graveyardpansy's reviews
564 reviews

Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future by Daniel Lewis

informative medium-paced

3.5

it’s… fine? i have mild complaints from a radical leftist perspective but that’s just bc i’m picky. my more literary complaint is the threads between the science and Lewis’ personal anecdotes are just not woven very well. i love when people do nature/science writing with a personal twist, but this just isn’t done in a way that FEELS personal or meaningful as much as it feels disjointed.

Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation by Eli Clare

emotional reflective fast-paced

4.0

as a whole, i really loved this book. reflections on language always hit me hard, and the drawing together of environmental issues and disability is so so needed, and clare does it so well. i have a million thoughts about this book, the best books always make me want to write, and this one is certainly in that group!

i can’t give it 5 stars because the discussion of reclaiming crip is missing the really important critiques Black disabled people have been giving about its use. i don’t know if that element of the discussion was as prevalent in 1999 or 2009 when this was rereleased, i would assume it wasn’t. here’s work by walela on the word that i enjoy: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/162587/crip-vs-crip

Miss Major Speaks: The Life and Times of a Black Trans Revolutionary by Miss Major Griffin-Gracy

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I am so glad this book exists and I wish the whole world would read it and listen to it. I especially enjoyed reading about Big Black, Major’s thoughts on passing, and her experiences with & words about ‘pride’ events. my only complaint is i wish it could’ve been longer!

S/He by Minnie Bruce Pratt

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

really, really beautiful. so many intense and meaningful thoughts on gender and perception vs the personal, moments of intimacy, and still-relavent critiques. i’ve read so much of feinberg’s work that it just felt like time to give minnie bruce pratt a try, and i am SO glad I did. my favourite quote, in reference to exclusionary policies at Michfest — “I don’t want woman to be a fortress that has to be defended. I want it to be a life we constantly braid together from the threads of our existence, a rope we make, a flexible weapon stronger than steel, that we use to pull down walls that imprison us at the borders.”

That's Revolting!: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Like any anthology, this has its ups and downs, but as a whole I really liked it! Lots of really rad history I didn’t know about, and lots that I did know about and learned more about, which I love. Felt like a time capsule connecting me to the radical queers of 20 years ago. Would recommend, but would also note that the language/terminology used is very much of its time!

Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure by Eli Clare

reflective medium-paced

5.0

eli clare asks all the questions that need to be asked, and he’s honest when he can’t answer them. his writing is personable and nuanced and deeply relatable and couldn’t be more important. i LOVE this book. 

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna

emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

really solid memoir! the writing was very personable, kathleen spends a lot of time reflecting on her trauma and her flaws but also on the beautiful things that her music and riot grrrl as a whole brought to the world. i do always get a lot out of memoirs that enhance and give detail to histories that i already know about. 

Shotgun Seamstress: An Anthology by Osa Atoe

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda

challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

4.5

poetic, raw, unapologetic. i had to take a couple breaks bc of the content, but it was worth reading, and walela’s voice is so necessary and one of a kind