OKAY I finally had enough coffee (24 hours later) to think about the first 200 or so pages of A Book of American Martyrs. I will endeavour to NOT spoil, but you read on at your own peril… 1/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM @AbortionBooks_
What strikes me most so far is the way in which a book, centred around abortion, has almost solely cis male centred narratives. At first, I understood – the book has us follow Luther, sure 2/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
We see Luther’s world as he controls it, as he both navigates exerting his power over others and being controlled by a manipulative anti-abortion system (whose spokesperson is, unsurprisingly, male) 3/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
The book (I think problematically, more on that another time) delves into Luther’s adolescence, troubling me with a sexuality that partially connects sexual violence as a "natural" [bio-essential] part of cis male puberty. Hmmmmm…4/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
Yet even as we move to a non-male character, and a set of non-cis male voices (some children of Gus), we see that Gus, never present, still defines almost every action, every narrative, each choice that the rest of our characters make…5/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
We are constantly reminded that in reproductive healthcare, cis men continue to define and shape pathways narratives and storylines thru the hegemony of hetero-patriarchy. Gus is, indeed, our abortion advocate in political spheres 6/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
Thinking of my own research fields, which assume cis men have no interest in reproduction, the book reminds us that where power dominates reproductive lives, cis men are ever present, taking (in/directly; pro/anti) space and control 7/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
The Q I'm moving forward with: does this powerful indictment of cis male domination in abortion health maintain the critical centrality of abortion-care seekers [even if the latter exist beyond the confines of these character narratives]? 8/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
And what does it mean, if anything, if a work of fiction does or doesn't do this?
Must. Read. More. 9/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
Must. Read. More. 9/9 #abortionblookclubABoAM
I now realise this very much DOES contain spoilers 📢📢SPOILER ALERT 📢📢
