Scan barcode
A review by hellowormemoji
Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
okay like the writing here was great and super informative and like obviously one must appreciate the archival work going on here. AND ALSO the pictures of smith are fire throughout. but at the same time like. whose name is on the cover. like though the role of the archivist and the one who orchestrated bringing everything together is deeply important, it doesn’t necessarily feel as though smith deserves this level of credit? this reads as an art book. which is all well and good, but it does have the self-congratulatory quality of that genre.
all this to say, the work that i think is intended to be done with this volume could better be done by something like a documentary. or a community playwriting collaboration or monologue cycle. what does it mean to LITERALLY TAKE the names and bodies of individuals of this community on. do they understand the implications going in. as always, there are ethical implications of interviews like this and of presenting all these interviews as equal, side by side.
if smith is getting credit for this work, the structure of this book of the monologue cycle should be much more intentional and sound. i appreciated the words of those interviewed and how they were divided out on the page, but as a whole work of art and cultural reflection, this fell flat and continued to feel incomplete.
thank you tris for listening to the first draft of this review on the walk to dinner xxx
all this to say, the work that i think is intended to be done with this volume could better be done by something like a documentary. or a community playwriting collaboration or monologue cycle. what does it mean to LITERALLY TAKE the names and bodies of individuals of this community on. do they understand the implications going in. as always, there are ethical implications of interviews like this and of presenting all these interviews as equal, side by side.
if smith is getting credit for this work, the structure of this book of the monologue cycle should be much more intentional and sound. i appreciated the words of those interviewed and how they were divided out on the page, but as a whole work of art and cultural reflection, this fell flat and continued to feel incomplete.
thank you tris for listening to the first draft of this review on the walk to dinner xxx