Mark

https://www.goodreads.com/markhill

Mark’s Bookshelves

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politics‎ (311)

audio-available‎ (298)
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Mark is Currently Reading

Mark is currently reading

Foundations of Flavor: The Noma Guide to Fermentation

by René Redzepi

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 01, 2025 04:33PM

Mark is currently reading

White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color

by Ruby Hamad

bookshelves: currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in May 2022

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Mark said: " I really wanted to rate this higher- in short, my issues were that, although I 100% agreed with the politics and the author's perspective, I 1. wished the author had gone further in the things that made her book distinctive, and 2. wished the book wa I really wanted to rate this higher- in short, my issues were that, although I 100% agreed with the politics and the author's perspective, I 1. wished the author had gone further in the things that made her book distinctive, and 2. wished the book was a little more narrative than it turned out being.

The longer version is, this topic is something that is really important, and far far far less discussed than it should be - the pivotal role played by white women in the creation, the maintenance, and the continued existence of white supremacy, systematic racism and the like, and the way that has played out for people of different backgrounds (immigrants, indigenous people, queer people, people of different ethnicities etc.).

One part I really liked was the discussion of countries other than the US- this might just be me, but almost all the books I see about race in the English speaking world are only about America, usually the racism African American people have experienced (and continue to experience), which, while I don't want to take away anything from their experiences, and their voices being heard, I really appreciate reading about different contexts and histories, potentially to see to similarities in struggles around the world. I don't live in the US, for what it's worth.

The first disappointment was that I really wished the author had taken the things that make the book distinctive, and gone much further - be much more international, explore white women/white feminism's role in even greater detail

The second disappointment is hard to describe - I guess if I were to put it glibly, it'd be that the book comes across to me, in it's strange emotionally detached vibe, and the way the conversations (at least from what I remember) only happen over computer, as if it was written by someone who spent lockdown entirely on Twitter. Not entirely sure why this is the case- it could be a lack of structure- anecdotes and examples are sprayed about in a way that made it quite hard to know what was going on, or really develop any kind of relationship with anyone or anything.

Another disappointment (connected to the one above) was (unless I'm forgetting) I didn't see any caveats around things, to take into account the intersectionality of the stories she discusses. As much as I appreciate the decentreing of whiteness and maleness in her book, it's obviously written by someone with high cultural capital, a PhD, and probably decent amount of wealth, and one would imagine the audience would be of a similar background. I think it's important to bring attention to the often ignored role of higher education, cultural capital, and wealth in intersectionality, and it's extremely disappointing to see the author not address this. I mean, there's an anecdote about a woman who works in corporate finance for goodness sake. This is what I meant by the sense in which it's written by someone who spends a significant amount of time on Twitter- it's high cultural capital agitprop for other people who have high cultural capital. Worthwhile cause, some worthwhile stuff, but yeah :/

Rating ★☆☆☆☆ - Not recommended - not awful, but not something I would read again ...more "

Sep 22, 2023 02:13AM · see review

Mark is currently reading

Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking

by Julia Bascom

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Feb 27, 2023 04:23AM

See all 115 books that Mark is reading…

Mark’s Quotes

“I’m as big a fan of recycling as the next man, but if you turn a used condom inside out and put it back on for round two, it’s probably not going to be that effective.”
― Adam Kay, This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

19 likes

“Do everything that you can to resist Void Madness. Focus on the love, joy and
happiness that can be found within yourself, no matter where you are. If you ponder the
reality of The Void’s vast expanse for even one brief moment, it could have devastating
effects on your mind, so focus instead on the present. Bring your attention to your day-today
goals.
How will you find food? What will you drink to survive? Where is there a safe place to
hide?
Focusing on the present will keep you from straying into Void Madness, and keep you
productive for the harsh times ahead.”
― Chuck Tingle, Dr. Chuck Tingle's Complete Guide To The Void

tags: good-advice, life-advice, lovecraftian, madness, survival, survival-tips, the-tingleverse, the-void

6 likes

“Just how rich are you?” I finally ask. “Pretty rich,” Snabe informs me. “I didn’t really earn it, though. I was written into incredible wealth by Chuck Tingle, the author. You can’t really just be a bad boy in books like this, you’ve gotta be a billionaire bad boy. It’s kinda toxic, actually.” I”
― Chuck Tingle, Trans Wizard Harriet Porber and the Bad Boy Parasaurolophus

5 likes

“I am writing because they told me to never start a sentence with because. But I wasn't trying to make a sentence—I was trying to break free. Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the distance between the hunter and its prey.”
― Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

tags: freedom, writing

715 likes

“Love says to a husband, ‘I love you too much to help you do wrong. I will not sit here and let you destroy yourself and me by cursing me every night. I cannot make you stop cursing, but I will not be here to receive it tonight. If you want to make our lives better, then I am open. But I won’t be a part of letting you destroy me.’

“Your attitude is not to be one of abandonment but of love,” (...)“ there is never a time to stop loving someone, but there is a time to start expressing that love in a different, more effective manner. Love is not letting someone step on you. Love is caring so much for their well-being that you refuse to play into their sick behavior. Many people are healed when someone loves them enough to stand up to their inappropriate actions.”
― Gary Chapman, Hope For the Separated: Wounded Marriages Can Be Healed

tags: abuse, boundaries, divorce, healing, love, marriage, relationships, separation, unconditional-love

1 likes

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