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overlap's reviews
222 reviews
Body Text by Sean D. Henry-Smith
5.0
I love when poems breathe life into themselves and take up space and change the world around you!!! these are fantastic and the words are so excellently chosen
A Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen
3.75
I feel very conflicted about this book...it approaches things from a primarily legal perspective, almost exclusively related to labor. Although disabled individuals able to work certainly should have the right to, this book misses the stories of those of us who can't, no matter what, and I wish more attention was paid to the lack of marriage equality for the disabled community in the US (although this was published even before gay marriage equality tbf). I also wish that there was more of a focus on disability culture and its emergence in the US, as well as intersectionality beyond mentions of a few instances in history when seemingly disparate movements worked together, as well as of the history of disability empowerment. Lastly, I also wish that critical disability theory was more present in this book as a way of drawing together the examples given by the author and providing context for shifting norms over history rather than just particular events or the passing of time. Overall, though, I think this is a solid introduction to key events in history and their impacts for someone less informed on the topic, and could be used as a textbook with significant supplementations.
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
5.0
Great collection of incredible interviews, speeches, and other writings, at the root of which is the key idea of collaborative justice in the face of collaborative injustices. Admittedly, reading these pieces makes me feel like we as leftists have backtracked in so many areas and lost focus since the time of their writing. Still a crucial read today
The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER by Thomas Fisher
5.0
Fantastic book with compelling formatting. I think my main issue with this piece was perhaps not being the right audience—critiques of the medical systems involved seemed slightly obvious to me. I would recommend this book more to someone who's looking for a firsthand and compelling introduction to issues of racial and wealth disparity in medicine in the form of an incredibly thoughtful account from a doctor working in this system, but if you're looking for a deeper analysis and are more informed on these issues already I would probably check out a different book. I think this one is def on me for not understanding this book's intent & it is an incredibly powerful piece. I appreciated Fisher's vulnerability and transparency on all levels immensely.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
5.0
very incredible. particularly interpreted as an allegory for post traumatic life.
Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest To Hunt Down The Last Remaining Lesbian Bars In America by Krista Burton
2.5
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Overall, I'm glad it exists and I think it's a sweet piece of history to have around, but I had a few issues with it, which can be summarised here:
1. I didn't vibe with how conversational/personal the book fell on the spectrum of "memoir" to "total academic study." This may just be my own preference, but I think I was looking for more explicit history rather than "I went to a bunch of bars and this is what they were like."
2. Was this book for queers or straight people? I mean, I have to assume queers. But if so, why explain in grueling detail things that are very well-known to most of us...? Totally great to make a book more accessible, to be clear—but I'd rather that attention to detail have fallen elsewhere.
3. Bit of a pattern of only describing people as Black and never white unless it was deemed relevant, which I'm never a huge fan of. The default in this book is very much the white experience. This is to be expected, but I would have loved more probing questions from the author about discrepancies in racial makeup between bars, conversations with owners of color, etc. Most of the focus was on the author's personal experience. It's definitely an issue, but are we seriously talking about the author getting weird looks for being femme more than the uphill battle of queers of color? Come on man.
4. Way too many italics. Sorry. I just can't.
5. No thoroughline or takeaway other than "Yay lesbian bars exist and should be recognized as historical lesbian spaces even if they welcome a broader audience now." I have to assume anyone reading this book already agrees with this. There was no deeper message to take away?
in short: do not read this book if you are looking for an in-depth exploration of lesbian bars. Read this book if you like reading memoirs about travel and being queer and know what you're getting into
1. I didn't vibe with how conversational/personal the book fell on the spectrum of "memoir" to "total academic study." This may just be my own preference, but I think I was looking for more explicit history rather than "I went to a bunch of bars and this is what they were like."
2. Was this book for queers or straight people? I mean, I have to assume queers. But if so, why explain in grueling detail things that are very well-known to most of us...? Totally great to make a book more accessible, to be clear—but I'd rather that attention to detail have fallen elsewhere.
3. Bit of a pattern of only describing people as Black and never white unless it was deemed relevant, which I'm never a huge fan of. The default in this book is very much the white experience. This is to be expected, but I would have loved more probing questions from the author about discrepancies in racial makeup between bars, conversations with owners of color, etc. Most of the focus was on the author's personal experience. It's definitely an issue, but are we seriously talking about the author getting weird looks for being femme more than the uphill battle of queers of color? Come on man.
4. Way too many italics. Sorry. I just can't.
5. No thoroughline or takeaway other than "Yay lesbian bars exist and should be recognized as historical lesbian spaces even if they welcome a broader audience now." I have to assume anyone reading this book already agrees with this. There was no deeper message to take away?
in short: do not read this book if you are looking for an in-depth exploration of lesbian bars. Read this book if you like reading memoirs about travel and being queer and know what you're getting into
Outsmart Your Pain: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind by Christiane Wolf
4.5
This is a very thoughtful and compassionate book designed for various situations. Part of the trouble with this book is that it's impossible to have a book that suits every person's needs and struggles, but I admire the author's attempt to honor different journeys and the additional content. I did wish there was more of a perspective from those suffering with chronic pain/the idea of disability justice rather than just "this treatment worked." I also found the idea of not focusing so much on future outcomes kind of incongruous with the constant repetition that patients' pain decreased after meditating, but overall this is a helpful resource and I'd recommend it to a friend as a resource to be used alongside more personal counseling :)
Debths by Susan Howe
5.0
What a treat it is to read the work of someone who plays with words like this!!!