We Do This ‘Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba
An incredible thought-provoking book full of all manner of challenging and interesting ideas. I’ll have to mull these over for a while and, probably, reread it some time. I’m not 100% convinced that the legal system can never provide justice (I guess that depends how you define justice), but it sure doesn’t seem to do that for women, trans people, or people of colour very often, so we definitely need better ideas.
(I’m in Canada but on the prairies our police originated to remove Indigenous people from their homes to make room for white settlers, so the situation is different than the American one but not better. Except for the for-profit prison thing. There currently aren’t any in Canada and there are many problems with Canadian prisons but making prisons for-profit seems like a magnet for unethical behavior and not on the part of the prisoners. And the death penalty.)
Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang
I tend to prefer books like The Bible Says So by Dan McClellen but I’m not entirely sure I’m the target audience for this one as a leftist Canadian! I did grow up with people who chose a religion of hate and I’m not convinced that all these arguments will convince them, but maybe some are worth a try. For instance, the idea that the extremists would be against gay marriage but not straight divorce is inaccurate,l; in my experience, the extremists I know are against both. Basically, I’m not entirely sure what to make of this book but I hope it can help some people.
A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
I know the format of this memoir isn’t for everyone but I loved it. It seems familiar, a bit like stream of consciousness with all the stops, starts, and detours. My only complaint is that it’s too short!
The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair
Such a fascinating, geeky book. I loved learning where and how pigments originated alongside some past associations with an incredible range of colours from around the world.
The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After Al by Cory Doctorow
I appreciate that in both this and Enshittification, he lays out clear (though not easy) things that ordinary people can do to stand up to the rich who are trying to control everything. His books somehow manage to be both infuriating and encouraging simultaneously.
