User Profile

This is a book dripping in US-southern aspects. But also paints a much more complex picture of this region. One that is not of a monolith of attitudes. It still has the bad behaviors the region is known for. But shows them to be bad behaviors that one can be guilty of anywhere. It also shows those that dont engage in said behaviors. And even for those that do, to show them as more than just ill tempered people. But complete humans, rather than 2D cartoons that are easy to hate and insult.

I grew up in the US-south, and it was eerie to encounter some of this. Most of which I managed to get away from. But still odd to revisit. And to see how long it has existed.

This was written in the 50s, and works to show an accurate picture of how people spoke in the 30s in the US-south. So there are frequent uses of the n-slur, by even the main characters. Other characters use harsh or hateful language and actions that are anti-black. However, the black community within the setting are treated sympathetically. The main plot of the book is in support of a black man. It is worth knowing, and preparing for racist moments, which seem to be ways of exposing racism and its effects.

CW: anti-black racism, frequent n-slur, harm to children, abuse

This is a book dripping in US-southern aspects. But also paints a much more complex picture of this region. One that is not of a monolith of attitudes. It still has the bad behaviors the region is known for. But shows them to be bad behaviors that one can be guilty of anywhere. It also shows those that dont engage in said behaviors. And even for those that do, to show them as more than just ill tempered people. But complete humans, rather than 2D cartoons that are easy to hate and insult.

I grew up in the US-south, and it was eerie to encounter some of this. Most of which I managed to get away from. But still odd to revisit. And to see how long it has existed.

This was written in the 50s, and works to show an accurate picture of how people spoke in the 30s in the US-south. So there are frequent uses of the n-slur, by even the main characters. Other characters use harsh or hateful language and actions that are anti-black. However, the black community within the setting are treated sympathetically. The main plot of the book is in support of a black man. It is worth knowing, and preparing for racist moments, which seem to be ways of exposing racism and its effects.

CW: anti-black racism, frequent n-slur, harm to children, abuse

I needed to read Old Yeller for a story I'm writing. I saw the film when I was 6 or 8, and only knew it by reputation since. I've barely heard it talked about really. But I always remembered the ending is sad.

Having read it now, I do notice a few things. One, is the colonialist tone at the beginning. It.. revels a bit in Native Americans being put on reservations. I believe there is a anti-black slur. Not the hard N, but similar. Not to mention the father worship. Is that what I want to use? Well, the mother does quite a bit actually. And so does a girl brought on the help for a bit. And at the end, the much vaunted father starts telling his son no to care about the dog that died. But the next second, backtracks and tells him that's not possible. And to do what he can. It's actually a very mature, even handed way of looking at grief.

And so... (is it possible to spoil this book?) that ending. It actually.... wasnt that sad. There is barely any detail or lingering on it. We are told why it has to happen, and it happens. next chapter. There is more detail about how they hunt wild pigs. I believe the movie went into more detail of the actual act. But the book cant be finished with it quicker.

I was worried this would make me feel bad about my already somewhat old dog. But now I'm more "....that was the sad part?!"

This book is advocating, and hoping to start a movement of activism, based less in call-outs, and more in call-in. Bascially, less shunning and insulting of an opposing believe, political or otherwise. And more leaving room to a discussion. Sometimes based less in opposition, and rather finding areas of similarity. This of course is for people open to such a thing. And she still has room in the process for either calling-out harmful behavior. Or even calling-off when no progress can made. But also, asking that we call ourselves in, to see if we can truely put this into practice.

I.... really needed this book. I might reread it later. I want to get back into activism. But my previous foray based in anger and rightiousness left me exhausted, frustrated, and angry at things that didnt deserve it. And that only stopped when I backed away from activism. Or at least that form of it.

I dont know how well this form will work. But in reading it, I feel more stable.

I just cant with this one anymore. It is not what I was looking for.

This is more of a relationships book. There is alot about friendships, romances, and massaging. Scant few things about the war, the backstories, battles, fantasy elements. All of these are in service to the relationships. And sometimes clumsily so. But I just was not looking for this sort of thing.

I wanted more about the gryphons, and there is a good bit here. I wanted more of them flying, how their biology works. How they exist as magically-created beings. There was -some- good stuff on that. But so few and far between, or at least not making up for more meh parts of the book. And it always returned to the chars I was not interested in.

Not to mention the iffy stuff on the breeding program, and maybe some eugenic justification? Maybe it addresses that in the last 25%, but I couldnt get there. But what got me the most was the made up terms. Not a bad thing in-general. But here, these terms are not defined well or at all. I couldnt tell if a made up word was a job, an ethnicity, another species. And they are used all over the book. And I just felt left behind and confused. And I got tired of it.

From what I read, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. Teeeeempted to give it 2.5.

Content notes for: nudity, sex, and one Blue is the Warmest Colour style short story featuring under age age gap fling with cheating.

What kinds of keywords came to mind? Lesbians, obviously, coming of age, slice of life, romance, and boarding schools.

"On Loving Women is a new collection of stories about coming out, first love, and sexual identity by the animator Diane Obomsawin. With this work, Obomsawin brings her gaze to bear on subjects closer to home—her friends' and lovers' personal accounts of realizing they're gay or first finding love with another woman. Each story is a master class in reaching the emotional truth of a situation with the simplest means possible. Her stripped-down pages use the bare minimum of linework to expressively reveal heartbreak, joy, irritation, and fear."

The art style was interesting, and fits with the genre, but it was not really my favourite.

Gender and sexuality were obviously pretty central to this collection of short stories. Apparently Obomsawin interviewed a number of people she knew across a wide age range, but since she chose to focus more on each person's first lesbian relationship all the stories feature fairly young protagonists. I was a bit concerned about the lack of trans representation, as I'm not sure if this was an oversight or a deliberate exclusion. An alibi fairly cursory searches via duck duck go did not appear to reveal anything, but Obomsawin does not appear to be a terribly online person either.

Similarly, racial diversity seemed to be largely ignored. But living in a still pretty segregated society, it's not hard to believe that since Obomsawin was drawing from her personal contacts there could just not be much diversity to draw on. That said, I'm not sure if the different animal heads Obomsawin uses was supposed to denote racial different? So there is a chance it just flew right over my head.

Class did feel like one of the things that did really differentiate some of the characters from each other.

And, again, might have missed something but the assumption seemed to be that everyone was pretty able bodied.

So yeah, to conclude, I am glad I finally got around to reading this book as it's been on my TBR for what feels like forever. That said, as I already mentioned, not a new favourite. I have been feeling very unnerved by my ratings of late though, always feeling like I'm rating things to highly or to lowly. So let us see... I think I'm going to follow my gut and start with a two out of five stars, which always feels harsh, but it was OK so there's that.

I am having a rough time with this one. It has alot of what I think are made up terms like traun'daihir. And that's not bad necessarily. But I really dont think these terms were introduced or defined well enough. While they were frequently used in the story. I cant tell for sure if a term is an ethnicity or another species or job title or military position. Some terms get a bit of an explanation, but after alot of use before-hand, and a later in the book.

Which is similar for backstory. It wasnt until 30% in that we get real backstory on one character, and the world. Where we find out who the villain is, why the war started, and how one char came to be where we are in the story's present. And honestly, that was the one of the few times I connected with the book. And even then, I'm not fond of that character.

And I dont know, it's getting a bit dull. Not hard to read exactly, but less than fun. Maybe it could be interesting, but it's not good at explaining itself.