The theme of this is really the intersectionality of struggle, that Martin Luther King Jr.’s famously summarized as: “Injustice anywhere is a threat tThe theme of this is really the intersectionality of struggle, that Martin Luther King Jr.’s famously summarized as: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere.”
I hadn’t read anything by Angela Davis, and this one caught my eye given current events in Palestine. This is a selection of speeches and essays rather than a cohesive collection that progresses. It’s well worth reading, but it’s repetitive because the pieces weren’t originally intended to be collected into a book....more
Yusef Salaam weaves his memoir as one of the wrongfully convicted Central Park Five with an inspirational message about what it means to be an alchemiYusef Salaam weaves his memoir as one of the wrongfully convicted Central Park Five with an inspirational message about what it means to be an alchemist of our own lives.
His story is horrifying, but he has an uplifting message and he doesn’t shy away from discussion of what’s wrong with the system.
I’d pair this with Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow and Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. ...more
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing f“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’”
“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
“...we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.”
I’d been putting this one off because of the poor reviews, and that was a huge mistake! I really liked it. Although it’s not “enjoyable” (it4.5 stars!
I’d been putting this one off because of the poor reviews, and that was a huge mistake! I really liked it. Although it’s not “enjoyable” (it covers a lot of intense, depressing material), I loved the mode of storytelling and the writing itself (although, judging from the reviews, it’s clear that this is a polarizing opinion)....more
I love that Remini herself narrated this audiobook. It was fun and shocking and eye-opening.
If you're a King of Queens fan, you'll probably enjoy thisI love that Remini herself narrated this audiobook. It was fun and shocking and eye-opening.
If you're a King of Queens fan, you'll probably enjoy this even more than I did--I didn't know anything about Remini before picking this up, so I didn't feel as connected as a fan might be....more
I wish that every single one of these stories were made into a full-length novel. They were complex and all so very different. I love stories that graI wish that every single one of these stories were made into a full-length novel. They were complex and all so very different. I love stories that grapple with religion and philosophy but not in a sermon-y or fable-type way, and wow, these were amazing....more
This needs to be read twice: once to read it straight through without Le Guin's comments, and then a second time to reread each section with her thougThis needs to be read twice: once to read it straight through without Le Guin's comments, and then a second time to reread each section with her thoughts.
For the most part, while her comments added value, they were distracting from the simplicity and beauty of the Tao Te Ching itself.
A note: Le Guin did not translate this work. She took a bunch of existing translations and created her own poetic version. This is her interpretation, and it's beautiful.
It definitely made me want to read other versions of the Tao Te Ching to compare....more
I don't know if I'll be able to put into words specifically what I didn't like about this without sounding like an awful person.
I don't judge her forI don't know if I'll be able to put into words specifically what I didn't like about this without sounding like an awful person.
I don't judge her for her former addiction or the way she raises her children. But throughout the book, all I could think was "I'd never be friends with this person." And when you couple that with a writing style that didn't suit my tastes, I couldn't enjoy this book.
This isn't a memoir so much as a collection of blog posts. She doesn't try to come off as perfect; in fact, most of these stories highlight her imperfections--I admire that. What I don't admire is this: if you decide to write a book about yourself and what you've learned, part of that is baring your soul. And if you don't want to do that, maybe don't write one. In only two of these stories did I really feel like I got to know Melton: "Hard" and "It Will Be Beautiful." These were wonderful. If the whole book had been stories like those, I would have given this five stars. ...more
I saw Goff at Catalyst University and found him such a dynamic speaker that I had to give his book a shot even though it's nothing like what I normallI saw Goff at Catalyst University and found him such a dynamic speaker that I had to give his book a shot even though it's nothing like what I normally read. Well, here we go!
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The stories in here were amazing (made even better because I could imagine Goff narrating the book so enthusiastically), and I guess if I didn't want each story in the book to end with a lesson about Jesus's love, I shouldn't have picked up a book clearly shelved in the Christianity section.
Bob is a great, inspiring man. This book was fun for me, but I ended up skimming significant portions. ...more
Liked: the religious/evangelical aspects, watching the world fall apart from a distance, the Oasans
Disliked: the relationship building, the ENDING
I'd Liked: the religious/evangelical aspects, watching the world fall apart from a distance, the Oasans
Disliked: the relationship building, the ENDING
I'd like to put more of an effort into my review writing this year, but this ending made me so angry that I want to just be done with this book. I may revisit this review....more
I didn't feel this one stood the test of time well.
This is clearly a classic--it's well-written, and its premise is fascinating. The book opens 600 yeI didn't feel this one stood the test of time well.
This is clearly a classic--it's well-written, and its premise is fascinating. The book opens 600 years after a nuclear holocaust, and society has rebelled against learning and literacy believing that advanced knowledge is what led to the world's destruction. It centers around a monastery located in a desert in the Southwestern US and tells three stories separated by centuries.
So here's what I mean about the test of time:
(1) It doesn't even kind of pass the Bechdel test which I found super annoying. I'm used to my science fiction not having a ton of strong female characters, but this one had virtually none except for women as symbols rather than women as, you know, real characters. Sure, there are books that can be about men, and that's completely fine. But this book is about SOCIETY. Surely women play a role in society.
(2) The style of speech didn't seem to be given a ton of thought (with the exception of a tremendous amount of Latin thrown in because, you know, that really drives home the point that it takes place in a monastery). The book spans thousands of years, but the characters still use dated slang from the mid-20th century. Like "gypped." No new slang is invented, no new words are used. Language does not evolve at all over the thousands of years.
(3) For a science fiction book, this one sure seemed, um, anti-science.
There are some truly great passages about religion, knowledge, and morality. I found it enjoyable but a little tiring in large doses....more
Maybe 4.5 stars? I'm going to need to think about this one and write a review later.
I thought this was beautifully done. Chava is a golem without a maMaybe 4.5 stars? I'm going to need to think about this one and write a review later.
I thought this was beautifully done. Chava is a golem without a master, and Ahmad is a jinni who doesn't know who enslaved him. They find themselves in New York City at the peak of immigration in 1899. They themselves are immigrants, but more profoundly so than the humans around them.
I love the mythological elements woven so seamlessly into this novel. It doesn't feel forced; it doesn't even really feel magical. It feels like fact....more