trans liberation under capitalism. This is a fact.
The problem with lines like this, attention-grabbing though they are, is that (a) almost all western countries are going to be capitalist for the forseeable future, given the economic dominance of the model, and that even if that were not the case then (b) there are no examples of trans liberation in non-capitalist societies. China, for example, has a shocking record here.
Does this mean there can be no trans liberation anywhere, ever? I sincerely hope not! Faye goes on to justify this point thus:
In short, capitalism across the world still relies heavily on the idea of different categories of men’s work and women’s work, in which ‘women’s work’ (such as housework, child-rearing and emotional labour) is either poorly paid or not paid at all. In order for this categorization to function, it needs to rest on a clear idea of how to divide men and women.
This, for sure, needs to change, but capitalism does not depend on this idea (and again it's a feature of most non-capitalist societies as well - again, see China). Faye unfortunately then doubles down by saying:
Capitalism also requires a certain level of unemployment to function. If there were enough work to go round, no worker would worry about losing their job, and all workers could demand higher wages and better conditions.
The only societies in the modern era which claimed to have no unemployment are communist ones, where the track record for higher wages and better conditions is not exactly shining.
All this is simply to say that I didn't agree with everything in this book, but the balance was very much in the favour of things I found both thought-provoking and mind-changing. Highly recommended.