pickWowie zowie! As we stand on the edge of unraveling all of the social progress our country has made, reading March, Vol. 1-- the graphic novel memoir of Georgia congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis-- feels more important and relevant that ever. If you're feeling hopeless, if you worry about POCs voices not being heard, if you are a sentiment feeling human being this gripping memoir is well worth a read.
so-soOh boy. I'm a HUGE advocate for own voices literature and aggressively calling out white appropriations of POC's voices. This was a major instance of just that: a white dude trying to tell the stories of a group of Latinx bros living in Post-WWI Monterey, CA. It felt icky even though the adventures of the characters were endearing. As much as I love JS as a CA native author (REPRESENT), this book REALLY hasn't stood the test of time. 🙅🏻
pickI enjoy Coates's journalism and I was excited that he was the writer behind the newest incarnation of Black Panther. So far, I am intrigued by where the series is going and the political infighting in the series hits close to home. If you're familiar with the first incarnation of BP in the Fantastic Four comics of the 60s, this tale reads likes a vindication of the character and doesn't devalue his African-ness. Very well done!
so-soI initially bought this one from Book Outlet, scratch and dent because I'm ballin' on a budget, because I thought it was going to be speculative fiction about the Brighton bombing in '84. It wasn't. It's a collection of short stories that left me wanting more. I read on for the titular story, but alas to Maggie gore to warm my half-Irish heart. 😩
so-soThis was okay, good enough to recommend. As far as retellings of problematic source texts go, this was a good 'un.
pickOne of the best books I read all year and also a good antidote to the cluster fudge that has been 2016! If you're a fan of West's work or a lady on the internet, I highly, highly recommend!
panI felt as though my Hufflepuff sensibilities have been infringed upon. *sob*
pickI re-red this one in preparation for reading Max Porter's Grief is the Thing With Feathers. I read this one originally when I was just out of college and was then struck by the visceralness of the text. On my second read, I can't say I got more out of the read than a greater sense of the primordial nature of the Crow as a tricker intensity in western culture. Even if you aren't going to progress your reading to Porter this is a worthwhile read.
panMore in detailed review will be coming soon. However, I will say that this book was deeply problematic in relation to sexual orientation and expressions of sexuality, particularly as it relates to the Ace community. 🙅🏻 It wasn't unreadable, but deeply, profoundly problematic.
