ambercchen's reviews
12 reviews

Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto by Nancy Fraser, Tithi Bhattacharya, Cinzia Arruzza

4.0

once again, reading books i should’ve read way earlier in my academic career so now i’m just reading entry level stuff. anyways, still a great introduction to anti-capitalist feminism, including some hints of anti-imperialism, marxism, and militant activism which is appreciated. it’s not necessarily a foundational text but still a fantastic basic manifesto.

There There by Tommy Orange

emotional tense

4.75

if a single book from the current moment should become a classic, it should be this one

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Fatphobia, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse

Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis

informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

davis is a genius when it comes to deconstructing the pic, allowing for such a complex topic to be digestible for many. i really should’ve read this book earlier in my academic career so i wasn’t presented with any revelations but this book should 100% be required reading for all americans!!

No-No Boy by John Okada

dark emotional sad slow-paced

4.75

i wish more asian american diaspora writing was like this novel bc this is what it’s all about!!! the nothingness, the immigrant parent/american child dynamic, the double consciousness!!!!!! okada’s descriptions get lost in itself and emi’s characterization isn’t the best but by god this novel is good

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Racism, Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Suicide, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: War and Xenophobia

Sexile by Jaime Cortez, Patrick Hebert

dark emotional fast-paced

4.0

a deeply intimate and honest story surrounding exile relating to gender, sexuality, and citizenship. for anyone looking for narratives surrounding lived experiences, this is an amazing one to read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Transphobia, Addiction, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

dark reflective medium-paced

4.25

a really intriguing depiction of ptsd and anti war that literally no one in my ap lang class talked abt! the motif of interconnection and “everything was beautiful and nothing hurt” is so lovely but i fear vonnegut fell into the trap of old men talking abt young women in a weird way :-/

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Physical abuse, Grief, Blood, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, and Violence

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom

emotional inspiring

4.0

a wonderfully intimate perspective on death and life that asks us so many grand questions. i’ll always have personal bias about this book but it’s an easy read with a moving theme, what else do ya need!

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

there are some definitive flaws (one of which being albom’s gross simplification of his woman characters) but this book will always have a really soft spot in my heart that may or may not be clouded by nostalgia

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, War, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

The Stranger by Albert Camus

dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

the book can easily be passed off as pretentious word vomit but the last paragraph of this novel is one of my favorite quotes ever i fear

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Gun violence

Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power by Audre Lorde

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

a fascinating look into gender and labor as erotic liberation but it is divisive on its perspective of pornography; whether you agree or not, it’s still an essential reading and is an amazing work of black feminist thought!