Because of how much I see this book praised in lefty circles, I thought I would love it when I checked it out from the library. But as the title says, there must be something that I'm not getting about this book, because it really didn't click with me. Of course the mushroom imagery and contemplation on living a life in the ruins of capitalism were exquisite, but there were a few niggling things that bothered me. Firstly, I was not too convinced by the author's claim of "We can learn to live in the ruins of capitalism if we follow the example of people who either are or are descended from people who fought explicitly to uphold capitalism and imperial exploitation of their own countries, and people who claim what they're doing is capitalism in its purest form!" Undoubtedly, these people are living a pericapitalist existence to borrow the …
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Kantolope started reading The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge …
Kantolope started reading Thing in the Snow by Sean Adams
Thing in the Snow by Sean Adams
Intelligente SciFi, spannend, überraschend, kritisch, mit einem guten Schuss trockenen Humor
There Must Be Something I'm Not Getting
3 stars
Because of how much I see this book praised in lefty circles, I thought I would love it when I checked it out from the library. But as the title says, there must be something that I'm not getting about this book, because it really didn't click with me. Of course the mushroom imagery and contemplation on living a life in the ruins of capitalism were exquisite, but there were a few niggling things that bothered me. Firstly, I was not too convinced by the author's claim of "We can learn to live in the ruins of capitalism if we follow the example of people who either are or are descended from people who fought explicitly to uphold capitalism and imperial exploitation of their own countries, and people who claim what they're doing is capitalism in its purest form!" Undoubtedly, these people are living a pericapitalist existence to borrow the author's own term, but shouldn't we strive for something more? Something that actually centres community, the refusal of exploitation, and building better and if needed unofficial institutions? And more specifically, something that explicitly names capitalism as the source of these ills, and seeks to find something to transcend it? Something just seemed missing to me there.
The second thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the author's description of Matsutake as being a capitalist product only when it was shipped from Vancouver to Japan. The author's description of Matsutake when it arrives in Japan is that of the seller trying to find the best home for the Matsutake, not necessarily the best price. This disregards the fact that brokers and agents are still valid methods of employment within capitalism, and that if looked at from a materialist perspective, the Matsutake remains a capitalist commodity, that is, something that is produced to be sold on the market, regardless of whether it will be a good fit with its eventual customer. There are more theoretical quibbles that I have, but it seems to me that this is more a work of poetry (in some cases explicitly) rather than the somewhat academic book it claims to be.
Kantolope finished reading The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
What a rare mushroom can teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planet
Matsutake is the most valuable mushroom …
Kantolope wants to read Building Power to Change the World by James Muldoon
Kantolope started reading The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
What a rare mushroom can teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planet
Matsutake is the most valuable mushroom …
Kantolope finished reading The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin
One of the most important works of cultural theory ever written, Walter Benjamin's groundbreaking essay explores how the age of …
Kantolope wants to read Suncatcher by Alia Gee
Suncatcher by Alia Gee
It's 2075 in a post-climate change, post-pandemic, post-peak oil world. Professor Radicand Jones has earned a nice quiet sabbatical in …
Kantolope wants to read Foxhunt by Rem Wigmore
Foxhunt by Rem Wigmore
In a lush solarpunk future, plants have stripped most of the poison from the air and bounty hunters keep resource …
Kantolope wants to read Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged to …
Kantolope reviewed The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk
AnPac Theory
5 stars
The title of this review is a little tongue in cheek, as this is definitely speculative fiction. However, I do think that this book is required reading for people who like eco-fiction, solarpunk, and yes, anarcho-pacifism. This book doesn't shy away from asking the hard questions about being pacifistic in a post-apocalyptic climate ravaged world, and yet still comes to the conclusion that pacifism is a goal and an organizational strategy worth pursuing. Interestingly, it also doesn't fully condemn violent resistance and acknowledges that there is still a place for that, just that pacifism is the strategy that the main characters and their community think is best. If you are in any way interested in climate fiction, solarpunk fiction, or anti-capitalism of any form, do yourself a favour and read this book.
Kantolope rated The Fifth Sacred Thing: 5 stars
The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk
An epic tale of freedom and slavery, love and war, and the potential futures of humankind tells of a twenty-first …