This was a basic introduction to disability that included topics like language, breif history, media representation, and allyship. This author did do a lot with this in terms of including a lot of disabilities into this discussion without getting to lost in details that may have been beyond the scope of what she intended, but instead keeping to accessibility more broadly giving a variety of examples. She also does explain and incorporate intersectionality to a point, which was good to see in parts of this conversation. I think this could be helpful for people who are just starting to learn for teenagers and adults. 

However, the issue that I run into with a lot of the more ally-focus texts is that they are so nice and accomodating to the oppressing class in question that so much ends up being watered down and the hand-holding becomes distracting. The history component was really neat but she cushioned it with comments about history being dry and boring and that she wouldn't take too long, which was offputting. Politically, it was also very watered down for my taste but that is what it is with most ally-centered texts like this. There was lots about how to change language and representation, not as much focus on economic inequality and violence outside of mentioning laws and history. She does explain intersectionality and applies it to disability but it only goes so far when talking about the power structures and issues that impact different groups (a glaring example being the limited disussion arohnd prisons and police).

That being said, I did pick this up expecting similar issues to come up. But as I said at the beginning, this could be good for people just starting to learn. I learned some from the history component, and I think that the resources that she includes are quite helpful.

Hey Hun takes you through the author's story as she rose through the ranks of an MLM while discussing research on such groups. You get an insider look at the organization from Paulson and quotes from others who have left similar groups, while also seeing data about what these orgs actually look like monetarily and politically. There is also a lot of discussion about how some of these groups fit into frameworks made to identify cults, as well as the insidious role of white supremacy in the very structure of these groups. 

A big part that I wasn't expecting but was interesting to hear about the author's experience with alcoholism and recovery (and makes just so much sense considering, not just the MLM culture but "wine mom" culture more broadly). This was a really entertaining and informative book! I listened to it on audiobook, narrated by the author.

Time and reality melt at different points in this, just as familiar conventions blend into the bizarre. Oyamada uses the weird and uncanny to reveal very real elements of modern corporate culture and capitalism. It was very strange and captivating. I'm definitely interested to read more from this author. 

I was really prepared to love this book, but I came out of it having mixed emotions. There were parts of this that I really enjoyed but other parts that I didn't care for. 

I had some issues with the way it was framed. I went in with some knowledge of certain groups and a lot of queer history, but still found myself lost in sections. While I appreciate how it was set up by topic, I think that not including a little bit of background before some of them was a mistake, especially since we weren't seeing people tell their parts of the story to fully understand their perspective in these moments. 

Over all, I did get a lot out of this book, but I think it could have been stronger. 

The Man With The Night Sweats paints a vivid picture of community and isolation in 1980s San Fransisco. Overwhelming melancholy may brush against hope at times, but you can feel the shadow over everything. Most of the poems overtly about AIDS are in the last chapter, but the specter is present in each chapter. There were individual poems that were good, some that I felt less strongly about - but more than that, the collection as a whole is so intentionally curated. That flow and structure, the build up to that last chapter, makes this collection that much more powerful. 

I have more thought and feelings about it, but over all, this was an incredible book. 

There is so much in this one little graphic novel. Taking Turns by MK Czerwiec is the story of an HIV/AIDS unit in Chicago, but it's also a memoir, in parts it is an oral history, and also an exploration of grief and death. 

This was such a powerful book in so many ways. Of course each person's story has a power in its own right, but there is a lot more beyond that. This hospital was unique in how it embraced care of the whole patient, altering assumptions about carer/patient relationships,  and focusing more on mental well-being. It's so radically different from how care is done in most health practices and seeing that by itself was incredible. Another big take-away for me was the discussion of grief, how she handled her emotions through art and some of the conversations she had with others. 

There was so much of this that struck me as someone who has been trying to read deeply about this time period, but also on a personal level. I also think this lays out quite a bit about what AIDS is and the timeline of AIDS in the US in a really helpful way. I highly recommend this for anyone, but I especially think that it's good for those who are just starting to learn about the AIDS epidemic.

This collection of essays and poetry is about queer community, how we love and what we can do to love better and be the key to each other's thriving (not just survival). She lays bare the ways in which people fail to love each other fully, gives us a look into ways people do love and continue to love, and (most importantly) asks us to imagine a world where we do embrace love and to think about how we can get there. 

There were a couple of pieces that I wish she had expanded on more or made certain points more clear, but there were so many amazing essays in here! I'm definitely excited to check out her other works.

A sweet slow burn work romance! There were some good side plots woth friends and family that I also really enjoyed. I'm glad to have found a Yuri with adults and I thought it was cool to see these kinds of characters. While they don't use this language in the books, it's pretty clear that these are neurodivergent ace lesbians (Asahi, probably being aro-spec too). I'm also a sucker for the moon so that thread on parts of the series also had my heart.