lindapool's review
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ifimous's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
bookshelfmonkey's review against another edition
4.0
The quality of these stories definitely varied but most of them were very good. I feel like I learnt a lot through this book and would definitely recommend it
marianneleonie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
aoutramafalda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The ones that caught my attention
- The Invention of Peanut Butter (and Why it caused problems) de Matt Haig
- Love is a Word, not a Sentence de Liz Kessler
- Darling de Amy Leon
- Stay Home de Sita Brahmachari
- A Suicide Bomber sits in the Libary de Jack Gantos
- The School of Life de Elizabeth Laird
- Redemption de Ryan Gattis
- Bystander de Frances Hardinge
- The Colour of Humanity de Bali Rai;
- I Believe... de Neil Gaiman e Chris Riddell
- The Importance of Screams de Christie Watson
- Deeds not Words de Mary and Brian Talbot e Kate Charlesworth
- The Invention of Peanut Butter (and Why it caused problems) de Matt Haig
- Love is a Word, not a Sentence de Liz Kessler
- Darling de Amy Leon
- Stay Home de Sita Brahmachari
- A Suicide Bomber sits in the Libary de Jack Gantos
- The School of Life de Elizabeth Laird
- Redemption de Ryan Gattis
- Bystander de Frances Hardinge
- The Colour of Humanity de Bali Rai;
- I Believe... de Neil Gaiman e Chris Riddell
- The Importance of Screams de Christie Watson
- Deeds not Words de Mary and Brian Talbot e Kate Charlesworth
sarahrara's review against another edition
5.0
Also published on Too much time, and too little.
This is a powerful anthology of short stories and poems on topics of human rights and freedoms, and the importance of speaking out against injustice. It covers a broad variety of topics such as gay rights, racism, human trafficking, religious fanaticism, bullying and environmental devastation resulting from an oil spill. I almost feel as if all important topics in modern society are covered within the pages of this book.
The writers expertly craft their stories into riveting, gut-wrenching narratives that make you confront your own prejudices and remind you of the continued importance of using the freedoms you have to speak out for those who cannot. “That’s just the way it is” is never an acceptable argument. If the way it is is not good enough, we can change it.
I had to give up reading this book on my commute because it kept making me cry and feel physically unwell. It’s a very hard book to read. Very confronting. But also it’s almost impossible to put down. And it’s very important. I think many of us could use a reminder about the things worth fighting for.
It’s rare to find an anthology with so many different contributors on such a variety of topics with so consistent quality. Normally when I read a short story collection (whether its written by one or multiple writers) there’s a couple of stories that I love, some that I enjoy and maybe a good 30% or so that I don’t really care for. It almost seems to be an unwritten law of short story collections. In this case there was really only one story that didn’t capture me – I’m not sure if it was the subject or the writing style or a combination.
And, not unimportantly for something that is ultimately a work of fiction, it works as literature. It’s not just a means to an end, it’s good storytelling. Even though we only visit in each writer’s universe for a short time, they draw me in and make me feel and experience their story and characters, which is one of the reasons this work becomes so powerful. We know that they are writing about things that really happen, yet we can empathise and immerse ourselves in a way we wouldn’t do if we were reading an article or essay on the subject. Any additional information or background the writers want to give is added as a sort of footnote at the end of their story. I also really enjoyed reading these.
This is not light reading, but it should be required reading.
As for me, it inspired me to take stock of my own commitment to fighting injustice and forced me to face the fact that I’ve become all too proficient in tolerating the in justice that doesn’t directly affect me – which I write more about here.
This is a powerful anthology of short stories and poems on topics of human rights and freedoms, and the importance of speaking out against injustice. It covers a broad variety of topics such as gay rights, racism, human trafficking, religious fanaticism, bullying and environmental devastation resulting from an oil spill. I almost feel as if all important topics in modern society are covered within the pages of this book.
The writers expertly craft their stories into riveting, gut-wrenching narratives that make you confront your own prejudices and remind you of the continued importance of using the freedoms you have to speak out for those who cannot. “That’s just the way it is” is never an acceptable argument. If the way it is is not good enough, we can change it.
I had to give up reading this book on my commute because it kept making me cry and feel physically unwell. It’s a very hard book to read. Very confronting. But also it’s almost impossible to put down. And it’s very important. I think many of us could use a reminder about the things worth fighting for.
It’s rare to find an anthology with so many different contributors on such a variety of topics with so consistent quality. Normally when I read a short story collection (whether its written by one or multiple writers) there’s a couple of stories that I love, some that I enjoy and maybe a good 30% or so that I don’t really care for. It almost seems to be an unwritten law of short story collections. In this case there was really only one story that didn’t capture me – I’m not sure if it was the subject or the writing style or a combination.
And, not unimportantly for something that is ultimately a work of fiction, it works as literature. It’s not just a means to an end, it’s good storytelling. Even though we only visit in each writer’s universe for a short time, they draw me in and make me feel and experience their story and characters, which is one of the reasons this work becomes so powerful. We know that they are writing about things that really happen, yet we can empathise and immerse ourselves in a way we wouldn’t do if we were reading an article or essay on the subject. Any additional information or background the writers want to give is added as a sort of footnote at the end of their story. I also really enjoyed reading these.
This is not light reading, but it should be required reading.
As for me, it inspired me to take stock of my own commitment to fighting injustice and forced me to face the fact that I’ve become all too proficient in tolerating the in justice that doesn’t directly affect me – which I write more about here.
brownmartian's review against another edition
5.0
This book itself sums up the experience - 'Stories and poetry are a wonderful way of making us think, helping us understand the world and other people. More than that, they can inspire our empathy - which we need if we're to overcome prejudice.'.
I've been in this world a while now and I'd like to think that I have learnt a few meaningful lessons, some that I'll take with me to the end. I have experienced hate, prejudice, malice, unreasonable and illogical upsetting behaviour from other people; but that's just one story from one part of the world. There are people out there, living their worst nightmare on a daily basis, without any way of getting out of it. That scares me. That upsets. It angers me.
This book sheds a light on some of those stories through a creative and fictional filter. Our humanity is what we were born with and that comes with a responsibility. The world isn't a box where you can shut yourself out and live in ignorance. It's ugly and unfair and gritty. I hope the sooner people accept that and stand up to it and extend a hand to help others, the better it is for people as a whole.
I've been in this world a while now and I'd like to think that I have learnt a few meaningful lessons, some that I'll take with me to the end. I have experienced hate, prejudice, malice, unreasonable and illogical upsetting behaviour from other people; but that's just one story from one part of the world. There are people out there, living their worst nightmare on a daily basis, without any way of getting out of it. That scares me. That upsets. It angers me.
This book sheds a light on some of those stories through a creative and fictional filter. Our humanity is what we were born with and that comes with a responsibility. The world isn't a box where you can shut yourself out and live in ignorance. It's ugly and unfair and gritty. I hope the sooner people accept that and stand up to it and extend a hand to help others, the better it is for people as a whole.
joanna1905's review against another edition
4.0
So I bought this book mainly because all proceeds go to amnesty and so I thought I would give it a go.
I did like this book and I really like the idea behind it, however, I wasn't the biggest fan of how it was executed. I thought the stories would explicitly cover certain issues but instead many of the stories were kind of abstract and I struggled to understand what issue was being discussed.
Many of the stories included a little bio where the author explained why they chose the issue they did, however not all of them did. Particularly a few of the poems lacked an explanation which was disappointing since I have zero skill for interpreting.
All in all, this was a good read, it brings awareness to some important issues and the money goes to charity. I hope in the future they publish another one and ensure the stories are a bit more explicit - because that would allow the book to have a larger impact and be much more educational.
I did like this book and I really like the idea behind it, however, I wasn't the biggest fan of how it was executed. I thought the stories would explicitly cover certain issues but instead many of the stories were kind of abstract and I struggled to understand what issue was being discussed.
Many of the stories included a little bio where the author explained why they chose the issue they did, however not all of them did. Particularly a few of the poems lacked an explanation which was disappointing since I have zero skill for interpreting.
All in all, this was a good read, it brings awareness to some important issues and the money goes to charity. I hope in the future they publish another one and ensure the stories are a bit more explicit - because that would allow the book to have a larger impact and be much more educational.
1librarianspath's review against another edition
5.0
‘This book is inspired by the fact that human rights can be denied or abused even in countries like the UK or the USA, and we need to defend them constantly. Stories and poetry are a wonderful way of making us think, helping us understand the world and other people. More than that, they can inspire our empathy – which we need if we’re to overcome prejudice.’
‘Most of the content of Here I Stand is fiction, but it is rooted in truth. Frances Hardinge’s story about the child accused of being a witch is inspired by the case of Kevani Kanda, who was similarly tortured by her family and church minister and grew up to become a campaigner for children suffering abuse of this kind. Ryan Gattis’s story, “Redemption”, came about after his real-life correspondence with a man on death row. Jackie Kay wrote her three poems after talking to refugees in Scotland.’
Here I Stand is a collection of short stories and poems focusing on human rights. The book covers a wide range of issues, and across multiple locations and viewpoints too. I highly recommend this book.
‘Most of the content of Here I Stand is fiction, but it is rooted in truth. Frances Hardinge’s story about the child accused of being a witch is inspired by the case of Kevani Kanda, who was similarly tortured by her family and church minister and grew up to become a campaigner for children suffering abuse of this kind. Ryan Gattis’s story, “Redemption”, came about after his real-life correspondence with a man on death row. Jackie Kay wrote her three poems after talking to refugees in Scotland.’
Here I Stand is a collection of short stories and poems focusing on human rights. The book covers a wide range of issues, and across multiple locations and viewpoints too. I highly recommend this book.
writingwwolves's review against another edition
4.0
It took me ages to finish this book as I kept picking it up & putting it back down again, but that isn't because it wasn't interesting - if anything, I couldn't cope with the sadness of each part of this book & so I had to take breaks from reading them. This book is super educational though & some of the contributions really blew my mind.
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2s5
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2s5