Char

Really good

Revisado: 06-09-20

Really story of a woman finding herself. I really enjoyed it and I am very picky.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 04-11-20

Clearly a psyop intended to convince the left of the futility of revolution in order to combat the climate crisis. The whole end chapter about how capitalism is part of the solution was the nail in the coffin for me. Plus the substance of the book didn’t really provide a lot of enlightening information, it’s pretty obvious that climate change will exacerbate seemingly unrelated social problems. Very meh. Waste of a credit imo.

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Listen to this book

Revisado: 11-03-19

It’s so good. It’s so moving. I feel so grateful to have read it and so full of grief for the realities it has made me face.

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Yikes

Revisado: 05-27-19

There are some heartwarming parts of this book but the characterization of the African American women is shallow at very best a racist caricature at worst.

Spoiler-but Im very tired of a white women saving black people. Skeeter’s character is a poorly disguised self insert and her friendships with the “mean” white women are nearly as unbelievable as a 23 year old helping 2 much older black women see their worth. Characters like Abilene and Minnie deserved more thoughts, feelings and original ideas. Those characters could have been treasure troves if written with some empathy and compassion. The complex motivations, loyalties, the anger, intelligence, passion etc.... that would drive a black maid to willingly work on a project with her oppressor? It could have made the book special. Stockett touches on this, sometimes, but she doesn’t really flesh it out.

Nuance is also a problem. I also would have liked skeeters friends to be more believable. Why would a bookish, liberal minded girl hang out with them? More charming characterization would have helped the book seem more honest. I live in the rust belt and I see plenty of white people act fine towards other whites but are horrifically racist none the less. Hilly and Elisabeth are cartoonish villains to skeeters white knight larp-it doesn’t work well.

Still there are cute parts. I think the bit about the pie is hilarious. The premise could have been interesting. Minnie and Abilene are likable. There are some heartfelt parts. I was able to finish, but I wouldn’t recommend it because, quite frankly the writer has unresolved race issues to work out. She should have wrote about what she knew, being a white girl coming to terms with being from Jim Crow Mississippi.

It is especially dissatisfying that Stockett is from Mississippi and can’t write decently accented dialogue.

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Mostly dissatisfied probably my fault?

Revisado: 05-21-19

Roxanne Gay is a frequent guest on a podcast I really enjoy. I’ve always found her really funny and interesting. This is the very first work of hers I’ve engaged with. I think this was a bad foray into her work, I’ll try her fiction next.

I was personally not a fan. Many of her essays revolve around pop culture. Most of her criticisms feel very obvious. Perhaps because I spend a lot of time writing (badly) and reading (a lot) about race, sex, gender etc....I’m a white girl from New England and instantly read the too liberal use of the ”n word” in Django appalling. I didn’t need anyone to tell me Tyler Perry is a misogynist-you can see that from the literal premise of any Medea movie (and her name). I struggle to see the point of a lot of these essays because I already agree with Gay. Im not the person she is trying to persuade. Pop culture is a dumpster fire. I’ve assumed most people interested in making the world a better place already knew that.

She spends a lot of time tearing apart books and movies while weaving in her own life story. She’s a really good writer. Gay comes across as sober minded and warm. She can be funny and I really liked her essay about green girls and reality television.

Gay pronounces herself a feminist but doesn’t really take that identity to heart. She’s not pro rape, but she is inexplicably pro-BDSM. Because sexualized violence definitely has never contributed to rape culture, not one time. Because being ”pro women as submissive” AKA pro women reenacting their role in patriarchy, is somehow good and feminist? I don’t think all women should dominate, but as a radical I do think the paradigm of dominance and submission is tired.

Her implication that Butler invented ”gender as performance” can make me a little squeamish. I *really* think Butler is overhyped. I’m disappointed because Gay makes herself seem so relatable but uses someone so unapologetically pretentious. This, however, is a totally unfair critique. :)

I will give her another go and check out some of her other work.

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It doesn’t hold up well

Revisado: 05-21-19

I don’t have a ton to say. The story is pretty boring and the ”twist” is obvious to the reader from the outset. There are good moments but mostly the story feels very tired and predictable. I don’t feel like the characters are fleshed out very well nor do I find anyone particularly sympathetic. This book is around 60 years old and I think it works off some cultural premises that aren’t quite so ubiquitous anymore.

Constance is the greatest disappointment as a character to me.

The reader’s voices can sound a little contrived-I prefer reading that doesn’t really do distinctive character voices.

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