Reviews with TLC

On Freedom by Timothy Snyder offers interesting insight into the concept of freedom and how people perceive freedom. It took me several pages to really get into the book, so be patient, particularly if you're expecting, as I was, it to be similar to Snyder's book, On Tyranny . I enjoyed the play between the personal and the universal demonstrating that all of life is interconnected. He talks about how myriad people view freedom. I wanted more his mentions of his classes with prisoners. There were moments where the things that have changed since he wrote On Freedom loomed above the page teasing the words Snyder wrote. I particularly liked the concept of viewing freedom as "freedom to" rather than "freedom from" because it felt more hopeful. On Freedom argues for five forms of freedom, Sovereignty, Unpredictability, Mobility, Factuality, and Solidarity. All of which raised my skepticism a few times. Snyder is mostly convincing in his arguments and his suppo...

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad explores the attitudes of the West toward other people and other nations in language, particularly Middle Eastern nations, that is brilliant in its simplicity. El Akkad doesn't sugarcoat the message about how powerful people strive to hold onto power and expand that power at the expense of those who they see as powerless but also deem dangerous. One, Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This exposes how the media and various governments push the agenda of the powerful until the damage is done and can't be reversed before they pivot to talk about how horrible things were and then seek out quotes to prove they were always against the atrocity even when the body of evidence proves otherwise. El Akkad had me nodding along with his assessments, wincing at his observations, and blinking back tears at his descriptions. He weaves the past with the present and the personal with the societal in ways that demon...

Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein presents an observation on the world that I desperately wanted to not make as much sense as it did. I didn't want to see the parallels between the beliefs I hold dear and the ones I absolutely abhor. Yet, Klein reminded me of something I've long preached to others - that we need to see each other to understand each other to make any real change. Much of what Doppelganger examines also proves that the issues we face are far more nuanced than we think and how that lack of nuance sends us to our own corners repeatedly. Klein weaves a narrative that demonstrates how easy it is for people in power to sow divisiveness by creating doppelganger ideologies that have us seeing each other as the problem instead of seeing the power of unity. Klein uses her own experience of being confused with Naomi Wolf repeatedly to illustrate her point and to explain what motivated her to look into the mirror world and find all these doppelgang...

Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd refuses to flinch in all the best ways making it an important book to read for anyone trying to better understand the world. El-Kurd examines, dissects, and analyzes political and social discourse around Palestine and Palestinians. El-Kurd manages to be blunt, eloquent, lyrical, and honest all at the same time. He doesn't hold back unless it's to deliberately expose a larger point. There were moments when I felt uncomfortable and resistant while reading Perfect Victims before seeing those moments as opportunities for growth and better understanding. El-Kurd's writing is an invitation to take off the blinders of misinformation, disinformation, and preconceptions in order to see the world and humanity a little clearer and maybe, just maybe, take action to make the world better. Perfect Victims reminds the reader that to demand a victim to be perfect is to inflict even more harm because there is no such thing as...

Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising Up from Brooklyn to Palestine by Remi Kanazi challenges preconceptions and misconceptions by drawing parallels that are sometimes a bit uncomfortable but immersive and realistic. Kanazi writes poetry that is  incredibly beautiful, intensely blunt, and sometimes satisfyingly sarcastic often bringing one to an unexpected realization through the reading. Before the Next Bomb Drops feels current and historical at the same time in its examination of dynamics between peoples, governments, and societies.  Currently Reading: Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World  by Naomi Klein Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal  by Mohammed El-Kurd Black Roses - Poems about love, heartbreak, mental health, healing, grief and loss   by Ariel Day Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you. If you'd like to follow what I'm reading...

Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance by Nick Estes is a well-written, engaging but stark reminder that denying or ignoring history doesn't change what actually happened. Estes examines many of the ways the United States has whitewashed history in terms of its treatment of Indigenous peoples ever since Europeans discovered the North and South American continents. Estes offers a glimpse into the lives of the Indigenous people and how they resisted colonization and their own erasure. Our History is the Future investigates the various treaties with the Indigenous tribes broken by the United States government over centuries. Estes ties together struggles by Indigenous peoples around the world. In one particular example, Estes demonstrates how Palestinians and the Indigenous Peoples in the United States have supported each other as they have faced similar challenges. Explaining the #NoDAPL movement i...

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates frames his writing and teaching careers around his observations in an almost conversational manner that feels more intimate than I expected.  The Message centers three experiences that highlight Coates coming to terms with his evolving beliefs while using his writing to shine a light on the world in which we live. While Coates's evolution on Palestine has garnered the most attention in the media, all three sections of the book pull together the message he's conveying. I felt like I was experiencing Senegal with him including his moments of self-questioning. His trip to South Carolina to sit in on a meeting where the local citizens were standing up against a ban of one of his books reminded me both that there are good and bad people everywhere and just how important books are. The Message pulled me in to each of Coates's experiences and also his struggle with the evolution of his beliefs when he finds them challenged by the reality he exper...

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo took me on more of a roller-coaster ride than I expected. Oluo argues her points so well I often found myself nodding along and wincing at the same time. I was amazed at how accurately Mediocre caused me to pause several times as it seemed to line up far too well with certain situations I've recently encountered proving how indoctrinated these ideas are in all of our lives. Oluo addresses the dynamics of power that feed racism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression. At times, I felt like Oluo was far kinder than she needed to be but other times I questioned some of her more moderate points, both of which surprised me. I didn't necessarily agree with everything Oluo wrote, but even the things I questioned gave me a perspective to consider to better understand where other people are coming from. Mediocre offers an intense but interesting examination of society to anyone willing to expand their ideology aroun...

Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism by Aja Barber is an engaging examination of the fashion industry and the consumerism that props it up. Barber explores her journey from a lover of fashion to a critic of the fashion industry in an inviting book filled with facts and a touch of levity. Barber shares her experience in both the US and the UK with fashion and life in ways that lead me to think about my own fashion journey and how easily I can fall back into the trap of consumerism and not make purchases mindfully. Consumed not only lays out the problems with fast fashion but offers some options for changing how we interact with the fashion industry and other elements of consumerism including the personal and the systemic changes needed. Currently Reading: Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America  by Ijeoma Oluo How Not to Age: The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier as You Get Older  by Michael Gregor, Md. Col...

Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom by Grace Blakely explains capitalism in an easy to understand narrative using real-life examples of the ways corporations and governments are interwoven. Blakely supports her analysis of the myth that capitalism is equal to a free-market with real-life examples of how governments and corporations plan together to manipulate the economy and the lives of citizens. Myriad events presented in Vulture Capitalism drive home the cruelty of capitalism by exploring the inequity, injustice, and inequality necessary for capitalism to survive. Blakely delves into how corporations and governments have conspired to quash attempts by workers, communities, and governments to create more cooperative societies. Vulture Capitalism offers a clear and irrefutable argument that capitalism is a vulture by working as it's designed.  Currently Reading: Check back in 2025 to see what I'm reading. Disclosure: This blog c...

One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse by Ali Abunimah examines the history of Palestine in the context of the creation and reasoning behind the two-state solution often presented by those in power.  Abunimah demonstrates clearly how interwoven the the Palestinian and Israeli societies are and the difficulties that would arise from trying to unweave the reality of the economics and geography of the two. He breaks down the issues with the two-state solution in a methodical way before putting forth a proposal for a one-state solution based on equality, fairness, and justice. One Country is filled with interesting ideas and puts forth the beginnings of a plan for a path forward that seems at once reasonable and unlikely. Currently Reading: Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom  by Grace Blakely Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a ...

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer dropped me gently but intensely into a deeper understanding of how plants and humans interact with one another. There were moments that surprisingly reminded me of my dad in ways that felt comforting. Kimmerer weaves science, culture, and history into an engrossing story of humans and nature  that feels like coming home while also feeling like a lesson in living in cooperation with the planet as well as each other. Kimmerer creates an immersive environment whether in forests, marshes, gardens, ponds, or a home.   Braiding Sweetgrass braids memoir, history, and modernity into a story that travels through time and place creating a sense of being oriented, then disoriented, and then oriented in a whole new way. Currently Reading: Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment   by Mazin B. Qumsiyeh The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Ren...

We Will Not Cancel Us and Other Dreams of Transformative Justice by Adrienne Maree Brown is a short, easy read about cancel culture. I started Brown's book with some hesitation even though it was recommended by a friend because I so often hear criticism about cancel culture from people who just don't want to be held accountable for their actions/words. We Will Not Cancel Us addresses this phenomenon while also gently asking if there is a better way to address conflict and harm in society and particularly in groups working toward transformative justice. Brown writes in an accessible manner that feels like an invitation to examine how we treat one another as we attempt to work together. When Brown asked "Can we be abolitionist with each other?", I stopped and read that one question multiple times. My gut reaction was doubt, but I kept reading anyway and ended up at a hopeful maybe. We Will Not Cancel Us speaks directly to the conflict and harm that we inflict on one ...

Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS): The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights by Omar Barghouti feels far too timely even though it was first published in 2011. With all the work the BDS movement has done and the accomplishments it has made, BDS should feel far more dated than it does. Most of the book is as applicable today as it was the day it was written. Barghouti explains the BDS movement, the goals, the history, the link to South Africa, and some early accomplishments even as he details the pushback and criticism the BDS movement has received ever since its inception. BDS demonstrates why the BDS movement is so important in the fight for Palestinian rights.  Barghouti reminds the world that as powerless as we often feel in exacting change, BDS has the power to impact economies and therefore world systems. It is a powerful reminder our choices affect the world.  BDS is inspiring for anyone aspiring to get more involved in the BDS movement, whether to embrace boycotts...

How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good by Steve Phillips is a fascinating take on the current political landscape of the United States. Phillips tracks and explains how the Confederacy has morphed over time in the United States. How We Win the Civil War draws a direct line between the Civil War and modern day White Supremacy ideas. There are moments in the early chapters that feel hopeless yet were intriguing enough to keep me interested. I nodded along at times, felt skeptical at other times, and learned a bit along the way. In the second part of the How We Win the Civil War , Phillips examines various movements in several states aimed at civic engagement and voting as well as encouraging people to run for office that the people can feel excited about. Phillips demonstrates how these organizations strategize to achieve their goals. How We Win the Civil War takes a realistic yet hopeful approach to creating a more inclusive and ...

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis is a powerful reminder to anyone who cares about society that we are all interconnected no matter how some people wish we weren't. The interview with Davis in the beginning of the book was interesting and thought provoking. The speeches that make up the rest of the book inspired me to keep looking forward in the fight for justice, equality, and true liberation around the world while never forgetting the history that brought us to this point. Davis consistently demonstrates how the struggle for freedom is ongoing but worth the effort.  Freedom is a Constant Struggle reminded me that history books might be written by the victor but history is what actually happened not what's in the books and that history has consequences as do the actions we choose every day. Currently Reading: Iron & Velvet: poetry for hearts breaking and blooming  by Stefanie Briar Palestine: A Four...