A poignant and resonant piece of journalism that's equal parts frustrated scream of rage and melancholic release of grief.

I appreciated Evangelista's framing centering on the use of language, and how political messaging is intentionally weaponized to justify the unjustifiable. How dehumanization of certain groups leads to manufacturing consent for their erasure, and how language can be a colonial legacy used to uphold imperial structures. Especially interesting were her insights onto passive vs. active language. Somebody dying vs. somebody being shot by police. Since finishing this book, I see this intentional language choice everywhere, especially in traditional media such as news reports and headlines.

What struck me most about this framing was how it felt so close to home. Although The Philippines has its own rich, complicated history, I found the messaging used to enable Duterte's disappearing of people to be chillingly familiar. The eugenicist foundation of choosing who deserves to live and die, arbitrarily labeling people criminals while denying the systemic issues leading them to poverty and addiction, and dismissive handwaving of justice by allowing his police force to act with absolute impunity.

As an American, all of it felt so reminiscent of our own justice and legal systems, and how they target marginalized communities and create an endless loop of suffering and abuse.

Not only are the tactics the same, but the systems that create inequity and violence are identical. Evangelista paints a picture of how neoliberal Western imperialism harms the world. I won't venture to speak as an expert on Filipino history, but the throughline to Duterte hinges so heavily on colonialism and American intervention. Though Duterte's actions are absolutely inexcusable, I felt a deep sense of grief seeing how poverty, marginalization, and justified distrust of Western powers created an amalgamation of violence that seems to have no end.

Just as heavy was the confirmation that Duterte is not a unique figure, someone that can be voted out and replaced with a better future, but a result of toxic rot due to colonial powers. I have yet to read a book that better exemplifies the reality that strongmen are not aberrations in the system, but a colonial inheritance worthy of deconstruction and revolution.

While I sometimes wished Evangelista would have addressed the systems of power a bit more, I ended up liking how she kept things matter-of-fact and centered the framing on language and experience. This book isn't meant to be a takedown of colonialism and imperialism, though it can certainly be a weapon in the arsenal. Rather, Some People Need Killing calls out the false narrative for what it is, pointing out the language tactics used by the oppressor and giving voice to the victims that the government wants to erase.

The result is a book full of so much rage and grief that creates a sense of urgency, a desire for action, a demanding of justice. Evangelista's writing is deft, but emotionally raw, perfectly straddling the line between systemic political critique and personal, individual reflection.

I've floundered for so long on how to write a review for Otherlands, and I can't come up with anything in-depth and analytical because, to be honest with you, I didn't understand a single bit of this book.

I had to look up something every other sentence, which normally would be a fun experience, but since I don't have an extreme interest in the topic, made the book feel tedious. I was hoping this one would be a bit more beginner-friendly, because I do want to learn, but I needed a bit more hand-holding with all of the terms and species.

If you're a scientist or have a particular interest in the study of these time periods and the flora and fauna that existed, you will have an absolute ball with this book.

I will say, despite my personal struggle with the content, Halliday's writing is absolutely gorgeous. It's not easy to talk about something like this and make it interesting and immersive, and Otherlands created a beautiful narrative experience that really felt like stepping back into the old world. His use of sensorial experience made the atmosphere so palpable. Again, if you like this sort of thing, I can imagine this book is an incredible adventure.

And also... why did he write it going backwards in time?! I was so unbelivably lost (but I am sadly challenged when it comes to perceiving time and space) and I had to reorient myself each chapter, reminding myself that the creatures and events were now in fact before the creatures and events talked about in the previous chapter. This feeling of ungroundedness mixed with my already overwhelming confusion for the subject left me reeling, and not in a fun way.