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possm

possm@bookwyrm.tilde.zone

Joined 1 year, 4 months ago

silly little guy he/it

My languages in order of proficiency: German French English Chinese. The reason I read so much in English is only because most pirated epubs are in English. I have no consistent grading system, the stars are based on vibes, don't read into it. I am not a critic; my "reviews" simply document what it was like for me to read the book in question.

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possm's books

To Read

Currently Reading (View all 5)

2024 Reading Goal

90% complete! possm has read 27 of 30 books.

Anna Maria Sigmund: Die Frauen der Nazis. (Paperback, German language, 2013, Heyne) 3 stars

Entertaining and gossipy

3 stars

This is some real pop history. I now know more about Goebbels' sex life than I ever thought, or wished, I would. Each chapter of the book is a little biography of one important Nazi woman. The writing isn't especially good and there's some shoddy editing at times (paragraphs get repeated, things like that). There is no throughline between the different chapters, no greater point, it's just a collection of little biographies and that's that. I had a lot of fun reading this, it is very entertaining. One thing I was worried about before reading is that such a work could easily downplay the horrors of Nazi rule. I think that, while the book wasn't about the crimes and horrors, when it did mention them it did so appropriately. There was no excusing or downplaying of any person's action.

Sarah Bakewell: At the Existentialist Café (Hardcover, 2016, Other Press) 4 stars

Easy-to-read history of existentialism

4 stars

I like when an author is able to turn complex philosophy into light reading. The author is quite good at this. Much of the book follows the lives and works of Sartre and de Beauvoir, there are also several chapters on Heidegger. Other philosophers of the time get some of the spotlight as well. The book is entertaining and well paced. I was a little bothered by the author's anti-communist asides, but did think it a good choice in general of her to make herself visible in her writing. Nice book, enjoyable and educational. Made me want to read a whole lot of other books.

Frantz Fanon: Les damnés de la terre (French language) 2 stars

The Wretched of the Earth (French: Les Damnés de la Terre) is a 1961 book …

A decolonization classic

2 stars

The structure is a little lacking. The chapters are thematically consistent internally, but why any chapter was put where it was is unclear. There is no explicit overarching argument. The addressed audience is anticolonial revolutionaries and a big portion of the book is advice on the way from revolutionary struggle to nation-building. I found these parts boring and hard to get through, they don't really seem relevant anymore. The chapter On national culture is an exception, it is quite thought provoking and I will revisit it. The chapter about mental illness under colonialism is another exception. It is way more concrete and grounded than the other chapters. The case studies of patients are quite heavy to read and definitely left an impression on me.

I'm glad I read this book because it's a classic, but for the most part I'm also glad I'm done with it. Peau noire masques blancs …

Henning Sußebach: Deutschland ab vom Wege (Paperback, 2018, Rowohlt Taschenbuch) 4 stars

A journalist crosses Germany on foot

4 stars

I really like travel literature so that helped. I really enjoyed this little book. What I liked best was the description of how different regions in Germany feel different to wander through. What I liked least was the aside about PoC and LGBT people being "privileged minorities" or whatever. The selling point of the book is a little absurd on the face of it: "Only 6 % of Germany is covered with asphalt or concrete, yet we only hear the perspectives of the people from there. I went outside the beaten path to hear from the rest". Like obviously 94 % of the surface doesn't mean 94 % of the population. Almost 80 % of Germany's population live in cities. The people the author met on his journey are absolutely not representative of a silent majority or anything like that. Of course, that doesn't mean their stories aren't worth hearing …

Frantz Fanon: Peau noire, masques blancs (Français language, 1975) 4 stars

La décolonisation faite, cet essai de compréhension du rapport Noir-Blanc a gardé toute sa valeur …

Psychology of the colonized

4 stars

Fanon takes a lot from psychoanalysis in his description of the psychological effects of colonialism. He describes the subjectivity of the oppressed who are led to identify with their oppressor and are alienated from themselves. He replies to a lot of other texts, quotes a lot of black poets. He replies to Sartre, it made me want to read Sartre's "question juive". He also replies to some authors that are irrelevant nowadays, these parts are a little boring because he kinda assumes that the reader has read them. The parts about white women wanting to be raped, or about white racists being repressed homosexuals, sound pretty bad nowadays. All in all, he is at his most astute when describing the condition of the colonized (which, luckily, is most of the book). He gets a little weird and bad when psychoanalyzing the colonizers. Some passages are really well written and highly …