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I’m aware that it’s simply my TikTok fuelled brain rot, and my tendency towards more contemporary fiction, but this book completely flew over my head. I read it as I went to Palermo and was like omg a classic set there, and it’s about the unification of Italy? Sign me up! However, I feel like at the core of my problem with this book is I’m incapable of giving a flying fuck about rich people. I’m aware that one of the readings of the book is using the inane nature of aristocratic life and relegating the ‘revolution’ to the background as a critique of said existence. Sure, the book can kind of be read in any way you want to make whatever point you want. But that doesn’t deny the fact that I don’t care about which heir is important. I’m sure if I had a bigger brain and a …

I really enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook as I worked on numerous library shifts. One thing that really struck me, which is so not the point, but she's like this book took 15 years of research. And it really shows, it's so expansive and in-depth and soaring and ambitious and also very specific. It just made me sad because, well, I'm not sure if a book like this can even really exist any more in academia. Like who will be able to take that long to write something, to work on something. The anticapitalist book is anticapitalist in its very approach to productivity! Which is slay! I found it really quite moving. Helpfully it popped up in another book I've been reading about music and value, and yeah the main argument -about supply chains and there being pockets of 'not-capitalism' or 'outside of capitalism' within the broader structure …

Ok so one thing I genuinely liked were him being extremely horny all the time, a true bi/pansexual, including like trees, mountains; you name it, Walt Whitman can be turned on by it. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect going into this, and was intrigued to read that this was basically his response to Thoreau putting a call out for a national poet for the U.S.A. And he was like hold my beer I’m going to self publish this thing then never let it rest. Mainly I was extremely jarred upon reading the first item in the collection, pages and pages of prose chaos which were basically the settler’s wet dream. Glorious descriptions of the land without a people, now peopled by so many others. He really tries to sell it, and god it makes me sick, made me want to go and read about Walt Whitman and manifest …

This was a blast. I took a while to get into it - found the first 100 pages difficult and then the next 300 a blast. At times I felt the extremely chaotic (and fun!) sliding between characters and perspectives a bit much, and I feel like some ends could have been tied up less loosely. That being said it was a pleasurable experience. The power point section I absolutely adored and found extremely moving (I cried!) which is very cool. An amazing way of conveying a child’s understanding / ability to reconcile their reality with their feelings. Top notch. 

Listened to this while working in the lib. Genuinely so impressive to contain so much detail and analysis while having such an international and trans temporal scope. Like this is such a great primer on why borders are shit and also historically inconsistent and also all the myths you’re told are wrong. Strong. 

Honestly absolutely stunning, an incredible book. The best description of union organising / striking I’ve read, all the intricate relationships + anti colonial politics. Was so glad I could read this as I was visiting some of the places it’s set in Sénégal!

First two chapters are mid / not very interesting. Palestine chapters genuinely good, especially with some specific information I didn’t know about historical US immigration policy towards Jewish ppl and descriptions of Palestine by early Zionist settlers. Ultimately a very good book to give ur lib mum who hasn’t decided what she thinks yet 

An extremely strange and dreamy book which washes over you like a cloud or a mist or a sandstorm or a sea breeze. Utterly evocative, I was constantly unsure of where I was. We talk to ghosts and become them. Will revisit in many years and try to understand more.

If anything I wish she was still alive to update it again. Some great fascinating stuff!