Short stories are sometimes really powerful precisely because of the things they don't manage to say. The omission can have a higher impact than incluShort stories are sometimes really powerful precisely because of the things they don't manage to say. The omission can have a higher impact than inclusion; especially in genres that deal in suspense and dread, such as this horror.
In a way, it reminded me of Lullaby for a Lost World, since this is what I felt when reading it, as well: a deep curiosity for the things not said.
Reading this, you're haunted not just by the facts, but by what is missing. How did it come to the moment we're reading now? What about the other moments not mentioned? (A feeling highlighted by the fact that 'cases' are numbered and we're clearly just getting a sparse few of them, judging by the numbers). I hope the author will develop the stories further at some point, but even if they don't, it's still a beautiful exploration of what (a few) words can do....more
A very thorough academic exploration of the concept of white guilt, written in a down-to-earth way suitable for people outside social sciences as wellA very thorough academic exploration of the concept of white guilt, written in a down-to-earth way suitable for people outside social sciences as well. It breaks down 'racism' (understood in an academic, bias-free way) into minor components and constituents, highlighting the way it manifests itself in often unconscious ways. These pervasive, highly normalized ways are what make so many white people react with fear, denial, and justifications whenever the topic of institutionalized racism comes up.
I think the book is a good starting point for all current BLM debates, hopefully serving to de-villanize currently charged concepts and attitudes into a stance of greater empathy. ...more
A piece of non-fiction (historical research of an individual case) that is so beautifully written that it almost reads like fiction (in a good way).
I A piece of non-fiction (historical research of an individual case) that is so beautifully written that it almost reads like fiction (in a good way).
I liked this especially in relation to the author's later article on the #MeToo movement and the doubt we cast on victims coming forward (you can read it here: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2...). The gist of it is this: in the historical account of an Edo-period non-conforming woman (one who insists on retaining her independence and who travels alone to a big city), there is at one point a tale of sexual impropriety or assault. But because this information appears in her memoirs a long time after the event happened, the historian working on reconstructing her life initially doubted the story and thought that the Japanese lady is making it up in order to deter accusations of impropriety directed towards herself.
Later on, as she recounts in the Slate article linked above, she realizes she made the same mistake society and law enforcement sadly still make sometimes: she doubted the testimony of a victim just because she lacked the psychological understanding of how people process grief and trauma. Namely, the fact that people in some cases cannot verbalize what happened to them right away.
Beyond this foray into victim-blaming, the story itself is highly interesting for anyone who is fascinated with Japan, as it offers a first-person glimpse into the Japan of old, right before the moment when the Americans forced them to exit seclusion and open up their ports. The diary of Tsuneno is an incredibly vivid account of life in that time and place, and the magic performed by Amy Stanley on the manuscript will allow you to feel the full blast of that immersive power....more
A very sweet book, but written more for a feel-good dose of sugar than for actual depth.
A writer gets too attached to the people she is writing aboutA very sweet book, but written more for a feel-good dose of sugar than for actual depth.
A writer gets too attached to the people she is writing about and decides to change her life in order to join their community. All fine with that, the story is charming. But the narrative also manages to make caricatures from the people cast as the unlikeable ones (like her official fiance) and to heavily downplay the Nazi occupation into something like old grumpy teachers that the teenagers out for fun after curfew must outsmart. ...more
A fascinating collection of essays and scientific articles on the use of psychedelic substances. My favorite was the quasi-anthropological one describA fascinating collection of essays and scientific articles on the use of psychedelic substances. My favorite was the quasi-anthropological one describing how European peoples can be differentiated by their attitude to mushrooms (mushrooms in general, not necessarily psychoactive ones). Apparently some of us love mushrooms, regarding them as mysterious and vital, while others only associate them with decay and disgust.
I loved the details regarding how Russian people call even the poisonous and 'useless' mushrooms 'paganski' (little pagans) and use them for decorating the table and so on, or about how the Spanish conquistadores had a culture clash with South American natives about mushrooms (spoiler alert: the Spaniards were appalled by the natives' ceremonial use of the so-called 'flesh of the gods' mushrooms).
Some of the other essays in the collection were not so great or at least seemed scientifically dubious to me. But all in all, it's a great exploration of the science of psychoactive substances and their potential for both treatment and... just change. ...more
Now, I know what you are probably thinking: that defunding the police is a radical, dangerous, and utopian notion. I agree.
But as this exquisite essay will clarify, the calls to defund the police are not about abolishing any kind of law enforcement whatsoever. The book takes us through far and recent historical examples, showing us a) how the police was often historically established (or reinforced with new recruits and resources) not in order to ensure justice but to ensure privilege and keep minorities 'in their place'; and b) how in many modern communities, PARTIALLY defunding the police and pumping those funds into crime prevention and recovery programs help curb crime rates much more.
The problem with the police is not only its often built-in racism (which needs to be worked on too, of course), but how funding it extra (up to the point of militarizing it) can become the default answer to any social problem. This brutal approach is not only inhumane, but it's even largely effective for dealing with issues of crime, which is the one justification police have for all their 'slips' into undue use of force and so on.
Just read the book and see for yourself why partially defunding the police and funding more constructive approaches to social issues makes so much sense. I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone and you don't need a social sciences background to make it easy to read. ...more
This reads like a monography of a mental break-down spurred on by drug usage. It's interesting that the author noted with cool detachment everything hThis reads like a monography of a mental break-down spurred on by drug usage. It's interesting that the author noted with cool detachment everything he went through and the thoughts flying around his head, before, during, and after the breakdown. The precision of a historian and his wit from his computer science background (this is how I know of him) also spice up the text from time to time. Please be aware that the notes on the breakdown are really thorough, so if you're looking for a quick and funny read, this isn't it. You might get bored. I, for one, appreciated the extra factual dimension of this almost monographical approach to drug-related psychosis. Stay in school, kids:). ...more
This short story / novelette is concentrateAnother fun post-apocalyptic short read, just after I finished with A SteamPunk's Guide to the Apocalypse.
This short story / novelette is concentrated, comic book-like and very powerful. In some ways, the atmosphere reminded me of Lucretia and the Kroons, but these adventures of Vic and Blood are definitely more fun and grounded in the real world.
It's gory and pretty hardcore, but comical at the same time. The ending has an unexpected twist that definitely places the entire book into even more 'different' territory, with all the weirdness, horror and delight which come with it. ...more
I still hesitate between labeling this as fiction and non-fiction, since it has all the practical utility of an actual guide but it's delivered with aI still hesitate between labeling this as fiction and non-fiction, since it has all the practical utility of an actual guide but it's delivered with all the style and pizzazz of fiction. Better not to label it at all, since I'm sure the author abhors labels, anyway. :)
The awesome thing about this steampunk guide is that it's sure to be a hit among groups of readers who probably have little in common: preppers and survivalists, fans of steampunk dystopias, fans of sci-fis and generic story-rich videogames, humorists and comic fans, everyone interested in human social dynamics in times of crisis and post-crisis and so on.
Ironically, I was reading this just now, in the quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the word 'apocalypse' is grossly overused. Makes for great fun for an hour and might be worth packing in the *actual* apocalypse as well :) ...more
Short and powerful. I had only read Steinbeck's grand novels, longer and more famous, so this bullet fiction of his came like a very nice surprise.
RacShort and powerful. I had only read Steinbeck's grand novels, longer and more famous, so this bullet fiction of his came like a very nice surprise.
Racial tensions send sparks in the air in this action and dialogue packed narrative. You could almost say this is a thriller since you keep feeling that something bad is bound to happen and you can't put it down. But the story takes unexpected turns. I felt at some point that the black character will surely be framed for something bad that happens, but in the end the outcome is more complex and equally heartbreaking.
The dialogues and how vivid and credible they are will remain Steinbeck's greatest strength. Immersive would be an understatement for this author. :) ...more
I'm slowly starting to pick up the slack with reviews for all the books I've read since this COVID-19 quarantine began. I didn't stop reading, just goI'm slowly starting to pick up the slack with reviews for all the books I've read since this COVID-19 quarantine began. I didn't stop reading, just got behind on reviewing each book as I finished it.
This one was exactly what I was finishing as the pandemic kicked in, so I'll start chronologically. First of all, I'm a person with a very low tolerance for anything self-help, so I'm not usually the target for this kind of book. But this one managed to be completely out of the norm - in a good way. It's not preachy at all, it does not regurgitate empty encouragement 'feelgood' phrases and, most importantly, it doesn't cast a negative light on the men involved in the examples and understands them as well, with full empathy.
If I had to describe it in one word, that would be 'practical'. It's a very practical book: less interested in enabling people to vent or to assign blame and the like, but just trying to help them deal with things instead. I think it's a very good starting point for many women who are trying to make sense of their personal lives, as well as for anthropologists seeking to understand the more toxic aspects of contemporary gender relations and power dynamics.
I also liked the fact that the author addresses the long-standing misogyny and cultural bias against women from traditional psychotherapy and related fields. Unknowingly, therapists have long understood women through outdated Freud-inspired theoretical concepts and simply encouraged them to put up with toxic situations simply because their own cultural bias dictated this. It's refreshing to see more and more inside voices start to call this out. ...more
The essays collected in this anthology are about matriarchal figures in the religion, myth and social structures of Native nations. The author argues The essays collected in this anthology are about matriarchal figures in the religion, myth and social structures of Native nations. The author argues that these elements were once central to the worldview of American Indians and in more subtle ways they still are, but got lost through colonization and the subsequent whitewashing of Indian culture.
Some claims are a bit controversial - such as when the author argues that white feminists borrowed the idea of feminine independence from Native myth completely - as if feminism started from the Native influence and would not have been born at all were it not for Native inspiration.
There's also a lot of literary comment on older and newer native sources, and I particularly enjoyed the poetry quoted and discussed throughout. Here's a lovely sample:
Contemporary Native American poetry by Roberta Whiteman Hill (fragment from ‘Leap in the dark’):
—Then she sealed her nimble dreams with water from a murky bay. “For him I map this galaxy of dust that turns without an answer. When it rains, I remember his face in the corridor of a past apartment and trace the anguish around his mouth, … With the grace that remains I catch a glint around a door I cannot enter. The clock echoes in dishtowels; I search love’s center and bang pans against the rubble of my day, the lucid grandeur of wet ground, the strangeness of a fatal sun that makes us mark on the margin of our loss, trust in the gossamer of touch, trust in the late-plowed field. I hug my death, my chorus of years, and search and stretch and leap, for I will be apprentice to the blood in spite of the mood of the world that keeps rusting, rusting, the wild throats of birds. ...more
I loved this collection of short stories dealing with the horrors of Nazi occupation in Poland. So emotional, and so detached at the same time, and soI loved this collection of short stories dealing with the horrors of Nazi occupation in Poland. So emotional, and so detached at the same time, and so concise and well-written.
The little touches of magical realism are exactly in line with what people start imagining and believing in when undergoing mass trauma and dramatic social histories. When something good happens even if everything was bound to go bad, the human mind sometimes makes up a supernatural reason for it.
So that's how we have werewolves among the Jewish partisan fighters in the woods, talking dogs and horses who guard their masters (Fallada being the mythical name of the animal in both cases) and a golem who falls in love with their female Rabbi and gives his life to protect her.
I also loved that the stories are somewhat intertwined and that it's all based on historical fact. A must-read for all interested in Eastern European lore, the Holocaust, or simply good stories. ...more
This continuation of stories Mark Twain planned to write himself was very much in line with what we could have expected him to write if he ever got toThis continuation of stories Mark Twain planned to write himself was very much in line with what we could have expected him to write if he ever got to it. But that includes all the mixed feelings which come with the original authorship.
I liked the Pony Express references and the nods to a very Western social history of the United States. It's all presented in its questionable, sad, racist and convoluted glory.
It's a bit shocking to see your childhood heroes grow up to be murderers (Tom) and prostitutes (Becky) or simply do very disappointing things (like selling Jim into slavery etc.). But I guess it contributes to the grown-up feel of the story.
At other times, the story is over the top - like a parody of a Western. Huck is about the be hanged and Tom saves the day by riding in and shooting the rope by which Huck was already hanging. Come on, really?
I completely dislike what the author did with women - no effort put whatsoever in delivering a bit of empathy or trying to paint them in a more complex light. They're just presented as devious, aggressive whores who are out to get you. Very disappointing.
Any effort into understanding otherness seems to be poured into Indians and especially Huck's friendship with Eeteh, though. By and large, that's a good thing and somewhat redeeming, of course, but it feels overdone at times. Huck's complete spiraling into Indian myth and spirituality is not very believable, for example. But I have to admit that it's beautiful nonetheless. Some of my favorite parts:
'Eeteh went on telling stories. He says he couldn't stop himself, it was a kind of sickness. If it WAS a sickness - him telling stories, me listening - it was a sickness we'd both die of, because wasn't nuther of us going to stop. [..] I was glad to see them go, and I says so, Eeteh nodded and says all stories is sad stories, but not all the time.'...more
Loved it, loved it, loved it! Especially the story about Emily in her post-human existence, and the one about Poe.
It was also great that the author dLoved it, loved it, loved it! Especially the story about Emily in her post-human existence, and the one about Poe.
It was also great that the author definitely does not shy away from the more unpalatable aspects in the lives of Twain or Hemingway (the source of many mixed feelings we all have about them, right?).
Joyce Carol Oates is a master of style and narrative power. I'm so looking forward to reading more from her.
Also, I'm very much into reading fiction about classical authors lately (like The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis which I read last year, but now I will be concentrating more on this niche. Almost done with The Hours as well. ...more
This reads like part historical fiction, part European travel tales. It's a lovely delve into the less known places to visit in Europe and their wondeThis reads like part historical fiction, part European travel tales. It's a lovely delve into the less known places to visit in Europe and their wonderful medieval histories, buildings and so on. The vampire theme seems to be mostly a pretext on which to build in order to deliver the better things - same feeling I had with The Gilda Stories :)
It was lovely. And now I need to visit Croatia and the old city of Ragusa. :)...more
So much fun! I love reading prehistoric fiction (and non-fiction books about those times) and this one did not disappoint. I read it immediately afterSo much fun! I love reading prehistoric fiction (and non-fiction books about those times) and this one did not disappoint. I read it immediately after finishing with Sue Harrison's Storyteller trilogy (Song of the River is the first one in that series and I recommend it as well).
Yes, it may seem a bit unrealistic at times (with the tribes resolving conflicts mostly through diplomacy, or some concepts which are expressed in too modern terms (babysitter), etc, as some reviewers pointed out.
That doesn't take away any of the book's quality of conveying the struggle of daily life and labor in a captivating way. The beliefs, the practical solutions to everyday problems, the little innovations that make tools more effective - I found all these and more very entertaining and plausible....more
I won't forget this series very soon. It's one of the best Neolithic fiction pieces I've ever encountered, and it shows how much research went into itI won't forget this series very soon. It's one of the best Neolithic fiction pieces I've ever encountered, and it shows how much research went into it, both into the material culture and the traditions of the peoples depicted.
At first, you may be tempted to think that the story is a bit too simple, too black-or-white, but if you read the explanations given by the author at the beginning/ending of the three books, you understand that this is actually part of the traditional storytelling style of Aleut people. In fact, as you go on reading, you will see that there's a great wealth of details and vividness that make the characters and the story come alive. There's nothing that feels unplausible or too black and white after a while.
The mix of native words (especially in the names) into the text can make it a bit difficult to read, but thanks to the story it still flows easily. I finished all three books in no time and I'm just sorry there wasn't more. ...more
Loading...
