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Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race in Books
Jul 25, 2017
There's no justice, just us...
My reaction to this book was FINALLY someone is discussing the intersectionality between feminism, classism, and the British identity with race and racism. Absolutely current and relevant to society especially in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. I read this in one go, nodding and shouting in agreement throughout. Reni Eddo-Lodge writes coherently and extremely succinctly to make the language accessible, and the anecdotes slightly terrifying. An absolute must-read and listen.
The Craggus (360 KP) rated Crazy Rich Asians (2018) in Movies
Oct 3, 2018
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) is crazy delightful. #Review
“Crazy Rich Asians” may open with some awful British racism, but it’s an effective shorthand way of introducing fearsome matriarch Eleanor Young (Michelle Yeo) and putting us firmly in the Young family’s corner. And it’s a necessary step too because we’re about to embark on a visually lavish exploration of the trials and tribulations of the lifestyles of the obscenely rich and wantonly famous, Singapore-style...
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusCrazyRichAsians
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusCrazyRichAsians
The Greatest Fights That Never Were
Book
Sports fans fondly recall the greatest boxing matches of all time, but an obsessive conversation...
Ross (3284 KP) rated Innervisions by Stevie Wonder in Music
Jul 6, 2020
Rolling Stone's 24th greatest album of all time
Brilliant intelligent and thought-provoking soul album. Higher Ground has to be one of the best feelgood soul songs, and Living for the City certainly becomes more topical once again with the discussions ongoing on systemic racism, being about a young black man arriving in New York for the first time, and quickly being arrested and imprisoned for accidentally walking down the wrong street and being approached by the wrong person.
Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated So You Want to Talk About Race in Books
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Excellent, points are absolutely spot on
There has been a spate of incredible literature from African American writers, and this book in particular, stands out because of its instructional, informative guide on tackling racism as a topic.
From discussing how to approach the subject with others, to giving direct instructions for those who are willing to learn to change, there are few books out there that are as useful as Ijeoma Oluo's step by step process.
Most of all, the introduction of intersectionality, micro-aggressions and the myth of the model migrant is absolutely vital. It is one of the only books on racism I've seen in mainstream literature, that tackles issues faced by other races such as the East Asian and South Asian communities, bringing together a more diverse portrayal rather than just black, white and Hispanic.
Her own personal views are wonderful - the chapter on her 8-year-old son's choice to not pledge allegiance is utterly heartfelt, and yet she handles the situation very well. An absolute essential read.
From discussing how to approach the subject with others, to giving direct instructions for those who are willing to learn to change, there are few books out there that are as useful as Ijeoma Oluo's step by step process.
Most of all, the introduction of intersectionality, micro-aggressions and the myth of the model migrant is absolutely vital. It is one of the only books on racism I've seen in mainstream literature, that tackles issues faced by other races such as the East Asian and South Asian communities, bringing together a more diverse portrayal rather than just black, white and Hispanic.
Her own personal views are wonderful - the chapter on her 8-year-old son's choice to not pledge allegiance is utterly heartfelt, and yet she handles the situation very well. An absolute essential read.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Small Great Things in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I read this book (a while back now!) as part of a readalong with lots of bookish friends on Instagram! It was called it #TheSmallGreatReadalong
see what we did there! Anyway, this review is coming so late compared to when I actually finished, but at least its here now!
My overall opinion on this one is that I liked it, but mainly because it was such a good discussion book, not because of the actual story. Now, that may sound controversial, that I didnt enjoy the bulk of a book all about racism, but thats not what I mean. Let me explain
I think this book did an amazing job at opening up the topic of racism to the reader. As a white woman, living in a pretty middle class existence, I know for a fact that I have unfair privileges and I will never fully understand the complexities of racism, as much as I try to educate myself. This novel certainly has opened my eyes to the some of the more subtle aspects of racism that I hadnt even thought about before. While there were the obvious racist themes in this novel, it wasnt those that shocked me the most, it was the parts that you dont often think about when you think of racism. So for that, for opening my eyes and my mind, I applaud Picoult for writing such a difficult and controversial book.
However, I think the teachings of this book could have been done in a more compelling story. At the end of the day, there was nothing inherently wrong with the plot, but I didnt quite connect with it. I found a lot of it unexciting and the twist at the end, that Picoult just has to add into each one of her books, was so blatantly obvious it didnt surprise me at all and kind of made the rest of the book feel a bit cheap?
Picoults writing isnt my favourite, it doesnt suck me in as much as other authors, but its still weaves a pretty interesting story. I think the characters in this book were far stronger than the plot.
My favourite part of this novel was watching Ruth and Kennedys relationship grow. I loved seeing how Kennedy steadily grew to understand Ruths frustrations and her plight to bring race to the forefront of peoples minds.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, mainly because of what it taught me and how its made me see things in a different way. But, its not the most exciting story Ive ever read and Im not big on the writing style.
My overall opinion on this one is that I liked it, but mainly because it was such a good discussion book, not because of the actual story. Now, that may sound controversial, that I didnt enjoy the bulk of a book all about racism, but thats not what I mean. Let me explain
I think this book did an amazing job at opening up the topic of racism to the reader. As a white woman, living in a pretty middle class existence, I know for a fact that I have unfair privileges and I will never fully understand the complexities of racism, as much as I try to educate myself. This novel certainly has opened my eyes to the some of the more subtle aspects of racism that I hadnt even thought about before. While there were the obvious racist themes in this novel, it wasnt those that shocked me the most, it was the parts that you dont often think about when you think of racism. So for that, for opening my eyes and my mind, I applaud Picoult for writing such a difficult and controversial book.
However, I think the teachings of this book could have been done in a more compelling story. At the end of the day, there was nothing inherently wrong with the plot, but I didnt quite connect with it. I found a lot of it unexciting and the twist at the end, that Picoult just has to add into each one of her books, was so blatantly obvious it didnt surprise me at all and kind of made the rest of the book feel a bit cheap?
Picoults writing isnt my favourite, it doesnt suck me in as much as other authors, but its still weaves a pretty interesting story. I think the characters in this book were far stronger than the plot.
My favourite part of this novel was watching Ruth and Kennedys relationship grow. I loved seeing how Kennedy steadily grew to understand Ruths frustrations and her plight to bring race to the forefront of peoples minds.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, mainly because of what it taught me and how its made me see things in a different way. But, its not the most exciting story Ive ever read and Im not big on the writing style.