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elle_reads's Reviews (446)
[IG @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[This Is How You Lose the Time War] Red and Blue form a relationship through letters in the midst of time’s fraying braid.
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WHAT I LIKED
Cyborgs and mythical nature-lovers jumping through time to secure their alliance’s outcome? Sounds AWESOME! I loved the concept of time in Amal El-Mohter and Max Gladstone’s work. Their commentary on humanity through different historical or mythical moments was my favorite aspect of this book. I particularly loved the idea of Atlantis in the time war.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Sad to say…I skimmed through most of this book. The entire book is written in that prequel voice where everything is too epic and you’re just waiting for the main characters you will grow to love to eventually make an entrance. Except they never did. I didn’t find the writing necessarily poetic either. It was stagnate throughout the entire work.
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The main characters Red and Blue are vastly different beings with different upbringings, different bodies, different powers, but they have THE EXACT SAME VOICE. There were small moments where I could tell one moment was supposed to be a particularly “Blue” moment, but it never went far enough. I don’t even have a good picture of the main characters in my head. I know one is a cyborg with a connection to her team’s group consciousness, but I don’t know what the other one is? A future human? A plant? An elf? I really have no idea even after rereading it to try and find out. All in all, this seemed like a barebones skeleton of a plot without any interesting and fully conceptualized meat.
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This Is How You Lose the Time War (by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone) ⚡️1/5
BOOK REVIEW
[This Is How You Lose the Time War] Red and Blue form a relationship through letters in the midst of time’s fraying braid.
//
WHAT I LIKED
Cyborgs and mythical nature-lovers jumping through time to secure their alliance’s outcome? Sounds AWESOME! I loved the concept of time in Amal El-Mohter and Max Gladstone’s work. Their commentary on humanity through different historical or mythical moments was my favorite aspect of this book. I particularly loved the idea of Atlantis in the time war.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Sad to say…I skimmed through most of this book. The entire book is written in that prequel voice where everything is too epic and you’re just waiting for the main characters you will grow to love to eventually make an entrance. Except they never did. I didn’t find the writing necessarily poetic either. It was stagnate throughout the entire work.
//
The main characters Red and Blue are vastly different beings with different upbringings, different bodies, different powers, but they have THE EXACT SAME VOICE. There were small moments where I could tell one moment was supposed to be a particularly “Blue” moment, but it never went far enough. I don’t even have a good picture of the main characters in my head. I know one is a cyborg with a connection to her team’s group consciousness, but I don’t know what the other one is? A future human? A plant? An elf? I really have no idea even after rereading it to try and find out. All in all, this seemed like a barebones skeleton of a plot without any interesting and fully conceptualized meat.
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This Is How You Lose the Time War (by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone) ⚡️1/5
Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[The Women’s Atlas] A 2018 account of women’s affairs.
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WHAT I LIKED
Organization makes or breaks an atlas. The Women’s Atlas brings the statistics' difficult realities to life.
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I’m especially impressed with balance of global, European, and American statistics. As a resident of a first world country, it can be easy to push difficult issues into “that’s not us.” But it is us. And terrible things we assume only happened in the world a hundred years ago are still happening overseas today. We just aren’t there to see it, and we turn a blind eye to what stares us in the face.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Understand the LGBTQA+ section is an overview. Some reviews I’ve perused wished for more detail. I think they chose statistics that correlated most closely to the atlas’s overall theme.
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I wish there was more attention to the statistics' chronology. There are some. I wanted more chronological comparisons to judge our progress as a society.
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The Women’s Atlas (by Joni Seager) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
BOOK REVIEW
[The Women’s Atlas] A 2018 account of women’s affairs.
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WHAT I LIKED
Organization makes or breaks an atlas. The Women’s Atlas brings the statistics' difficult realities to life.
//
I’m especially impressed with balance of global, European, and American statistics. As a resident of a first world country, it can be easy to push difficult issues into “that’s not us.” But it is us. And terrible things we assume only happened in the world a hundred years ago are still happening overseas today. We just aren’t there to see it, and we turn a blind eye to what stares us in the face.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Understand the LGBTQA+ section is an overview. Some reviews I’ve perused wished for more detail. I think they chose statistics that correlated most closely to the atlas’s overall theme.
//
I wish there was more attention to the statistics' chronology. There are some. I wanted more chronological comparisons to judge our progress as a society.
//
The Women’s Atlas (by Joni Seager) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW!
[Rhinoceros] Berenger’s co-workers and neighbors turn into rhinos.
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WHAT I LIKED
If everyone was becoming a rhino, would you join in? Think about it. Rhinos don’t have to worry about being run over by other rhinos. They don’t have to go to work. They can knock down stairs. Are rhinos cowardly conformist, or are the remaining humans racist?
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I loved the utter ridiculousness of Rhinoceros. I enjoyed watching through the eyes of Berenger, a somewhat boring human being. Are Berenger’s beliefs right or wrong?
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There is a section at the beginning in which the dialogue crossed between different parties across the stage. It was a bit difficult to follow, but easily forgiven seen as the performance would make sense.
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Rhinoceros (by Eugene Ionesco, translated by Derek Prouse) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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BOOK REVIEW!
[Rhinoceros] Berenger’s co-workers and neighbors turn into rhinos.
//
WHAT I LIKED
If everyone was becoming a rhino, would you join in? Think about it. Rhinos don’t have to worry about being run over by other rhinos. They don’t have to go to work. They can knock down stairs. Are rhinos cowardly conformist, or are the remaining humans racist?
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I loved the utter ridiculousness of Rhinoceros. I enjoyed watching through the eyes of Berenger, a somewhat boring human being. Are Berenger’s beliefs right or wrong?
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There is a section at the beginning in which the dialogue crossed between different parties across the stage. It was a bit difficult to follow, but easily forgiven seen as the performance would make sense.
//
Rhinoceros (by Eugene Ionesco, translated by Derek Prouse) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee] A historical account of the systematic destruction of American Indian tribes from the 1400s into the 1900s.
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WHAT I LIKED
Each chapter focuses on a few years and begins with a list of events from around the world. It helped me correctly position the events of each chapter within greater historical context. In my head, I wrongfully relegated the destruction of American Indian tribes to the early 1800s. The destruction continues far after. American Indians still weren’t included as people during the civil rights movement over 100 years later!
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Brown’s work balances historical documents, speeches, and statistics to keep the narrative moving forward. I liked his specific division between the escapades of individuals tribes before later relating the timing of each narrative. I made it easier for me to follow American military leaders throughout their interactions with indians. Some military leaders obstinately opposed the American Indians all through their leadership. Others began with hate, but ended with understanding.
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The American’s hypocrisy infuriates me. So many American Indians were forced off their farming village, compelled to follow buffalo herds for survival, and then the Americans tell them to settle down with farms like white men. American Indians taught white men to plant corm in the first place!
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I reached the back cover in utter shock.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Where did the women and children end up? Brown quickly mentions generalities such as slavery, surrender, but rarely explains where they physically landed. I suppose this may be information difficult to track down. I enjoyed the stories of The-One-Who-Speaks-Once and the Battle Where Girl Saves Her Brother.
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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (by Dee Brown) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee] A historical account of the systematic destruction of American Indian tribes from the 1400s into the 1900s.
//
WHAT I LIKED
Each chapter focuses on a few years and begins with a list of events from around the world. It helped me correctly position the events of each chapter within greater historical context. In my head, I wrongfully relegated the destruction of American Indian tribes to the early 1800s. The destruction continues far after. American Indians still weren’t included as people during the civil rights movement over 100 years later!
//
Brown’s work balances historical documents, speeches, and statistics to keep the narrative moving forward. I liked his specific division between the escapades of individuals tribes before later relating the timing of each narrative. I made it easier for me to follow American military leaders throughout their interactions with indians. Some military leaders obstinately opposed the American Indians all through their leadership. Others began with hate, but ended with understanding.
//
The American’s hypocrisy infuriates me. So many American Indians were forced off their farming village, compelled to follow buffalo herds for survival, and then the Americans tell them to settle down with farms like white men. American Indians taught white men to plant corm in the first place!
//
I reached the back cover in utter shock.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Where did the women and children end up? Brown quickly mentions generalities such as slavery, surrender, but rarely explains where they physically landed. I suppose this may be information difficult to track down. I enjoyed the stories of The-One-Who-Speaks-Once and the Battle Where Girl Saves Her Brother.
//
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (by Dee Brown) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[Growing Up Amish] A young Amish boy grapples with his future.
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WHAT I LIKED
Life is grey area. Humans learn as much from mistakes as triumphs. Ira Wagler is quick to pinpoint his own mistakes throughout his coming of age journey. Born in an Amish colony yet curious of the outside world, Wagler must find himself while his family pushes “himself” to be in a small box of their choosing. They do it out of love. They want him to be saved. Wagler grapples with these heartfelt reflections in a conversational tone. The is importance in family, but also importance in finding yourself - which one is stronger?
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Wagler uses lots of short sentences to create a conversational tone. I appreciated the conversation, but some chapters had too many ‘dun dun dun’ short sentence structures for my taste.
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I look forward to picking up his sequel in May!
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Growing Up Amish (by Ira Wagler) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️✨4.5/5
BOOK REVIEW
[Growing Up Amish] A young Amish boy grapples with his future.
//
WHAT I LIKED
Life is grey area. Humans learn as much from mistakes as triumphs. Ira Wagler is quick to pinpoint his own mistakes throughout his coming of age journey. Born in an Amish colony yet curious of the outside world, Wagler must find himself while his family pushes “himself” to be in a small box of their choosing. They do it out of love. They want him to be saved. Wagler grapples with these heartfelt reflections in a conversational tone. The is importance in family, but also importance in finding yourself - which one is stronger?
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Wagler uses lots of short sentences to create a conversational tone. I appreciated the conversation, but some chapters had too many ‘dun dun dun’ short sentence structures for my taste.
//
I look forward to picking up his sequel in May!
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Growing Up Amish (by Ira Wagler) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️✨4.5/5
Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[Out of China] A historical account of China’s foreign and domestic policy.
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WHAT I LIKED
Robert Bickers balances all the pieces of history. I always found adequate explanations of policy, culture, historical figures, etc as necessary to understand the plotline. General world context, such as the implications of the Vietnam War, are included when his argument believe the event significantly impacted China’s relations.
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Within the timeline, Bickers focuses on the continuation of imperialistic themes. I enjoyed his focus on China’s lens of the world in contract with western views of China. He focused on our need to understand, not necessarily agree, with each countries’ choices.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Everything red in China’s history is sensationalized. For my taste, Bicker’s metaphors stringing together the cultural revolution are a touch excessive. They made me take a step back and reevaluate his facts and world play.
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Another small issue - I couldn’t easily tell which were citations or the images present at certain points in the book.
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Out of China (Robert Bickers) ⚡⚡⚡⚡✨4.5/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[Out of China] A historical account of China’s foreign and domestic policy.
//
WHAT I LIKED
Robert Bickers balances all the pieces of history. I always found adequate explanations of policy, culture, historical figures, etc as necessary to understand the plotline. General world context, such as the implications of the Vietnam War, are included when his argument believe the event significantly impacted China’s relations.
//
Within the timeline, Bickers focuses on the continuation of imperialistic themes. I enjoyed his focus on China’s lens of the world in contract with western views of China. He focused on our need to understand, not necessarily agree, with each countries’ choices.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Everything red in China’s history is sensationalized. For my taste, Bicker’s metaphors stringing together the cultural revolution are a touch excessive. They made me take a step back and reevaluate his facts and world play.
//
Another small issue - I couldn’t easily tell which were citations or the images present at certain points in the book.
//
Out of China (Robert Bickers) ⚡⚡⚡⚡✨4.5/5
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Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[The Last Girl] Nadia Murad tells her story of capture, slavery, and escape from the Islamic State.
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WHAT I LIKED
Murad’s unbridled honestly stuns me. She tells her story without frills, without excuses, without apologies. She holds a difficult story to tell. Murad’s matter-of-fact attitude and reflection help her story easily transition between her personal experience and the greater context. I learned so much about Yazidism and tensions in the Middle East. I’m hoping to discuss her story with my students during our human trafficking unit later this year.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I want to know more about the legal battle. What was it like to bring such terrible stories to the United Nations? How did they respond in the process? Nadia Murad was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018. Has the award changed her life? Her cause?
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Read her acceptance speech here! https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2018/murad/55705-nadia-murad-nobel-lecture-2/
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The Last Girl (by Nadia Murad) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[The Last Girl] Nadia Murad tells her story of capture, slavery, and escape from the Islamic State.
//
WHAT I LIKED
Murad’s unbridled honestly stuns me. She tells her story without frills, without excuses, without apologies. She holds a difficult story to tell. Murad’s matter-of-fact attitude and reflection help her story easily transition between her personal experience and the greater context. I learned so much about Yazidism and tensions in the Middle East. I’m hoping to discuss her story with my students during our human trafficking unit later this year.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I want to know more about the legal battle. What was it like to bring such terrible stories to the United Nations? How did they respond in the process? Nadia Murad was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018. Has the award changed her life? Her cause?
//
Read her acceptance speech here! https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2018/murad/55705-nadia-murad-nobel-lecture-2/
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The Last Girl (by Nadia Murad) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[We Should All Be Feminists] The title speaks for itself.
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WHAT I LIKED
I heard my stories through another’s lips. If that’s not empowerment, I don’t know what is. So often sexist memories are gaslighted by listeners. We make so many excuses. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie understands why we create these excuses, but still doesn’t excuse them. I need courage like her.
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I’ve never included a quote in a review before, but EVERYONE needs to read this call to action.
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"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.” (46)
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
If anything, I wanted more statistics or reported events to support Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s arguments. Much of her arguments are abstract or anecdotal. I excuse this based on her book’s TedTalk beginnings, but I wish they added more facts to the printed version.
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I’ve heard others critiques wish she addressed the LGBTQA community. Her language does focus on the dichotomy. While I agree other voices at important as well, I think her choice of focus makes the argument even more powerful.
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We Should All Be Feminists (by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[We Should All Be Feminists] The title speaks for itself.
//
WHAT I LIKED
I heard my stories through another’s lips. If that’s not empowerment, I don’t know what is. So often sexist memories are gaslighted by listeners. We make so many excuses. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie understands why we create these excuses, but still doesn’t excuse them. I need courage like her.
//
I’ve never included a quote in a review before, but EVERYONE needs to read this call to action.
//
"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.” (46)
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
If anything, I wanted more statistics or reported events to support Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s arguments. Much of her arguments are abstract or anecdotal. I excuse this based on her book’s TedTalk beginnings, but I wish they added more facts to the printed version.
//
I’ve heard others critiques wish she addressed the LGBTQA community. Her language does focus on the dichotomy. While I agree other voices at important as well, I think her choice of focus makes the argument even more powerful.
//
We Should All Be Feminists (by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
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