hello Pagebound friends! i inherited this quest from our founder, Lucy. while i don't know her original criteria for choosing the first 40 books, i've come up with some general guidelines that i think this quest should follow. this is going to be a bit of a long-winded post but i wanted to let everyone know my thought process going forward!

since the title of this quest specifically highlights "Critically Acclaimed", and based on the books that are already included, this will be the general criteria for now:

• positive reviews from respected critics or publications • awards and nominations • commonly included on "best of" or other similar lists • scholarly attention, such as the book being referenced in academic discussions, essays, or scholarly literary analysis • longevity & relevance, meaning memoirs that continue to be relevant to cultural and professional discussion across a long period of time

however! there are some caveats that i think need to be mentioned.

i think there is room for some variation considering how common freelance book critique is on the internet, how influential online critique/reviewing has become, and how the internet has expanded literary circles.

i also think it's important to recognize that marginalized authors often do not receive the same amount of professional literary praise as non-marginalized authors. awards and mainstream critics & publications historically favor white, Western, often cis male authors, and marginalized authors often get fewer or less serious reviews. on top of that, there are many publishing barriers in place for marginalized authors that mean their books often don't get marketed widely and their work is often overlooked, or sometimes strategically suppressed or banned.

because of these issues, i will also take into consideration things like: • consistency, as in the book receives praise from multiple sources and not just virality • cultural impact, as in if the book is sparking deeper conversation in literary communities (both professional and casual) for its craft, style, and impact • adding on to the above, memoirs that are especially recognized in literary circles (both professional and casual) for courage, honesty, or an overall contribution to social/cultural understanding

TL;DR: i'd like to stick to memoirs that are specifically acclaimed for their literary merit and cultural or scholarly impact, rather than just memoirs that are bestselling/popular/viral. i want the books included to be works that contribute meaningfully to conversation and literature. i especially think this will help the quest not get overwhelmed by a ton of celebrity memoirs or other similar releases.

now with that all being said, i'm open to any suggestions and would be happy to sort through and see what i think is a fair addition :)

oh my god, the doctor pressuring Assata to have an abortion while pretending it's "for her own wellbeing" but not actually explaining why

and the use of pro life activism in certain cases ie Evelyn's doctor telling Assata that they could leverage the pregnancy and pro life activists if the judge denied the motion to move her to the hospital and postpone the trial. it's an extra layer of nuance to the issue that i had never considered. abortion issues are often framed as "choice vs life" but Black people (and indigenous people, and other people of color ofc) often get neither. and of course, that pro-life activism isn't about the right to life at all, but rather people fighting for the right of the state to control people's bodies

the whole section with the white doctor is so insidious. how he denies her any answers about her own body & health, how he treats her autonomy like a game to "win", and how he has every ability to act on his racism unchecked. just, honestly speechless

"I have never really understood exactly what a "liberal" is, though, since i have heard "liberals" express every conceivable opinion on every conceivable subject. As far as i can tell, you have the extreme right, who are fascist, racist capitalist dogs like Ronald Reagan, who come right out and let you know where they're coming from. And on the opposite end, you have the left, who are supposed to be committed to justice, equality, and human rights. And somewhere between those two points is the liberal. As far as i'm concerned, "liberal" is the most meaningless word in the dictionary. History has shown me that as long as some white middle-class people can live high on the hog, take vacations to Europe, send their children to private schools, and reap the benefits of their white skin privileges, then they are "liberals." But when times get hard and money gets tight, they pull off that liberal mask and you think you're talking to Adolf Hitler."

Barsss Was looking back at quotes and just wanted to pin this one here (would be cool if there was a" "quotes" feature - should probably suggest that to J+L). But yeah, we've seen this again and again. When capital is threatened, the "liberal" will chose the fascist instead of the classless, socialist society - as long as they still profit from it & maintain their privileges. They are protectors of capital 1st and foremost and gladly open the doors and welcome fascism, then and now.

this is such a cool quest!!!!! thank you so much for making it :)

woww the imagery of the Jews in hiding wearing a pig mask (which represents the non-Jewish Polish). i really find the use of animal imagery so interesting here. it's a graphic depiction of the othering and dehumanization that came from the propaganda against Jews - instead of seeing each other all as people, they saw each other as different species entirely due to the propaganda from the Nazi regime

not only does it create a sense of detachment, it takes something that's supposed to be inherently known, a cognitive bias abstract and unspoken, and pulls it into reality and makes it undeniable via physical imagery. it's super powerful and works so well for what Spiegelman is trying to do

i don't know if this has already been asked before, but if you had to choose only 1 book from the ones you read in 2025, what would it be?

for me it's The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (ya historical, with complex plot and characters, i read this so fast and loved everything!!)