My rating is more positive than negative because these essays definitely got me thinking, showing me a different lens through which to view the world, didn’t shy away from harsh truths, and had some fantastically quotable lines.

Yet with all due respect to Lorde’s activist impact, emotional labor, and poetic prowess, this book just wasn’t a great match for me as a bisexual Asian-American woman — i.e., not Black or Caucasian, not a lesbian or straight — and in some essays I felt my own experiences/identity portrayed as Other or completely excluded from the picture. (To give credit where it’s due, though, Lorde acknowledges her own potential culpability and ignorance with regards to identities she doesn’t share. There are clear efforts to be inclusive and intersectional, which were most likely revolutionary at the time of writing.)

Related: I couldn’t quite connect with the writing because it seemed to deal mostly in binaries (equitable/oppressive, Black/white, gay/straight, empathy/hate, etc) and abstract concepts. While of course the problem must be stated before it can be addressed, Lorde seems to spend more time on what isn’t working or won’t work rather than possible next steps — which is important to the conversation, and which many people still need to hear, but which is very emotionally taxing and even demoralizing to read through. (Not to say that Lorde, or QPoC, have the responsibility to solve racism or sexism or homophobia or any social issue!)

There were also passages I just didn’t understand because a list of anecdotes about discrimination would be followed by a metaphor about trees then jump immediately back to a discussion of privilege. I’m sure there was a cohesive point; I just had difficulty identifying it.

So to summarize, in many ways this book wasn’t for me (or people like me) but wasn’t intended to be, and that made it a worthwhile but frustrating read.

★ 3.5 stars ★



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CONVERSION: 10.25 / 15 = 3.5 stars

Prose: 6 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 6 / 10
Credibility: 8 / 10
Organization / Structure: 5 / 10

Emotional Impact / Interest: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 4 / 5

content warnings:

Spoiler

racism, sexism, ableist language, bullying, microaggressions, sexual harassment, terminally ill parent (cancer), parent death (cancer), grief, infidelity

rep:

Spoiler

fat Black MC [Jasmine], Puerto Rican-American LI [Isaac], Lebanese-Japanese-American major character [Nadine], WLW secondary character [Ms. Lucas], ethnically diverse minor characters

★ 1.5 stars ★

First things first: I'm sure the authors, or really everyone who worked on this book, had great intentions. But I think a lot of the messages got lost somewhere along the way, and I honestly don't see this as a good model for student activism.

Despite using the word "intersectional" a few times, the feminism/womanism portrayed here isn't actually intersectional. Jasmine's experiences as a fat Black girl are perhaps the most poignant parts of the novel, but the social-justice focus is limited to sexism, racism, and fatphobia (as separate entities). It ignores classism, ableism, and queerphobia (in fact, the MCs sometimes use trans-exclusive language, such as slogans based on female biology) — let alone how all these identities intersect and affect each other, which is the central concept of intersectionality. Not, as Chelsea implies at one point, just being inclusive of multiple communities.

But we can also talk about inclusivity and community. I'm genuinely confused that Chelsea and Jasmine didn't even consider recruiting other people to join their club until

Spoiler

after it was shut down

, not even the "art-ivist" friends who end up helping with a lot of their ideas (and don't get due credit for their efforts). In fact, they call Isaac an "honorary feminist," as though boys can't be "real" feminists, even though it's mentioned that Jasmine's dad calls himself one.

It does, however, align with the way they position themselves as the can-do-no-wrong heads of a movement. They speak over each other and their allies and their opponents alike. They shut down discussions in favor of preaching at those who disagree even slightly. Their us against the world/school attitude is alienating, and I find it incredibly difficult to believe that writing a few blog posts and yelling at school faculty/admin for not conforming to your ideals of activism would recruit not just classmates but students from other schools to join your cause.

Spoiler

They gain an active, vocal following literally as soon as they publish their first blog post, which contains on-point but not uniquely insightful commentary. How tf even.

Along the way, some of the adults present valid feedback (such as

Spoiler

a throw-flyers-all-over-campus campaign creating extra work for custodians, or the fact that "sticking it to the principal" shouldn't be the focus of your activism

) but it seems to be totally brushed off as the main characters escalate their efforts. They don't seem to consider others' viewpoints, and in fact by the end

Spoiler

these same adults are apologizing to them for not supporting them wholeheartedly

.

And the hypocrisy. Holy hell. There's an excruciating amount of girl-on-girl hate (particularly towards the girl that one of the love interests is "seeing"), and a lot of judgment cast on women who genuinely like cooking, makeup, and other "girly" activities. At one point one of the MCs judges an ally for offering advice "like she's giving us a speech" when they themselves have spent so much of the book doing just that.

At times I felt like the narrative structure was just a bit confused — sometimes it's an ensemble cast and sometimes it's focused on just one of the two narrators. The subdivision by months also felt awkward, but that might just be a personal issue with the pacing. And not to be insensitive, but I don't think the parent-with-cancer subplot (which is literally the focus of the opening scene) really added anything; it could've had potential, in changing the way the protagonists think about life and activism and empathy and whatnot, but instead it just led to narrative tangents and detours.

The romantic subplots just don't work for me at all. Neither Chelsea nor Jasmine really addresses the conflict between having a crush and wanting to be a "strong independent woman who don't need no man" (a conflict that my activist-minded friends and I have discussed extensively, and which I've seen discussed by others as well). Chelsea aggressively ships Jasmine and Isaac despite Jasmine's protests, wanting them to get together for her own vindication, which was highly uncomfortable to read. And Chelsea knows from the beginning of the novel that her crush

Spoiler

has a girlfriend, yet it's only towards the end that she realizes she should have more self-worth than to settle (to say nothing of the hurt she might've caused said girlfriend)

.

To be quite honest, I only finished this because I didn't want to qualify this review with the disclaimer that maybe my critiques are addressed/improved upon in the part of the book that I didn't read — and since I have, I can say that unfortunately they weren't.

>> Recommended by Fictionally Sam — check out Sam's review for thoughts from someone who loved this book!

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CONVERSION: 4.13 / 15 = 1.5 stars

Prose: 3 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 2 / 10
Emotional Impact: 1 / 10
Development / Flow: 3 / 10
Setting: 5 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 2 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 1 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 1 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A

"That’s space for you, I thought, as I swung myself into the grav-tube. It was so huge, space, and yet when you were me, it was still too crowded."

Since this book is on most #ownvoices autistic rep lists that I’ve seen, I thought it might be a good choice for Autism Acceptance Month. (Though it’s worth noting the relative lack of said rep rather limits said lists, unfortunately.)

In any case, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

For me, the characters are far and away the stars of the story. Pun totally intended. Our heroine Xandri is absolutely likable with her kind heart, fierce loyalty, and indefatigable work ethic; being autistic is significant to her identity, but it doesn’t define her as a person or as a Xeno-Liaison. Nor does being queer — Xandri expresses attraction to both male and female characters as well as openness to a polyamorous relationship, though romance and sexual tension aren’t a major focus throughout.

I could honestly write a whole review just about the cast. From handsome and clever Diver in R&D to gorgeous and brilliant Kiri in Signals (i.e., she’s a hacker) to strict but fair Captain Chui Shan Fung to Xandri’s two spoiled but affectionate pet parrots to all the non-human crewmates and associates they encounter … there’s such a diversity of backgrounds, personalities, and interests that really brings the narrative to life.

And the worldbuilding is fantastic as well. We get to learn about intergalactic travel and diplomatic relations in addition to spending time on specific non-Earth planets; there’s plenty of room for this fictional universe to expand, yet at the same time I could be happy reading a few more books set in the places we’ve already begun to explore.

There’s enough science so that we can marvel at the characters’ intelligence, but it’s also explained well enough that the average reader will be able to keep up. Which is no small feat, considering that

"Explain it to Your Audience Like They’re Five 101 wasn’t a class most scientists or engineers ever took."

I love a good space drama, and this one strikes a solid balance between fate-of-the-known-universe high stakes and the concerns of individuals. The pacing is good too, keeping the story moving along without overwhelming the reader with excessive information or action … though I felt that some of the plot developments were too strongly foreshadowed and ended up reading as too tropey when they happened.

My biggest criticism is a purely subjective one: I didn’t totally get on with Sønderby’s writing style. There’s a lot more internal dialogue than I would’ve liked, and several lines that I thought were trying a bit too hard to be funny.

Still, considering all the things this book does right, it’s a relatively minor concern. This is one of those books that I genuinely think deserves to be on more people’s radar than it is — at present it has just 170 ratings and 57 reviews on Goodreads — so if you think it sounds even remotely interesting, I hope you’ll add it to your TBR!

Recommended by Jess @ Crowing About Books.

content warnings:

Spoiler

ableism, past (physical, emotional & sexual) child abuse, xenophobic slurs (against fictional race), recreational hunting, animal abuse, animal death (shot in self-defense), major character death, minor gore, blood, non-graphic violence

rep:

Spoiler

autistic bi/pan MC with synesthesia, polyam bi/pan Black major character, Asian major character, bipolar major character, diverse major & minor characters

-----------
CONVERSION: 10.8 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 7 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 9 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5

★ 3.5 stars ★

3.5 stars

I received an advance review copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.

absolutely delightful, just like all Catana comics. they span the range of fun, relatable, sweet, joyful, awkward, and all imaginable combinations thereof — a lovely collection.