Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Free People's Village by Sim Kern

5 reviews

alienguy's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective tense 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Classism, Rape, and Addiction

Moderate: Sexual harassment, War, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Xenophobia

miggyfool's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Misogyny, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Rape, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Animal death, Physical abuse, War, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Vomit

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.)

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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

aeons_v_atlas's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Death, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Racism, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Transphobia, and Vomit

meshell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

I loved the premise of the alternative history seeking to answer to that occasionally repeated question of "what if Gore had won?" - would we be in a vastly different circumstance, or would some of the fundamental problems in society linger?

The protagonist of this tale is at times painfully awkward, vacillating between leaning into privilege or the "well intentioned" good white person archetype out in full force, and we know this person or perhaps we've been (or are) this person, and I know it was intentional, but that is not the perspective I generally want to read from.

That said, I still thought the story was extremely compelling in the first half or so of the book and I couldn't put it down. At least in part because I think Sim Kern really captured some of the chaotic and collaborative and complicated energy that can happen while living in communal punkish activistish housing, with shows happening in your living room, because I've been there. At some point I felt somewhat let down by the book, or more accurately dropped off a cliff by the book, along with some themes that I'd probably have preferred some kind of content warning for.

Thank you to NetGallley, Levine Querido, and Sim Kern for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Classism, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual assault