iamasecretagent's reviews
312 reviews

Network Effect by Martha Wells

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes

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medium-paced

0.0

When I started reading this book I thought it was well written, and was particularly moved by the interstitials that told Hawaii's history of colonization through the Grecian "chorus" of native Hawaiian people. But when I found out that the author was not actually Hawaiian, it completely transformed how I understood the story.

The main character is a white girl who, through a complicated series of events, ends up being raised by a native Hawaiian family thinking that she herself is also native Hawaiian, born to a native Hawaiian mother and a white father. The story describes how she comes of age facing discrimination based on her perceived race, told against the backdrop of the Renaissance of Hawaiian culture in the 60s and 70s. The twist, which we discover at the end, is that she is full white.

It is so hard to wrap my head around why I find this book so deeply insulting. This is not the case of a non-Native author paying homage to the culture, history, and people of Hawaii--the entire book is premised on one question: "Who can lay claim to the culture and history of Hawaii?" The author answers: "Me".

I have seen some wild cultural appropriation in my time, but this goes deep. It is some confessional, gaslighting, reverse racism kind of stuff. And it doesn't help at all that the author is also a POC--it makes it worse: Asians and Asian Americans are settler colonialists in Hawaii that have contributed to the marginalization of Native Hawaiians on their own land. Look, I've read Hawaiian coming of age novel by Asian American authors, like Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers by Lois Ann Yamanaka, that actually provide a racially nuanced picture of Hawaii while also still honoring Hawaii's culture and land. This is not that. Give Hula a miss.

I thought about giving this book at least two stars to give credit where credit was due--the writing is beautiful. But I can't unsee this cultural appropriation mess, and the only value this book has for me now is if you're teaching a class about how not to brownface.

The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time by Nell Stevens

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.5

An enjoyable and quick read about the author's quest for love and meaning while struggling towards her Ph.D., told through the lens of her thesis subject, Elizabeth Gaskell. I thought the book was charming and that Stevens did a beautiful job of articulating the complexities of love, longing, heartbreak, and coming to terms with the limitations of your own body as you enter your 30s--the chaos of all four happening simultaneously felt somehow hilariously embodied by Steven's brief obsession with volunteering for university research studies. As a lover of literary period dramas, including those written by Elizabeth Gaskell, I enjoyed the vivid portrayal of Italy as a refuge for ex-pat artists in the 1800s. I could see that readers are meant to draw parallels between Steven's and Gaskell's yearning to find a feeling of "home," which is clever as that was essentially the crux of Steven's thesis. But it's not something ever said explicitly, and I found myself wishing some of the expository reflection was directed at making that connection more clearly. Overall, this book felt like a peek into Steven's diary and/or notes from her thesis--would recommend as a good poolside read if you're a fan of Victorian era angst and romance or poking fun at self-induglent literary academia.

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced