Scan barcode
kye1969's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
fionamm's review against another edition
5.0
This book totally shattered my ideas of what a book can be. The form breaks many traditional rules, and uses incredible diction and metaphor. The story doesn’t follow a clear narrative arch but is still so powerful and engaging. A necessary reminder that Black and Indigenous women bore this world and are some of the only ones still taking care of it.
ale_ja's review against another edition
5.0
i love this book so dearly, such clear reverence for every possibility of life is exemplified by the breadth of alexis pauline gumbs’ imaginations & transcriptions in this piece i will b returning to for the rest of my life when i seek direction in life, in poetic form, in dreaming
thegingerbreadhag's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Second read and I'm still haunted by this book. I don't have the words to explain how good, heartbreaking, hope igniting this book is.
hanawulu's review against another edition
5.0
M Archive: After the End of the World documents the afterlife of human-created climate crisis. At this point, earth has gone through several stages of freezing, flooding, torching heat, and sulfuric contamination. The book is narrated in second person by someone who has survived. This narrator/archivist shares notes, plans, and observations on all that happened.
M Archive can be read in many ways. It can read straight through, as a kaleidoscopic story told in sections, it can be read archive by archive (for example, 'Archive of Sky: What We Became'), it can be read by the page in poetic vignettes, and finally it can be read through the dense references and indices at the back of the book. Just try it.
I like thinking of M Archive as a deep sea conversation between the author, [a:Alexis Pauline Gumbs|4874591|Alexis Pauline Gumbs|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1475758929p2/4874591.jpg], and [a:M. Jacqui Alexander|49791|M. Jacqui Alexander|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. After all, the dedication of M Archive says the text is "after and with" Alexander's hallmark work [b:Pedagogies of Crossing: Meditations on Feminism, Sexual Politics, Memory, and the Sacred|86887|Pedagogies of Crossing Meditations on Feminism, Sexual Politics, Memory, and the Sacred|M. Jacqui Alexander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328864381l/86887._SY75_.jpg|83862]. Both texts combine an academic approach with speculative practice. Both are deeply concerned with how the sacred and material threads of the past interweave to create our futures. Finally, both cast their focus directly on black people and black women in particular.
This book made me think about
1. The way to survive is not always to fly up and away. It could be to go down, dig deep, and go inside.
2. The basket that holds water can also float.
3. How can the practice of speculative archiving help us plan for what we need to do in the future?
M Archive can be read in many ways. It can read straight through, as a kaleidoscopic story told in sections, it can be read archive by archive (for example, 'Archive of Sky: What We Became'), it can be read by the page in poetic vignettes, and finally it can be read through the dense references and indices at the back of the book. Just try it.
I like thinking of M Archive as a deep sea conversation between the author, [a:Alexis Pauline Gumbs|4874591|Alexis Pauline Gumbs|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1475758929p2/4874591.jpg], and [a:M. Jacqui Alexander|49791|M. Jacqui Alexander|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. After all, the dedication of M Archive says the text is "after and with" Alexander's hallmark work [b:Pedagogies of Crossing: Meditations on Feminism, Sexual Politics, Memory, and the Sacred|86887|Pedagogies of Crossing Meditations on Feminism, Sexual Politics, Memory, and the Sacred|M. Jacqui Alexander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328864381l/86887._SY75_.jpg|83862]. Both texts combine an academic approach with speculative practice. Both are deeply concerned with how the sacred and material threads of the past interweave to create our futures. Finally, both cast their focus directly on black people and black women in particular.
This book made me think about
1. The way to survive is not always to fly up and away. It could be to go down, dig deep, and go inside.
2. The basket that holds water can also float.
3. How can the practice of speculative archiving help us plan for what we need to do in the future?