marginaliant's reviews
1060 reviews

Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society by Lila Abu-Lughod

2.0

I can't deny that this book is well written, and I would call it a must-read for anyone who wants a female perspective on the Bedouin people, but I really couldn't get into it. I don't want to be one of those White Western Feminists who looks down on other societies, but page after page on female subservience to men does get a little exhausting after a while. It wasn't my cup of tea, and I read it for a class, but if you're interested in the subject matter definitely pick up a copy.

The Black and White Book by R.P. Moore

1.0

This book is cute until it gets super meta and then its so far stuck up its own butt you might as well not even bother.

Weegee and Naked City by Anthony W. Lee, Richard W. Meyer

3.0

I was supposed to read this for my History of Photography class last semester but got too busy, but I'm glad I went back and read through it. Two really great essays, and Weegee is such a good character and well worth studying if you're interested in early 20th century new york.

Fantastic Illustrations of Grandville: 266 Illustrations from Un Autre Monde and Les Animax by Stanley Appelbaum

2.0

The book is largely just reproductions of the illustrations of Grandville, but for a book that is mostly pictures it is very poorly laid out. You have to continuously turn the book to look at the pictures properly, and the explanatory text is pages away. While Grandville's illustrations themselves are charming and surreal, they can also be extremely sexist and some of them very obscure. Maybe if you're *really* into caricatures you might enjoy them, but lacking context it wasn't very good in my opinion.

Making the Mummies Dance: Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Thomas Hoving

5.0

Hoving is slimy as a man can get but his writing is solid and the book itself has the right amount of sex appeal and charm to hold it over the sleaze. I'd definitely recommend it if you're interested in the 60's and 70's in the art market, or if you love (or hate!) the Met.

To Conserve a Legacy: American Art from Historically Black Colleges and Universities by Richard J. Powell, Jock Reynolds

4.0

This is a really great book with a lot of works of art that I've never seen before and haven't been able to find elsewhere on the web. Not only does it have information about the artists and paintings featured in the exhibit, but there's a great behind-the-scenes aspect that I found really enjoyable, as someone who is into museums. I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in artwork that prominently features and is made by black artists in America, which is something I find Art History courses and most books tend not to feature as much as they should.

Art History's History by Vernon Hyde Minor, Vernon Hyde Minor

2.0

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. This book started off good but I think it would be better suited just for one article or an undergraduate thesis. It drags on far too long, using six different examples to illustrate one point and quoting so many articles that the actual content of the articles gets buried under five guys paraphrasing the same thing repeatedly. As for it claiming to be a "plain language" history of art, Minor is going to hell for lying on that front. Probably wouldn't recommend.

Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

4.0

The Shadow of Sirius by W. S. Merwin

3.0

I picked this up on my dad's recommendation and, don't get me wrong, I can definitely see that Merwin is a talented poet. There are a few moments of true brilliance in this book, "One of the Butterflies" for example, but also a lot of incomprehensible /stuff./ I hate saying "I don't get it" when talking about poetry because I do understand, it just doesn't appeal to me and my understanding of good poetry. But what's the point of reading poetry books if not to find a few ones that speak to you in a sea of waffle? Give it a look.

Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing by Margaret S. Livingstone

4.0

I'm not a science person, I'll admit that up front, but this book is really fantastic for learning why art affects us and how seeing art works. I borrowed it off of a friend but I'd consider buying it to have on hand. Very good!