Reading Update
Nov. 12th, 2021 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaggedwolfI’ve gotten my commute-time reading back :D
From Disgust to Humanity: Sexual Orientation and Constitution Law by Martha C. Nussbaum
A deftly written examination of the role constitutional law plays in laws surrounding sexual orientation. The first two chapters contrast a politics of disgust, where widespread disgust at an act or thing is a sufficient grounds to make it illegal, with a politics of humanity, where the notion of equal respect is fundamental to the constitution, even if in ways not intended by those who wrote it.
The following chapters examine various categories of cases, covering sodomy laws, anti-discrimination statues, marriage rights, etc. It was straightforward to follow, though one chapter did get into the weeds about suspect classification. A recurring point was made about how many positive legal judgements use the language of “in one’s own home” and how ill-defined a definition of privacy that is. Is a hotel room private? A sex club?
I liked all of the book, but for me the most compelling section was that chapter on the politics of humanity, and the interrogation of the boundaries of collectivism vs individual liberty. That as long as people aren’t inflicting harm on others, the following quote holds true: “We may think other people wrong and sinful in matters of the deepest moral importance while yet agreeing that respect for them as equal citizens requires according them a broad sphere of liberty on both thought and conduct.”
(Of course there was the brief obligatory contrast of the US and much of Europe taking switching stances on religious tolerance vs sexual tolerance, heh)
Death Of A Perm Sec by Wong Souk Yee
This novel, set in ‘80s Singapore, kicks off with the death of Chow Sze Teck, permanent secretary of the housing ministry, while he’s being investigated for taking millions of dollars of bribes. I have to admit, I was far less captivated by the political intrigue than the messed up Chow kids coming back together in the wake of their dad’s death and taking new paths in their lives, complete with “oldest sister who’s getting a divorce visiting oldest brother who’s gotten fired and disbarred” scene. Could tell that ending was coming, even before I found out who the author was and that the very same thing had happened to her in the 80s.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
I adored this book. Arthur Less gets an invitation to his ex’s wedding, and decides the only dignity-preserving way he can avoid it is to accept all the other invitations one gets as a failed novelist, from teaching a course in Berlin to reviewing kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto.
The novel is funny and sweet in turns, with the occasional sideswipe into devastating, and the prose is effortlessly delightful. I was fond of Less from the start. It helps that the narration is so very aware of Less’s faults and strengths, comical or otherwise, all the while retaining plenty of affection for the man. The ending made me stupidly giddy.
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Date: 2021-11-17 05:22 am (UTC)