I always love it when I think half an idea, then I come across somebody whose has the same idea, but has done a far better job than I thinking it. A couple of ideas that I have recently used in this blog fall into this category.
The idea of “empiricism” is discussed in detail in the book Joyful Militancy by Montgomery and Bergman. And the concept behind my newfound allergies falls nicely into Julia Serano’s concept of “holistic theory of gender” from her book Excluded.
I wrote those posts and sent them to Megan to be posted on my blog, then I got a couple books from a pen pal who would prefer to remain nameless (Thank You Bunches none the less!). In reading these books I kinda wished that I had them before I had written the posts, would have made my writing so much better.
Suffice to say, I highly recommend these books and will, most likely, be using them for citation in the future.
Excluded is a series of accounts and critiques of queer and feminist spaces and theory as delivered by a whip-smart and self described “bisexual femme-tomboy transsexual woman.”
Joyful Militancy is a 313-page exploration of what it means to stand for what one believes in (militancy) while increasing the agency of oneself and those one is surrounded by (joy). All while not engaging in rigid radicalism, that is having one’s beliefs and actions influenced by the patriarchal toxicity of “empire.”
In keeping with everything I ever really needed to know I learned in kindergarten, both these authors get a gold star sticker and first pick of toys from the toy chest at recess.
Amber Fayefox Kim 