short books – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder

On Tyranny, a small tan academic paperback folio, lies face up on a shelf clogged with other books. Someone has written "Gird Your Loins" on the cover with a sharpie.

(Buy this book here.) This book has been everywhere since last year’s election in the US–indie shops, TikTok diatribes, little free libraries and coffee shop share shelves with snarky messages inked on the cover. Something about the idea of a little book of twenty short lessons on how to stem the tide of tyranny, basedContinue reading “[REVIEW] On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder”

[REVIEW] A Fledgling Abiba, by Dilman Dila

The paperback cover of A Fledgling Abiba, which depicts a person surrounded by geometric patterns, is held up by a Black woman's hand in front of a handmade upcycled mural displayed in Roslindale Substation.

(Buy this book here.) Sometimes a writer has to work really hard to take the reader into another world, crafting and creating wonder out of both imagination and the collective fantastic. Other times all a writer has to do is write what is familiar to them for an unfamiliar audience. I think this novella actuallyContinue reading “[REVIEW] A Fledgling Abiba, by Dilman Dila”

[Review]A Quick And Easy Guide To They/Them Pronouns, by Tristan Jimerson and Archie Bongiovanni

A Quick and Easy Guide To They/Them Pronouns lies on a wooden kitchen table in front of a white bowl heaped with delicious egg noodles and veg.

(Buy this book here) This book is exactly what the title says it is. Archie and their cis friend Tristan put together a quick and simple graphic novel explaining what they/them pronouns are, how they’re used, and why we should use them. They take a really empathetic, gracious approach to this, with sections aimed atContinue reading “[Review]A Quick And Easy Guide To They/Them Pronouns, by Tristan Jimerson and Archie Bongiovanni”

[REVIEW] For Our Country, Fatemeh Farahani(published as Shahein Farahani)

A tablet sits on a countertop in front of a window. There is a tall purple drink on one side and a plate of green and white rice cakes on the other.

(Download it for free HERE.) Woman’s the soul, and man the body of our countryWith soul and body linked, new life will have returnedto our country… In the landscape of weird that has made up 2020 so far, “Bailey’s is teaming up with The Women’s Prize For Fiction to work for progress in feminist publishing,”Continue reading “[REVIEW] For Our Country, Fatemeh Farahani(published as Shahein Farahani)”