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hazeld's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation
rebcamuse's review against another edition
3.75
What's missing is how our choosing to stand for rest will perhaps impact those who are not empowered or are without agency to do the same. As a privileged white woman, I read her words carefully and thought about how grind culture disproportionately impacts Black women. I thought about how I might be upholding capitalism's reliance upon white supremacist models. But I am forced to wonder what happens when I say NO. Perhaps it is my role to say NO differently, or to different things, than the Black women who are reading the book. But what about the collateral damage? I'm not talking about losing my job--I'm talking about labor. Is it not an act of (white) privilege to decide to "rest" when there is so much work to be done to dismantle the very systems she cites? It is hard to believe that my "no" won't create labor for someone else--possibly someone already disenfranchised by capitalist systems.
Hersey extolls the value of sacred community. And certainly it echoes the proverb "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." But when she said "Individualism is leading us to the path of exhaustion and death," even though I know what she meant, I wanted more discussion of what "individualism" means there. Creativity, which she honors, could be argued to be very much tied to a concept of "individual." And I'm not looking to parse every word. I want to "stand in the gaps for each other" (189) and "be relentless in [my] support and witness" (189) and I didn't come away from reading the book with the strongest sense of how best to do that. I believe that rest will come in to play, yes, but I was struggling with how to reconcile that with activism.
This is an important message, and despite my struggles with the delivery, it is sitting with me. I'm looking for the best way to "spiritually disconnect from the shenanigans of grind culture while physically still living in it" (136). I think it is incumbent upon those of us with privilege to hear her message and think about how we strengthen and support "rest as a reimagined way of life" (136).
Graphic: Racism
em23jjh's review against another edition
4.5
Minor: Racism
annelihghh's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Death, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism
meecespieces's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Racism and Slavery
hale7's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Police brutality, and Classism
mads_jpg's review against another edition
2.5
I found it incredibly repetitive (if I have to see the word "bamboozled" or "portal" one more time) and it frequently referenced other books to the point where I felt like I was reading them instead (Octavia Butler especially). The writing read more like a mantra or wishy-washy meditation, and that might work for some people but I just didn't connect with it. Even though the book has distinct chapters I felt like I was just rereading the last one each time. I think this would've worked better if it was either edited heavily or written as more of a memoir. That being said, I still think people should read it or at least look into the Nap Ministry.
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Grief, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
butlerebecca's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Death of parent
softgalaxy's review against another edition
5.0
This book has confirmed what I’ve felt all my life - that life and people are going too fast. What has changed for me is that I shouldn’t feel ashamed at resting. As a disabled person, rest is how I manage my illnesses, but even medical professionals have told me that I need to “keep going and push forward”.
The answer to my queries is in fact: capitalism is the problem. Always has been.
To refuse capitalism and to rest is what our bodies need to do. We need to dream.
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Slavery and Death of parent
mirandyli's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racism