A comprehensive dissection of anti-Black racism across history, in Canada, and across all borders. If repetitious it’s as a direct reflection of unrelenting anti-Black demonisation, surveillance, containment, and violence in all our societal structures. Policing Black Lives is intersectional, potently researched, and crystal clear.
“Black and Blue” by Garnette Cadogan is the highlight ★★★★★
My ambivalence about mindfulness took a dive exactly during her example of taking care of the feelings of a racist instigator (Dan) with equanimity.
I glazed over on the more academic chapters, which in general by my definition are too diffuse. When Bannerji writes of the personal, it’s harrowing and electric, to read about the everyday trailblazing of the author and of X.
Frustrating and enveloping at the same time. The conflict is bewildering and the author slides in a few questionable ideas, but her writing and the way she builds the story draws you in—she writes male entitlement and whiteness cracklingly.
Beyond this being a work of talking about talking about the subject, Vogel advances no paradigm shifts, away from the white supremacist- and imperialist-friendly conception of progress nor away from including slavery in the equation in the reproduction of labour-power. In 1983 she reviews thoughts from the late … Read more
Many of the stories are glaringly built around a fixed idea so that the notes at the end are redundant—or are more interesting than the stories themselves. The surrounding texts are more filler than breathing worlds. “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate”, “The Lifecycle of Software Objects”, and … Read more
Broadcasting the photo of a possible patient zero is alarming and hopefully agreed upon as unethical. Owen has professor-equivalent status and conducts himself grossly with students throughout; the sympathy he gets, which is expressed literally, makes him come across as an author stand-in. The women characters revolve around … Read more
It’s a shame that nearly all the authors who are paid homage are long dead white men. And having one character describe the protagonist as sexist isn’t enough. Why is alien telepathy more envisionable than gender equity in 2066?
Still Thompson has created an … Read more
I managed to finish six of the stories. Generally too on the nose and yielding to stock themes of science fiction. “Walking Awake” was the most engaging even with all the hand-holding, with allusions to Get Out and TNG’s “Conspiracy”.
So far Jemisin’s not for me.
Luce is a Mary Sue of a musician and the book doesn’t let up on the cheese factor, but its earnestness and apposite themes (a wide net is cast with terrorist bombings plus a pox-like epidemic leading to anti-congregation laws) make it well-aligned for lockdown reading.
The interviewers are on the whole unimaginative so there is a lot of repetition.
Octavia remains inspirational as a feminist hermit visionary!
I’m largely resistant to labels, self-mythologising, and platitudes of self-help, but these aspects were balanced out with a respect for embracing uncertainty and Jessica’s comic tone.
There is a lot of repetition of the linguist’s mantra describe don’t prescribe. Chapter eight includes a wincing mess about how we have rebellious sexist insults because our mothers were our first examples of authority figures who restricted our freedoms.
Only finished the title story, which was excellent.
Her metaphors seem to take on the teetering logic of numerology. “Voter Suppression Begins at Home” brought up something I never thought about before though.
The mystique is obliterated. I was disappointed by his shallow, regurgitating defence at the end of chapter nine; punching down subverts nothing. I am however heavily into self-deprecation and anecdotes of social inoperativeness (plus laid-back veganism) so this book had the highest laugh rate out of any comic … Read more
I like dystopian fiction but less a showdown of good versus evil even if the lines are blurred. Rebecca’s style is breezy though.
Important, including addressing the work of women made invisible and endangered alongside planet-wide casualties under capitalist patriarchy. Would be much more powerful if the repetition were edited out. I was especially inspired learning about the different mixed-cropping systems.
Layla covers the basics incisively, spelling out the beliefs, behaviours, and dynamics of white supremacy. The prompts get a bit repetitive and may not necessarily reinforce the challenge of each day’s focus but they do call on self-excavation.
I appreciated that Layla’s definitions were not detached and … Read more
