A review by bananabell
The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning by Maggie Nelson

3.0

An ode to (opening up) space- I say ode because Nelson is inevitably lyrical. I would also describe it as the postmodern response to the binaries of modern-day politics, except I still don't have quite a grasp on what postmodernism is. Also I think this book is kind of Buddhist with the embrace of the void and paradoxes, and the blurring of good/evil.

Kind of saw it as a survey of modern avant-garde art, and a very very relevant investigation of a phenomenon in our time- Nelson is just a really relevant, shrewd, cultural critic of the times (published in 2011). Reading her teaches me how to think in a way that opens up space and nuance- while not abandoning personal convictions, taking the time to question and clarify them.

While at some points I felt the ideas were vague or under-analyzed, she weaves back ideas in a cohesive way and doesn't juggle more references than given the scope of the book. I consider this a book handling high critical concepts but with elegance and conciseness, so that it was surprisingly smooth reading. Also appreciate her unexpectedly funny sentences bookending some more serious paragraphs describing controversial art projects, especially near the end.