"This was the book that started me on the path of steganographic textiles. While many find Madame Defarge a villainous bitter woman, callously knitting between executions, for me she represents a feminist hero, channeling her rage at sexual violence against women as fuel for the French Revolution."

"Oshima is often likened to Godard, but I think the true kindred spirit is Fassbinder—for the restless intellect and furious productivity, and the rage, wit, and lucidity with which they probed their respective national psyches. These are also two of the most devastating films ever made about racism."

"Oshima is often likened to Godard, but I think the true kindred spirit is Fassbinder—for the restless intellect and furious productivity, and the rage, wit, and lucidity with which they probed their respective national psyches. These are also two of the most devastating films ever made about racism."