Maddie Ryan, a 24 year-old english teacher at a predominantly Black high school, just found out that the art lab, which her boyfriend owns, is at risk of being destroyed to make way for a new electromagnetic highway. It is her sanctuary, where she plays with her band Bunny Bloodlust, where she harbours secret feelings for fellow bandmate Red. While going to a meeting to save the art lab, she realizes that the real risk is to the neighbourhood that the art lab is situated in. The Eighth Ward is a Black community, one that is poorer and has little resources other than protesting in order to save the homes they have lived in for generations. A really well done science fiction 'what if' novel which highlights that no matter the outcome of elections we will always live in a deeply racist, flawed, colonial society. Because of how the United States (and Canada where I live) was formed it is almost impossible to break away from the corporate identity it has become. The "Land of the Free" is an illusion put in place by those in power to make sure they have a subservient working class. Make people believe that they can achieve "The American Dream," even while the odds are stacked in favor of the elite 1% and against the rest of America. Maddie was an enthralling character, a good choice by the author to show both a perspective of someone living at the lab, but still not directly impacted by the destruction of the Eighth Ward. She pushes herself to unlearn what the American education complex has taught her, what she is teaching the teenagers in her class, while also recognizing and acknowledging her privilege as a white woman within the system. She is able to see that her voice is meant to be background to those in the movement who have more investment, while also amplifying those voices and changing her own teaching methods. She also feels as though she can never do enough, and begins to become fatigued and suicidal as she fails to care for herself while caring for the cause. This book is full of deep themes: colonialism, racism, fascism, liberalism, and many more important topical points. This book is especially poignant when in our real world we are dealing with several genocides, from Palestine, to Congo, to Sudan. Several countries are suffering under colonial rule, which is always most detrimental to the Indigenous population. Honestly, this book was phenomenal and had me thinking of my own upbringing, my own privilege, my own education and how it was taught to me. I am continuously unlearning and working hard to grasp the truths of our country and the world. Maddie goes through so much at her time at the lab. From realizing her relationship with her boyfriend, Fish, is not good for her (and she only stays in it to keep the band together). To her falling in love and then having to watch the person she loves become an addict. We also see through Maddie the progression of the protests and the creation of the Free People's Village. She very much agrees that the movement should have been lead by the Black community (but misogyny even in this progressive group stops that), as we then see white men begin to take the lead and become the forefront for speaking (often talking too much and in circles). This is a novel that has complex characters, all of them flawed, even those within the movement are not perfect and often make mistakes. It makes the read more believable and strengthens the characterizations and adds such depth to a novel with important themes. This book also highlights how religion can be twisted to suit a bad cause/person, can be used to threaten and diminish peoples spirits. Religions are often used as weapons against free thought and against bodies. No religion is free of bigotry, as it is not the religion but the people wielding that religion against others who are at fault. It is misinterpretation of religious texts that have lead to homophobia, to transphobia, to misogyny, etc. Maddie deals with this in terms of her first husband, a Christian, who used Christianity against her, to keep her under his thumb and control her. Governments also use religion to form battle lines, to create rifts, to try to form new rules and laws. This is a misuse of power, a means of control, as not everyone follows the same religious beliefs, and forcing your own beliefs onto someone else is unacceptable. Religion should never be allowed to be used as a means of oppression, as a justification for slaughter, as a call for genocide. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to fight the system and for people who need to realize we need to fight the system.
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