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speculativebecky
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull defied my expectations from its "aliens arrive on the Virgin Islands" premise, offering a tangled web of human characters and a dive into the islands' history. The narrative sputtered at times for me in pacing and incorporation of some of my less favorite plot elements (namely romance) but the ideas explored are brilliant. The development of the Ynaa and the "lesson" they live by was well done, and though I wanted more there, I respect that what Turnbull was doing with this novel was a little different. Some of my favorite bits were the development of the Ynaa history and how it was juxtaposed with the history of the islands, the little linguistic touches from the Ynaa language, and the full varied storylines given to queer characters. All in all I can't wait for the next book he writes!
In this tremendous autobiography, Ma-Nee Chacaby recounts more than sixty years of her life with stunning detail. This is a fairly short book, densely packed with so many years and hardships. I keep typing out and deleting a list of Chacaby’s experiences, but I’d actually rather not summarize the entire book. This one is well worth reading for anyone who is interested in autobiography/memoir, in Indigenous history through a personal lens, in rural life in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, in disability (Chacaby is blind), and/or in a wide LGBTQ2S+ canon. Chacaby very naturally realizes a highly intersectional story, but the book is first and foremost completely personal.
This text was created through collaboration between Chacaby and Plummer, who conducted extensive interviews then wrote out and organized Chacaby’s narrative chronologically, using her exact wording often, and editing collaboratively to keep the entirety of the text in clear English that reflected Chacaby’s words and tone. It was fascinating to learn in the afterword some of the history of “told-to” narratives of Indigenous peoples’ lives, and how Plummer sought to incorporate both Western social science theory and Indigenous knowledge-sharing methods in the construction of this book.
Cw for rape, sexual violence, domestic violence, homophobic violence, alcoholism and drug use, children taken to residential schools and by the foster care system, death both of children and adults.
This text was created through collaboration between Chacaby and Plummer, who conducted extensive interviews then wrote out and organized Chacaby’s narrative chronologically, using her exact wording often, and editing collaboratively to keep the entirety of the text in clear English that reflected Chacaby’s words and tone. It was fascinating to learn in the afterword some of the history of “told-to” narratives of Indigenous peoples’ lives, and how Plummer sought to incorporate both Western social science theory and Indigenous knowledge-sharing methods in the construction of this book.
Cw for rape, sexual violence, domestic violence, homophobic violence, alcoholism and drug use, children taken to residential schools and by the foster care system, death both of children and adults.
Truly one of the most compelling and stunning works of nonfiction I’ve ever read. With gorgeous prose and sharp dry humor, Villavicencio takes the reader into some of America’s undocumented migrant communities, from those exposed to the water crisis in Flint, to first responders at Ground Zero. I learned and felt so much within this slim volume, and I’ll gladly add my voice to the chorus exhorting you to #ReadTheUndocumentedAmericans
Phenomenal. Instant favorite. It’s hard to articulate all the feelings that reading Good Talk by Mira Jacob evoked for me. This book is an insightful graphic memoir that recounts Jacob’s conversations about race, racism, American politics, and more with her young son as well as other family, friends and strangers. She weaves together her present and past in a gorgeous memoir that has so much brilliant insight to offer. I never wanted this book to end and I will definitely read more of Jacob’s work in the future!
Jacob is bisexual and she discusses that facet of herself in brief but poignant moments within these pages. Bi visibility is so important to me, and I’m truly grateful that Jacob didn’t shy away from depicting this part of herself on the page, that she rather used this medium to portray and confront stigma surrounding bisexuality.
Jacob’s stylistic choices in the crafting of this piece of artwork are so cool to me. She uses drawings of people over photographs to depict the backgrounds, and the end result is a stunning mixed-media experience. The only thing I found difficult is that the same drawing is sometimes used multiple times for strangers or other unimportant figures, and I was occasionally pulled out of the story to wonder whether a repeated drawing correlated to a recurring character or was meant to depict just another generic stranger.
Jacob is bisexual and she discusses that facet of herself in brief but poignant moments within these pages. Bi visibility is so important to me, and I’m truly grateful that Jacob didn’t shy away from depicting this part of herself on the page, that she rather used this medium to portray and confront stigma surrounding bisexuality.
Jacob’s stylistic choices in the crafting of this piece of artwork are so cool to me. She uses drawings of people over photographs to depict the backgrounds, and the end result is a stunning mixed-media experience. The only thing I found difficult is that the same drawing is sometimes used multiple times for strangers or other unimportant figures, and I was occasionally pulled out of the story to wonder whether a repeated drawing correlated to a recurring character or was meant to depict just another generic stranger.
<3<3<3
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson is the queer Black prom rom-com of your dreams
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson is the queer Black prom rom-com of your dreams
Wow y’all. This book was so unlike what I expected, or anything I've read before. In this genre blending novel, GoldenEagle forefronts the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People #MMIWG2S through the story of Wren, a Cree woman whose twin sister Raven disappears. Raven is immediately dismissed by the police as not worth investigating, a story as heartbreaking as it is common. Wren reacts in a startling and powerful manner to her sister’s disappearance, and without spoiling the narrative I will just say that I’m going to be thinking about this novel, and the way GoldenEagle juxtaposes darkness and light for a long time.
This sweeping multi-generational historical fiction novel tells the story of Dewi Ayu, her four daughters, their husbands and lovers, and their children, against the backdrop of years of tumultuous Indonesian history. Kurniawan dives briefly but deeply into numerous characters’ lives, weaving their stories together with a distinctly oral history feel, drawing on tropes from folk tales and ghost stories.
I think this is the first work of historical fiction I’ve read written by a man, and at times I felt frustrated by the tone of this novel. While the women were subjected to horrific violence (accurately to the periods being described), they often felt further objectified and voiceless in the narrative. We had fascinating extensive discussions in our buddy read chat about whether this tone is an intentional decision by Kurniawan that serves to emphasize deeper points about Indonesia’s history with colonization and violence. For me it was difficult to get over the feeling of the male gaze upon the book’s female characters, but I’m also willing to admit that I don’t have a lot of muscles for approaching literature where the characters serve as symbols or operate on some metaphoric level.
This book was easily as engrossing as it was frustrating though, and while my reaction is conflicted it was never a chore to read. Plus the buddy read conversations were some of the most rewarding I’ve been part of.
I think this is the first work of historical fiction I’ve read written by a man, and at times I felt frustrated by the tone of this novel. While the women were subjected to horrific violence (accurately to the periods being described), they often felt further objectified and voiceless in the narrative. We had fascinating extensive discussions in our buddy read chat about whether this tone is an intentional decision by Kurniawan that serves to emphasize deeper points about Indonesia’s history with colonization and violence. For me it was difficult to get over the feeling of the male gaze upon the book’s female characters, but I’m also willing to admit that I don’t have a lot of muscles for approaching literature where the characters serve as symbols or operate on some metaphoric level.
This book was easily as engrossing as it was frustrating though, and while my reaction is conflicted it was never a chore to read. Plus the buddy read conversations were some of the most rewarding I’ve been part of.
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I love and highly recommend these books, however I think this book was my least favorite of them, likely mostly because of mismanaged expectations heading into it. To call these four books a “series” isn’t quite right. The first two, The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune, flow beautifully one into the other, and The Descent of Monsters proves to be an unconventional but intriguing follow up. The Ascent to Godhood though diverges from the arcs of its predecessors, and though their characters find brief mention, their stories are not really being continued. I think this book is better treated as a stand alone novella in the same world, as it falls short as a “conclusion.”
The novella is a story told by Lady Han, the Protector’s right hand woman turned revolutionary, narrating her rise within and eventual rejection of the Protector’s favor. This book is clever structurally, and I delighted in it sentimentally. The joy of being back in a favorite world is one of those best feelings as a bookworm, and even if it’s not the Tensorate I’m here to read everything JY Yang publishes. I recommend all these books highly, with that whole caveat that I think they should be read in order but not really understood as a series.
The novella is a story told by Lady Han, the Protector’s right hand woman turned revolutionary, narrating her rise within and eventual rejection of the Protector’s favor. This book is clever structurally, and I delighted in it sentimentally. The joy of being back in a favorite world is one of those best feelings as a bookworm, and even if it’s not the Tensorate I’m here to read everything JY Yang publishes. I recommend all these books highly, with that whole caveat that I think they should be read in order but not really understood as a series.
