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vtlism's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
2.5
This could be useful to someone who's less isolated than I am. It's a decent memoir and a good activism book but it's not very practical, more conceptual. Ex. "breathe, push, tend the wound" don't mean anything to me metaphorically that's useful. She doesn't actually break down how to do them. Maybe this book would be better for non-autistics. It's not badly written it's just not targeted at my demographic.
rosieleyva's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
emceeee's review against another edition
4.0
“'love’ is more than a feeling. love is a form of sweet labor: fierce, bloody, imperfect, and life-giving—a choice we make over and over again.”
part memoir and part handbook for engaging in activism through a framework of “radical love,” see no stranger is by civil rights activist, lawyer, and filmmaker valarie kaur.
with glowing blurbs in the front written by everyone from michelle alexander to tara brach to kamau bell to elizabeth gilbert to reza aslan to america ferrera, there’s no doubt that see no stranger has been deeply impactful to a wide range of people, and it’s no surprise why. in see no stranger, kaur tells a stunning story of overcoming significant personal & systemic obstacles to create a life of advocacy for those in her community.
kaur’s conception of “radical love” is based on the idea that we must actively cultivate a sense of wonder for our communities, our opponents, and ourselves. this, she argues, is necessary to practice effective activism. kaur, who is sikh, grounds this idea in the teaching by guru nanak, the founder of sikhism, that “i see no stranger. i see no enemy.”
kaur’s message of radical love is always necessary, but it feels especially so now. i’ve found it so easy to succumb to hopelessness about the state of the u.s. lately, especially over the last few months. and it’s not like kaur’s work automatically makes that better (after all, what can, when a group of six unelected theocrats is systematically stripping away our fundamental rights? anyway…), but see no stranger left me feeling more energized and reinvigorated about activists’ capacity to enact change, and the importance of that change, even and especially on a local scale.
this book is for you if you’re interested in activism, beautiful writing, spirituality, or incredible women doing incredible things. i think just about everyone can find something important in these pages.
part memoir and part handbook for engaging in activism through a framework of “radical love,” see no stranger is by civil rights activist, lawyer, and filmmaker valarie kaur.
with glowing blurbs in the front written by everyone from michelle alexander to tara brach to kamau bell to elizabeth gilbert to reza aslan to america ferrera, there’s no doubt that see no stranger has been deeply impactful to a wide range of people, and it’s no surprise why. in see no stranger, kaur tells a stunning story of overcoming significant personal & systemic obstacles to create a life of advocacy for those in her community.
kaur’s conception of “radical love” is based on the idea that we must actively cultivate a sense of wonder for our communities, our opponents, and ourselves. this, she argues, is necessary to practice effective activism. kaur, who is sikh, grounds this idea in the teaching by guru nanak, the founder of sikhism, that “i see no stranger. i see no enemy.”
kaur’s message of radical love is always necessary, but it feels especially so now. i’ve found it so easy to succumb to hopelessness about the state of the u.s. lately, especially over the last few months. and it’s not like kaur’s work automatically makes that better (after all, what can, when a group of six unelected theocrats is systematically stripping away our fundamental rights? anyway…), but see no stranger left me feeling more energized and reinvigorated about activists’ capacity to enact change, and the importance of that change, even and especially on a local scale.
this book is for you if you’re interested in activism, beautiful writing, spirituality, or incredible women doing incredible things. i think just about everyone can find something important in these pages.
emilybriano's review
5.0
Fantastic and challenging. A must read for everyone, especially if you are unfamiliar with the Sikh faith. Kaur recites Shabads throughout and at the end of the audiobook so listen to it if you can
laurapoulosky's review
4.0
4.5 stars. Although still relatively young, the author has lived through many dramatic events with incredible resilience. And tells her story clearly and bravely, inspiring others to do so, too.
_cataluminium_'s review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Everybody should read this book. What an amazing, moving, powerful memoir about the broken world we live in. Although this was written in 2020, it remains relevant to the climate in America today.