Too abstract for me to enjoy.
Feature image credit: Pantera Press
Writer and philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” There is no better way to build a connected, harmonious, and inclusive future than to reflect upon everyone’s histories and forge a new path forward.
In Against Disappearance, Leah Jing McIntosh and Adolfo Aranjuez challenge the singular and popular narratives of history by providing us with a collection of essays from the Liminal & Pantera Press Nonfiction Prize longlist (2021).
The introduction piece is critical for the unpacking of the content of this book and explaining the concepts explored in the essays. As editor McIntosh notes, the book is split into three parts, with each part’s collections representative of similar images or feelings. Therefore, although the authors represent many pockets of society in multiple facets of life, the experiences of each contributor in each part are connected.
With this in mind, there was a significant amount of leeway given to the writers, which gives the book much credibility. McIntosh and Aranjuez not only compiled the unsaid or unseen histories that are missing from the mainstream narrative; they also allowed the authors expressing their histories to choose the format of their narrative (which is not necessarily mainstream).
Some formats used by the contributing authors include poetry, stories or prose, rampant thoughts, yearly memories, diaries, pivotal moments, and interpretations of family. Of particular note in this compilation is the use of the arrangement of text. Like you would find in a history textbook (but not?), some of the creative authors also expressed their history by using texts in various places or included the use of white space or patterns in their prose.
This mix of art and history made the book feel genuine, however it may not suit the everyday person who prefers a book that is more mainstream. The book covers many themes and allows the reader to peer into the lives that may be unseen or unknown to them. Like any story, there will be characters (contributors) that you do and don’t like.
The essays in this book are written by André Dao, Barry Corr, Brandon K. Liew, Elizabeth Flux, Frankey Chung-Kok-Lun, Grace Ugamay Dulawan, Hannah Wu, Hasib Hourani, Hassan Abul, Jon Tjhia, Kasumi Bocrzyk, Lucia Tường Vy Nguyễn, Lou Garcia-Dolnik, Lur Alghurabi, Mykaela Saunders, Ouyang Yu, Ruby-Rose Pivet-Marsh, Ryan Gustafsson, Suneeta Peres da Costa, and Veronica Gorrie.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Pantera Press
Released: August 2022
RRP: $32.99
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