We Organize to Change Everything: An Abortion Essay Anthology

 I received a copy of this anthology of abortion essays for review from the publisher.

Below are the significant comments about this book from my journal that I'm willing to put on the internet.  

                                  

                                

In the first essay by Jenny Brown, she refers to Neoliberalism.  She means the British version of liberalism.  People who aren't aware that "liberal" once had another meaning might be confused. It's based on an older definition of liberalism that goes back to the 18th century, a philosophy that supports freedom, equality, human rights and democracy, as opposed to monarchy or other types of authoritarianism.  See the Wikipedia article on the subject here.  In the 19th century liberalism evolved into a political philosophy of free enterprise.  It still retains that meaning in the modern UK.  In the U.S., it essentially means the opposite.  It's a preference for government intervention in order to assist minorities and the impoverished.  This is another example of "two great nations separated by a single language".  Oscar Wilde originally said something similar in The Canterville Ghost.  

It entertains me to think that the Hyde Amendment is related to Robert Louis Stevenson's character Mr. Hyde who turned into a monster. This is a law that doesn't allow the U.S. federal government to fund anything involving abortion unless the abortion saves the life of the mother, or is the result of rape or incest.  I do find the practical results of the Hyde Amendment rather monstrous.  Non-consensual pregnancies aren't in the interest of mothers, children or families in general.

In the essay "Labor Crisis in the Clinics" two Planned Parenthood workers have a discussion with journalist Amy Littlefield.  I mention it in this review because I learned from this essay that some Planned Parenthood workers are unionized, and that the relationship of the union with those who run Planned Parenthood is very adversarial.  I will never think about Planned Parenthood the same way again.

One of the essayists in this anthology says she had been a supporter of abortion rights since she was ten years old. I hadn't even heard the word "abortion" at that age. I feel that there is a vast chasm that has opened up between the world of my childhood and the world that I live in now.  

I learned some things that I hadn't known, but more importantly this book caused me to think more about the topic of abortion than I had previously.  I'm glad I read this book.

                        

Phasers on Stun

I purchased Phasers on Stun  from an independent bookstore after having seen it in the bookstore's window.  I am a Star Trek fan, and I thought this book might contribute to my knowledge of recent Star Trek  developments.  This is my first July read.

Readers may wish to know that I reviewed  Beaming Up and Getting Off , the most recent version of Walter Koenig's memoir , here. Walter Koenig played Ensign Chekov on ST: TOS (The Original Series)

                                     

Author Ryan Britt is a journalist.  In this book, he deals with all the extant versions of Star Trek in depth.  If any version of Star Trek changed your world, you might find what Britt has to say about it significant. 

I was delighted to see Britt's comments about spoilers.  He says that there have been studies which prove that spoilers don't ruin anything.  He points out that spoilers are taken out of context.  So the experience of learning about a spoiler is very different from viewing it in the context of the entire work.  I have often experienced this.  I like spoilers.  They help me to decide whether I'd like a book, a TV show or a movie.  I never feel that the experience of reading or viewing the material in its entirety has been ruined by the spoiler.  In fact, if I thought the spoiler was rather wonderful, I anticipate it and it increases my enjoyment of  the complete work.

 At times, I found Britt very patronizing .  He calls Star Trek "kitsch" and "goofy".  I resented his attitude.  He seemed to be completely unaware that he was offending fans.  Fans aren't just people who watch a series.  They love it, they identify with it and it becomes a significant part of their lives.  I imagine that Britt immersed himself in Star Trek for the purpose of writing the book, but he probably couldn't imagine the mindset of a Star Trek fan.  So it doesn't occur to him that he's alienating a good proportion of his readers with his patronizing comments.  He probably thinks that people who read his book secretly share his opinion of Star Trek.  I hate to break it to him, but no they don't if they are genuinely fans of the Star Trek universe.  There was a time in my life when Star Trek: TOS felt extremely meaningful to me.  It doesn't feel the same way to me now, but I don't disown those feelings.  TOS is a part of me.

 I was shocked to learn from Britt that TPTB (The Powers That Be-- in this case it means the show runners) consulted with a man who fraudulently claimed to be an American Indian to determine if Chakotay on Voyager was authentic.   The man who called himself  Jamake Highwater was actually Jack Marks, and he had no Native American ancestry.   If I were going to use someone as an expert in a certain area, I would vet them first. 

Britt thinks that the ratio of those who have seen the Star Trek movie, First Contact, compared to those who have seen the ST:TOS episode Metamorphosis must be a thousand to one.  Well,  I'm one in a thousand then.  I thought "Metamorphosis" was a beautiful and moving episode, and I absolutely despised  the portrayal of Zephrem Cochrane in First Contact.  Ugh!  It would be hard for me to find a worse translation of a character, who had been portrayed earlier, into film.

Toward the end of this book, there is a reference to fans wearing buttons saying "I like REAL Star Trek, forget that bald guy."  My equivalent button would be "I like REAL Star Trek, forget the White guys."  You see, in my favorite Star Trek a Black man is in command, Avery Brooks. 

I loved Deep Space Nine from the very first episode.  I thought the characters were awesome particularly Dax who is a Trill.  Trills are ancient beings whose personalities are inserted into different individuals over time. Jadzia Dax is a young woman and was the most recent Dax.  We see earlier hosts for the Dax symbiont in flashbacks.  I find this very fascinating.

It was enjoyable to re-live the earlier Star Treks that I've seen through Phasers on Stun and to learn about the newer series that I haven't seen. I'm considering viewing Discovery and Strange New Worlds.  There's just so much for me to catch up on in digital format.