A striking refresher course that will leave readers with a renewed hunger for justice regarding the pandemic.
A laundry list of pandemic woes that is sure to alarm as much as it angers and informs its readers.
For nearly two years, Covid-19 has dominated headlines. It’s understandable if Americans can’t keep up, but according to the Nation national-affairs correspondent Nichols, what’s more perplexing is the lack of outrage at leadership for rampant incompetence and greed. They not only cost lives; they squandered opportunities to step up when the nation needed guidance. In all, 18 guilty parties, from Pfizer to Jeff Bezos, make the cut. In some cases, it was a family affair. Consider Donald Trump’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the severity of the virus (“Trump made his presidency America’s pre-existing condition. He lied, and Americans died”) or his ill-fated appointment of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to head the virus task force. Then there's Elaine Chao and Mitch McConnell. Chao refused to enact safety protocols for the department of transportation, while McConnell demanded a no lawsuits clause ahead of relief laws, cawing “no liability shield, no relief.” There are also solo acts such as Betsy DeVos, who used her department of education position to bolster privatization efforts, and, of course, Vice President Mike Pence, who resurrected his villainous role from the days of the AIDS crisis as a denier, earning him a “desperate little man” designation. Lest readers presume this is a pile-on manifesto with Republicans as the only targets, the book is mostly balanced. Andrew Cuomo receives castigation for his misinformation that led to nursing home deaths, and Nichols also calls out Rahm Emmanuel for offshoring efforts so severe that logistical mazes stalled much-needed supply delivery efforts. At the end, the author delivers the inevitable call to action: We must demand accountability and end impunity, and “the guilty must be named and shamed” and “consigned to the ash heap of history.”
A striking refresher course that will leave readers with a renewed hunger for justice regarding the pandemic.Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-83976-377-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Verso
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.
The comedian argues that the arts of moderation and common sense must be reinvigorated.
Some people are born snarky, some become snarky, and some have snarkiness thrust upon them. Judging from this book, Maher—host of HBO’s Real Time program and author of The New New Rules and When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden—is all three. As a comedian, he has a great deal of leeway to make fun of people in politics, and he often delivers hilarious swipes with a deadpan face. The author describes himself as a traditional liberal, with a disdain for Republicans (especially the MAGA variety) and a belief in free speech and personal freedom. He claims that he has stayed much the same for more than 20 years, while the left, he argues, has marched toward intolerance. He sees an addiction to extremism on both sides of the aisle, which fosters the belief that anyone who disagrees with you must be an enemy to be destroyed. However, Maher has always displayed his own streaks of extremism, and his scorched-earth takedowns eventually become problematic. The author has something nasty to say about everyone, it seems, and the sarcastic tone starts after more than 300 pages. As has been the case throughout his career, Maher is best taken in small doses. The book is worth reading for the author’s often spot-on skewering of inept politicians and celebrities, but it might be advisable to occasionally dip into it rather than read the whole thing in one sitting. Some parts of the text are hilarious, but others are merely insulting. Maher is undeniably talented, but some restraint would have produced a better book.
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781668051351
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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