Review: The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

 

I would like to start this review by stating, that I have read Shakespeare before. I plaid Hermia and a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream. I have long considered myself a fan of Shakespeare. I will also say I am taking a Shakespeare and Race class as a part of my last semester of college. In this class, we examine the plays in which race is very relevant in Shakespeare's work. 

I will also say that race existed differently in Shakespeare's time. Your religion, ethnicity, and skin color could all be parts of race and it was believed that racial differences manifested physically in the body. 

I also want to start with a content warning. The Merchant of Venice is extremely antisemitic. It is also anti-black and misogynistic, but these are much less shown than antisemitism.  

I came to this book with an open mind and with absolutely no knowledge of the content except the content warning of racism from my professor. As I said, I've read Shakespeare so I would say I have a basic understanding and expectations for his works. This book/play is essentially about a couple of men who want to marry certain women and have obstacles in the way of that. One man, Bassanio is too in-debt to get the woman he wants. The other man is Christian and the woman he wants is Jewish. However, it is very difficult to even attempt to follow the story because of the constant antisemitism. 

The Jewish character of the play is Shylock and his daughter Jessica, but she wants to cast off her father and her Jewishness. When Shylock has stage directions to enter a scene he is described as "Shylock the Jew". Characters refer to him as the Jew instead of by his name. He is spat on by one of the supposed heroes of the story. He is depicted as money-obsessed and desperate for Christian flesh. 

I will say that this is one of the worst pieces of literature I have ever read. The plot itself is far less interesting than Shakespeare's other works. The female characters go from being independent to being submissive to their love interest as soon as he appears in her life. One of the few interesting things is the unusual relationship dynamic between Bassanio and Antonio that seems to go much farther than friendship or even bromance, but it isn't directly stated. Some readers interpret their relationship as a homosexual which there is definite evidence for. 

Furthermore, the text is so antisemitic that I see little to no value in teaching or performing it unless it is to examine the racial structures of Shakespeare's time. The antisemitism makes no one the hero and no one the villain, but honestly, I wanted Shylock to get his revenge. Even so, he's a caricature of a Jewish stereotype and such a character should not be commended. 

I don't recommend this book and I feel distrustful of anyone who does and anyone who likes it. Also, my class pretty unanimously didn't like it and said that the antisemitism overwhelmed the play. If you're looking to read classics, I recommend skipping this one. If you're writing an essay on why Shakespeare is overrated, this text might be helpful. I'm just glad to be done with it. 

I'll be posting reviews of my Shakespeare reads throughout the semester. I'm hoping my next post is a more fun book though. 

Review: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Before I begin this review I want to have a content warning about the review itself, due to the nature of this book, I will be talking about eating disorders, alcohol abuse, and other forms of self-harm. Please be aware of this before you continue reading the review. 

Like many people my age, I grew up watching Jennette McCurdy on iCarly and Sam and Cat. Her character was what a lot of girls probably wanted to be when they were young: herself. Of course, when you're ten years old watching Nickelodeon you really have no concept of what it's like for the actors or that the actors have a life that is different from the characters they play. 

Jennette's life as a child actor is heartbreaking. Her desire to make her mother happy leads her to give up on the things that will make her happy. Her mother teaches her how to stay skinny and manipulates her constantly. 

Luckily, Jennette's story gets better. She doesn't stay trapped in her mother's grasp repeating the same toxic patterns for the entirety of her life. This is where the title comes from of course, but I won't go too much into detail for those who have yet to read the book. 

I started her memoir the day it came out, but I was still dodging spoilers from news outlets on day one. Luckily, I managed to resist the urge to click any links and let myself hear it all from Jennette herself. 

I listened to the audiobook, a good choice as her book sold out in hard copy on day one and is on a long hold in most libraries. It was also interesting to hear her read her own story. She has an excellent voice and does a great impersonation of Miranda Cosgrove. What I loved most about her book is how she really made me feel like I was there with her from day one. Her narration is absolutely excellent. 

There's something so honest about her book too. There are many minor details she probably could have skipped on but by filling us in, she made me feel like I was more intimately involved in her story. 

I really appreciate her transparency when discussing her eating disorder as well. I imagine it was difficult to write about. She brings her readers into the dark parts of it though. For me, I think this is really valuable. Her eating disorder (anorexia) is first taught to her by her mother. Later she develops a problem with binging as she copes with stress related to her mother. Then she develops bulimia as a result of the shame she feels from her binging. Her struggle with multiple types of eating disorders is one I think we don't often see. We're often told it's one or the other, not multiple throughout our life. Of course, everyone's experiences with eating disorders are different. 

I know that even for people without eating disorders, food and exercise can be something they have a complicated relationship with. I appreciate Jennette's honesty and am truly glad that she made an effort toward recovery. I'm glad she was finally able to put herself first and prioritize her happiness and mental health.

For me, her book is inspiring. Even though she had people to help her she did so many difficult things in order to improve for herself. I can't stress enough that seeking help with her mental illness, eating disorder, breaking out of a career she didn't enjoy and ending things with people she loved because it wasn't good for her is so hard. And here she is, she became a writer which she's always enjoyed and she seems to be doing really well. 

Her book has honestly encouraged me to take a harder look at my own mental illness and to start seeking resources to help myself. I feel like if she can dig herself out of this deep hole she spent so much of her life in, I can too. 

I really enjoyed this book. I am hopeful that she will continue to write if that's what makes her happy because she is very good at it. Again, make sure to check content warnings, this is a very intense book. I recommend looking at StoryGraph for a full list of content warnings. 

Happy reading! 

Review: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

 

I picked this book up one day after work before a doctor's appointment. I was drawn to the octopus on the cover because my mom likes them so I thought I'd give the book a try. It was so beyond good. 

This is the story of an old woman living in the small town she has always lived in. She works as a nighttime cleaner at an aquarium and has befriended the giant octopus that lives there. It is also the story of a young man who has been handed many difficult cards in life but finds himself moving to the same small town. 

There's something so pure and sweet about this book even though it has its share of sad and emotional moments. It is for the most part upbeat and hopeful. The octopus I mentioned prior is named Marcellus and he is determined to share a secret with the older woman before he dies. 

The vibes of the town are lovely and honestly made me want to move to Sowell Bay and sit on the beach watching the ocean. The characters are well-developed and very caring for each other. There's something nice about reading a book full of characters you like. The writing establishes everything, even the most heartbreaking moments as very comforting. I was so deeply drawn into this book from the very first page. 

I would definitely say my favorite part was the entries from Marcellus. I think it is a very cool way to present the perspective of a character who is otherwise nonspeaking. It does shift points of view between Cameron, the young man, and Tova, the old woman in order to tell the story of the two of them. I must admit that at first, I was not interested in Cameron at all, but as the book went on I fell in love with him too. 

Shelby Van Pelt did an excellent job writing this novel and I look forward to reading other works by her in the future. I will say although this book is relatively light-hearted, it does deal with some more serious topics. There is child death, mentions of animal death, mentions of drug abuse, and mentions of possible murder and suicide. Please be aware of possible content that may be harmful before reading. As always I recommend looking at StoryGraph for a full list of content warnings as provided by the community of readers. 

As always, happy reading, and I should be posting some more reviews soon as I recently finished another book and am about to finish Jennette McCurdy's new book. 

Review: The Trouble With Tink by Kiki Thorpe

 

I had some of the Pixie Hollow books as a kid, however, I gave them away to younger cousins and family friends. I never did get to read this particular book as I didn't have all of them. 

I decided to read this after I saw a Tiktoker reviewing it. This book is super short and a very quick read. There is something very comforting about reading something that you enjoyed as a child. The story is simple with simple endings and problems. I find it very comforting. 

After a long day of work, it's nice to read about Tinker Bell and her friends. Also, it is written really well. I think I often expect books meant for children and teens to be written poorly, but that is an unfair assumption. 

I will say this was a fun read and I did purchase the second book. 

I don't believe there are any content warnings to consider as it is a book intended for young people. StoryGraph does not have any content warnings available. 

Review: In Defense of Witches: Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet, narrated by Alix Dunmore

 

My dad introduced me to this book after an associate mentioned it to him. 

It begins with an introduction by Carmen Maria Machado. Machado is an author that I read earlier this year. Her introduction sets the tone well for the rest of the book. 

Chollet explores many topics related to the way women have been treated and their experiences. A few of the topics she selected stuck out to me particularly. She writes about motherhood and how it is inherently tied to the patriarchy. Women are expected to learn and do well as children but later must forget these tasks in order to better raise their children. Chollet wonders if this is a waste. She also writes about the social pressure that women face to have children. Women who don't want children may feel they should have children because it is a societal expectation. 

She also writes about relationships. There is a heteronormative concept of relationships presented in society. A husband and wife are what people expect. She talks about women who deviate from this. Women who are single, women who never marry but have lovers. The idea is that love is not the end-all goal in a woman's life. She looks into the interesting phenomena of men leaving their wives as women grow older in order to pursue women in their 20s. 

The topics Chollet looks at had me contemplating the way in which I explore my own identity and the world around me. Women have historically been faced with difficulties due to their gender. Chollet's choice to tie this to witch hunts and to show that women have essentially been hunted in this way for the entirety of their lives. 

I highly recommend this book for those looking for feminist reads and wanting to explore the experiences and history of women. I will say that this excludes the history of queer and women of color. It talks about women in a broad way and likely relates mostly to cisgender, heterosexual, white women. However, the statements made are still valuable to feminist thought. 

Dunmore does an excellent job in her narration. I will mention that if you find British accents off-putting, you might want to stick to the written work. 

As always I recommend looking at StoryGraph for a list of content warnings. 

Happy reading!

Review: Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

 

I was drawn to this book due to the cover's title and image. It is a collection of poems written by a Somali British immigrant woman. Her poems detail what it was like growing up as an immigrant, paying a lot of attention to the impact immigration had on her parents. Upon doing some research on her, I found that she wrote another collection of poems Teaching My Mother HowTo Give Birth which I have been wanting to read. 

The impact of immigration is becoming a topic much more examined. Children of immigrants are becoming adults in much larger numbers than before. Specifically children of non-Western immigrants or of immigrants fleeing violence. Her parents' trauma impacted her. It also deals with the violence of her home in Kenya. She talks about sexual assault and the difficulties women face. She talks about her father's difficult experiences. 

For people who enjoy poetry, especially those that like Rupi Kaur, this is a worthwhile collection of poems to read. I plan to read her other works and look forward to future writing. 

As always please look into the content warnings. This work delves into sensitive topics as mentioned above. I recommend StoryGraph for a full list of content warnings as provided by other readers.