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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
One of the worst books I’ve read in awhile. Clearly a fiction book written by academics (derogatory).
Look. I spent a lot of time in the academy. The academy does not do a good job of instilling a sense of realism is those within it. There’s a trend of utopian idealism that infects everyone, and that can be invigorating and inspiring and it can also mean that you’re wildly out of touch with what life actually looks like for working class people in the real world.
Ostensibly an oral history of the collapse of capitalism and America (and every government in the world simultaneously I guess) and the emergence of hyper local communes that serve as the new communist government in the world. I say ostensibly because every interview in this book sounds the exact same. No characters feel real, they all feel like mouthpieces for the two writers to espouse their idea of what a utopian communist world looks like. And what the world looks like is the most Online Leftist (derogatory) world imaginable. Everyone is queer, monogamy is frowned upon, drugs are great, everyone goes to raves, children choose their own parents, teens leave home whenever they want to, families are abolished, etc etc. It’s one of the most cringe, out of touch takes on the future possible. And it’s utterly monolithic. The One Perfect Idea of Communism has won in the entire world and the only squabbles are about minor issues. It’s truly an exhausting read. A read that reinforces the worst stereotypes of people on the left.
Of course the authors did a self-insert fanfic in the intro. One was in a concentration camp for being trans and liberated the camp and then also Mississippi and one liberated Palestine and then the college they *currently teach at* which is buck wild.
Of course the authors included their twitter usernames in their bios.
I really, really hate this book. I hate when fundamentalism creeps its way into leftism. I hate the way the academy creates people so drastically out of touch with reality (the fact that utopia includes academic conferences made me laugh out loud). I hate the way it talks down about anyone who doesn’t fit this monolithic political ideology that parades as inclusive (so long as you fit their narrow definition of orthodoxy).
Part of my problem with leftism, especially online leftism, is the inability to do any coalition building even within the political left. Ideological purity is going to be the death of us all. This book’s inability to posit a world that has multiple political ideologies having to find a way to work together makes it completely useless to me. There is no monolithic future. In fact, we shouldn’t even desire a monolithic future.
Could have been so good. Such a cool idea. Needed better authors.
Look. I spent a lot of time in the academy. The academy does not do a good job of instilling a sense of realism is those within it. There’s a trend of utopian idealism that infects everyone, and that can be invigorating and inspiring and it can also mean that you’re wildly out of touch with what life actually looks like for working class people in the real world.
Ostensibly an oral history of the collapse of capitalism and America (and every government in the world simultaneously I guess) and the emergence of hyper local communes that serve as the new communist government in the world. I say ostensibly because every interview in this book sounds the exact same. No characters feel real, they all feel like mouthpieces for the two writers to espouse their idea of what a utopian communist world looks like. And what the world looks like is the most Online Leftist (derogatory) world imaginable. Everyone is queer, monogamy is frowned upon, drugs are great, everyone goes to raves, children choose their own parents, teens leave home whenever they want to, families are abolished, etc etc. It’s one of the most cringe, out of touch takes on the future possible. And it’s utterly monolithic. The One Perfect Idea of Communism has won in the entire world and the only squabbles are about minor issues. It’s truly an exhausting read. A read that reinforces the worst stereotypes of people on the left.
Of course the authors did a self-insert fanfic in the intro. One was in a concentration camp for being trans and liberated the camp and then also Mississippi and one liberated Palestine and then the college they *currently teach at* which is buck wild.
Of course the authors included their twitter usernames in their bios.
I really, really hate this book. I hate when fundamentalism creeps its way into leftism. I hate the way the academy creates people so drastically out of touch with reality (the fact that utopia includes academic conferences made me laugh out loud). I hate the way it talks down about anyone who doesn’t fit this monolithic political ideology that parades as inclusive (so long as you fit their narrow definition of orthodoxy).
Part of my problem with leftism, especially online leftism, is the inability to do any coalition building even within the political left. Ideological purity is going to be the death of us all. This book’s inability to posit a world that has multiple political ideologies having to find a way to work together makes it completely useless to me. There is no monolithic future. In fact, we shouldn’t even desire a monolithic future.
Could have been so good. Such a cool idea. Needed better authors.
a future you can hope for
If only we come out of the other side of the intersection of late capitalism and the climate crisis so swimmingly. A must read in an unusual format for all science-fiction readers.
If only we come out of the other side of the intersection of late capitalism and the climate crisis so swimmingly. A must read in an unusual format for all science-fiction readers.
More anarchist than where I’m at politically, but this was an interesting and sort of hopeful read.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really wanted to like this book. I was hoping it was like World War Z. It's not bad- it's certainly worth reading, and they do a good job with world buiding, but there aren't really distinct voices in the 12 people they interview. They all sort of sound the same, and it's more than just the shares trauma that most endured.
An interesting post apocalyptic utopia story.
Very confused by the reviews talking about how this is so "hopeful", as it's a story of people rebuilding from mass deaths of famine, disease and nuclear winter. I would rather avoid that, if possible, although that seems less and less likely.
An interesting post apocalyptic utopia story.
Very confused by the reviews talking about how this is so "hopeful", as it's a story of people rebuilding from mass deaths of famine, disease and nuclear winter. I would rather avoid that, if possible, although that seems less and less likely.
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An oral history of the events in the 2040s-2070s that show the aftermath of the fall of capitalism, the collapse of global economy, and massive ecological die-offs due to the effects of climate change. Left on their own, people banded together and formed a network of "communes" where everyone worked together to take care of each other. Rolling in fundamental changes in views on family, property, gender identity and more, this was intensely thought-provoking. Very well done speculative fiction, entertaining and filled with massive ideas that are still swirling around in my head.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
As a thought exercise, awesome. As a book? Hard to get through. Interesting, but the format as imagined oral histories makes it a bit hard to trudge through.