At first, I was very hesitant about reading this book simply because using comics to speak about Guantanamo seemed...trivializing. However, this book really surprised me. The comics featured stories from lawyers, two former detainees, and whistleblowers. The comics are each by a different artist. The story is less focused on the atrocities suffered by illegally held detainees and more a commentary on the repeated failure of the US "justice" system and how detainees and legal aid attempt to navigate this extrajudicial legal system. Also, reading the choices made when putting this collection together made me feel more comfortable with the format. Lots of thought went into structure, choice of color used, and formatting.

After reading this book, I think the use of comics was a great choice. Seeing the illustrations makes the reader think about a space that the US government wants us to forget about. Second, the author makes clear throughout that pictures and video of Guantanamo are never permitted. In the final chapter, the author is on a media tour and at the end, they tell her that she cannot publish any photos. Using illustrations is a way to circumvent this censorship and attempt to show the reader what life is like in Guantanamo.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

"Our motto: Do one thing. If it works, do another. If it doesn't, do another anyway. Just keep chipping away."

Beautiful collection of campaigns from the Guerrilla Girls. I've always loved this group and their activism, so it was cool to see many of their campaigns together in one collection. My favorite campaigns include "Who Is This Slimy Creature? It's Newt!" (referring to Newt Gingrich), "3 Ways to Write a Museum Wall Label When the Artist is a Sexual Predator," and "Top Ten Signs that You're an Art World Token."

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an ARC!

hmmm...i honestly don’t know how to feel about this book. i finished it a few hours ago and i’ve just been sitting here stunned trying to process it.

if you are looking for a “feminist retelling” of the Iliad/Odyssey (i don’t know the difference between these two books despite having read them for multiple classes and tbh i don’t care), this book is certainly not that. i think the word to best describe it is...horrifying. it’s hard to put a feminist spin on ancient war. so ultimately what you’re left with is the recounting of the terrible treatment of women from the perspective of one of those women. but with that said, there is something so gripping about this book.

it’s lucid and expertly written. it’s a book where i had to remind myself to breathe. i’ll have to write a more coherent review later because i truly can’t find the words to describe it

i read this book in an effort to give stephen king a chance this spooky season. the story is fine but king is just a bizarre writer. the way that he writes about women is deeply unsettling.

i read maybe the first three books in this series and can’t bring myself to finish it. it’s just okay honestly. like i said i cant finish the series and if you told me i had to reread the first three, i would honestly start screaming.

"bed of windows, bed of forests, bed of engines, lie down... Those who fear those who run"

I'm honestly not sure how to rate this. I think most of it went over my head. There were some beautiful moments, but I just could not get into it.

Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC!

“tell me something that only i will ever know...what will you give me to remember you by?”

pretty good. i kind of expected more out of the ending but oh well. it’s well written and certainly spooky.

"Something essential happens in a vegetable garden. It's a place where if you can't say 'I love you' out loud, you can say it in seeds. And the land will reciprocate, in beans."

"We are showered every day with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out into the universe will always come back."

"And so I plant Daffodils, hundreds of them, in sunny flocks beneath the Maples, in homage to their beauty and in reciprocity for their gift."

This is a beautiful, stunning, spiritual, and deeply-moving book. There is so much that I could quote from it, but I want to also share my thoughts. This book is poetry, knowledge, stories, legends, and a call to action all in one.

Basically, everyone needs to read this book. There are very few books that I would say that about, but I think this is essential reading for all humanity. It is no exaggeration to say that it changed my worldview. I have always loved nature, but I have never before considered my relationship with nature through the lens of reciprocity. Giving agency to plants and animals completed shifted how I see the world. I feel enriched and made whole through this book. Dr. Kimmerer's prose is beautiful, weaving her way through her own life experiences, Indigenous knowledge, and scientific beliefs. It is truly a stunning work of art. I cannot wait to read this over again; it is the type of book that I know will give me new knowledge each time I pick it up.

Please, please, please read this!!!

"We laid the sheets out on the now dry floor and she rolled him onto them. I didn't want to touch him. He looked like a man who could survive a couple flesh wounds, but then so had Achilles and Caesar."

I spent this past weekend working on a lengthy paper for law school. Sunday evening, I needed a quick break and I picked this book up for some relief.

Well, two and a half hours later, my paper sat unfinished, but I had read this book through in one sitting. It is truly fantastic. The characters are wonderfully brought to life and the story kept me on edge until the very end.

My recommendation is to pick up this book, shirk all responsibilities, and enjoy the genius prose of Oyinkan Braithwaite.