Eleanor Anderson
Besides the gross transphobia of lines like “my boyfriend was killed, he wasn't a real guy, ftm,” this is amazing
This book had some great points and I learned a lot, but the narrative was questionable. Occasionally kinda condescending and with some really problematic ideas (both politically and socially, like repeatedly referring to the “transsexuals” in Turkey. I suppose it's not technically a slur, but it felt very TERFy, considering that the author was British).
I liked the book when I read it, but downgrading it to one star because the author did multiple years of study on just how awful Uber can be to its employees and the world and decided “yeah, yknow what, I will sell out to them!”
3.5 Stars. Nothing revolutionary, and a lot of the basic ideas are covered better by books like Automating Inequality, but I'm being a little generous, because this was one of the first books to start the conversation on this topic
Very, very, very good book. I'm a sucker for magical realist inter generational family dramas, and this didn't disappoint.
The section on the end of the Chilean coup was so heartbreaking.
Be warned of a lot of sexual violence. I ended up skipping the last chapter because it describes the torture and rape of one of the main characters. Important and realistic as it was, I couldn't stomach it.
10/5 stars. One of the best history books I've ever read. Perfectly balanced the grand history of Europe, while showing the weird and messed up people driving it's stories, and the many, many ways they messed up
This is the greatest novel I've ever read. Have you ever looked at a painting or listened to a piece of classical music and had strong emotions about it? That's sort of how I feel about the book. Like, you just can't help but look at it and go, “wow that's a great piece of art. Normally I like shitty action movies, but I can tell this is great, even though I don't completely know why”
This was hard...
I wanted to like it, I liked a lot of it, but it overall didn't seem to work for me. I struggled to get into it, it felt meandering and self satisfied.
Honestly, if section two “The Airborne Toxic Event” was a standalone short story with no other edits, it would be incredible.
Pretty good at some spots, but overall not a very rigorous work of history because the author insists on descending into polemic tirades against unions, Democrats, muslims, and anyone else that doesn't fit into a neoclassical conservative worldview
It took me a little bit to get into, to get familiar with the rhythms of it, but once I did, oh my god. It was beautiful, touching, and searing.
Uggggggggghhhhhhh
Took an interesting theory and buried in poor methodology, grandiose unsupported claims, and self satisfied prose. Like seriously, this guy is so condescending, and routinely talks about how much better than everyone else he is and how he is the only one that sees things clearly. And this is not a political disagreement; I hold many of the same view points, and even think the basic theory is interesting, but seriously, this guy is a douche
Pretty good, glad I read it!
Pros: incredibly gay. Like, when people tell you that a classic book was gay, it's often a parting glance. This book only stops short of two men going down on each other.
Cons: Wilde really hates poor people and anyone worth a skin colour less than porcelain. Long diatribes full of antisemitic tropes, the “disgusting habits” of the poor, and the “brutishness and backwardness of pagan nations” (paraphrased but still).
I've only started reading Graphic novels and comics, and boy have I been missing out. I've finally realized what I enjoy so much about them, however: they can be a particularly interesting medium for dissecting big ideas, but are wrapped in a shiny, populist frame that screams “unserious”. Between “Sex Criminals” depiction of mental health and living a good life, to “the Wicked + the Divine's” discussion of fame, fandom, and religion, and now to the Snagglepuss Chronicle's examination of the role of art in public/civic life. A comicbook about an anthropomorphic pink lion has no business being this good, and yet it is utterly brilliant. The subversion of discussing themes at home in literary fiction or the boring movies your English teacher would show you as a “break”, but in such a populist medium is so fascinating.
A really mixed bag. Some of these were bad - cheesy and unimaginative - whereas others were genuinely fantastic. Particularly cutting were the commentaries on police violence, one in which we see a young cop getting indoctrinated to use violence against unarmed people, and another in which a white woman who has donned blackface in an attempt to steal not only their culture but black people's very skin is shot by police.
Why is this sex comedy so cough cough touching? Beautifully illustrated, thoughtful story about the impact of mental health on your and your loved one's lives
4.5 Stars. A magnificent book, with many insightful things to say about social media, technology, society and the environment. At once a polemic and a serious work of social thought, my only concern with this book is that it was occasionally too wide in scope, straying from the original conceit of a criticism of technology, but perhaps I need to read it closer. Definitely deserves a reread in a year or two. A book I will be thinking a lot about in the coming months.
4.5 stars. Genuinely revolutionary ideas and occasionally soaring writing are occasionally bogged down by repetitive prose. I found myself skipping a few chapters because they simply rehashed previous points. A few callbacks to central ideas are normal in any nonfiction work, but this became excessive. Still highly recommend reading, even if only the introduction and conclusion, while skimming everything else.