mahnoor
She/her. 30 🇵🇰 i think and feel a lot and books help me with both
1244 points
mahnoor commented on sunnysunshine's review of Babel
What does it take for one to forgo their proximity to empire to fight back against it? What elements of violence are essential to that fight? Where is the balance between violent revolution and political maneuvering? These questions are all explored in a historical fantasy where silver and the translations between languages serve as the main tool of empire.
The not-so-good (aka my only critiques and possibly personal preferences rather than objective critique of the writing):
The pacing, while intentional to distort the reader's perception of time as it reflects the experience of Robin, our main character, is overdone to the point that certain less exciting parts drag on while the excitement and action happens relatively quickly. While I do appreciate the time distortion I don't believe every sentence in the slow sections was necessary and so the slow pacing for me was overdone. I wanted more character development and just more time with the characters. I would have sacrificed some of the lectures on translation if it got me more Ramy, Victoire, and Robin interacting (and I LOVED the linguistic lectures.) Some of the times where characters are really dived into I did feel more often that I was being told who they were rather than shown as well.
The amazing: This book isn't meant to teach you that colonialism is bad - it's pretty specific that everyone in the story already knows this - it's what conveniences one is willing to give up for this knowledge that Babel tackles, and what methods of fighting the injustice are considered valid or effective and how this distorts with what privileges one is accustomed to. This is explored through quite a few different intersections and what this means for different character relationships and decisions. One parallel with today's world is that many people by now know that their smartphones and other technologies are created unjustly and at the expense of the people whose countries we are exploiting for such conveniences. Yet we all still use our devices just as those who know there is injustice in Babel continue their translations and using their silver and separating themselves from the reality of empire. There is no clear answer to what balance between violence and political maneuvering must be struck, this is not an instruction manual to righting the wrongs of empire - it's a recognition that we must do -something- or we will remain in our complicity, shaking our heads and wringing our hands at injustice while believing that there's nothing we can really do as individuals. It's a reminder that this is the world we are in and if we do not take action to choose a side then we will inevitably side with the empire.
This book isn't going to teach you anything about colonialism as a negative force that you don't already know - it's going to make the privileged readers in the imperial core uncomfortable with all they do know and how they move through the world despite this knowledge. It's a reminder that when we choose comfort and convenience in the face of a known injustice that we are serving the empire while we ignore its victims.
6mahnoor commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Firstly, IM SO EXCITED THE APP LAUNCHED!!!
Honestly I’m not used to thinking deeply about the plots in media that I consume, but I want to get better with media literacy. When you’re reading, how do you think through things and put your reactions into words, and are there methods to organizing your thoughts?
I’m not sure how or when to post on forums other than the moments that I have strong emotional reactions, and then the posts I make just sound immature 😅
It’s interesting and a little intimidating to see reviews that have multiple paragraphs with analysis and plot description, does anyone else get a little self conscious about posting?
36mahnoor commented on mahnoor's review of Klara and the Sun
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5mahnoor commented on a post
I finished this book back in August and I still cannot get it off my mind. How far out are you and still thinking about it?
12mahnoor commented on a post
mahnoor commented on a post
IT TOOK ME 200 PAGES TO REALISE AN OBLONG REFERS TO A PHONE 😭. The pure confusion at it constantly being mentioned, I just thought Ishiguro really liked the word and had to fit it in anywhere he could.
3mahnoor commented on mahnoor's review of Klara and the Sun
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5mahnoor commented on mahnoor's review of They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom
READ IT NOW. ahed tamimi is a fortress and every single person needs to know her story and rally for her cause
6mahnoor wants to read...
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)
Becky Chambers
0mahnoor commented on a post
mahnoor commented on a post
Post from the Our Share of Night forum
I dont like gore. I have read some Stephen King but horror is not a genre I gravitate towards. Everyone is raving about it but I am a bit of a scaredy cat reading the comments lool so now I am questioning whether or not should I give this a go.
My questions:
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Does this have gore? Or really violent or graphic stuff?
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What sort of horror is this? (No spoilers please! Just give me a sense of the kind of vibe or feelings you got reading it).
0mahnoor commented on mahnoor's review of They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom
READ IT NOW. ahed tamimi is a fortress and every single person needs to know her story and rally for her cause
6mahnoor finished reading and wrote a review...
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5Post from the Klara and the Sun forum
mahnoor commented on a post
‘There were these two French girls,’ Josie said, ‘came to our last meeting. Both had their hair that way, neat and short like you.’
11mahnoor joined a quest
Feminism Without Exception 🌍✊⚧️
🏆 // 356 joined
Not Joined
Intersectional feminist texts that explore the complexity of feminism, centering voices from communities that are often the most excluded.
0mahnoor commented on a post
hi everyone! welcome to the Feminism Without Exception forum :) i'm so happy you're here!
my goal with this Quest was to be an accessible entry point to expand your understanding of feminism, and how it intersects with other social justice issues across the world. feminism is so intertwined with other issues, so a few texts included cover a broader range of issues but are still relevant to the conversation.
with that in mind, please note that this Quest is not attempting to be an all-encompassing booklist for feminist texts or feminist history. this Quest is trying to fit a specific niche of intersectionality and deconstruction from oppressive systems as a whole. this means the Quest will favor books that center marginalized voices, rather than books that solely focus on the patriarchy or the broader feminist movement.
i tried to include topics at each level of knowledge and include books that would apply to every reader, but my overall goal is to lean more towards beginner-friendly or intermediate texts, as i want the Quest to be achievable for everyone, even those who may be intimidated by nonfiction or unsure where to start. you will find a few denser, more academic texts included, and i will still consider adding more advanced texts, but please know i will prioritize more introductory texts.
whether you're just beginning to deconstruct from larger systems of oppression and how they intersect with feminism, or if you're already familiar with intersectional theory, i think you'll find something that fits your reading tastes, and teaches you something new!
TL;DR criteria:
focus on centering marginalized voices focus on beginner-friendly or intermediate texts focus on intersectionality, not just patriarchy alone
intersectionality refers to texts that explore the intersection of sexism with other systems of oppression, including: ableism, racism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, classism, and colonization; building upon the framework coined by Dr. Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw.
please try to keep suggestions to this main post!
remember to keep the above criteria in mind. i'll make additions as i see fit while prioritizing the spirit of the Quest :)
this Quest forum is meant to be a safe place to talk about intersectional feminism at large, i encourage everyone to feel comfortable having hard conversations here.
happy reading, i'm so excited to learn and grow together 🩷
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