rafdee13's reviews
60 reviews

It was alright. Some things I really liked, others...idk, the characters didn't feel very human despite 800 pages spent with them. They felt very flat. I would spend Tane's section waiting to get back to Ead's. Then it would go to Loth's who was...idk...a nice guy? Roos was a little more interesting, but for someone who

promised his dead lover (who he talks about 24/7) that he would protect their granddaughter

he doesn't seem to think of her much or mention her whatsoever! I forgot she had any relevance to him until the end. 

The food and locations didn't feel very inventive or fleshed out either. It was like "here's fantasy Netherlands with some different food words mashed together" but for every land. 

Sorry, I think I'm being more mean then warranted. The writing style is good and easy to follow. The plot relationship building moments between characters were enjoyable. Outfit descriptions were vibrant. I think I'd give it up to 200 and see if you'd like to continue. 

This book spoke to me as a Puerto Rican. I could see my family here, the women of my family holding everything together by sheer necessity and by the tips of their fingers. 

Many people seem to be ragging on Nina specifically as self hating and self loathing about being Puerto rican but I don't think that's true. I also struggle with my Spanish, not because I hate my culture but because of forced assimilation by American doctors and culture. I appreciate that there's representation of an extremely alienating experience that both Americans and other Hispanics use as ammunition. 

I had the audio version, with the author reading aloud. I can tell she's probably done beat poetry as the rhythms of her writing and reading flow as such. It's beautiful. 

the ending had me nearly crash the damn car though, fuck.

The promise of this book was better then the result. The ending was good- but I'm not sure it was deserved. You spend hours upon hours with the Richardsons, the focus is on them, how THEY are changed by Mia and Pearl and the baby left on the step of the fire station- the problem is, I don't care about them. What do I care about how some rich suburban white people who casually talk about owning a house or going to Yale, learn that racism is bad or that poor people do things? What do I care if they need help getting an abortion or don't understand postpartum psychosis?

Mia and Pearl were more interesting but only because they weren't the fucking Richardson's. Mia herself didn't seem like much outside of a dispenser of motherly wisdom. Despite an entire section on each character meticulously telling their backstory- I feel like there wasn't much to her. 

There's this line at the end that is especially irritating about how Izzie was only understood by two people in the world- Pearl and Mia. But her and Pearl don't interact! That's the point! The literally are with each other's moms instead of their own, when did they get time to actually talk to each other? Unless it's an inate connection through Mia's mothering?? If it was Lexi then I'd understand, but it's not.

I want to preface this by saying that im glad this book exists. I think these essays have a lot to offer and that Piepzna Samarasinha is a very cool person. 

That being said: this book feels very rough. It could've benefited from better editing, which I think was taken into consideration with "The Future is Diasabled" as it feels more complete, with better writing.

 Some of my complaints are petty and closer to stylistic prefance, I'm aware of that. Some I'm a little more concerned about. 

First: petty. I was listening, so when I heard "cutie bipoc" every sentence I was a little confused. Later I looked it up and saw it was actuall  "QTBIPOC". As a "QTBIPOC" myself I suppose, I'm not entirely sure why this term is really used. (Latinx is also not a term I'm fond of, but that's a lot of discourse)

 It also got very distracting to her "black and brown" every sentence as well. Trust me i am glad we ate talking about disability intersections with race as someone who is neurodiverse and brown, but you can say it once and construct your writing to not need to repeat the phrase every so often. 

I often did not know what phrases or references meant in relation to disability justice or spaces. As I am listening at work or driving, I cannot stop to look them up. "The future is disabled" does a much better job explaining acronyms or phrases before continuing (WITH OUTLOUD CITATIONS!!). This might just be me not being the target audience though, as I am abled. 

For more serious stuff: I don't like the propositioning of femmes as being the only people to do care work. I think they and women are definitely doing much of it, but a lot of the language of this book was extremely dismissive to care  contributions transmascs or men of color have made to their communities.

Another thing it that is is very north American centric. Which yeah, that's where the author lives. But the disability experience of someone living in the first world is going to be difference then someone living in the third world.   

strings, tied together between her father and her and mother and her and the pieces of art in their lives. 

I listened to this audiobook a long time ago, but I remember the feelings it evocked in me. I was curled up in the backseat of a car, ripping down a rainforest road, listening to the best audiobook performance I've ever heard. That shit was so good.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. 

On the one hand, Atwood clearly illustrates the terrible position of women in Greek society, while also marking the difference class makes in how that misogyny is experienced. Penelope has certain expectations and roles placed on her as a noble woman, while the enslaved girls and maids have absolutely no role. They are nothing. They are the background fodder of Greek society, keeping it running while endlessly suffering under it. The 12 maids may have been killed by Odysseus's order, but it was clear from the beginning that their fate was sealed form the beginning. The chorus was a fantastic way to rebuttal Penelope, and was very effective in the audiobook.

On the other hand, I'm not sure whether to take Penelope's searing resentment of Helen as a character flaw, maybe an analysis of the madonna/whore complex and the way women are pitted against each other when shoved into it. Or instead just what it is on the surface: genuine hatred of Helen, and women like her. The weird interludes talking about the modern world were jarring, especially when taking the first person pov into account. Honestly reminded me of some deviantart fanficiton I've read before. Just...why, sometimes.