#This video is a detailed analysis of the memoir

[aronarchy]

A copy of the first reading list, if you dislike clicking on Google docs links:

The liberal news media is working overtime to silence Palestinian voices. As we sit thousands of miles away, witnessing the massacre through social media, the least we can do is educate ourselves and work to educate others. Apartheid threatens all of us, and just to reiterate, anti-Zionism ≠ antisemitism.

Academic Works, Poetry and Memoirs

The Revolution of 1936-1939 in Palestine: Background, Details, and Analysis, Ghassan Kanafani (1972)

Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, Rosemary Sayegh (1979)

Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment, Mazin Qumsiyeh (2011)

My Life in the PLO: The Inside Story of the Palestinian Struggle, Shafiq al-Hout and Jean Said Makdisi (2019)

My People Shall Live, Leila Khaled (1971)

Poetry of Resistance in Occupied Palestine, translated by Sulafa Hijjawi (Baghdad, Ministry of Culture and Guidance, 1968)

On Palestine by Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky (2015)

Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on the US-Israeli War Against the Palestinians, Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé (2013)

The Politics of Dispossession: The Struggle for Palestinian Self-Determination, 1969-1994, Edward W. Said (2012)

Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique, Sa’ed Atshan (2020)

Stone Men: The Palestinians Who Built Israel, Andrew Ross (2019)

Ten Myths About Israel, Ilan Pappé (2017)

Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question, Christopher Eric Hitchens and Edward W. Said (2001)

Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape, Raja Shehadeh (2010)

The Gun and the Olive Branch: The Roots of Violence in the Middle East, David Hirst (1977)

Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom, Norman Finkelstein (2018)

Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians, Noam Chomsky (1983)

Israel and Palestine: Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations, Avi Shlaim (2010)

Politicide: Ariel Sharon’s War Against the Palestinians, Baruch Kimmerling (2006)

The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, Norman G. Finkelstein (2015)

Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire, Jehad Abusalim (2022)

Nakba: Palestine, 1948, and the Claims of Memory, Ahmad H. Sa’di and Lila Abu-Lughod (2007)

Peace and its discontents: Essays on Palestine in the Middle East peace process, Edward W. Said (2012)

Three Poems by Yahya Hassan

Articles, Papers & Essays

“Palestinian history doesn’t start with the Nakba” by PYM (May, 2023) 

“What the Uprising Means,” Salim Tamari (1988)

“The Palestinians’ inalienable right to resist,” Louis Allday (2021)

“Liberating a Palestinian Novel from Israeli Prison,” Danya Al-Saleh and Samar Al-Saleh (2023) 

Women, War, and Peace: Reflections from the Intifada, Nahla Abdo (2002)

“A Place Without a Door” and “Uncle Give me a Cigarette”—Two Essays by Palestinian Political Prisoner, Walid Daqqah (2023)

“Live Like a Porcupine, Fight Like a Flea,” A Translation of an Article by Basel Al-Araj

Films & Video Essays

Fedayin: Georges Abdallah’s Fight (2021)

Naila and the Uprising (2017)

Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory (2015)

Tell Your Tale Little Bird (1993)

The Time That Remains (2009)

“The Present” (short film) (2020)

“How Palestinians were expelled from their homes”

Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists (2011)

Born in Gaza (2014)

5 Broken Cameras (2011)

Little Palestine: Diary of a Siege (2021)

Al-Nakba: The Palestinian catastrophe - Episode 1 | Featured Documentary

Organisations to donate to

Palestine Red Crescent Society - https://www.palestinercs.org/en

Anera - https://support.anera.org/a/palestine-emergency

Palestinian American Medical Association - https://palestinian-ama.networkforgood.com/projects/206145-gaza-medical-supplies-oct-2023

You First Gaza - https://donate.gazayoufirst.org/

MAP - Medical Aid for Palestinians - https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donate

United Nations Relief and Works Agency - https://donate.unrwa.org/-landing-page/en_EN

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund - https://www.pcrf.net/   

Doctors Without Borders - https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/palestine

AP Fact Check

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-misinformation-fact-check-e58f9ab8696309305c3ea2bfb269258e

This list is not exhaustive in any way, and is a summary of various sources on the Internet. Please engage with more ethical, unbiased sources, including Decolonize Palestine and this list compiled by the Palestinian Youth Movement.

[lewisinho]

as the anon that asked for the race list: thank you!

now this is totally up to you if you have the time to spend on this, but this is my first year watching the races, and while I've been doing some background research to get up to speed, there is still a lot i don't know. i trust your judgment so what are some races and/or f1 adjacent things i should look into? i'm going through your McLaren list and have watched the last 4 seasons of dts and the brawn documentary. are there any other books/ documentaries/ races (especially seb's) / old youtube videos that are lost in the void that i should also check out?

again no pressure and thank you!

no problem!

(and btw welcome to f1 and the world of watching some glorified hot wheels every other sunday 😁 it’s great!)

i completely get how daunting it can be as a new fan in the sport. when i was getting back into f1 it also took me some time to get back up to speed with everything, especially all the techy stuff; i honestly learned the most through just watching the races (old and new), bc you get to see all the strategies play out, the pit-stops, the overtakes etc. and the terminology just becomes much easier to understand through sheer exposure. there are also some really cool f1 data analysis blogs you might want to follow on twt/x if you want some more detailed tech analysis and graphs if you’re into that sort of thing: (x)

as for seb, oh there’s a whole arsenal of recs i have!

monza 2008, rise of torro rosso wunderkind; i presume you already know the lore with that one but ig you can never get tired of it.

abu dhabi 2010, world championship no.1 “du bist weltmeister!”

interlagos 2012, the infamous one. this one’s a rollercoaster, chaos everywhere and the manifestation of murphy’s law: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. amidst a title battle against nando, seb was fighting the weather, bruno senna’s front wing, a damaged side-pod, no radio, and somehow managed to claim p6 to win the championship

malaysia 2013, multi-21 (iconique), he was faster, deal with it. 💅

singapore 2013, domination masterclass from quali to the race. (also just all of his singapore wins...lion of singapore and all that)

india 2013, title no.3 secured, changed tyres on lap 2 and came out p17, was third by only lap 13 and then won the race by nearly 30 seconds. it was also his sixth win in a row. he went on to win three more. speaks for itself. also this:

malaysia 2015, first win with ferrari, can't forget that one, also features sewis’ gay knee-touching on the podium.

germany 2019, CHAOS, in which merc got bewitched by the special livery curse 😅, with crashes, spins, 50-second long pit stops, and also features one of seb’s best drives from p20 -> p2

i also highly recommend watching Floz's fan-made docus on youtube about 'the silver war' (there are also docus for the 2014 and 2015 seasons) as well as the merc v ferrari (lewis vs seb) 2017 fight and 'fight for five' in 2018, they're so much better than dts and actually give a full run-down of what happened during the season, with all the action on-track, with interviews and providing all the context! it's so well-edited as well (you literally feel like you're watching a movie about all of the seasons) and they are just incredibly fun to watch.

in general, i love rewatching races from 2017/18 (literally my comfort seasons), personal favs include spain 2017 (strategy galore and lewis v seb), baku 2017 (for obv reasons), austin 2017; and basically the 2018 season in its entirety...

as for books, there are many driver autobiographies e.g. jb (he’s even got two lmao), mark webbah etc. but i think the best f1 book out there is adrian newey’s memoir ‘how to build a car’ if you want lore + great insight into cars!

i’d also recommend watching some older races (i could do a separate post on which ones are my personal favs) but it’s all up to you in the end! go digging, look around on yt for some highlights and just keep exploring! 🫶💜

[thecherokeediaries]

Thank You, Karrine Steffans

Before we had Instagram, influencers, and Instagram baddies, we had video vixens that ruled the late ‘90s and early 2000s with their beautiful faces, alluring charm and natural sex appeal. These women generally had a bad reputation for being ‘undeserving’ of these social circles and for supposedly ‘sleeping their way to the top.’ They even struggled to have their peers take them seriously, so they struggled even more to earn their bosses’ respect in the workplace. Slut-shaming was inevitable as a video vixen at the time, but no one expected them to speak out against those claims the way Karrine Steffans did. Karrine Steffans is not only the most iconic video vixen, but she’s someone who’s influence runs deep over the current influencers we see to this day.

Karrine Steffans, also known as Superhead, is an American author, actress, and former hip-hop music video vixen. She gained significant attention and notoriety in the early 2000s for her memoir, "Confessions of a Video Vixen," which detailed her experiences as a video girl in the music industry.

Born on August 24, 1978, in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Steffans moved to the United States as a child and grew up in Florida. She entered the entertainment industry in the late 1990s and quickly became one of the most recognizable video vixens, appearing in numerous music videos for popular artists such as Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and Mystikal.

In 2005, Steffans released her memoir, "Confessions of a Video Vixen," which became a New York Times bestseller. The book provided an insider's perspective on the entertainment industry, shedding light on the exploitation and mistreatment of women in the field. It also revealed her past relationships with several high-profile celebrities.

Confessions of a Video Vixen is Karrine Steffans’ memoir detailing the first 25 years of her life. She had a troubled upbringing in poverty and suffering physical abuse, drug abuse, sexual assault. She lived as a teenage runaway and turned to sex work and hip hop modeling to support herself and her son. The book wasn’t a simple autobiography, but she also divulged the juicy details of her sexual relationships. Some of the men she talked about had kids, girlfriends and wives; they were beloved in their respective industries. Karrine was just a video vixen.

Based on my adult analysis of the situation, I conclude Karrine Steffans was not wrong. I accept the hurt of the women whose partners were mentioned in Karrine's book; however, I disagree with the fact that the men were allowed to get away with their acts. It is not surprising that Karrine takes most of the blame. The men with whom she was involved knew they had girlfriends, wives and families at home, but they still found a way to be with Karrine, who was single. As a result, one of the men she mentioned later gave her a demeaning nickname that is still often used today. The nickname “Superhead” was what she was referred to for the rest of her career, not only was it demeaning but it was dehumanizing if she wasn’t already laughed at from the public this name alone was enough for people to laugh and her as less than.

Following the success of her memoir, Steffans continued to write and release more books, including "The Vixen Diaries" and "SatisFaction: Erotic Fantasies for the Advanced & Adventurous Couple." These books explored her personal experiences, relationships, and sexual encounters.

Aside from her writing career, Steffans has also made appearances on television shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tyra Banks Show," and "The Wendy Williams Show." She has been involved in controversies and public feuds with other celebrities over the years, further fueling her media presence.

Karrine will always have a place among the most influential women for many reason, but mainly because she is the first woman I saw who refused to let powerful men dictate how her story unfolded. She wrote her book, recounted her own story, told it from her perspective, and didn't allow anyone else to rewrite its story. Previously, the men around Karrine Steffans controlled her narrative and passed it off as truth because people weren't prepared to understand her. Karrine was not seen as a person by those men, so she was expected to keep quiet as they humiliated and belittled her. The culture of slut-shaming has changed greatly over the past few decades, especially for video vixens, and Karrine is a key contributor to the shift.

And to that I say…

Thank You, Karrine Steffans

[beardedmrbean]

Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the 28-year-old trans artist killed by police after opening fire on a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, covered her clothes in handwritten messages before her deadly assault in late March, according to an autopsy report.

The report acknowledges that Hale identified as a trans male but officially lists her as female. She was carrying a knife inscribed with her chosen name, Aiden, according to the autopsy.

Months after police released bodycam video that showed responding officers take down the shooter in the middle of the assault at the Covenant School, Hale's cause and manner of death were unsurprisingly determined to be homicide by gunshot wounds. She also had bruises and abrasions and "minor" blunt force trauma.

NASHVILLE KILLER AUDREY HALE SLEPT WITH JOURNALS ON SCHOOL SHOOTINGS UNDER BED, COURT DOCS REVEAL

However, the report included new details about the attack — including the revelation that Hale's clothes were covered in handwritten notes, drawings and numbers. The report also noted that Hale wore a plastic anklet inscribed with "508407."

It's unclear what was written on her clothes, and the revelation comes as the city faces public records lawsuits to demand the release of Hale's manifesto and other writings, which were recovered at the crime scene and at her parents' home.

Read the autopsy report (Mobile users go here)

The killer slept with journals on other school shootings under her bed, Fox News Digital has previously reported, and police recovered dozens of notebooks and drawings, including two "memoirs" and a hand-drawn map of the Covenant School.

That's where Hale barged in on March 27 and opened fire on helpless students and staff members, killing three adults and three children.

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake has said that Hale suffered from an unspecified emotional disorder and that the controversial manifesto had been shared with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia.

The child victims were all 9 years old: Hallie Scruggs, the daughter of the school church's pastor; Evelyn Dieckhaus; and William Kinney. The adults included 60-year-old Head of School Katherine Koonce, and custodian Michael Hill and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, both 61.

The forensic pathologist also found a scar across Hale's forehead but none on her wrists. The toxicology report came back negative for the presence of drugs and alcohol.

The autopsy was conducted by Dr. Emily Dennison on March 28.

Hale was 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed around 120 pounds.

One bullet passed through both lungs and Hale's spine, right to left, back to front and slightly downward, passing through an arm on its way out, according to the report. A second bullet went through the shooter's head, back to front, right to left and upward. A third struck Hale in the femur, fragmented and came out in two places, also traveling right to left.

[bookhavenblog]

Exploring Knowledge: The Case for Reading Books

In a world where information is at our fingertips, it’s easy to assume that everything we need to know can be found online. With the rise of search engines, databases, and digital content, it might feel like the vast expanse of human knowledge is just a click away. But here’s the truth: some of the most important, profound, and life-changing knowledge isn’t on the internet. It’s still locked away in books. Yes, even in 2024, books remain an essential, irreplaceable source of wisdom, history, and insight. The Limitations of the Internet The internet has revolutionized how we learn and access information, but it has its limits. Quick Google searches and online articles are great for fast answers, but they often lack depth. So much of what’s online is designed for convenience—short, bite-sized pieces of information to be consumed quickly. But what happens when you want more than just a surface-level understanding? Books, on the other hand, allow for deep dives into topics, offering historical context, personal insights, and extensive analysis that the internet simply can’t replicate. Think of the great works of literature, philosophy, and science—many of which are hundreds of pages long, filled with detailed arguments and ideas that would be impossible to reduce to a 500-word blog post. The Knowledge Not Yet Online Another important fact to consider is that not all knowledge has been digitized. Despite the vast growth of eBooks and online content, there are still countless books that remain confined to physical pages, their ideas yet to make their way to the digital realm. Some classic works, rare texts, and specialized academic research remain largely inaccessible unless you seek them out in libraries or through personal collections. This means that for all the power of the internet, there are still huge gaps in what we can learn unless we turn to books. What’s missing online? Books on esoteric knowledge, older philosophical arguments, original historical documents, and deep explorations of specific cultures or periods often remain outside the reach of a Google search. They are hidden gems, often untouched in physical libraries, waiting to be discovered by those willing to open their pages. Why Books Matter for Humanity’s Future Books do more than provide information—they shape our minds, our culture, and our future. Many of the world’s greatest breakthroughs—whether in science, philosophy, or art—came from ideas that were discussed in books long before they became common knowledge. The exploration of human existence, the ethical debates around right and wrong, and the historical context that shapes our current events often remain best explored through literature, memoirs, and non-fiction books. Reading these works is essential for the good of humanity. Books are where you find the nuance, context, and depth that the fast-paced world of online media tends to overlook. They encourage critical thinking, empathy, and reflection. When you read a book, you’re not just absorbing facts—you’re engaging in a conversation with the author, grappling with complex ideas, and reflecting on the connections between past and present. Consider classic books like Les Misérables by Victor Hugo or War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. These novels aren't just stories—they are profound explorations of human nature, politics, and morality that remain relevant today. They provide context for the struggles we still face in modern society, but you won’t find these intricate ideas fully laid out in an online article. To truly understand them, you have to commit to the experience of reading the book itself. Books as a Path to Deeper Understanding Beyond the classic works, even more recent books offer in-depth explorations of topics that online articles or videos can only skim the surface of. Take Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning or even Tara Westover’s memoir Educated. These books explore human resilience, identity, and the power of education in ways that are deeply personal and introspective—something that simply cannot be captured in a short online summary. The internet may provide quick information, but books give us the chance to slow down and really think. When we read a book, we’re invited to sit with ideas for longer, to revisit passages, and to let the weight of the content sink in. This kind of engagement is essential for developing critical thinking and empathy, two things the world desperately needs more of. What Are We Losing by Not Reading Books? As we rely more on the internet for our knowledge, there’s a real danger of losing the depth of understanding that books provide. When we neglect to read books—especially those that offer historical context, philosophical insights, or complex arguments—we risk losing touch with the wisdom of the past. Books that shaped revolutions, inspired social change, and pushed scientific boundaries remain invaluable. Are we really willing to lose that? For Beginning Readers: - The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner This classic series follows four orphaned siblings who make a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar. It promotes strong family values, hard work, and resourcefulness without any controversial content. The simple, heartwarming stories make it a perfect choice for young readers. - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder This timeless series chronicles the adventures of the Ingalls family as they settle in the American frontier. It’s a great introduction to history and family life, with themes of perseverance, family unity, and faith. The stories are wholesome and engaging, making them ideal for young readers. - Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White This classic tale of friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte teaches values like kindness, loyalty, and self-sacrifice. It’s beautifully written and encourages empathy without containing any inappropriate or strange content. Books to Get Kids Into Reading: - The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall The Penderwicks series follows four sisters and their family as they embark on summer adventures and face everyday challenges. The books are full of charm, humor, and a sense of innocence, making them great for kids who enjoy stories about family and friendship without any unusual or controversial elements. - The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart This clever and adventurous series centers on a group of gifted children who are recruited to save the world from an evil mastermind. It promotes teamwork, intelligence, and problem-solving, with plenty of suspense but nothing inappropriate for young readers. - The Green Ember by S.D. Smith The Green Ember series is an adventure-filled, fantasy series featuring rabbits with swords, epic battles, and heroic quests. It emphasizes themes of loyalty, bravery, and hope, while maintaining a clean narrative that’s appropriate for younger readers. Join the Discussion: What Books Should Everyone Read? This brings us to an important question: What books should everyone be reading for the good of humanity? Which stories or texts have changed your perspective on the world or offered you deeper insight than any online article ever could? I want to know which books you think still hold the key to understanding human nature, ethics, and the world we live in. Maybe it’s an old classic, like 1984 by George Orwell or The Republic by Plato, or maybe it’s a lesser-known book that you think more people need to discover. Whatever it is, share your thoughts in the comments below! Let’s start a conversation about the books we all need to read, and why they’re so essential—especially in a world where quick information is replacing deep knowledge. Your recommendations might just inspire someone to pick up a book that will change their life. Let’s keep the tradition of reading alive, one book at a time. Read the full article

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I'm on episode 50 of the John Robins + Elis James XFM show, and it's reminded that his four recorded stand-up specials are not the only things that made me attached to John Robins before getting into this radio show. I also, at the recommendation of a couple of people on this site, listened to his audio autobiography, A Robins Amongst the Pidgons:

It was told one chapter at a time on the radio show, for quite a few weeks he'd read out a few minutes every episode, and then someone compiled the clips of each chapter into this YouTube video, which I used to listen to it all at once.

It's really funny. It actually stands out a bit from the rest of the radio show, which is mostly amusing because they have funny stories and good back-and-forth and everything, but then in the middle of that, they'll break for John to read some properly written comedy. It made me laugh out loud the first time I heard it, from this YouTube video and not as part of the radio show. I'm now hearing it again, in its original radio context, and today it made me laugh out loud on the bus.

I didn't get the full context the first time - I mean, I got that it was a joke, but I didn't know how specific the parody was. I now know the context is that John Robins read the autobiography of BBC DJ Tony Blackburn, and found it so terrible, yet unintentionally funny, that he established a feature in which he'd read out passages from it on his radio show to make fun of them. Which is, I guess, when I put it this way and out of context, possibly slightly mean. But in his defense, it was really funny. And if you're feeling bad for the guy, one of the passages mentioned that he thought women working outside the home was bad for children, and several other passages had cultural views along those lines.

John Robins also frequently talks about how he's a huge fan of Alan Partridge, and as he read parts of Tony Blackburn's autobiography on the radio, he kept marveling at how incredible it was that someone could be so brilliantly Partridge-esque while not actually trying to be funny. Although apparently Tony Blackburn's autobiography was an inspiration for I, Partridge, so it's not entirely a coincidence.

I haven't read Tony Blackburn's autobiography, and I have no desire to do so, but I have read (well, listening to the audiobook of) I, Partridge, and that is enough context to make A Robins Amongst the Pidgeons funnier to me. Knowing it's meant to be based on a book that was similar to I, Partridge.

Because that's what happened. John Robins finished reading Tony Blackburn's book, and then established a new feature in which he wrote his own autobiography "in the style of Tony Blackburn", and read a chapter of that each week. So it's meant to be a parody of incredibly pompous and ego-inflating Partridge-esque broadcaster memoirs, but using the genuine details of John Robins' life. And it's really fucking funny.

I don't really have any special analysis of the story itself, aside from it's really funny. It's really funny and here it is on YouTube, all the clips from different weeks stitched together. If you are interested in hearing John Robins be really funny, go listen to that.

[enki2]

I saw your response about anime style history and was absolutely fascinated. Do you have any reading/watching recommendations about the histories of different genres?

The WaveMotionCannon blog is a great resource for detailed analyses and primary sources about trends in the anime industry (including genre trends), but they go really deep and get into the weeds so I'd recommend some overviews first. I'm not really sure why, but general-audience books on the subject tend to be both broad and full of errors.

Luckily, Youtube has a lot of channels that specialize in a mix of overviews and deep dives:

Pause and Select comes out of the academic world (specifically, the anime-centric part of cultural studies) and does a lot of broad surveys of trends in genre, situated with cultural, political, and technical context. They used to do periodic book clubs, too, which was a great way to get exposed to academic sources (important because industry, academic, and fan histories of anime kind of sit in their own bubbles and rarely interact, in part because of language barriers; each can illuminate the others in interesting ways).

Mercury Falcon does both genre overviews and deep dives into particular franchises, with a focus on the 70s and 80s. This channel has an absolute wealth of information about early anime industry drama (particularly in the mecha space in the 70s) and early localization efforts. Kenny Lauderdale does some of the same stuff, but with a lighter tone -- he's more interested specifically in rarities and oddities, but when he dives into history, he will sometimes dig up information nobody else has, and he's got some insights into media preservation that are worth hearing.

KaizerBeamz's series "Kyoto Video" shines a spotlight on older, forgotten shows and as a result often provides an insight into the outer edges & branches of current genres (and a reminder of now-dead genres). He sometimes provides a lot of historical context, as well.

The Canipa Effect focuses on the contemporary scene, but dives into the histories of particular studios; where he really shines is explorations of the dynamics of the industry (something that doesn't get talked about very much even in Japan, and where translations of first-person accounts are rare). Canipa was important in spreading awareness of the working conditions of animators among the western anime fandom. Worth checking out alongside Archipel, a Japanese-language channel (with high-quality translations) that documents individuals working in the anime industry with little documentary featurettes about their life and work. Also check out the Japanese public television series Manben, in which manga artists (including veteran revolutionaries like Rumiko Takahashi) are filmed drawing their current projects and then discuss the footage with the host, veteran artist Urusawa Naoki. These deep dives sometimes provide critical insight into whole genres, because anime genres (much like genres in italian film) tend to develop out of imitators of single seminal properties, and so single creators or small groups of creators can wield huge amounts of influence.

STEVIEM's mini-documentaries on Studio 4C and Hideaki Anno are great, though most of his output is general anituber territory. I would also recommend Ygg Studios' Anime Alphabet series, and ErynCerise's Mahou Profile (a series of videos on the evolution of the magical girl genre).

In terms of books, I've found them pretty hit or miss. Some that I can recommend wholeheartedly are:

The Moe Manifesto, a collection of essays about the history of the concept of "moe" -- this is where I got a lot of information about the genesis of the bishojo style

Otaku: Japan's Database Animals, a work of cultural analysis by Azuma that dives into the intersection of anime fandom, the VN space, and online communication technologies and tries to produce a general model of the evolution of how people relate to media (with, IMO, mixed results)

The Notenki Memoirs is a history of the period at Gainax when Evangelion was being developed (and can be combined with Otaku no Video, Gainax's semi-fictionalized OVA retelling a mythic version of their origin; there is also a live action series called Blue Blazes about the early days of Gainax, which I haven't seen, and a documentary about the production of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 that gives interesting insight into Anno himself.)

Some that I recommend with caveats:

Anime Impact, a collection of anime reviews by english speakers (mostly people who were semi-famous online personalities about 10-15 years ago, and only some of whom actually know much about anime), is largely interesting because it's organized chronologically by the date of the show's release, so the early chapters dive into the history of forgotten shows

Robot Ghosts And Wired Dreams, a collection of essays (mostly about science fiction anime) by academics in cultural studies, contains a lot of interesting and compelling material (for instance, the first essay situates Japanese science fiction in the context of the irregular detective genre and connects it with complicated currents in nationalism, and a later essay talks about the semiotics of loan words in the context of Macross Plus and Patlabor) and a couple real duds (for instance, an essay trying to compare Evangelion with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within wherein the author only watches two episodes of Evangelion and gets their plot confused, then tries and fails to fit it into a framework of second-wave-feminist critiques of transhumanism through a freudian lens)

The History of Hentai Manga is well-researched and detailed, but the author tries to cram in a lot of jokes that don't land, and it seems like there might have been an editorial mandate to put in as many images as possible (because this academic study of hentai manga is being published by a company that mostly publishes actual hentai); the translation is also pretty clunky. In his attempt to come off as breezy, the author uses particular phrases and constructions that are part of japanese fan-culture argot, and the translator does not localize these phrases and constructions (preferring to translate them literally) and also does not provide context for them, so they can be quite confusing to people who haven't come across them before (i.e., people who haven't seen a lot of fansubs of obscure otaku-focused shows from 20 years ago).

If I think of anything else, I'll post it later.

[sorenzi]

So you are telling me these two aren’t canon?! (part 2)

Continuing on this glorious list:

https://sorenlen.tumblr.com/post/660823161771851776/so-you-are-telling-me-that-these-two-arent-canon

Maybe you are right that these two aren’t canon, but here are some brainworms for bait and for your reconsideration (or entertainment):

MochiJun on the VnC anime merch (specifically the rings)

Mochijun mentioned that she liked  to collect rings, then went straight to discuss where these two would wear their respective accessories on their hands. Noe’s would be worn on his thumb on the left hand, Vani on the left hand’s middle finger. (Some one said it’s the right hand but I’ve yet to find the source…) I don’t know the significance of it but it got VnC twitter up in a storm.

Source: https://twitter.com/jun_mdesu/status/1445742456461398027 

Friendly reminder that their respective birthstones are of each other’s color schemes. (Noe = blue sapphire, Vanitas = purple amethyst)

YouTuber Omake

In the YouTuber omake where Vani (goes by V) would have been a popular game streamer with an ‘good’ voice, and Noe would have been a daily lifestyle/local travel vlogger (not quite sure what it is), Mochijun tweeted that they made each other’s profile pictures for their respective channels. (Noe drew the cat scribble for Vani, and Vani took a picture of Murr for Noe.)

Source: https://twitter.com/jun_mdesu/status/1446713546251726850

There are subscribers comments discussing whether if they both live with each other as a viewer recognizes Vani’s ‘distinctive’ voice in one of Noe’s videos.

Source: https://sorenlen.tumblr.com/post/664546132268089344/mochijun-confirmed-that-vanitas-and-noe-did-each

(This is a rumour as I remember reading the Twitter comments but not from the direct translation.) Dante is acquainted with V, and sometimes acts as their video editor even though he has a channel with Riche and Johann too. (KEYWORD: ‘their’, so it’s not just Vani, but Noe and possibly the both of them together)

When your roommate’s pet actually likes you (Murr’s interaction with Vanitas)

Since it’s hinted that they could be roommates and that they’ve used the same animal for their profile pic, gotta bring Vani roommate’s cat (Murr) into the picture that he’s essentially their spoiled kid. 

In Memoire 51.5 (Lost Children), in Noe’s segment, you can see Murr cozy up to Vanitas when Amelia informs him and Dante about his little tour around Paris. 

Murr’s interactions around other characters are decent but Murr seeks out to chill on Vani’s lap which he let’s Murr do. It’s not much of an interaction but it’s very heartwarming to see another species take a liking to Vani when he personally thinks himself as unlovable.

Episode 7/Memoire 12 other shipping details that aren’t as noted

TARTE TATIN. And desserts!

Go read @temporoom​ ‘s analysis on tarte tatin here. It’s very insightful on their interactive dynamic, but to simplify, what non-interested person would give their dessert (even if you don’t like it) to someone else after knowing them for 2 days when you could have left it untouched on the table then have an intimate talk about what love is several hours later???

https://temporoom.tumblr.com/post/660166976290816000/okay-no-i-said-i-would-wait-to-sort-out-my

Sora To Utsuro’s through Noe’s perspective (follow up on the subtle non-platonic elements of the OP and ED songs) 

The scene where Vanitas takes off his glove to treat Chloe’s malnomen causes a temporary bright illusion in the surround area. Noe watches in awe at the sight and Vanitas’ blue moon moment and sees blue and bright twinkling lights (world formula?). The rest of Chloe’s home is devastated but the mysterious white Astermite flowers bloom where the World Formula or Astermite powers have been tinkered. This is actually Vanitas himself.

This reminds me of a the line in ‘Sora to Utsuro’ where the lyrics are the following: 

‘I love this world and the light only you give me Makes the world I see through these fractured eyes Look gleaming and bright.’

And while the light is technically cause of treating Chloe, Vanitas ended up agree to save her and Jean-Jaquces cause Noe didn’t want to give up. Please re-read that chapter and look at how Vanitas emotionally squirms at how Noe’s idealism impacts him.

Also the start of Memoire 53 shows how Noe remember’s his first encounter with Vanitas in the church. Vanitas is literally basking in the light from the stained glass and has a soft expression while the audience saw an unhinged vampire doctor in Chapter 1. (Noe has massive rose-coloured glasses here.)

I’m also convinced that the delay of September’s chapter is not a coincidence and that Mochijun is definitely planning something for Memoire 55. Anyways that is all.

[scrawnydutchman]

“There’s Always More Show”; A Bojack Horseman Essay

It’s about time I talked about one of the finest ongoing shows in animation right now. I. LOVE. Bojack Horseman. I must have binged the whole series 5 times at this point, and it’s rare for even my absolute favorite shows to get me to do that. The dialogue is so poignant I have entire exchanges between characters burned into my memory. The jokes and societal commentary are so on point that many lines have gotten me to burst out laughing among company.The characters themselves are so complex, so filled with depth, that they are all well deserving of their own analysis. The writing is SO tight and the storytelling so consistently engaging that I hang onto every little detail. I swear they foreshadow events from as late as season 4 and 5 as early as season 1. Even it’s animation, while admittedly pretty primitive character rigging with a handful of noticeable errors, takes some amazing creative liberty at times, particularly with subjectivity in the drug trips. While the art design has taken a few people off guard for it’s blinding colors and it’s premise has discouraged a less open minded audience with it’s animal-human hybrids living among people, those who stick with the show will get a sophisticated while simultaneously wacky romp that is both the silliest and most real show you can watch right now. So with a show this dense that has characters this deep, there are many themes it tackles such as the perpetual meaninglessness of existence or the pursuit to being a good person, but there’s a more central theme Bojack keeps bringing up which I’d like to talk about.

Oh and, uh, Spoilers incoming for Bojack Horseman . .  . obviously. Get Netflix and watch all of this show right now before reading. seriously. But for those reading who don’t care about spoilers but are interested in what makes Bojack so great and may like to watch it themselves, here’s a brief summary:

Bojack Horseman (played by Will Arnett) Is a horse-man hybrid living out the so called “glamorous” life style in Hollywood, Los Angeles (later called “Hollywoo” in the series for reasons I won’t spoil here). Out of work, out of shape and out of touch, Bojack wastes away his days in sorrow as a past-his-prime actor who goes day to day being disrespected. Back in the 90s he was the star of a very famous “full house”-esque sitcom called “Horsin’ Around” and he longs for the days where he was in the prime of his life, but nowadays he mostly just sits around the house watching old reruns of his show. He constantly struggles with depression, dependancy on narcotics . . . and the ongoing guilt he feels for every shitty thing he’s done in life . . . and as viewers will no doubt find out . . . Bojack has a LOT of baggage. He finds new friends in life like his responsible ghost writer of his memoir Diane Nguyen (played by Alison Brie), his easygoing  freeloader and best friend Todd Chavez (played by Aaron Paul), his happy go lucky Labrador rival Mr. Peanutbutter (played by Paul F. Tompkins) and his workaholic pink cat agent Princess Carolyn (played by Amy Seradis). The show centres around his ongoing relationships with these people as well as their own journeys of self discovery . . . and the occasional wacky schemes. Through his surrounding positive influences can Bojack learn to grow past his personal demons? Or will his shitty tendencies and depressing outlook permanently spoil the lives of the people closest to him like he so often fears?

Spoilers begin NOW

In what is perhaps my favorite episode of the show, episode 6 of Season 5 titled “Free Churro”, Bojack gives an improvised eulogy for his recently deceased mother . . . and that’s it. The episode is just a full 20 minutes of Bojack talking about his dead mom . . . and struggling to find anything positive to say about her. His mom was nothing but cold, hard and abusive to Bojack his entire life and Bojack laments about how he never received a single loving gesture from his mother for as long as he’s known her . . and now that she’s dead that chance is permanently gone. In his ramblings, he mentions an episode of Horsin’ Around in which the writers juice the idea of main cast character Olivia leaving the show for good, only for her to be written back into the status quo, because as Bojack puts it 

“Of course that’s what happened, because what are you gonna do? Just not have Olivia on the show? You can’t have happy endings in sitcoms -- not really -- because if everyone’s happy, the show would be over, and above all else the show has to keep going. There’s always more show. (And) You can call Horsin’ Around dumb, or bad, or unrealistic, but there’s nothing more realistic than that. You never get a happy ending, because there’s always more show.”

That right there sums up the entire ongoing struggle of every character in this show. In many ways, Bojack Horseman the Netflix series is like a typical sitcom turned upside down. You have an ongoing setup of colourful, over the top characters doing outrageous things for our amusement, and in a lot of ways they’re actually terrible people but they’re just SO endearing that we have to keep tuning into their antics. Much like how an average Friends episode is about every titular friend trying haphazardly to cover up a lie for 20 minutes when their problems would so easily be over if they just had the maturity to be honest about how they’re feeling, characters like Bojack, Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter are always up to something silly whether it’s poorly covering up a lie or coming up with elaborate sabotages for selfish ends. But there’s one core difference. In Friends, everybody forgives each other in the end. In the gritty and merciless world of Bojack Horseman . . . every wrongdoing has long term consequences, some of which can never be forgiven. 

Bojack’s antics especially cause permanent stains on his relationships. When he sabotaged Todd’s rock opera by getting him readdicted to a video game so he wouldn’t leave, he permanently makes a wound in his and Todd’s relationship. He only makes it worse when he has sex with Emily, Todd’s best friend and kinda-sorta girlfriend. Todd had faith in Bojack early on in the show, but he makes it apparent later on that the less he has to do with Bojack the better off he is. Todd’s an easygoing friend that can forgive easily, but Bojack really tests his patience. As he said once he found out Bojack had sex with Emily

“You can’t keep doing shitty things and then feel bad about yourself like that makes it okay. You need to be better.”

In the luxurious  yet phony and superficial world of Hollywoo, everyone has an outlook on life as if it’s a sitcom. The center of mass produced film and television has everyone believing in achieving against the odds, amending their wrongs in the end and getting satisfying conclusions as if the credits of their very own movie will roll any second. But real life keeps on hitting these characters like a truck, as if to say “there is no happy ending , you aren’t the main character and the harm you’ve caused is permanent. Get used to it.” Bojack gets his hard hitting reality more prominently than anyone. He keeps looking for backdoor solutions to his pain like getting back with Charlotte, starting a new Horsin’ Around spinoff, finding meaning far away from L.A. or straight up finding solace in drugs, but every solution to his search for meaning ends in him hurting somebody else even more. He has to separate the idea from his head that shitty things like nearly sleeping with your old friends daughter is just a wacky sitcom hijinks situation, and that the guilt he feels is just an ongoing conflict he feels every day. He even tries at one point to get forgiveness from his old show writer Herb Kezzaz after betraying him, only to be greeted with Herb saying 

“No. I’m not going to give you closure. You don’t get that. You have to live with the shitty thing that you did for the rest of your life.”

Sometimes Bojack will go to more silly extents for his so desired “happy ending”, like humming his own credits as he embraces Sarah Lynn when she comes out of rehab.

But as screwed up as Bojack is, he’s not the only one who’s mind is warped by the empty promise of a “happy ending”. Diane Nguyen, for as much as she comes off as the moral compass of the show who isn’t afraid to call anyone out for their bullshit, is what I like to call “Bojack lite”. While she’d be grossly offended by the accusation that she’s anything like Bojack, she shares a lot of his toxic traits. Sure, she’s not actively life ruining for anyone, but she has a tendency to harshly criticize people as a means to deflect any criticism towards herself and she often manages to find the negative connotation to even the best of situations. Also, she struggles with getting drunk a lot too, which is often enabled by Bojack. Diane makes a lot of rash decisions in her life hoping she’ll find some sort of “happy ending”. She married Mr. Peanutbutter longing for a simpler, more laid back life for she just settles down with her loving husband. However, unwilling to keep up with Mr. Peanutbutters love for spontaneity and grand gestures, she ends up divorcing him, deciding instead to try and find solace in being her own woman who doesn’t need a mans affection to be happy . .  .but that leaves her empty too. Every time she gets what she asked for, she ends up having to fight all the challenges that go with it, and those challenges end up obscuring her vision of that made her want that thing in the first place. She thinks it’s something wrong with her, like she just can’t ever be satisfied.

“Why can’t I be happy? Am I busted?!”

If we’re comparing each Bojack Horseman character to standard sitcom fare, Mr. Peanutbutter likely comes the closest to fitting the mold of what we expect from a likable television comedy protagonist. Everyone loves him. He’s endearing, he’s funny, he’s sweet. He makes silly mistakes but has a good heart, and even if he does touch some raw nerves along the way he can usually win his audience back with some sort of grand gesture. If Diane is Bojack Lite, then Mr. Peanutbutter is the yin to Bojack’s yang. They live virtually the same lives to a point where Mr. Peanutbutter even got famous off of what is blatantly a knock off of Horsin’ Around, The key difference though is that while Bojack is incurably pessimistic, Mr. Peanutbutter is obnoxiously optimistic, and why wouldn’t he be? He sees the good in everything and everyone and manages to get his way shearly through people loving him. He never has to learn anything because nobody ever challenges him. But that precisely is the rub. Mr. Peanutbutter is a cautionary tale about what would happen if you DID get that life full of happy endings and comfortable conclusions. Much like how many a sitcom protagonist never learns to tell the truth or to take responsibility for their own health, Mr. Peanutbutter never grows past his mistakes. It’s why he always does grand gestures for Diane despite her repeating several times that she doesn’t like them. It’s why he keeps dating women much younger than himself. It’s why he keeps getting divorced. He never takes any kind of long term lesson from what happens to him and never evolves as a person. Nowhere is this more prominent than in Season 5. Whenever Mr. Peanut butter does something wrong, he’s usually blind to the responsibility he must take to it. He either dismisses it as somebody else being mean or unreasonable or he makes an empty promise to not do it again. But for the first time ever, he partakes in betraying somebody he cares about. After divorcing Diane and getting with Pickles the Pug waitress . . . he has sex with Diane again behind Pickles’ back. This time there’s nobody to blame but himself . . and he doesn’t know how to deal with the fact that he did an unforgivably shitty thing. In fact, he’s the least equipped character to do so in the whole show. He even pleads for Diane to break the news to Pickles and tries to force a silver lining by getting back with Diane as a result of it. In the season finale, when Mr. Peanutbutter has to tell the awful truth and knowingly hurt somebody close to him . . .much like a sitcom character, he instead pulls a happy ending out of his ass and decides to propose to Pickles instead. He actively decides not to do the tough, but right decision, and thus does not evolve. This is especially interesting in the finale because, for the first time ever, Bojack is a step ahead of Mr. Peanutbutter when it comes to committing to making things right. After Bojack nearly strangles Gina to death on his drug high, he turns himself into rehab with the help of Diane and starts taking real steps to self improvement. In contrast, Mr. Peanut butter . . . is just up to his same old tricks. 

You wanna talk about reaching that sitcom happy ending? It’s all this workaholic cat ever thinks about. Princess Carolyn leads life with the philosophy that with enough grit and go-getter attitude you can make anything happen for yourself . . . and to an extent that actually serves her pretty well. She gets out of her hick town to pursue her dreams as an agent and whenever the other characters are knee deep in their own mess she’s always the one with the solution to get them out. She compulsively helps people while refusing to take help for herself because . . well, she wants a happy ending . . .but she wants to be the one responsible for it. She had an opportunity as a kid to have everything in her life decided for her but once she had her miscarriage and that dream fell apart, she instead decided to pursue a career in the big city. She made tons of sacrifices to get where she is including leaving her own mother, and she’s also afraid of falling into the same trap of dependency she almost fell into as a kid again. That’s why she rejects Ralph Stilton’s offer to help her with her adopted baby, even though he’s irrefutably the best boyfriend she ever had. Time and time again Princess Carolyn will willingly be pushed right up to the edge before she accepts any kind of help, because she thinks doing so is a sign of weakness. She keeps herself motivated with fantasies about that wonderful happy ending, whether that means living in a cottage in a beautiful painting or succeeding enough that some future ancestor can give her class a family heritage report all about what a great ass kickin’ gal she is. While Princess Carolyn is definitely the most well adjusted and most durable to the constant hustle and beating down of reality, she’s got her own toxic tendencies as a result of thinking she’s a main character. She thinks she’s got to do everything on her own . . . . and if she doesn’t get past that insecurity soon, it may swallow her whole.

At long last we come to mr. Todd Chavez, the endearing little brother of Bojack Horseman’s family of main characters. Upon first glance, Todd seems the least prepared for life’s harsh reality out of all our leads. He’s a 20-something year old with no real job, no real responsibilities and no real goals in life. He’s very upfront and honest about how he spends his time, be it spending all day watching Youtube videos . . . or building a knockoff Disneyland. And yet, when we analyze him with the thesis that these “sitcom characters” are all trying to get by in a cruel and merciless world, we suddenly realize that ironically . . . Todd grows the most naturally out of everyone. Bojack lets Todd down time and time again and rather than accepting status quo as God like many a sitcom character might do, he takes it upon himself to distance his relationship with Bojack. He initially has faith in Bojack to be better, but doesn’t beat around the bush when he’s lost his faith in him. When he realizes that he was nothing in common with Yolanda aside from being asexual, he breaks up with her before prolonging the painful inevitable. The cast of Bojack Horseman go through their share of changes in what they want and who they want to be, but Todd is always the one who knows what he needs and makes an honest effort to be better. He’s surprisingly wise for an adult manchild flunky. But he gets up to wacky sitcomish schemes too, about as much as Mr. Peanutbutter (who is often his partner in crime with these things) . . . yet even then through his ernestness and cuttthroat honesty he manages to overcome better than the other characters.

Conclusion:

*decided to include this gif because i love the animation in it*

Hollywoo is a world of sitcom characters pulled out of the TV and trying to get by in everyday life under the harsh, uncompromising grip of reality. In a culture so entrenched in it’s ideals of maintaining superficial likability and celebrating yourself no matter what you do or who you hurt, each character’s mind is warped into buying the illusion that for how screwed up they are there’s a happy ending waiting at the end of the horizon for them. They all deal with it with different levels of success. Some take change in life with stride like Todd. Some think they found their happy ending but only remain empty like Diane. Some get everything they ask for and thus never evolve and never better themselves like Mr. PeanutButter. Some cling on for deal life as they get everything thrown at them, believing that they’ll be rewarded in the end, like Princess Carolyn. And then . . . some are a depressing cocktail of all of those things. They have opportunity land at their feet and think they’ve finally done the thing that will preserve them, only to find themselves empty. They work through the pain in their life hoping that at any point they’ll get some grand gesture or reward that makes everything they endured worth it, only for that chance to become officially non existent. But occasionally . . . very occasionally . . . they do something wonderful and heartfelt and sincere that maintains a glimmer of hope for their capacity to be better. That is Bojack Horseman. Bojack hurts the people closest to him much like his parents did. He remains bitter and sad and petty and self important . . . but he IS better than his folks. He’s like his late mom . . . only for him the grand gesture really does come.

But as Bojack says

“The grand gesture isn’t enough. You have to be consistent. You have to be dependably good. You can’t just screw everything up and then take a boat out on the ocean to save your best friend or solve a mystery and fly to Cansas. You need to do it everyday, which is so . . . hard.”

The truth is, all of these characters, even Bojack, have the potential to be better as long as they deconstruct their worldview shaped by watching television. They have to rid themselves of the illusion. The illusion that there’s some great happy ending that’s going to make all the pain worth it. The only ending in life . . . is death. Until then, there’s always more show. Time’s arrow neither stands still nor reverses; it always marches forward. There will be days these characters make mistakes and days they do great things . . how much they do of either is up to them. Sometimes they’ll do things that they will never get closure for . . things that can’t be forgiven  . . . but that doesn’t ruin their capacity to do right the next day.  Bojack’s right . . .it IS hard to do better every single day. But as the jogger near Bojack’s house says “It gets easier”.

And my essay concludes . . . .riiiiiiight after this anecdote.

I think what makes Bojack Horseman so special is that it holds up a mirror to how a screen infested world has permanently warped our sense of self worth and our understanding of how life really works. In a way, we’re all “sitcom characters” roaming around real life. We think of ourselves as the main characters of our stories, that there’s some sort of satisfying conclusion waiting for us. That we can win whoever we want back with a grand gesture and that we never have to evolve, we just have to be “good enough” . . .and that’s all . . SO wrong. That mentality makes us toxic. It makes us self important and hypocritical and petty, while also leaving us empty. It makes us incomplete. We all have to learn that there’s no ending until we die, that we have to do good every day . . . and that we aren’t the main character.  Everyone is important. Maybe we’ve been watching too many sitcoms and have had these fallacies drilled into our heads . . . and maybe Bojack Horseman is like a rehab for those bad tendencies. As Princess Carolyn points out in the finale of Season 4

“I got into this business because I love stories. They comfort us. They inspire us. They create a context for how we view the world. But also you have to be careful because if you spend a lot of time with stories you start to believe that life is just . . . stories. And it’s not. Life is life . . . and . . .that’s so sad, because . . .there’s so little time and . . . what are we doing with it?”

[mostlysignssomeportents]

#2yrsago I Can't Breathe: Matt Taibbi's scorching book on the murder of Eric Garner and the system that let the killers get away with it

Matt Taibbi is one of the best political writers working in the USA today, someone who can use the small, novelistic details of individuals' lives illuminate the vast, systemic problems that poison our lives and shame our honor; his 2014 book The Divide conducts a wide-ranging inquiry into the impunity of corporate criminals and the kafkaesque injustices visited on the poor people they victimize; in I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street, Taibbi narrows his focus to the police murder of Eric Garner, a Staten Island fixture and father, and the system that put murderers in uniform in his path.

Taibbi opens the book with a masterful, novelistic account of the racial divide in Staten Island, the brutal impunity of the NYPD, the lives of the people they stalk, humiliate, beat, and frame. He introduces us to Tomkins Park, the neighborhood where Eric Garner was a fixture, selling untaxed cigarettes he brought in from out of state, and to Garner himself, a complicated, funny, bright, unlucky, likable man whose bad luck and bad choices had put him on that corner, selling smokes to keep his family fed, clothed and sheltered.

As Taibbi unravels the story of Garner, the circumstances that led to him being choked to death by a group of police officers who went on to terrorize Garner's friend for recording a video of the murder and releasing it, who faced no meaningful penalties -- and who, we learn, had long rapsheets for brutal, sadistic policing, he weaves the long history and diverse social and political circumstances that led to that moment.

Taibbi's book is part history lesson, part political science, part biography (of several people, not all of them very nice), part on-the-scene reporting, part lawsplainer. He ranges over statistical models for predictive policing, the realpolitik of New York, where Democrats and Republicans alike have been critical to turning the city into a laboratory for testing and refining racist policing, housing, incarceration, and harassment policies.

Taibbi is a synthesist, able to dig into the personal history of the fathers of "broken windows policing," of rival black activist groups, of Garner and his family, tell their stories, show where they fit in a much larger, systemic analysis of how the nuts-and-bolts of institutional racism and police impunity.

In building understanding, Taibbi is always explaining, but never excusing. Just because Taibbi explains how the quota systems and official stonewalling creates a hospitable climate for sadistic, murdering rapists -- just because he shows that ultimately, these bad cops are taking the rap for an even worse system -- it doesn't follow that he's asking us to shed a tear for the poor cops who choked Eric Garner to death on a city street.

Taibbi's analysis also ranges over the explosion of anti-police-violence demonstrations that occurred in the wake of the Garner killing, after the deaths of Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, and so many other black men and women who were murdered by police officers who nearly never, ever paid any consequences for it. He places the murder of Eric Garner in the context of the election of an openly white supremacist president, and the rage and outrage that followed that election.

All this makes for a book that's as riveting as any novel, and as educational as any manifesto. Like The Divide, it is essential reading that captures a moment that the whole nation is wrestling with, and whose consequences could not be more important to us all.

One note on Taibbi himself: a few months ago, he was embroiled in a scandal of his own when passages from  The eXile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia, a book he co-authored in 2000, were reprinted. The book is a memoir of Taibbi's tenure as a gonzo editor in post-Soviet Russia, co-written with his co-editor, Mark Ames, and it is a gross, tasteless -- and, it turns out, largely fictional -- tale.

The passages that made headlines were ones in which Taibbi and Ames detail subjecting female subordinates to cruel and degrading sexual harassment. When they broke, Taibbi explained that these passages had been written by Ames and were fictional. This struck many people as lame and not-very-credible excuses, but it appears they were true -- journalists who tracked down the co-workers in the book confirmed with them that none of the lurid, awful activities took place.

Which doesn't let Taibbi off the hook: his transgression isn't subjecting women to sexual violence and harassment: it's thinking that making up "gonzo" stories about this kind of thing was funny (rather than offensive and harmful in their own right), and co-signing his name to a published volume of these tales.

This isn't a good thing to have done, but it's also not in the same universe as committing actual sexual assaults. It definitely lowered my opinion of Taibbi, but I feel like making stupid, shitty "jokes" is ultimately a forgivable sin, and the kind of thing that Taibbi has made substantial amends for.

I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street [Matt Taibbi/Random House]

https://boingboing.net/2017/12/15/eric-garner-rip.html

[comicmemoirs-blog]

Analysis of Likewise: The high-school comic chronicles of Ariel Schrag

Voice and Tone:

Voice:

The voice in Likewise, overall was very sociable and approachable to the audience. Additionally, the book is not written in a strict or formal manner because it contains many slang vocabulary.

Tone:

The overall tone setting of the book was funny, relaxed/laid-back, and sexual related. 

Significance of title:

Historical, social and cultural context (3 aspects):

Historical:

· Comic books have usually involved superheroes, and have not been lengthy as comic books as were that were constructed by Ariel Schrag

Social:

· The social aspect of Likewise is the overall student environment. This consisted of the High school atmosphere and interactions between students

Cultural:

· Culturally, the main context that is highlighted is the underlying theme of the LGBT community

How everyone in the group relates to the memoir (theme, characters, plot):

Carlo Dormiendo

I found myself surprised at how much I related to Schrag’s main character in the story, but the way it is written is definitely not for everybody. I think the struggles that she encounters are those that many can identify with. Like a lot of people, high school was a turbulent time for myself as this was a time of great change and personal growth. 

In the book, the final year of high school is very stressful for Ariel as she tries to discover who she is as a person and how she fits in with society as she reaches adulthood. I found Schrag’s struggles with her sexuality, the way others see her, romantic relationships, and getting into post-secondary education all extremely poignant and I empathized with her when she had to deal with these very human issues that teenagers encounter. That said, the manner in which she felt the story had to be told in order to showcase these themes didn’t always land for me, and at times it felt like the honesty and explicitness of her accounts distracted from the point that I thought was trying to be made. There is a sense of self-indulgence in the writing that interferes with the story and kept me from having a greater grasp on the plot and story as it went along.

Muhammad Butt:

In all honesty, I found it hard to relate to Likewise, since the underlying theme was LGBT. I haven’t had any friends in this community. However, over the recent years’ society has accepted the LGBT community and I am learning more about the subject perpetually. I have encountered people in the community and have accepted them for who they are. Additionally, another theme in the story is the matter of acceptance. In high school, especially, there were many groups which were related to a specific focus. If you were an outlier as a person, and were different, it was hard to fit in with other students. As well, to make friends was another struggle. I can relate to this because when I first came to Canada, it was difficult to fit in with others since I saw myself as very different individual. Likewise, others perception of me was same. 

About the Author:

Works and awards: 

Ariel Schrag is the author to graphic memoirs such as Likewise (2009), Potential (2000), Definition (1997), Part of it (2018), and Awkward (2008). While also being the author of the book Adam (2014); which was later made into a film in 2019. 

Ariel Schrag has also been a writer for series: How to make it in America (HBO series), Vinyl (HBO series), and The L Word (Showtime series). 

Additionally, Schrag has been involved in articles, and comics; working for The New York Times Book Review, USA Today, New York Magazine, and Cosmopolitan. 

Two of her works were nominated for awards. Potential was nominated an Eisner Award, and Likewise (last of her High school series) was nominated for a lambda literary Award.

(Schrag, para.1)

Career low and Highpoints: 

Lows:

Ariel Schrag has received negative criticism and remarks for some of her memoirs since she was too explicit and thorough in her drawings related to sexual interactions. Her work was seen to be controversial. Due to this, some of her literature was considered unsuitable for teens; which resulted in the removable of her books from high school libraries(Berlatsky, sec.6)

Highs:

Ariel Schrag's high points in career include during her time of : The High school Chronicles, “Likewise” was the final book in the series, her first ever publication in 2014, when she first starting publishing comics at a young age, and when she entered the TV and film industry.(Berlatsky, para.2)

Interviews: audio and video (link to these): 

Inscribed Interview: https://therumpus.net/2014/09/the-rumpus-interview-with-ariel-schrag/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD7jPnj5T-4

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvR2QJ6L7SU&feature=youtu.be

Inscribed Interview : http://www.tcj.com/115363-2/

Reception and Reviews of Work:

Generally, the population has accepted most literature produced by Ariel Schrag; such as Potential and Definition.  Though, a high count of population didn’t like Likewise (the last of the high school series) (Librarything, sec.1). It was also said to be dull, and self-centered. And also was seen to be inappropriate, but also mentioned that the book would have been much better if it wasn’t as long. (goodreads, sec.2). Also, the graphics were seen to be more intriguing in the other series. Another work which received a lot of criticism was the movie adaptation of the book Adam.

Annotated Bibliography:

Berlatsky, Noah. “It’s Still Just Me, Good Ol’’ Ariel": A Conversation With Ariel Schrag |.” 2019, http://www.tcj.com/115363-2/.

The following reference is from “The Comics Journal” home page. The webpage is a written interview between Noah Bertlatsky and Ariel Schrag; highlighting her life and career from beginning to the end. The reliability of the source is high

Goodreads. Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag by Ariel Schrag. 2019, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2241527.Likewise.

This reference webpage provides detailed reviews good, and bad on Ariel Schrag’s work Likewise: The high school comic chronicles of Ariel Schrag.

Librarything. Reviews: Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag by Ariel Schrag | LibraryThing. 2017, http://www.librarything.com/work/7584348/reviews.

This reference webpage provides various reviews and criticism of Ariel Schrag’s work: Likewise: The high school comic chronicles of Ariel Schrag.

Schrag, Ariel. About - Ariel Schrag. 2019, http://www.arielschrag.com/about.

The following reference is from Ariel Schrag’s home page. The specific webpage is the “About” section of Ariel schrag’s website. This section gives a concise summary of Ariel  Schrag’s career and life. The reliability of the source is high

[geezeralert]

And in the end . . .

Some 45s from my collection, including the first three from the Beatles.

(Third of three parts)

Now this really IS for Beatles fans only.

Non-fans reading this, even if they managed to pay attention to the first two installments describing my little aural/intellectual immersion into the group’s musical output, will likely find my third discourse hard to take.

For here I will discuss what to outsiders would seem silly -- what it all means, or how does studying each of the tunes recorded by the Beatles make a person any different or change his or her place in the hierarchy of fandom.

For starters, we must clearly acknowledge (as we did at the start) this type of project is all about fun, like a hobby. And any written analysis likewise is done in the spirit of being an entertaining diversion from real life, meaningless in the overall scheme of things.

If you take pop group fandom — or any celebrity fandom — to a level more serious than that, then you are in a place beyond my grasp.

My effort was born of a curiosity about this legendary musical group that was important in my youth. In that regard, the project was an absolute success.

I satisfied my curiosity about Beatles songs big and small, loved and hated, popular and obscure. While I have not committed to memory many of the details, I know where to find answers to just about any questions I might have.

Beatles’ music came at me fast and furious in the 1960s. I rarely stopped to understand its origins, musicianship, meaning or other minutia beyond what was in album liner notes or news media coverage. It was just enjoyable and interesting.

The unique individuals involved also were worth understanding and following, for all their achievements and personal tales.

Now I’ve seen their production up close and personal. Good for me. Fascinating stuff. Totally worth the effort.

Do I want more? Yes, a little.

There are books that still sound interesting, like those I noted in part one (the Lewishon study, the Best or Epstein memoirs, books by Philip Norman and Barry Miles). The much-anticipated “Let It Be” movie reissue also will be fun to watch, after seeing a very rough video of a video of it that I bought off E-Bay (at least it gave me a general idea of what it looked like).

After taking a break from all-things-Beatles, I’ll tackle that stuff from time to time. (To stay sane and clear-headed, I did seek out lots of non-Beatles reading material throughout my project. Lately, I’ve discovered the crime novels of Elmore Leonard, whose works were the basis for some of my favorite movies.)

But I’m pretty sure I will never reach HUGE fan status for the Beatles (or any other celebrity, for that matter).

Those people, of which there are perhaps millions, do know all the details of the Beatles songs without looking them up in a book or the internet or Wikipedia. They own all of them in all of their forms. They also own all the music produced by the individual Beatles both before they formed and after their breakup (I pretty much stopped my purchases a few years into their solo careers, although I picked up John Lennon’s final one and the complete Traveling Willburys collection with George Harrison.)

They would spend the incredible amounts that are being charged for such major works as “Places I Remember. My Time with the Beatles,” by photographer Henry Grossman (going for $2,609); the “RTBBook. Recording the Beatles,” described on Amazon as: “A detailed look at every piece of studio gear used, full explanations of effects and recording processes, and an inside look at how specific songs were recorded,” by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew, going for $500 (originally $100); and “Kaleidoscope Eyes. A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper,” another compilation of Grossman photos going for $688.

(I also once saw a George Martin box set of materials going for over $2,000 but I can’t find it now.)

These super fans have been to Beatles concerts, either when they were together 50 years ago or as individuals in the years since.  I have not, nor do I want to, really.

As I was in the midst of my project, tickets went on sale for Paul McCartney’s concert this July at Dodger Stadium in LA. OK, I said to myself, that could be interesting. He is a legend, after all. And he travels with a tremendous band, I’ve read, even if his own 76-year-old chops have long since gone weak and raspy.

I set myself a limit of $100 a ticket for myself, my wife and my brother. If we could get close enough to really feel the music and see the star performer, that would be worth the price.

Within hours of the ticket pre-sale opportunity, the best seats in the house (ground level in front of the stage) were sold, some for a few thousand dollars, all for amounts well beyond my budget.

The best I could get for $100 was seats up in the stands by the baseball stadium’s press box. I may as well as sit at home and watch the concert on a laptop with headphones. Not much of an experience.

Those people who immediately ponied up the big bucks for such a geezer Beatle performance are the HUGE fans. They have probably been to more than one such concert and will keep going to them.

They would probably also spend serious dough to see Ringo Starr’s all-star band perform, something I would not consider (his songs and solo hits are not in my top 300 favorite Beatles songs, as a group or individuals).  

The closest I would have come to paying a major sum to see a former Beatles was if I had had a chance to see The Traveling Willburys, with Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne. That was a super group with an outstanding sound.

Huge Beatles fans also travel to London to see the places that are part of the group’s lore, likely have memorabilia like guitars or sticks, have T-shirts or other clothing with Beatles pictures or logos, know every detail of their personal lives and go weak at the sound of their music.

Many probably have rooms decorated with Beatles stuff. They go to downtown LA for Starr’s annual peace and love declaration. They follow news about them every day on their website.

To me, that level of interest borders on obsessive. However, I cannot criticize such people without being somewhat of a hypocrite. I’ve gone to the edge of that pond, after all. I just won’t jump in, and a lot of what’s holding me back is simply the cost (of books, tickets, memorabilia, plane fare, etc.) not philosophy.

I wish nothing for the best for those who do find the time and money to devote to the subjects of their passion, stopping short of stalking or otherwise intruding in the subjects’ lives.

For now, I am happy being a Really Big Beatles Fan with an advanced degree in discography.

[pilferingapples]

Hello! You are one of my favourite Les Mis bloggers. Thanks for all the amazing posts! Especially the ones on Enjolras. Can I please ask you for recommendations of non-fiction books or documentaries that will help understand the social/political context of Les Mis better? Also any books on the French revolution? Have you read Citizens by Simon Schama or A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel? Would love to know your thoughts on them. Sorry for the multiple questions! And thank you!

Aww, thank you! Some books I’ve really enjoyed and think have a lot of concentrated Les Mis context--all English-language, or easily available translated, unless otherwise noted!:

Victor Hugo, by Graham Robb- obviously relevant to Hugo’s life and attitudes, which are written into the book a lot!  But also, Hugo was involved in a lot of notable events through his life, making a good Hugo Bio a pretty good contextual source for Les Mis on a lot of fronts. 

Paris Between Empires, by Philip Mansel -- it’s written in pretty accessible language, and covers Paris *exactly* the years Hugo is writing about, plus a good few more on either side for people wanting to write Fantine Prequel Fic or Post-Barricade stories.   Info on the Siege of Paris (Expelling Napoleon version), the rapidfire changes of government, etc are all welcome-- but there’s also a lot of info on regular lives going on in streets and salons, and Names to Watch. Very handy! 

My Memoirs, Alexandre Dumas -- a close friend of Hugo for their whole careers, Dumas was also involved in an amazing amount of the politics and social movements of  the day! His memoirs are fun, quick , and slightly dizzying whirl of French history from one of the best writers of the day. Highly recommended for both context and a feel for the attitudes of a man from the era!

A History of Romanticism, by Theophile Gautier- a primary source account of some of the figures and events in the Romantic movement in the 1830s. Character-wise, it’s particularly good background for Prouvaire and Bahorel, but context-wise, it’s very relevant to Hugo and the social/artistic movement that Hugo helped lead during the late 1820s-1830s--and like the Dumas memoir, also a look into the particular attitudes of someone from the time, and  someone who definitely figured into Hugo’s own social circle.

 The Flaneur and His City, by Richard D.E, Burton- it’s about half untranslated French quotes, so I only really recommend it if you know some French, but my GOSH it’s such an amazing, compact source on the street life and social makeup of Paris in the July Monarchy!  Fic Detail Central. 

all of those are more general reads-- if you’re looking for barricade-related stuff in particular, my best leads are all in my “barricade relevant’ tag. 

For the French Revolution:

 I’d recommend Mark Steel’s Vive La Revolution as a primer! It’s very much written for a popular audience, and it’s very fun. A lot of the material is available in recorded video lectures on Youtube, too!  (I recommend doing a search for them, as there are several scattered around.)

Also, for all the Revolutions from the first French Revolution to the 1848 Revolution that brought the short-lived Second Republic, I recommend the Revolutions Podcast. I don’t agree with all the analysis and opinions on that podcast--because it’s History, and if I ever Totally Agree with someone’s take on such a broad section of history the shock may kill me--, but it’s GREAT for getting the basic order of things, and has a lot of great info to help you draw your own conclusions!

(I have not read Schama or Mantel; I’ve  been strongly warned away from them, by people whose judgement of the history and of my own taste I trust. I probably *will* read Schama at some point, when I feel I’ve gotten more of a handle on the FRev, because he was a very prominent voice about it and it’s important to get a lot of different views, but I am pretty sure that’s gonna be something of a hate read, and Mantel I think I will avoid entirely.)

That’s probably a good Starter List for reading! 

[lilianrogers]

February Books

In February I read a straightforward story of a man possessed by a white tiger (Man, Tiger by Eka Kurniawan), a memoir-style novel about a young Ghanaian-American scientist’s reckoning with the trauma of her childhood (Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi), a stupendous non-fiction work that delves into Singapore’s social democratic origins (Liberalism Disavowed by Chua Beng Huat), and a biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg focused on the pop culture phenomenon she inspired (Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik).

For my thoughts in video form check out my YouTube video: https://youtu.be/Nvl4nPd61jM

Man, Tiger by Eka Kurniawan

Margio loves boar hunts, the daughter of his neighbor Anwar Sadat, and the thought of killing his father, who has subjected the boy and his family to years of abuse. But it is through his father’s father that he is passed down the incarnation of a tiger, white as a swan. Though Margio is robbed of the chance to commit patricide, he carries out a murder nonetheless with the help of the tiger. 

This novel starts with the sentence: “On the evening Margio kills Anwar Sadat, Kyai Jahro was blissfully busy with his fishpond”. By the last line we are about to witness this event unfold before our eyes, though we already know its five W’s (who, what, when, where, and why). Kurniawan’s storytelling hops throughout the timeline surrounding this central event, but crisply stays within the structure of the characters and emotions that comprise this world. I liked the smattering of magical realist elements: the ground shifting to refuse Komar bin Syueb’s body, Margio’s smitten adoration the first time he meets his tiger. 

An anecdote given halfway through the book hints that this is a story about how to wield your legacy and lineage. In this story-within-a-story, Kurniawan tells us of the wealthy land-holding woman who sells her property at dirt poor prices to the local villagers to completely circumvent her ungrateful children. She then uses the proceeds to entertain her own whims: sleeping in a new wedding dress, and buying an entire bus (because she enjoyed riding the bus as a child). In a book filled with an arc of seeming inevitability, the matriarch’s story stands out as proof of human agency.  

Rating: 3.8/5

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

In this quasi-memoir, Yaa Gyasi tells the story of Gifty, a first generation Ghanian-American who grew up in the American South and is now pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at Stanford University. In fertile, compact prose, we become enveloped in Gifty’s voice, her traumas, and the shield she has erected to protect herself throughout her life.  She is grappling with the aftereffects of losing her brother to drug addiction, which sends her mother into spiralling mental illness, and reflects on the quiet inability of religious faith to provide a lifeline to herself or her mother. 

There is plenty to unpack in this book, but I’ll just pick one theme that resonated strongly with me: the cleavage that happens when you start to form your own identity as a young adult. For much of our childhoods, we exist as extensions of our parents - in both our minds and theirs. Throughout the book, Gifty considers the force of this separating, feeling both responsible for and resentful of her mother, both burdened by and indebted to the upbringing she had. 

Gifty’s self-reflection is both raw and composed, powerful and measured, and kept me hooked until the very end when the plot stumbles a bit in its pacing. I wasn’t a big fan of the flashforward ending which felt too neat. But I enjoyed the read enough to give her first book, Homegoing, a try.  

Rating: 4/5

Liberalism Disavowed: Communitarianism and State Capitalism in Singapore by Chua Beng Huat

Foreign observers (and expats living in Singapore) easily repeat a hackneyed descriptor when the topic of Singapore’s political system comes up: authoritarian. While there are components of authoritarian rule in the history of PAP’s governance, using this word obliterates the nuance and complexity of Singapore’s political-economic origins in one damning stroke. Having read Chua’s Liberalism Disavowed, I’m fully convinced that it is not a useful simplifier. 

As Chua writes, “What this “encouraged” understanding veils, intentionally or otherwise, is the social democratic origin of the PAP, which explains some of the fundamental social and economic programs which are critical to the economic and political success of the PAP government, and from which it has not wavered in more than its 50 years in power.” 

Chua explains in wonderful detail and with historical context the social democratic origin of the PAP by focusing on four “institutionalized political and economic practices” - 1) ideological anti-liberalism, 2) Singapore’s national public housing program, 3) state capitalism, and 4) multiracialism.[1] In each of the areas, there is much more than meets the eye, and lazy comparisons obscure the reality of Singapore’s history and development. 

Liberalism Disavowed easily makes it into my top books to read about Singapore for its nuanced and rigorous accounting of Singapore’s political-economic development. It’s a much needed counter to the superficial tropes that abound, and I personally learned tons from reading it. 

[1] Chua writes “Their primacy is reflected in the fact that other significant social policies and administrative practices, which are politically important in their own right, can be enfolded within the operating logic of one or more of these four institutions.”

Rating: 4.9/5 

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Though I never would have called myself an RBG stan, I now know that I am one! In addition to groundbreaking legal accomplishments and a convention-busting partnership with her husband, I learned RBG crossed the aisle to have friendships with political opposites (such as Justice Scalia), and preferred to convince through incremental progress rather than swooping decisions. 

I was worried this book might be a bit too “pop” and not enough substance, but it manages to strike the right balance between relevance and import. Don’t expect too much legal analysis or independent reporting or research, but the book does delightfully package together the through line of RBG’s personal life and career. I found it enjoyable to read, and helpful to re-acquaint myself with the history of women’s rights in the US through RBG’s eyes. 

Rating: 3.5/5

[thetrumpdebacle]

When she heard the news story of the 13 siblings allegedly held captive in their California home by their parents, Susanne Reisenbichler’s said her first reaction was, “Oh no. Somebody else.”

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Reisenbichler and her sons Govinda Angulo and Josef Reisenbichler said hearing the reports on the Turpin siblings brought back memories of what they experienced while being confined to a cramped New York City apartment until just a few years ago.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said 13 siblings — ages 2 to 29 — were allegedly being held captive at their home in Perris, California, by their parents David and Louis Turpin. When discovered, several of the children were “shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities were alerted to the situation when a 17-year-old girl, who apparently escaped from the home, called 911 and said her 12 brothers and sisters were still being held captive there, the sheriff’s office said.

The parents David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 49, have each been charged with 12 counts of torture, 12 counts of false imprisonment, seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult and six counts of child abuse. David Turpin was also charged with one count of a lewd act on a child under the age of 14 by force, fear or duress. They have pleaded not guilty.

“I was horrified, and beyond that, it brought just a flood of emotions and memories and thoughts of my own experience and my children’s experience,” Reisenbichler told ABC News’ “20/20.” “It really was more than shocking. It was just so many emotions at once: a lot of compassion and empathy and also understanding and knowing exactly what they went through, what those children were feeling.”

Susanne Reisenbichler says since the documentary “The Wolfpack” was released she’s been working on her memoir and writing children’s books.

“It definitely struck a lot of chords throughout the years since that story has been told from our family. I’ve done what I can to put it away, but it’s brought back a lot of memories,” Govina Angulo, now 25, told “20/20.”

For more than a decade, Reisenbichler shared an apartment with her now-estranged husband Oscar Angulo, her oldest child and only daughter Visnu and her sons Govinda, his twin Narayana (who now goes by Josef), Mukunda, Bhagavan, Krsna (who now goes by Glenn) and Jagadesh (who now goes by Eddie).

Oscar Angulo, a Hare Krishna devotee from Peru, forbade his children and wife from leaving their apartment and held the front door’s only key. Aside from the few trips outside allowed for appointments or strictly controlled visits to New York tourist destinations, the children had no contact with the outside world.

ABC News

Twin bothers Govinda Angulo and Josef Reisenbichler reflected on their life since leaving the small New York City apartment they were confined to for over a decade.

“Our father was pretty paranoid about a lot of things,” Govinda said.

On the 16th floor of a public housing development which the family of nine called home in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the children were raised in four small rooms, homeschooled by their mother. Neighbors told “20/20” they didn’t see the children.

By the time the children had reached their mid-teens, Angulo had covered the windows of the apartment with blankets, and claustrophobia began to take a hold on the brothers. It wasn’t until one day in 2010, that Mukunda, the third youngest who was 15 at the time, found the courage to step outside alone for the first time.

Though her family had more freedom and less harsh conditions than the Turpin siblings allegedly lived in, Reisenbichler said she found similarities between her family’s experiences and that of the Turpins.

“When I heard the 17-year-old, I thought, ‘Mukunda was 15 when he broke out, so it’s a very close age,’” Reisenbichler said.

Magnolia Pictures

Until five years ago, the six Angulo brothers were rarely let outside.

“I can’t, you know, speak for every family who’s gone through similar experiences. But I guess … with anybody who’s … confined you only know people from that world that you’ve been confined to,” Josef, now 25, said. “I think we knew in our gut that our situation was not right and we just didn’t fully understand it and but… because you have only each other to reach out to and to make the best you can out of it with whatever you can because a bond happens.”

After the boys, known as “the Wolfpack,” started leaving the apartment more often, they eventually gained more freedom to explore the outside world.

For years, the family didn’t have any outside friends until the brothers met director Crystal Moselle, who befriended them after she saw the boys walking down the streets of the Manhattan with their waist-long dark hair and sunglasses.

Moselle turned the family’s story into the documentary, “The Wolfpack,” which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. And their lives haven’t been the same since.

Reisenbichler said it’s a complex question to ask why her children didn’t leave their homes sooner.

“Most people have that thought, ‘Why didn’t you leave? Why didn’t you get out?’ And that is whether the questioner realizes it or not,” Reisenbichler said. “It’s projecting blame onto the victim or the survivor, you know, asking, ‘Why didn’t you do this?’ Because it’s a very, very complex situation and it’s not easy to understand.”

Govinda Angulo

The Angulo brothers who starred in the documentary “The Wolfpack” say they continue to adjust to life outside of their apartment.

Josef said it’s fear of the outside world fostered by his father that made it especially hard to leave.

“That’s why it’s hard to break out and why you hold back for so long and why you hold back from any kind of help that may be possible, because it’s the conditioning, whether you realize it or whether you feel in your gut that it’s wrong. It’s very hard to break that especially when you become used to it your whole life,” Josef said.

Josef said that as his family met more people and slowly got to know more of what it was outside of their apartment, he feared what would happen in the future.

“’Do we go back? Do we break away from it forever?’” Josef recalled thinking. “It’s a break in your reality and you don’t know what’s going to happen and you don’t really know especially how to feel about it. You don’t know that you feel that this is a good thing or if this could just be a road to some [worse] thing.”

Though they said their lives have since changed for the better, Govinda said the experience will always be a part of them.

“In a way, it’s shaped us for who we are… I don’t know how we would’ve turned out if it had been something with the Turpins we went through,” Govinda said.

Govinda Angulo

Govinda Angulo, left, and two of his brothers are pictured together riding the train.

Reisenbichler said she watched as her sons overcame the hurdles of learning “how the everyday little details of a normal society are carried out.”

“They had to learn directions and how to go places and what subway lines went where and how to pay for a subway card and how to use the subway card. That was a really big thing, and just things like paying for food in the grocery store or going to buy a notebook … let alone preparing for job applications,” Reisenbichler said. “If you’ve never seen it and you’ve never dealt with it, it’s overwhelming. And I really have to give my children a lot of credit in how extremely well they’ve just handled everything, and just, you know, bounced through and they’ve just embraced all of the things that they’ve had to learn and catch up on, that people who are 10 years old already know normally in our society.”

“Some of the hardest adjustments I think mostly is having personal connections with other people because you feel you don’t,” Josef said. “Your own reality and our reality was so far removed.”

“In reality, we’re still adjusting,” Govinda said.

Today, many of the brothers have moved out of the apartment, and Oscar Angulo no longer lives there.

“My husband is no longer living at the apartment, and there was a big celebration for that. And I am still little by little continuing to work on a memoir of my life and my time with my children. And I’m also in the middle of working on some children’s books,” Reisenbichler said.

Both Josef and Govinda share an apartment with a friend.

When asked if they had a message for the Turpin siblings, Reisenbichler said, “I would like to say to the family that, don’t lose faith and don’t lose hope.”

“And however hard it will be, don’t be afraid to connect, to reach to people,” Govinda said.

via The Trump Debacle