Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Culture Warlords: My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy by Talia Lavin

9 reviews

klsreads's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

There was a lot I really liked about this book. The scary look into far-right infiltrative journalism really put me on edge. Lavin is incredibly brave and principled. However, much of this book read like a collection of well-written journal articles. The overall story lacked cohesiveness. I enjoyed each section independently ("We Keep Us Safe" was a standout), but don't go into this expecting a deep dive into the path of online radicalism. It's good as a more intro-level text of vignettes. Lavin's writing is strong, personal, and emotional, though I found it repetitive (and I spent a fair amount of time looking up words). 3.5 stars.

"To those who find themselves uncomfortable with the operation of antifascists outside the comfortable bounds of institutions and, at times, the law, I remind you that the French partisans of World War II were acting illegally, while the Einsatzgruppen had the full support of German law. We tend to like our noble lawbreakers to be comfortably in the past, where time and death have sanitized them into heroes, and to suffer those who struggle against injustice in the present only grudgingly, if at all."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Child death and Pandemic/Epidemic

catnapping's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

2.75

This book seems like it didn't quite know what it wanted to be. I wish it had included more of the author's personal experience infiltrating white nationalist spaces. Instead, it came across more as a disjointed series of lectures on the history & current state of white nationalism. 

While the history and background provided was important, it lacked cohesiveness and was in need of better editing. After one incident when the same phrase was defined three times in the span of 5 minutes the lack of both storytelling finesse and editing became pointedly unbearable. 

Given the heaviness of the subject, these issues made an already hard read harder. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Stalking

Minor: Police brutality

keeganrb's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Genocide, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

Minor: Body shaming and Misogyny

collins1129's review

dark informative fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

acy's review

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Genocide, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment

internationalreads's review

dark funny informative medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

norah's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I don't know if it was the fact that I've done similar research to Talia, or that I follow her on twitter, or the last chapter of this book, but this was an emotional read for me. I think it's a comprehensive look at white supremacy in Amerika, and one that doesn't mince words, or feign distance. I think it's very clear that Lavin is extremely knowledgable about antifascism and it shows, brilliantly, throughout. I can't stop thinking of the circle of protective bodies around the church. I recommend this book over others on the same topic, such as Marantz's "Antisocial", if you were to choose only one to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Religious bigotry

This is a book about white supremacist and nazis, what they think, and how they express their hate. There are descriptions of acts of violence, and an instance of description of animal mutilation.

offalcute's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny informative tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Mass/school shootings

jbraith's review

challenging dark informative medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia