brianreadsbooks's Reviews (820)

What I liked about this book is how the author discusses a different type of cultural appropriation in each chapter. Often the topic is discussed only in terms of music or fashion. Jackson covers these, but also areas I hadn't considered before like art and language, technology, economics, and even activism. Jackson's writing is unique and almost like prose at times. Very different from a dry and purely academic book on a cultural topic, I found her writing added a lot of interest and made for an engaging reading experience. I recommend this one for folks who want to go a step deeper in learning after broader books on racism/anti-racism like So You Want to Talk about Race, Caste, or Why I'm No Longer Talking About Race.

This book blew me away! Possible last-minute contender for best book I read in 2021. I had it in my shelf for almost 2 years and finally decided to grab it, and now kicking myself for waiting so long.

Pure entertainment. All of Moreno-Garcia’s books are completely different in genre, but all are utterly readable page-turners that have sucked me into finishing them in 1-2 days. She’s also great at setting the story around real historical facts. Velvet Was The Night was no exception, and was even more fast-paced than others I’ve read by her. I’d be shocked if it wasn’t made into a film; it’s incredibly cinematic in its characters, setting, and plot.