Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good (Emergent Strategy Series)
Product ID: 85454795
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How do we make social justice the most pleasurable human experience? How can we awaken within ourselves desires that make it impossible to settle for anything less than a fulfilling life? Author and editor adrienne maree brown finds the answer in something she calls “pleasure activism,” a politics of healing and happiness that explodes the dour myth that changing the world is just another form of work. Drawing on the black feminist tradition, she challenges us to rethink the ground rules of activism. Her mindset-altering essays are interwoven with conversations and insights from other feminist thinkers, including Audre Lorde, Joan Morgan, Cara Page, Sonya Renee Taylor, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Together they cover a wide array of subjects—from sex work to climate change, from race and gender to sex and drugs—building new narratives about how politics can feel good and how what feels good always has a complex politics of its own. Building on the success of her popular Emergent Strategy , brown launches a new series of the same name with this volume, bringing readers books that explore experimental, expansive, and innovative ways to meet the challenges that face our world today. Books that find the opportunity in every crisis! adrienne maree brown , author of Emergent Strategy and co-editor of Octavia’s Brood , is a social justice facilitator focused on black liberation, a doula/healer, and a pleasure activist. She lives in Detroit. PRAISE for Pleasure Activism: "This is no self-help manual—it's a weighty text that discusses everything from enthusiastic consent to U.S. drug policy—but it's a genuine, well, pleasure to read as well. The book's open, identity-affirming view of sex is wildly empowering, particularly for young people who might not have had the idea ingrained in them that intimate contact with another person should always be initiated out of a desire for pleasure." — Vogue “[brown] demonstrates how we can tap into our emotional and erotic desires to organize against oppression.” — Colorlines “adrienne maree brown...continues to stake her claim as one of our most critical thinkers and strategists by intentionally combining the power of story-telling with practical applications to help readers conjure their own definition of pleasure and how it is inextricably linked to every part of our existence.” — Monica Simpson, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective "adrienne marie brown is back, again dropping wisdom about alternative ways to live at this deeply fucked-up moment ... Let this book be the best Valentine’s Day gift you’ve ever given yourself." — Vice/Broadly “adrienne maree brown dives deep, head first, into a fast swirling pool of pleasure-related topics. She swims her way from one end of the pool to the other with some help from her body-wise, experienced, friends. This book is all at once so cool, and so hot, with a rainbow of glorious compleXXXities. Pleasure Activism is bound to make a huge splash!” — Annie Sprinkle, author of Explorer’s Guide to Planet Orgasm—For Every Body “Engaging with politics and social justice issues, whether it's climate change, race, or gender, can feel like work (and it is). Adrienne maree brown makes the case that you can feel good while doing so ... [Pleasure Activism] will challenge you to rethink your approach to changing the world.” — Mashable " Pleasure Activism is an invitation to know ourselves and be in conversation with the desire of our lustful imaginations... [I]t makes our personal liberation irresistible." — Jasmine Burnett, activist and anti-oppression consultant "adrienne maree brown elucidates a philosophy of Pleasure Activism to transform individuals and so the world. Her explicit instructions encourage orgasms of the body, mind and spirit. First, in support of our own authentic lives, then so that we can live in loving community with others. It’s like a wise and juicy black goddess reopened Eden and said, 'Okay, everybody, let’s try this again.'" — Veronica Vera, author & founder of Miss Vera’s Finishing School For Boys Who Want to Be Girls Review: I'm not Black but I'm queer and allied and this book is everything. - I really love adrienne maree brown's work - incredibly insightful and inspiring stuff that feeds my soul and educates. I might as well be highlighting this entire book (same happened with Emergent Strategy, lol). I admit I had a harder time trying to decipher Emergent Strategy when I first read it, but since then, I've followed adrienne maree brown around on the internet learning to grasp these concepts more deeply, and this book actually offers a LOT of clarity for the questions I had (I'll probably go back and read ES again once I'm done with this one). It's a hard book to read during quarantine time, living in a tiny rural town with a lover who lives four hours away, but it ain't the worst of peoples' problems right now. This approach really brings a perspective of joy and life that is so absolutely necessary on the daily. It's probably the best way so far that I've seen to counteract "the fatigue." Review: Great book - once you get past the first section. - It took me 8 hours to get through section 1 alone. Our book club was so confused about what this book was about and then BAM section 2 hit & we were rolling. Section 2 feels like where the book should have begun, of course, read Section 1 as the author intended, but just know you aren't alone when you feel like putting it down for a bit because you're confused as to where the book is going. I almost gave up on it but I am so glad I didn't. I am learning so many concepts I never knew or considered before. Finding so much more love and appreciation for myself, new language that helps me with gaining and giving consent etc. Really stunning read. The author seems like a total gem. 10/10 would recommend!
| Best Sellers Rank | #45,702 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #12 in Political Advocacy Books #45 in Feminist Theory (Books) #51 in Human Rights (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,268 Reviews |
D**I
I'm not Black but I'm queer and allied and this book is everything.
I really love adrienne maree brown's work - incredibly insightful and inspiring stuff that feeds my soul and educates. I might as well be highlighting this entire book (same happened with Emergent Strategy, lol). I admit I had a harder time trying to decipher Emergent Strategy when I first read it, but since then, I've followed adrienne maree brown around on the internet learning to grasp these concepts more deeply, and this book actually offers a LOT of clarity for the questions I had (I'll probably go back and read ES again once I'm done with this one). It's a hard book to read during quarantine time, living in a tiny rural town with a lover who lives four hours away, but it ain't the worst of peoples' problems right now. This approach really brings a perspective of joy and life that is so absolutely necessary on the daily. It's probably the best way so far that I've seen to counteract "the fatigue."
M**G
Great book - once you get past the first section.
It took me 8 hours to get through section 1 alone. Our book club was so confused about what this book was about and then BAM section 2 hit & we were rolling. Section 2 feels like where the book should have begun, of course, read Section 1 as the author intended, but just know you aren't alone when you feel like putting it down for a bit because you're confused as to where the book is going. I almost gave up on it but I am so glad I didn't. I am learning so many concepts I never knew or considered before. Finding so much more love and appreciation for myself, new language that helps me with gaining and giving consent etc. Really stunning read. The author seems like a total gem. 10/10 would recommend!
M**S
Lots of valuable essays
Approaching Pleasure Activism meant reaquainting myself with Audrey Lorde's The Uses of the Erotic, which felt in line with all the self-work I've been doing around desire and sex and creativity and pleasure. While some of the essays are pretty academic, I found something valuable in each one and the great thing about this collection is that you can skip whatever doesn't resonate. I particularly loved the essays around masturbation, sex work, casual dating, trans desire, and ecstasy (the drug.) I love the way AMB shares so much of her own process, which feels like a radical act in and of itself- she documents how she got towards the love and pleasure she has within herself, so that we might find a way too.
E**X
Food for Thought
I'm about 50 pages in to this nearly 500 page book. I'm not big on non-fiction or long books, but I've enjoyed following the author on social media so I wanted to support them through buying (and reading!) the book. There's tons of food for thought, so it's not a book you can breeze through. You need time to digest what you read. Or at least I do! Lots of great references to other readings that influenced both the author, and the other people discussed or interviewed in the book. I've enjoyed the perspectives and education so far, and look forward to what I'll learn in the coming pages! My main criticism is that reading the book is a similar experience to falling down a "research hole" on the internet. While everything connects along a common theme, the "gathered together", pastiche nature of the book takes away what I enjoy about reading a book as opposed to being on the internet, which is the opportunity to slow down and not jump from thing to thing. However, other readers might find that this style of book is a perfect way to break up 500 pages.
E**I
Women power and politics
Super interesting book, opened my mind and was able to view perspectives different. I love that it was all written by women, I love it, I started reading this because my friend and started a mini book club, and it was great talking about books and i felt it made us even stronger. Really happy with this book.
G**O
uno de mis libros favoritos de mis lecturas recientes de no ficción.
debería ser lectura obligatoria para todas las personas que trabajamos en el mundo del activismo y la acción colectiva. El libro reune una serie de escritos cortos (que muchas veces incluyen tareitas para quien lee), especialmente ensayos (propios y ajenos), entrevistas y hasta poemas, que hablan desde miles de diversas visiones sobre el placer. El placer en toda su diversidad y complejidad; el placer como fin último del activismo (las políticas y relaciones de poder que nos permiten sentirnos bien), y como guía básica de la acción colectiva (activismo dotado de experiencias placenteras). otado de experiencias placenteras). Es refrescante, en medio de tanta lucha desde el miedo, la seriedad, la angustia y la rabia, escuchar voces que nos llaman a construir movimientos desde el erotismo (el abrazo profundo a la vida y el reconocimiento del cuerpo), desde el amor radical, la amistad profunda, el gozo y la risa. Jamás había logrado entender de una forma tan clara a lo 'queer', al feminismo diverso. Super recomendado
A**S
A hug to the queer black/brown body.
I am only three chapters in and I’ve quoted this book to all of my friends and family. Brown offers the queer black/brown body a map back to itself. The compilation is guide to healing aiming to reconnect the body to itself—its pleasure and joy— and thus reconnecting us to pleasure and joy of the communities we inhabit and hope for. A must read.
N**A
Fantastic
Love this book. Deep insights, entertaining, it pulled me right in and I’m just a huge amb fan now.
L**A
Read this book!
This is an absolutely amazing book that I cannot recommend enough. Quick delivery and service too
A**E
feels good to have so much permission to experience sex and other pleasures from an ther woman
Reading this book made me feel free. It feels amazing to have this kind of permission (to spend your days naked, to write poetry, to listen to your desires) and I'm craving more of this kind of permissions. And also, there is a depth of knowledge, understanding and real clarity in the vision she is bringing. It's a book that is ahead of its time. I definitly didn't understand it all.
F**O
👌🏻
👌🏻
T**I
This is a must read
Please buy this book for everyone you know. It’s an amazing piece of non fiction. It uplifts the stories of those that often go untold and it create space for feeling good about keeping yourself in the activist game!
T**A
Wonderful!
I got into this book thinking it was something completely different, but the more I read it, the more I found it eye opening and revolutionary...for me at least. It made me see things a bit different and to strive and find this pleasure in all the things I am doing in my daily life. Don't want to give away any spoils, so I highly recommend it
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