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madgerdes's Reviews (970)
It rarely takes me this long to read a book; I read too quickly and leap to the next book. With this book, after reading the first chapter, I knew I would have to be intentional about slowing down and taking it all in. I can truly say that this book changed my worldview. I underlined hundreds of quotes, and spent lots of time staring blankly into space after having my perspective thrown for a loop again and again. I'd love to discuss this book with anyone who has read it - there's so much to unpack and digest! I don't really even know how to write a review of this book other than imploring that everyone read it.
I'm not gonna lie this was juicy, I only hate myself a little for reading it. Overall had some interesting moments. Wish there was more reflection on the race, gender, & class issues the show propagates or ignores.
DNF, had to put it down about 1/3 of the way through. The title and premise of the book are pretty misleading - I'd say it's about 20% cultural critique and 80% my 20s in LA were hard and I'm from Idaho. If I had known I was picking up a memoir sprinkled with cultural critique I probably would have enjoyed it more but I pretty much just felt deceived and bored.
Lol okay so I literally only made it 40 pages into this book and had to stop because it was making me so upset. Erin the protagonist is some up and coming documentary film maker and she is making this "groundbreaking" documentary in which she interviews 3 inmates and shows their progress through incarceration. I was already hesitant to continue when I found that out just because I didn't like where this was going (I mean the book literally starts with her burying a body) but I gave Steadman the benefit of the doubt, hoping that she wouldn't play into every dehumanizing crime & prison trope. Clearly I was too generous because the MINUTE Erin steps into the prison the dehumanizing language begins! Defining these incarcerated individuals as their crimes, playing into the media representation of gangs and gang violence, even downplaying the importance of the people who work in the prison facility?? I just?????????????? She even writes the way the incarcerated individuals speak very differently from the "educated" and higher society whatever other characters. This quote in particular set me off:
"More than anything, I want the documentary to overcome the conventional representation of prisoners by trying to show these three people as individuals separate from their convictions. Both Holli and Eddie have sentences between four and seven years for nonfatal crimes. Alexa has a sentence of “life with parole,” so fourteen years. But do those sentences say anything about who they are as people? Does that tell you who is more dangerous? Who is a better person? Who you can trust? We’ll see."
Immediately connecting these individuals with danger, and ranking them based on who is a "better" person is demonstrates a disgusting lack of empathy and ability to see these individuals beyond what they have done. There was too much white savior complex emanating from Steadman and her character for me to even bother giving this book any more of my time.
"More than anything, I want the documentary to overcome the conventional representation of prisoners by trying to show these three people as individuals separate from their convictions. Both Holli and Eddie have sentences between four and seven years for nonfatal crimes. Alexa has a sentence of “life with parole,” so fourteen years. But do those sentences say anything about who they are as people? Does that tell you who is more dangerous? Who is a better person? Who you can trust? We’ll see."
Immediately connecting these individuals with danger, and ranking them based on who is a "better" person is demonstrates a disgusting lack of empathy and ability to see these individuals beyond what they have done. There was too much white savior complex emanating from Steadman and her character for me to even bother giving this book any more of my time.
