bahareads's Reviews (1.09k)

Tiffany Sippial argues that by using Celia Sánchez’s life as a lens, one can see how the revolutionary’s “New Woman” was being made and remade with Sánchez as the standard. Sippial uses her book to answer posed questions about the official narrative purpose of Celia Sánchez’s life, like the lack of focus on her child and early adulthood. Through these questions Sippial contrasts who Sánchez was, with and against the official narrative.

Sippial employs feminist biography and cultural history methodologies to make history and mythology indistinguishable. She shows Sánchez becoming the embodiment of the New Woman, similar to J.M. Taylor’s study of Eva Perón. Sippial acknowledges her own presence, and the subjectivity needed for biography as a form of historical inquiry. She starts each chapter with her personal experiences in researching Sánchez. Sippial examines Sánchez’s purposeful and strategic framing of her public image, balancing it with concerns of time, space, and gender constraints. She looks at meanings assigned to Sánchez’s experiences within official discourses, memory, and sites of memorialization. An example of interrogating meaning is examining Sánchez’s embodiment of a mariposa and how it links her to national mythology.

Sippial uses a feminist biographer lens for her work, building upon the work of other feminist biographers like Susan Crane. She builds on the biographical work of Cuban women and gender studies. Sippial invites other scholars to explore the possibilities that exist in feminist biographies to enrich and understand women’s lives while emphasising there is more work to be done in this area of historiography. Sippial differs from other writers on Sánchez because she starts with Sanchez’s childhood instead of her revolutionary work.

One of Sippial’s points is that by posing questions one can see Sánchez’s life against the broader discourse of acceptable revolutionary womanhood as Sánchez is lauded as the acceptable revolutionary woman. Sippial’s second point is it is necessary to start with Sánchez’s childhood in her biography to understand her approach to politics. Sánchez’s life story is linked to the foundational myths of the revolutionary experience as a struggle for solidarity and survival (8, 11). The third point is the timing of Sánchez’s death, alongside the revolutionary government losing effectiveness, helped shape the official narratives of her life and career. Sánchez’s life and important contributions have been shaped through the cross-pollination of voices, memory, and media.

Paulo Drinot examines both the creation and closure of Lima's Barrio Rojo and tells us about Peruvian society in the first half of the 20th century. He tells readers why prostitution regulation was adopted and then abandoned, and how that tells readers about the history of Lima and Peru. His approach intersects with studies that look at the gendered character of state formation in Latin America. He adopts an approach to studying the state that moves beyond seeing the state as a paternal and patriarchal state acting upon society. He challenges the idea that the medicalization of prostitution and disease was an elite 'top-down' project.

He says "In Peru, projects were highly racialized, officials began to look and see if the Indian could be redeemable or improved" and that there was a belief that "Prostitutes [were] needed to be made safe for men to turn them away from sexual perversions like gayness or masturbation." By studying prosititon it explores ideas about how male and female sexuality informed attempts to govern prostitution and venereal disease. The regulation of prostitution in Lima produced two things: (1) society was increasingly pathologized (Euro racial thought influenced the Latin American elite's views of themselves) & (2) Pathologized society allowed for regeneration and civilization.

Claire Adam is WICKED!! I read Golden Child on audiobook; the narrator was great!

The dichotomy between Peter and Paul was interesting. I liked the fact that we can see Paul's POV and not Peter's. Moving back and forth between Paul and, their father, Clyde's POV was great. I enjoyed them both. The dilemma was pulling me apart. I wanted to throw up in a few scenes. Reflexing back on them now makes me want to cry.

At first, I thought he just had dyslexia but by the end of the book, I was pretty sure he had some form of autism. Of course, he could be neither of those things, but the story around his birth and the 'difficulties' does not attribute to everything that happened or to his POV in which he had full mental capacity. Peter HAVING to live with that pressure and expectation was so upsetting to me. It was not just one life ruined, multiple lives were ruined because of the decisions made. What pissed ME off the most was the FUCKING uncle. I wanted to see more of the effects of the decision immediately post-making-it but seeing Peter after graduation was also impactful.

Elizabeth O'Brien centres Mexico and highlights clinical knowledge produced by Mexican women, bodies, and health care providers. She says the modern claim about fetal personhood is rooted in surgical force against marginalized and racialized women and that it is the key to understanding obstetric violence and obstetric racism today. O'Brien adds to the historical literature on the medicalized commodification of women's bodies by showing obstetric violence lies at the heart of claims about fetal souls, maternal work, and marginalized groups in national projects in Mexico. She is inspired by the feminist scholarly tradition of writing history through the body.

O'Brien connects the religious origins of caesarean operations in Latin America to modern developments and a chronological broadening of understanding 'meaning-making' in obstetric surgery. There is an emphasis on the theological origins of ideas that add to modern reproductive healthcare tradition that explores how authorities under distinct governments conceived social interventions as pathways to salvation and regeneration.

The book is organized into five chronological sections that address surgery. Each section contains two chapters that historicize reproductive surgery: in theory, policy, and clinical practice. O'Brien is focused on Mexico City because of her source base which draws from a range of religious, medical, and state-based sources such as theological tomes, ecclesiastical records, mission records, and writings by medical students, clinicians, and public health officials.

She uses the word 'experiential' to refer to various procedures. She knows her designations are not straightforward but she does not believe surgery is inherently harmful and does not pass moral judgement on the historical subjects. Women of all racial and social classes are featured in the book because "surgery was a fault line between inclusion, exclusion and embodied prejudice." O'Brien argues Surgeons' and obstetricians' aims were different. Though they both used eugenics to show their subjects were unfit. Surgery was the only way to see an in a womb and a fetus still with its mother.

Surgery and Salvation historicizes debates in one of the most surgically significant countries in the Global South. O'Brien asserts obstetric violence was not worse in the Global South than in the Global North. Mexico was predisposed to medical violence and the history of obstetrics should not fall into narratives about surgical backwardness.

Boring 

Perhaps Americanah was a revolutionary immigrant novel when it came out but I have read better. Adichie's writing is fantastic. The book unfurls itself in waves. The book is plotless, we see Ifemelu and Obinze going through life. There was no serious character development. While readers see Ifemelu and Obinze grow up they fundamentally do not change. Obinze's POV was just there, Obinze's POV was my favorite. Ifemelu was unlikable for me. I wanted MORE of Obinze throughout the book.

The secondary characters are not fleshed out well. They're there for the plot and to help the main characters progress forward. Dike is the only one I felt attached to at all. I adored him because Ifemelu adored him. I loved being able to see the struggles of the diaspora in him.

I enjoyed how Ifemelu's relationships allowed us to see interactions with White and Black Americans. Ifemelu realises she will never fully be able to understand her White boy and with Blaine (Black bf), she sees she can never fully understand him either. Personally, I don’t think Black people who weren’t born and raised in America can truly understand what it’s like to grow up in the USA’s specific repressive and oppressive environment. I did not like how all the interactions Ifelemu had with African Americans were negative either overly or subtly so; it brought an abrasiveness.

Adichie said in an interview that Americanah was supposed to be funny... It was not. The blog posts of Ifemelu were humorous occasionally but een nuttin' funny in this book. The ending of the book was soft. The book is almost divided into two halves: immigration and romance. The romance was lacking. I understand pinning and star-crossed lovers, but OH BROTHER GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK.

The way Adichie approaches race in the novel is interesting... Ifemelu has never experienced racism in Nigeria. I saw a clip where Adichie says she did not think of herself as Black, and that no one in Nigeria thinks of themselves as Black which.... Ifemelu has experienced colourism; which TO ME is a subcategory of racism. I live and grew up in a Black, former-British-colony society and you can SEE racism within the society. You KNOW you're Black. I understand in a majority Black society you need to find other ways to distinguish yourself, like through ethnicity and class but...

slut … bitch … skank … whore.

Louise O'Neill is going to see me in HELL. I should have known; Asking For It is my second book by O'Neill. I wanted to throw my phone and scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to rage. This book is dark and triggering.

All of the characters are unlikeable. The only one who had a redeeming quality about them was the brother. I do not like MCs that have no likeable qualities about them but when we hit the rape section I changed from no liking for Emma to the deepest depths of pity. Emma is a stereotypical mean girl. She has no true friends. She's shallow. She's insecure. She uses her sexuality for influence, and to be liked. She has a bad relationship with her mother who is a Boy-Mom.

It was very thought-inducing. Asking For It has no resolution. Readers see Emma's life in the toilet, and it does not change. I reflected on what if it was me; how would that affect my life? The phrase at the beginning is rinsed and repeated constantly by Emma. It becomes her internal dialogue. I couldn't stop thinking about her internal monologue. She has no memory of the event, but thanks to FB there are pictures and comments for EVERYONE to see. Legs splayed open. Pink flesh.

Before the rape, I thought about DNF-ing. I was not sure where O'Neill was going. It was 20% of the way in asking myself - "wtf am I reading." It was just Emma's adventures with her friends but reflecting. It sets the scene for what is to come. HOWEVER it was a horrible first 20%, I only got through it because I was listening to an audiobook. I think I didn't find the characters overwhelming because it was an audiobook. Emma is the MC. All the secondary characters are very very side characters. Do not think there will be character development in the book. No character develops into anything else.

*I listened to this on audiobook* Now I listened to all of Avevedo's books back-to-back except Family Lore. While this novel is told in verse, it did not sound like it. It read (sounded) like regular prose.

On November 12, 2001, flight AA587 crashed in the ground in Queens killing 260 persons. More than 90% of the passengers on flight AA587 were of Dominican descent. It is the second-deadliest aviation crash in United States history. It is from this historical event that Elizabeth Acevedo decided to pen her third novel. (just took this from BookofCinz review to help with the background).

The book is split between Camino and Yahaira's POV. I LOVED the split view; it translates well when the girls turn to WHY their father has done this. Honestly that is my favourite part, when and how they wrestle with issues of WHO their father was, and WHY he lived two lives. They do not get all the answers, but we do see healing and kindling of family ties. THAT is what I liked. I preferred Yahaira's POV, yet both Camino and Yahaira were loveable. They were imperfect. They were REAL. I felt all the feelings they felt; the rise and fall of the emotional waves was amazing.

The book is raw and real. The characters shine through. I did not like (though I know it to be true in most cases), that Yaharia HAD to go to the US to have a better life. It rubbed me the wrong that emigration was a must in the book. I could be transposing my personal feelings on the book, regarding brain drain and the tropicalization of island life.

*I listened to this on audiobook*

Now I listened to all of Avevedo's books back-to-back except Family Lore.

The dreaded line of 'letting out holding breath they didn't know they were holding' was in this book BUT I'll let it pass. The pacing of the book was good, I enjoyed the storyline. The plot reminded me of when teenage pregnancy was very very popular on TV (like 16 and pregnant). Pregnancy AS a plot point always irks me. However I did not mind it with this book. I realize cooking is one of THE plot anchors in the book, but constantly being reminded of how it's such a gift of Emoni's did get tiresome.

Emoni's struggles as a teenage mom, learning to trust men romantically again, and fostering a relationship with her father were all done well. I enjoyed how they carried throughout the plot and were 'resolved.' The resolution was realistic. Readers see how Emoni begin to heal in areas while also still having problems/struggles. The romance was heart-warming; one of my favorite part of the book.

The strong woman trope is overdone. Acevedo titters on the edge with Emoni. It's one of my least favorite parts of the book. I realise she NEEDS to be strong to not break down but it was abrasive to me in some aspects.

With all this being said this was my least favorite book, out of all Acevedo's that I have read so far.

It's hard for me to read novels in verse but LISTENING. Acevedo did a great job. I felt a wide range of emotions. Acevado probes religion and family with Poet X. Xiomara's struggle with finding herself, her place in faith, and her footing with her family struck me deeply. I cried listening to some scenes. I was made at Mami in other scenes. I was frustrated at Xiomara in others. I have not been a fan of YA recently but I deeply enjoyed Acevedo's work. As a debut novel, Poet X is strong.