Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist
by Sunil Yapa
2016, Lee Boudreaux Books
The Idea
The interwoven narratives of key players whose lives were thrust together by the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protests are an exercise in empathy.
Recommended For
Neoliberals and grassroots civic activists alike (as well as anyone in between) who seek to understand their supposed opposition.
Pros
The visceral prose thrills whilst simultaneously challenges our own preconceived notions and biases towards others.
Cons
The abundance of near-poetic metaphors could be a deterrent to some readers.
My Take
Napa’s provocative writing pushed me again and again to consider the Other within themes of economic injustice, environmental prejudice, criminal justice, and racial inequality. Inevitably, I tried to locate myself and that identification reinforces the ability to understand other people and their ideas.
Fun Fact
Academics familiar with Marxist and Foucaldian theories will take particular interest in this nuanced contemporary application.
Have you read this book? How did affect your views, both personal and political?