Delia reviewed Every Monument Will Fall by Dan Hicks
Never heard of militaristic realism and now I can’t stop thinking about it
5 stars
Listened on audiobook; I am not sure if I would have been able to plough through the academic density of it otherwise. It’s almost like a fish describing water- asking why, really, are we holding onto history so tightly from the 1800s? albeit from the heart of where it may arguably be at its most dense, his critique of colonial monuments, in all its different forms, is even more relevant for New Zealand I think. I finished the book while walking through the heart of Christchurch- a city that has literally had to determine which monuments we will let fall. The statue of cook has a faded Red Cross marked over him; while nearby Maori Pō commemorate Kai tahu heroes… I loved this book. I loved its challenge and it’s begging for us to remember how we remember, and the violence of neutrality. So I guess, what now, what next?
Listened on audiobook; I am not sure if I would have been able to plough through the academic density of it otherwise. It’s almost like a fish describing water- asking why, really, are we holding onto history so tightly from the 1800s? albeit from the heart of where it may arguably be at its most dense, his critique of colonial monuments, in all its different forms, is even more relevant for New Zealand I think. I finished the book while walking through the heart of Christchurch- a city that has literally had to determine which monuments we will let fall. The statue of cook has a faded Red Cross marked over him; while nearby Maori Pō commemorate Kai tahu heroes… I loved this book. I loved its challenge and it’s begging for us to remember how we remember, and the violence of neutrality. So I guess, what now, what next?