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Well, this was eons in the reading for me. I somehow managed to get through two degrees in Modern German history and the Holocaust without ever reading this, and now 10+ years after finishing my masters, I finally did it. And honestly I feel like I would never have gotten through the whole thing without the deep foundation of knowledge my degrees gave me.
This book is DENSE. I feel like this is an understatement. Arendt's writing is long, ponderous, and she is fond of tangents and footnotes. I rewound my audiobook many times just to truly grasp what some of these sentences were getting at. Arendt's mind is also very philosophical. There is a lot of intellectual analysis in this book, trying to get at why humanity works the way it does. She makes strong attempts at divining out the reasoning behind the processes that led to the actions of the Nazis (and the Soviets in Russia, though this book was clearly initially written about the Nazis specifically and then later expanded to include Stalin's Russia). It's clear why her writing was long considered required reading for people in my field.
However, now that I've read it, I can also see why I never encountered it in my own studies, half a century after she wrote it. It's outdated. Arendt's grasp on the non-European parts of the world is sketchy and sometimes relies on stereotype and misconception. And there are more than a few places where Arendt's assertions imply at least a modicum of blame on the part of the victims of the atrocities. Without a doubt she has a solid and compelling case when looking at the events of WWII through a macro lens but when it comes to the micro, her views don't really stand the test of time the way her broader arguments do. So it doesn't surprise me whatsoever that more modern studies of the era have supplanted this book in classrooms and curricula.
I will say that I'm glad I read it. It's a valuable book to have read. But it's good to have perspective about what time does to people's views and how it can age a text, because this is a clear example of effective and important writing that is still eroding a bit as time wears against it. The root of it is good. The chaff's falling away.
I think the concept of this one was really interesting and I really enjoyed the fantasy worldbuilding in it, but the characters weren't necessarily the most interesting to me, especially following two installments featuring such compelling kids. This was still a good story, absolutely, but Moon and Lundy just didn't strike me in that same captivating way.
Wow. Just wow. This is the best of this series thus far. I'm honestly at a loss for words, I can't truly describe how much I loved this one. Suffice to say that in a series that has hit a lot of “yes” buttons for me, this one equipped a heavy mallet to smash on that “yes” button extra hard. I absolutely love to see a protagonist who is overweight and whose ONLY issues with being overweight are based in the fact that it makes other people treat her like crap. She isn't self-loathing, she isn't portrayed as having something wrong with her for being overweight, she just IS overweight, and it's just a part of who she is. It's not a flaw. It's not a weakness. Seanan McGuire is very quickly becoming an Author Who Can Do No Wrong in my eyes. It is so clear that she is an empathetic, thoughtful person, and it really shows in her writing that she has a beautiful heart.
The saga continues with further expansion of the backstory of the queens, the history of the island, and some excellent interactions between people you wouldn't expect. And my god, the things done near the end of this one! I'm glad I had the next one ready to go because waiting to find out exactly what the heck the queens were up to would have been excruciating.
This is a compelling memoir from a young woman who suffered incredible trauma and tragedy, and who then learned to navigate America as a young black woman. A truly unique set of experiences that sheds light on the realities of life in Africa, the truth of immigration to the US, the experience of growing up black-but-not-American-black in New York, and the stress of coping with PTSD and depression as a result of trauma in college. She sheds light on cultural differences and common misconceptions she ran into during her young life. Truly a captivating read.
It took me a REALLY long time to get into this book–it definitely starts very slowly, and I almost put it down. But right about when I was ready to do that, things finally started moving along, and I really got into the story by the end. I think it's an okay beginning to a series that shows a lot of thoughtful worldbuilding and a sincere attempt at creating a fantasy world that isn't just reliant on the usual tropes. I'm interested in seeing where this goes.
This book is such a blend of great things. It's a phenomenal fantasy in an Asian style. It's a brutal war story. It's a self-discovery. It's found family. And it is utterly enthralling. I found myself sitting and staring at walls just listening to the audio. I shirked other things I needed to do so that I could spend more time with this story. I cannot wait to read the next one.
Woah okay Seanan McGuire, way to dig deep and grab all my heartstrings and then yank brutally on them. There are so many feels in this book and for so many characters. I have felt a lot of things during the course of this series but I've only cried twice, and both times involved the same somewhat surprising catalyst character. Oof. What a good one. At this point I'm wishlisting every McGuire I don't already own.
This is a fantastic collection of short stories from across NK Jemisin's career. It was particularly fun to see some stories that are clear precursors to things like the Broken Earth trilogy. I particularly enjoyed the last story, it was really well-placed at the end of the book and felt like a great way to wrap up an experience that was fulfilling overall. Highly recommend.
This book is such an important, well-researched resource. First, because the Soviet Gulag has been underreported and allowed to fade in our cultural memory, and second, because the atrocities humans are capable of doing to their neighbors are repeating in the United States right now, and this book is a stark reminder of just how inured to such a thing a society can get when a government is allowed to continue harmful policies unchecked.
Now that I'm well and truly immersed in this world and head-over-heels for all its characters, Seanan McGuire chose to dig deep into the history of these people to add depth and added meaning to connections and rivalries that only made the world even richer as a result. I adore what she did here, masterfully using all the things we've learned in prior books to underpin a book full of revealed secrets and shifting allegiances. Seanan McGuire is forever on my “yeah I'll read that” list already, but here she has really proven it's a good choice.
