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A review by schopenhauers_poodle
My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Historical fiction is one of the hardest genres to pull off successfully, in my opinion. This book did not succeed. It was a struggle for me to finish reading and I came close to DNF'ing.
The footnotes bog down the narrative and I found them completely unnecessary. This is spoon-feeding the reader to the point of ridiculousness. It lends a condescending faux-academic tone to the book. If you feel your fiction needs this much exposition, something has gone wrong.
Our unlikeable narrator is Trey, a teenage know-it-all. The frequency with which he emerges in every moment of historical importance as the savior or genius starts to become comedic. Trey is like an incredibly unlikeable, gay Forrest Gump. He also characterizes any unmarried woman over 30 as a lesbian which is vaguely misogynistic. So when we're introduced to his tragic background it's impossible to feel much for him or for that lore to expand the depth of his character. This flatness of character afflicts all of the other characters in the book as well.
As if the footnotes weren't patronizing enough, each chapter is framed and titled as a "lesson." Each moral lesson is then neatly tied up at the end like an episode of a tv show, perhaps belying the author's profession as a tv writer. It’s Aesop's tales for baby queers.
As noted by others, despite Trey posturing as some radical, the book is completely at odds with the political sentiments expressed in "My Government...." which is dripping in liberalism. Trey laments that he didn't vote enough in elections! The (frequently wrong) footnotes describe the BPP's legacy as tainted by radicalism! Nonviolence is the highest, noblest form of protest! It feels very targeted towards a specific type of affluent liberal.
The writing is also not very good. On encountering someone only deceased for a few hours, Trey astutely remarks "He looked so lifelike." He just died? What else is he supposed to look like? An extra from a Romero zombie film? Another closing sentence to a passage was pulled from the clichés of tv writing:
The footnotes bog down the narrative and I found them completely unnecessary. This is spoon-feeding the reader to the point of ridiculousness. It lends a condescending faux-academic tone to the book. If you feel your fiction needs this much exposition, something has gone wrong.
Our unlikeable narrator is Trey, a teenage know-it-all. The frequency with which he emerges in every moment of historical importance as the savior or genius starts to become comedic. Trey is like an incredibly unlikeable, gay Forrest Gump. He also characterizes any unmarried woman over 30 as a lesbian which is vaguely misogynistic. So when we're introduced to his tragic background it's impossible to feel much for him or for that lore to expand the depth of his character. This flatness of character afflicts all of the other characters in the book as well.
As if the footnotes weren't patronizing enough, each chapter is framed and titled as a "lesson." Each moral lesson is then neatly tied up at the end like an episode of a tv show, perhaps belying the author's profession as a tv writer. It’s Aesop's tales for baby queers.
As noted by others, despite Trey posturing as some radical, the book is completely at odds with the political sentiments expressed in "My Government...." which is dripping in liberalism. Trey laments that he didn't vote enough in elections! The (frequently wrong) footnotes describe the BPP's legacy as tainted by radicalism! Nonviolence is the highest, noblest form of protest! It feels very targeted towards a specific type of affluent liberal.
The writing is also not very good. On encountering someone only deceased for a few hours, Trey astutely remarks "He looked so lifelike." He just died? What else is he supposed to look like? An extra from a Romero zombie film? Another closing sentence to a passage was pulled from the clichés of tv writing:
A risky idea occurred to me, and I bolted from the table, yelling, "I'll call you and explain later!"
End scene. I actually found myself laughing.
If you need an introduction to queer history and the LGBTQIA+ movement in the US, make it something else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder