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helloroci's reviews
209 reviews
There There by Tommy Orange
4.5
Devastating page-turner of a novel. It slowly builds and so you really have to give yourself over to what Orange is trying to give you in each of the characters’ stories—it’s important. The trajectories of their lives, their history (personal and ancestral), and the reason they’ve all come together at the powwow. Orange does a beautiful job of conveying the way each character must go about their daily life and tasks while carrying the historical and perpetual systemic and intentional violence against Native people and the many present-day effects of it, while also exalting the beauty and connection the characters feel for their heritage, culture, and each other. Everyone should read this book—not an easy read but these stories are so important and must be heard.
Seducing and Killing Nazis: Hannie, Truus and Freddie: Dutch Resistance Heroines of WWII by Sophie Poldermans
4.5
A difficult read because it’s a story of the radicalization that happens at the hand of disillusionment, brutality, and desperation for change. But also an empowering read because unbelievably brave women decided to use the patriarchal ideals stacked against them to literally kill those who upheld them—and those happened to be nazi officers. A great time to read their stories and remember how many types of power are available to be wielded.
The Country Will Bring Us No Peace by Matthieu Simard
2.0
flat characters behaving in ways that aren’t believable, even in the given circumstances. The prose was equally flat and short—unnatural. Maybe just a bad translation.
The Odyssey by Lara Williams
4.0
This is going in my “what the fuck did I just read?” pile and I loved it.
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey
4.75
Rape by deception: This book took me ages to get through, but I loved it. It took so long I think large because “X” is so detestable and because the narrator (her wife) is so intriguing. X is a narcissist, ped*phile sympathizer, creep, a domineering emotionally abusive friend/mentor/partner who consistently chooses younger people she can manipulate and mold—but perhaps, worst of all, X is a phony. It’s hard to muster the desire to CARE about X or her life so to enjoy this book you have to care about X’s wife—not hard to do. She is so interesting; her mind, her life choices, being let into her internal world and reasoning and processing of the discoveries she makes really drives this book. And yes, you wait 200+ of her research before she comes to the same realization the reader came to on page 5, but it’s quite worth it when she does. And the journey is also quite worth it. The fascinating onslaught of art pieces and installations fabricated by the author just keeps giving and giving. I also loved how unapologetically queer it was. I’ll be thinking about it for a long while.
(I won’t get into the issues of the portrayal of the “Southern Territory” because most reviewers of this book go pretty in-depth into critiquing and breaking down the flaws in this portrayal.)