The great style of writing doesn't save the fact that this book focuses its forward movement solely on trauma theater. Content warning for very graphic sexual assault and child abuse scenes. I had to put it down multiple times for my own mental health and barely made it through the end. Not quite redemptive at the end either, at least not in a way that felt satisfying.
Reviews and Comments
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Fatu reviewed Perish by Latoya Watkins
Fatu rated The Colour of Magic: 4 stars
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, #1)
Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels are consistent number one bestsellers in England, where they have garnered him a revered position …
Fatu reviewed Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (Discworld (3))
Fantastic Writing
4 stars
Pratchett has a great sense of wit and humor and it comes through in this piece. Great for a first foray into the DiscWorld. I appreciated the ending on this one more than I did on the other two I've read, and both my partner and I had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments while reading
Fatu reviewed Mort by Terry Pratchett
Great Writing, Cop-Out Ending
4 stars
I appreciate Pratchett's commitment to the absurd, though I thought the Deus Ex ending was a bit heavy-handed and could've used more nuance and gravitas. Still, it's worth the read, even if you haven't delved too much into the Discworld series
Mort by Terry Pratchett
Death takes on an apprentice who's an individual thinker.
Fatu rated The Disordered Cosmos: 4 stars
The Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
From a star theoretical physicist, a journey into the world of particle physics and the cosmos — and a call …
Fatu rated The Spear Cuts Through Water: 4 stars
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, …
Fatu rated We Do This 'Til We Free Us: 5 stars
We Do This 'Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba, Tamara K. Nopper, Naomi Murakawa
A reflection on prison industrial complex abolition and a vision for collective liberation from organizer and educator Mariame Kaba.
“Organizing …
Fatu rated We Do This 'Til We Free Us: 5 stars
We Do This 'Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba, Tamara K. Nopper, Naomi Murakawa
A reflection on prison industrial complex abolition and a vision for collective liberation from organizer and educator Mariame Kaba.
“Organizing …
Fatu reviewed The truth by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, part 25)
Relevant and Engaging
4 stars
Great piece of work. The first one of Pratchett's I happen to read. The beginning was a little difficult for me given all the characters introduced but it picks up and was actually really engaging and incredibly relevant to issues of mis/disinformation today
Fatu reviewed Red Rock Stories by Stephen Trimble
Good Marker of a Historical Moment
3 stars
I enjoyed the premise and context - intergenerational authors and advocates joining their voices to the creation of Bear Ears National Monument Park. It's nice to see Native voices included, though it still feels lacking given it was a Tribal Coalition-led endeavor. At times, particularly with the older authors, it's too liberal white-gazey for me to give it more than 3 stars. The few phenomenal pieces peppered in between, and the historical nature of the context make this worth a casual read.
Fatu reviewed How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
Decent Writing and Story, Unlikeable Narrator
3 stars
The writing is good and engaging, especially if you have Latinx roots. On that note though, if you're queer, Latinx, or both, then the narrator can be pretty unlikeable and plenty of the things she says hit a bit too close to home. Spoiler alerts for familial physical abuse and homophobia
Fatu reviewed Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong
Fantastic Memoir
5 stars
Incredible gift from Alice Wong to the world, and especially to those in the disability and other advocacy communities who look to her example. Phenomenal insight into her life, mind, and incredible example at setting boundaries on the abled gaze
Fatu reviewed Love after the End by Joshua Whitehead
Phenomenal Anthology
4 stars
Partner and I started reading this to each other before bed but some of the stories were too stressful for my partner to read at night. Fantastic collection, incredible pieces. There were a few that were a bit hit or miss for me (in the 3 star range) due to either pacing or writing style, but most of the stories were both heart wrenchingly beautiful and incredibly insightful.