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jesse_the_kSHOWA: a History of Japan, 1926–1939 by Shigeru Mizuki - 4 of 5 stars
English print
Thanks to an enthusiastic rec from laceblade I read the first of this four-volume history of 20th century Japan. Mizuki provides dense almost-photographic landscapes of the era, populated with light-hearted cartoons showing his immediate experience. This work is the perfect thing to be reading right now: how ordinary folks did (or didn’t) understand the foundations of fascism. The daily torrent of political information coalesces into summaries of the decisions that were finally made, but the impacts become clear only over time.
Read if … You’re interested in Japanese society, or need The Long View
Avoid if … Copious violence, both interpersonal and societal, with no gore
Visual-only sample pages at the publishers’ web site:
https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/search/showa
Brief histories of everyday objects—Andy Warner - 4 of 5 stars
English print and ebook, Spanish print
Goofy and informative, scores of brief vignettes devoted to the things we see all around: instant ramen, vacuum cleaners, Tupperware, sports bras, cinnamon, toothpicks, and many more. Warner takes care to include all contributions to an object’s development, whether a single individual or the interplay of colonialism, rivalry, or outright theft. Well-researched and indexed, this would be a wonderful introduction to invention.
Read if … you’ve always wondered why traffic lights look like that.
Avoid if … facts annoy you
A sample item: undescribed comic about brown paper bags
https://medium.com/the-nib/meet-the-mother-of-the-modern-paper-bag–941e6517a870
Queer by Meg John Barker & Julia Scheele — 3 of 5 stars
English print and ebook
I admire this project: a non-binary therapist and academic works with a graphic artist to make the often-opaque thickets of Queer theory accessible to a non-college-educated audience. I was thrilled to discover the complexities of these theories. But I can’t remember what I learned—I don’t know if this is down to me or the book.
Read if … you’ve wondering where ideas like “queering the text” and “performing heteronormativity,” came from and why
Avoid if … you’re drawn to plot and action
Meg-John’s uncaptioned video trailer for the book:
http://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/sex/queer-the-video/
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Date: 2017-12-08 06:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-12 10:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2017-12-12 10:56 pm (UTC)