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That's Revolting!: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
johnbeige's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely fantastic set of essays with a little bit of everything. Other reviewers have said what I would say better, so I'll leave it at that.
thenonbinaryc's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
every queer person who cares about social justice and activism should read this.
sausome's review
4.0
This book covers such a wide expanse of ideas, it's really very difficult to describe as a whole piece. Ultimately, upon reading the whole thing and skipping some things, etc., I found the most fascinating thing to be that "queer" is a multifaceted word, used to refer to sexuality, gender identity, levels of activism. I really had to evaluate how I identify with the word. I know that for myself, I like it because it feels more all-encompassing than the gay/lesbian binary, and that it's NOT a binary ... it reinforces that sexuality, gender identity, body politics, all is fluid and across a spectrum, not a binary. That being said, there are DEFINITELY some essays I just couldn't get on board with -- the "I'm-queerer-than-you" mentality is really off-putting and exclusionary, in my opinion, and this idea is present in many of the "radical activism" essays. Also, the entitlement that some queer folk feel about telling other queer-identified people that they can't be queer because of x, basically trying to force "queer" into a definable, exclusive box, and keep the unworthy out. I think this is just counterproductive ... I'm also not a get-in-the-streets/get-arrested-for-my-radicalism person, and I feel like that's a valid standpoint. It's in fact privilege that enables some people to go out and get arrested for protests/activism-things, and know that they won't be forever in jail. But would that be the same for people of color? working-class people who can't afford to miss any work? Anyway, that's only a part of the book.
I guess the best part about this collection is that it really shows so many different approaches to queerness and activism, and philosophy, etc., that it really makes you think about your own identity politics and try to articulate the difficult-to-articulate. There were many places that I just felt an aversion to what I was reading, and I had to take a step back and try to figure out what it was making me feel that aversion ... what was it in my understanding of "queer" that didn't mesh with whatever I was reading that made me feel kind of bristly?
So read this book if you want to understand queerness for yourself -- the best part is that you WILL NOT agree with everything in here (I certainly didn't!) but it makes you think and evaluate ...
I guess the best part about this collection is that it really shows so many different approaches to queerness and activism, and philosophy, etc., that it really makes you think about your own identity politics and try to articulate the difficult-to-articulate. There were many places that I just felt an aversion to what I was reading, and I had to take a step back and try to figure out what it was making me feel that aversion ... what was it in my understanding of "queer" that didn't mesh with whatever I was reading that made me feel kind of bristly?
So read this book if you want to understand queerness for yourself -- the best part is that you WILL NOT agree with everything in here (I certainly didn't!) but it makes you think and evaluate ...
se_wigget's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The word “radical” does not mean “extreme” but rather “going to the root.” That is, being radical is about going to the root of the problem, the root of our white supremacist capitalist heteropatriarchy, or patriarchal a.k.a. dominator society, finding solutions for overthrowing it, and living as much as possible outside of it.
During the same-sex marriage debate, I kept reflecting on how marriage was invented for the purpose of enslaving women, bartering women, exploiting women as material possessions instead of respecting women as human beings. I kept signing petitions in favor of gay marriage while feeling apprehensive and wondering why lesbians, especially, would want to participate in such a patriarchal social establishment. Meanwhile, the only humans around me who were against same-sex marriage were shrieking, testerical homophobes, making me all the more glad to sign the petitions in favor of gay marriage. In addition, I kept quiet on the topic of “gays in the military,” while feeling aversion because the military is the ultimate patriarchal organization, practicing torture and institutionalized murder. Again, why would queers want to participate in that? Oh, yeah: because they need the money.
During the same-sex marriage debate, I kept reflecting on how marriage was invented for the purpose of enslaving women, bartering women, exploiting women as material possessions instead of respecting women as human beings. I kept signing petitions in favor of gay marriage while feeling apprehensive and wondering why lesbians, especially, would want to participate in such a patriarchal social establishment. Meanwhile, the only humans around me who were against same-sex marriage were shrieking, testerical homophobes, making me all the more glad to sign the petitions in favor of gay marriage. In addition, I kept quiet on the topic of “gays in the military,” while feeling aversion because the military is the ultimate patriarchal organization, practicing torture and institutionalized murder. Again, why would queers want to participate in that? Oh, yeah: because they need the money.
Reading the anthology That’s Revolting was a great relief, because it proves that many people see things as I do, from a radical point of view rather than a liberal point of view. That’s Revolting is for those who want a nonviolent revolution, not a white picket fence and a house in suburbia. It is for those who question the American Dream rather than gobble up capitalism, respectability, or the nuclear family lifestyle. This diverse anthology is social criticism, inspiration, words of reassurance that radical activism continues, and a call to action.
sleepyredwolf's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Of course, essay collections such as this are subject to wildly differently quality depending on who is writing them. However, taken as one work at large this is a commendable collection of activists and radicals and an excellent primer on several topics in the anti-assimilationist milieu, such as queer anarchism, DIY culture, punk, illegalism, direct action, and the mid-90s-early-2000s anti-globalization protests of the time. As someone with a specific interest in this time period, I of course found this all fascinating and am glad to have this time-capsule of sorts to refer to. While I am now already quite familiar with many of the ideas contained within, I am still satisfied with having read this book to solidify my knowledge on the history of this topic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, War, Ableism, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Police brutality, Violence, Classism, Transphobia, Confinement, and Addiction
buffee's review
5.0
this book was a wonderful history of the queer movement from angles you don't normally hear about. they aren't fighting to be married or allowed in the military. they are fighting for everyday rights to be individuals. these stories are important and I'm so thankful Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore collected them.
cupidcove's review
4.5
While I would say the actual individual pieces in this collection vary in quality of writing throughout the text, I found the experience of reading overall to be quite interesting and valuable in that it provides individual experiences of activism and brought up some intersectional elements that I had not considered before. I did think that some of the pieces were far too short and surface-level, but those were in the minority and would most likely be perfect for a younger queer person looking to get insight into intersectional thought. I also think that the use of the word strategies in the title imply an instructional element that was not present in the book and that may work to the book's disadvantage in terms of finding an audience, but once I realized what the book was I was able to shift my thinking about it pretty quickly.
shad_reads's review
4.0
Introspective look at organising and resistance from coastal US in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was like being present at many debrief sessions and witnessing honest discussions of what worked and what didn't.