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A review by savvylit
White Magic by Elissa Washuta
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Every essay in White Magic is deeply memorable thanks to Washuta’s unique and searing candor. Washuta is incredibly honest about her past and completely unafraid of sharing some of the ugliest and most heart-wrenching moments from her past. She also uses repetition throughout the collection in an almost aggressive way, challenging readers to consider why they don’t like reading the same thing over and over again. I really appreciated being challenged in that way.
One thing I’d like to note, though, is that I believe that this book was marketed and represented incorrectly. The first essay is about white women’s appropriation of magic and witchery. It’s a critical look at the ways that white women have not only stolen indigenous practices but have sanitized them as well. Woven throughout that essay is a narrative about Washuta’s own relationship with magic. It’s excellent and fascinating in equal measure. However, based off of that first full essay, the book’s title, and the blurb on the back of the library copy I read, I expected the content to follow that same theme. While Washuta does continue to describe her own spiritual reckoning, the rest of the essays are more memoir-oriented and less focused on cultural criticism regarding magic.
One thing I’d like to note, though, is that I believe that this book was marketed and represented incorrectly. The first essay is about white women’s appropriation of magic and witchery. It’s a critical look at the ways that white women have not only stolen indigenous practices but have sanitized them as well. Woven throughout that essay is a narrative about Washuta’s own relationship with magic. It’s excellent and fascinating in equal measure. However, based off of that first full essay, the book’s title, and the blurb on the back of the library copy I read, I expected the content to follow that same theme. While Washuta does continue to describe her own spiritual reckoning, the rest of the essays are more memoir-oriented and less focused on cultural criticism regarding magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Genocide and Colonisation
Minor: Stalking