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cpbindel's reviews
330 reviews
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Methodical and conversational in its survey of the various factors that have contributed to our current challenges to attention. The chapters on education and children with adhd were particularly interesting.
Green Frog by Gina Chung
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A diverse collection of stories. I loved “Presence,” “Honey and Sun,” and “Human Hearts.” I couldn’t get into the second person stories as much.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Surprisingly moving!
Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia by Thomas Healy
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
A detailed account about the 12-year rise and fall of Floyd McKissick’s dream to develop a new city in the middle of rural North Carolina. McKissick, a Civil-rights leader and lawyer, held a unique utopic vision, as well as unique access to halls of power.
This is a depressing story. In some ways, it is in conversation with “Seeing Like a State,” which chronicles the many 20th century top-down social engineering projects that also didn’t pan out. The site for Soul City—on a former plantation in a poor remote rural county of North Carolina—was perhaps its greatest liability, and the idealism that McKissick and his entourage took to developing all municipal infrastructure from total scratch (hospitals, wastewater, schools, roads, to say nothing of housing and industrial buildings) is somewhere between foolhardy and bold.
Why does this still matter?
Black real estate developers still make up a very small number of the total developers (8.6% according to Zippia), and access to capital is still the largest problem facing these and other developers who are not white. Healey reveals in detail the many forms of anti-Blackness that came against Soul City from politicians, the press, industry and government administrators. Ultimately, the author implies that if Soul City had been as resourced as the Woodlands, a white-led New City project near Houston that received 4x the investment that Soul City received from HUD, it might have had a chance.
But yeah, I am discouraged and doubtful that federal investment will be the primary vehicle to build on the assets and talents of—and to create wealth for—BIPOC communities in a liberatory way. That doesn’t mean I won’t stop asking for it, but I feel less hopeful overall.
This is a depressing story. In some ways, it is in conversation with “Seeing Like a State,” which chronicles the many 20th century top-down social engineering projects that also didn’t pan out. The site for Soul City—on a former plantation in a poor remote rural county of North Carolina—was perhaps its greatest liability, and the idealism that McKissick and his entourage took to developing all municipal infrastructure from total scratch (hospitals, wastewater, schools, roads, to say nothing of housing and industrial buildings) is somewhere between foolhardy and bold.
Why does this still matter?
Black real estate developers still make up a very small number of the total developers (8.6% according to Zippia), and access to capital is still the largest problem facing these and other developers who are not white. Healey reveals in detail the many forms of anti-Blackness that came against Soul City from politicians, the press, industry and government administrators. Ultimately, the author implies that if Soul City had been as resourced as the Woodlands, a white-led New City project near Houston that received 4x the investment that Soul City received from HUD, it might have had a chance.
But yeah, I am discouraged and doubtful that federal investment will be the primary vehicle to build on the assets and talents of—and to create wealth for—BIPOC communities in a liberatory way. That doesn’t mean I won’t stop asking for it, but I feel less hopeful overall.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A slight novella, whose plot is more implied than explained, full of cunning court intrigue and rich symbolism. A fun summer read.
Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change by Angela Garbes
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved the lyrical expansiveness of this novel. I listened on audiobook and slowed it down to appreciate Morrison’s sentences more deeply. So much movement and characterization in such slight space. At times, I found the shifts in perspective hard to follow, and I didn’t always understand the motivations of characters.
That said, I look forward to exploring more of Morrison’s work.
That said, I look forward to exploring more of Morrison’s work.
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Everyday Utopia: What 2,000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life by Kristen R. Ghodsee
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
3.75 Strong reformist slant. Many European and American case studies. Inspiring.