★★★★
★★★
Not half a sneeze of subversion in this recreated patriarchy. Body shaming and threats of genital mutilation serve as comedy.
An incisive work of Black feminism in Britain covering reproductive justice, trans inclusionary feminism, supporting sex workers, prison abolition, and—excitingly—art as witness. I would have been bowled over if the chapter on food concentrated on food justice with inspiration from Vandana Shiva. Olufemi envisages a living, breathing practice … Read more
★★★★½
★★★
★★½
★★★★
This is one of the most resonating works I’ve ever read, forging resistance against the entwined forces of colonialism, capitalism, white supremacy, heteropatriarchy—with a radical resurgence centred on living relationships with the land; engaging with stories; constellating with communities that do not replicate anti-Blackness, transphobia, anti-queerness; embracing … Read more
★★★★½
Her comedy stylings are not for me. There’s also a noticeable void of anti-pseudoscience condemnation in the Goop chapter. But even when she introduces her searing dissections of global political misdirection via the prism of sappingly irrelevant subcelebrities, Lindy West is still a cultural force.
★★★½
Directors as gatekeepers including Celine Sciamma think claiming colourblindness is progressive. France is a country where the national sense of humour is one of punching down, and the official line is that naming race is racist, which conveniently denies the reality of inequitable experience and keeps the … Read more
Zen Cho is my new favourite short story writer. Generally I find magical realism exhausting and irrelevant (García Márquez). Spirits Abroad is the first work I’ve read whose magical elements complement the stories—which pulse with inventiveness and humour.
