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inniss's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this and it was so good I wished I had just read it. It's essays, so not all are 5 stars for me, but the ones that stood out were really special. My favourites were on prison abolition, and then the last one "The Hard Crowd" which reminded me of nothing as much as a Nan Goldin photograph with a completely unmistakable Gen X timestamp on it. So satisfying! The structure has her watching a youtube video of driving in 1970s San Francisco, and using the video to guide her reminiscences from the 80s and 90s. She manages to get from the Beats to Raymond Pettibon and a million places in between, and it was really touching and captured the ephemeral quality of early adulthood for a curious person.
The abolition essay was excellent, tracking the work of Ruth Wilson Gilmore (it's reprinted from the NYT --https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/magazine/prison-abolition-ruth-wilson-gilmore.html)--the essay gave me a lot to think about, including the refrain "Where life is precious, life *is* precious." Among other things Gilmore challenges the idea that prisons are disproportionately black, and talks about the complexity of race in prisons that goes beyond the new Jim Crow analysis that got more mainstreamed by Ava DuVernay's film 13th.
There are many more standouts in this collection of essays, and I really enjoyed her writing style.
The abolition essay was excellent, tracking the work of Ruth Wilson Gilmore (it's reprinted from the NYT --https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/magazine/prison-abolition-ruth-wilson-gilmore.html)--the essay gave me a lot to think about, including the refrain "Where life is precious, life *is* precious." Among other things Gilmore challenges the idea that prisons are disproportionately black, and talks about the complexity of race in prisons that goes beyond the new Jim Crow analysis that got more mainstreamed by Ava DuVernay's film 13th.
There are many more standouts in this collection of essays, and I really enjoyed her writing style.
mikezickar's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
A nice mixture of essays on topics ranging from motorcycle racing, Palestinians in a camp in Jerusalem, the rock and roll scene in SF, and literary criticism. It took me a while to get into the essays in that the first one about a dangerous motorcycle race in Mexico just wasn't my cup of tea, though I'm glad that I stuck with the book as I found the series of essays, across disparate topics, to gather weight.
I listened to the audiobook, read by author in a measured and reserved voice, a real pleasure.
I listened to the audiobook, read by author in a measured and reserved voice, a real pleasure.
kellyspitzer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
The Hard Crowd essay at the end is five stars for sure.
thornet's review against another edition
5.0
Keep your own tally. Mind your dead, and your living, and you can bore me (on witnessing and recounting your life as a writer). Learned about Italian Left and labor revolts of 1970s, Marguerite Duras and Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and writing essays as a form of tribute and mindfulness practice.
wrenreader's review against another edition
Recommended: Girl on a Motorcycle, We Are Orphans Here, In the Company of Truckers, Duras with an S, Is Prison Necessary?, Lipstick Traces ...
rpc_88's review against another edition
4.0
I love everything Rachel Kushner writes, but the essays on literature and art mostly went over my head. Ha! Her personal essays here were the best, and I could have read an entire book of them.
mollylark's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This book expanded my world and made me hungry to live. I felt inspired by her criticism and her personal essays were insightful. Kushner is a brilliant mind and I’m excited to read her fiction.
cwalsh's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I think this collection suffers from being a bit uneven, but luckily there are more bangers than duds. While I enjoyed her essays on literary and art criticism, I much preferred Kushner's essays on her life and personal experiences.
Favorites: Girl on a Motorcycle, We Are Orphans Here, Made to Burn, Is Prison Necessary?, and The Hard Crowd.
Favorites: Girl on a Motorcycle, We Are Orphans Here, Made to Burn, Is Prison Necessary?, and The Hard Crowd.