jrayereads's reviews
429 reviews

 

Earlier this month, I read Culture Warlords by Talia Lavin, which covered white supremacy in online spaces (I really enjoyed it, by the way, give it a read!). This book feels like a natural extension of Lavin’s work with the added benefit of a more academic approach to the topic of women in white supremacist movements. 

Sisters in Hate is incredibly well-structured, weaving between individual stories of the core three women that the book is organized around and broader conversations about the unique contributions that women bring to white supremacists movements. Darby also provides a nuanced intersectional analysis in giving insight into why white women vote against their own interests, which feels very timely following the 2024 election, in which 53% of white women voted for Trump. She details the deeply racist beginnings of 20th century feminist movements, where the fight for women’s suffrage excluded women of color, considers the role that Christianity and Paganism play in white supremacy (another topic that Lavin covered in Culture Warlords), and also shows the ways that white women are, even when they embrace a subservient role and capitulate to the fragile white men of these movements, STILL degraded and excluded by those same men.  

This book is difficult to read. Seyward Darby does not pull any punches - she portrays these women and groups for what they are: sickeningly racist. I found myself cringing at the blatant hate speech and disgusting viewpoints that were discussed, but Darby’s treatment of the topic was brutally honest and respectful. This book is for people like me, who have a morbid curiosity of how these groups function and how people fall into and out of them. These groups are not going away any time soon, so it’s definitely worth learning what they believe so we can understand how to combat them. Sisters in Hate is a great starting point for gaining that understanding. 

Will give this another go when I'm feeling less rageful after the election. I need books that match those feelings and frankly I'm pissed at all establishment democrats right now, including the Obamas. 

 

I wanted to like this so badly but it ended up not being for me. I can appreciate memoirs that are creative in their structure, but I think it takes a really skilled writer to sell a non-linear memoir without it being confusing to follow. Unfortunately, I don’t think this was successful as a memoir at all. 

What I had thought (and what the marketing/back of book/and even the first chapter implied) was that this would be a cross-country travel memoir from the perspective of a queer Palestinian American. What this ended up being was a mix of small, non-linear vignettes from different points of her life and stream of consciousness observations. This book felt very directionless and meandering in a way that was not satisfying. Her ramblings lacked cohesion and structure. It felt at times like Jarrar did not have anything in particular to say and at other times like she was so unfiltered and unedited that the message was muddled. 

In some ways this was too much (which I suspect Jarrar was going for) and not enough. We got lots of details of sexual exploits and a shoddy retrospective psychoanalysis for said sexual exploits. I am absolutely down to hear about queer people discovering their sexuality, but these sections did not seem to add anything. There was almost no discussion about the intersection of her queerness with her religion. While we had many TMI moments, there were also moments that could have been so interesting and insightful that had no development. I enjoyed some parts about her family, her struggles in traveling to Palestine, and her pregnancy with her son, but these sections did not make up for the confusing, underdeveloped ramblings that comprised most of the book. 

Also, this is just a me thing, but I’m deeply unimpressed by such a detailed account of infidelity. I have 0 patience for cheating and the discussion around a “right” to sex was very upsetting. Your partner does not owe you sex. Anyways. . . 

 

This was just a really cute time and it’s one of those books I would’ve loved to have read as a teenager. The conversations around first love and sex and shame were really relatable and sweet. There was also a solid amount of humor and the winter vibes were pretty good as well. Worth reading if you want something fun and low stakes. 

 

This was an interesting and compulsively readable look at white supremacists groups online. I always appreciate when books like this emphasize how the unchecked hate speech and dehumanization of others leads to real-world violence. These groups are dangerous, and while there is snark and humor sprinkled in, Lavin takes their threat seriously. I also appreciate that her focus was not on Trump generally. She certainly mentions him, but he is not the be-all end-all of this issue and she instead focuses on the leaders of these groups online and the right-wing pundits who often exploit their audiences by promoting these perspectives (I’m looking at you, Blaire White, Charlie Kirk, etc). 

My favorite segment was on the religiosity of these groups. Lavin doesn’t just criticize Christian Nationalism but she also provided a lot of information about pagan white supremacy as well. It’s easy to put all the blame on Christians, but ultimately these white supremacists are twisting whatever religious beliefs they claim, and showing the similarity between Christian white supremacists and pagan white supremacists was really interesting to me.

Overall, this is not the most academic book out there but it does succinctly cover the topic in a way that I found effective and enjoyable to read. 

Also, if you want an expanded discussion on incels, I would highly recommend Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates. 

 

I’m withholding a star rating on this one because it ended up not being what I thought it was - and that’s not necessarily the book’s fault. It’s a collection of transcribed interviews about a variety of topics: economics, foreign policy, the overall shift right by both U.S. parties. My favorite sections were on dissecting the modern Republican party and Trump’s election in 2016. Ultimately the title is a nice slogan but it doesn’t really point to a thesis or common thread that ties these interviews together, which is what I was expecting.

The quote in the summary is basically all we get on the topic: “We have two choices. We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure that the worst will happen. Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and maybe help make the world a better place. Not much of a choice.” There ya go. If you had the same assumption as me for what the content of this book would be, I saved you some time. 

I could see this being a helpful read if you’re familiar with U.S. foreign policy in the 21st century and you want Chomsky’s take on it. I was hoping it would be about engaging in leftist politics with a perspective of optimism - which sure would be a helpful book right about now. Anyways, I’m bummed this wasn’t what I thought it was but that’s not anyone else’s fault. 

 

Oh my god?????? This was so devastating and I may never recover. Beautiful writing, incredible characterization, and one of the most profound and heart-wrenching stories on grief and vulnerability I’ve read in a hot minute.

Just missed the mark to be 5 stars for me because I felt like the section about Wren’s mom was waaaaay too long and needed to be edited down, but otherwise I think this book is incredible and definitely worth reading if you want your heart ripped out and stomped on. 

A solid overview of the various organizations, groups, and prominent individuals who have been fighting to help women get abortion care. The stories here are important and need to be heard. I felt at times things were a little unfocused as far as the structure of the book goes. Some of the stories were a bit of a retread for me, but it did introduce me to some new topics I want to dig deeper into (like the underground group Jane). I would have liked it if the section towards the end about current efforts to protect abortions and how abortion providers have been preparing for the end of Roe to be more developed. But still, overall this was a good read and I think it’s a good introduction to the topic. 

 

Gorgeous and lush prose and memorable characters. I enjoyed the atmosphere and all that I learned about the complex gender dynamics and cultural customs. Our protagonist was put in so many impossible situations and it was refreshing to see how clever and ambitious she was, even when she made mistakes. I thought her desires, motivations, and worries were very believable and sympathetic.

I do think too much time was spent on the sigheh (the temporary marriage) and the drama surrounding that, but I get that marriage was a core concern for women of all classes during that time. Those sections were the majority of the book, which made the pacing lag quite a bit. Still enjoyable overall and it's always worth it to pick up a book about a culture I’m unfamiliar with.