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stwriter92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
I pre-ordered this book after searching up "solarpunk" on TikTok and coming across Sim Kern's page. It quickly became one of my favorite pages on that godforsaken app and when I saw that they were publishing a book, I knew I had to pre-order it immediately. When it came, I was still in the midst of finishing up other books (which I have yet to write reviews on, oops. I feel super behind. Oh well.) but something drew me to it on Friday and I slipped it into my bag to read while I was out. Perhaps it was because of everything that has been going on in the world. I felt that I needed a bit of hope, fictional or otherwise.
Let me say: I have not sat in a cafe reading for so long in my entire life. I read the first half entirely in one sitting.
The novel centers on a greenwashed solarpunk alternate universe in which Al Gore won the presidential election and declared a War on Climate Change instead of a War on Terror. This has led to a society that has been built with the intentions of creating a more environmentally friendly society. However, it soon becomes clear that the entire thing is one big greenwashing ruse. Our narrator, a young white woman named Maddie Ryan, soon realizes that without fixing the deep rooted problems of racism, classism, and capitalism, the "environmentally friendly" society will be nothing but a greenwashed facade built to protect the capitalist endeavors of the ruling white upper class.
In their novel, Sim Kern has masterfully navigated themes of racial injustice, intersectionality, and activism in what seems to be a hopelessly bleak capitalist country. How can we have any sort of hope when we are up against a seemingly all powerful government? How can we have a voice when every shout feels like it's being swallowed up by the void? We do it slowly and consistently. As Shayna says towards the end, "we grow our network--we spread our mycelium, we strengthen our community." Change must start from the ground up. To make a change outside, we need to start by making a change in our own communities.
I would encourage anyone and everyone to read The Free People's Village. I feel that, especially in the current geopolitical climate, the message needs to be spread far and wide.
(Also, I have added all of Gestas's books to my TBR. I encourage you all to do the same.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Police brutality, and Sexual assault
Moderate: War, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thanks to Levine Querido for the free copy of this book.
- THE FREE PEOPLE'S VILLAGE is unlike any book I've ever read before. I never thought a book about the internal struggles of a group of activists would rivet me, but I absolutely could not put this down.
- This book is entirely from the POV of Maddie, a young white woman joining a Black-led movement to preserve a Black neighborhood. She doesn't always handle new information and situations perfectly (or even well), and she eventually has to reckon with her place in the movement and take accountability for actions she does or does not take. I think Kern struck the right balance here - Maddie is not a white savior, but she is given space to catch up on the history and politics she does not know (and even then, she is reprimanded for never bothering to learn these things!)
- Looking at this book from a wider perspective, I appreciated how Kern took the fork in the road that we often romanticize - Gore winning the 2000 election - and showed how even if there was massive movement on the climate, our society would still find a way to use those changes to enrich white people and push out poor and BIPOC people. Honestly, this book is one to give to white liberals who you wish would consider leftist ideas.
- THE FREE PEOPLE'S VILLAGE is unlike any book I've ever read before. I never thought a book about the internal struggles of a group of activists would rivet me, but I absolutely could not put this down.
- This book is entirely from the POV of Maddie, a young white woman joining a Black-led movement to preserve a Black neighborhood. She doesn't always handle new information and situations perfectly (or even well), and she eventually has to reckon with her place in the movement and take accountability for actions she does or does not take. I think Kern struck the right balance here - Maddie is not a white savior, but she is given space to catch up on the history and politics she does not know (and even then, she is reprimanded for never bothering to learn these things!)
- Looking at this book from a wider perspective, I appreciated how Kern took the fork in the road that we often romanticize - Gore winning the 2000 election - and showed how even if there was massive movement on the climate, our society would still find a way to use those changes to enrich white people and push out poor and BIPOC people. Honestly, this book is one to give to white liberals who you wish would consider leftist ideas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Rape, Blood, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Racism, Colonisation, Grief, Police brutality, Vomit, War, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide attempt
Minor: Pregnancy and Deadnaming
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