At the Dark End of the Street by Danielle L. McGuire

I honestly had a hard time staying focused while reading At the Dark End of the Street. I'm not used to reading nonfiction books and really do better with ones that stick to a single narrative thread rather than one with several, as this is. In addition, the popping out from the narrative being told to round out the historical setting and tell other, smaller narratives was distracting to me. That's all structure-related and doesn't actually reflect badly on the subject matter, which I actually believe is extremely important. At the Dark End of the Street highlights a part of history that is largely swept over for most Americans. I know The Civil Rights Movement was barely covered in any of my High School History classes. We learned the names of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. and I'd heard of Malcolm X, but that was pretty much it. Also the time span over which The Civil Rights Movement actually happened is glossed over, so I think this is really the first time I really internalized just how long this shit took and is, in a lot of ways, still taking. At the Dark End of the Street really highlighted all that for me, so I truly thank Ms. McGuire for that.

I found a lot of the content both shocking and unsurprising at the same time. We see a lot of the same shit repeating itself in 2026, just with a different set of non-White people, and hell, with the same set in some cases. Definitely highlighted here was the police brutality that went on. The police have been on power-trips for a long, long time and it's gross. They also seem to be getting away with a lot of the same sort of crimes, too. Definitely not a good look.

I wrote in my notes about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how it was brushed over in my schooling. I definitely heard about it, but didn't actually learn about it before now. I read about this stuff as an adult and am repeatedly reminded how schooling in the US is just so, so inadequate. We focus on the Revolutionary heroes and maybe a bit more on World War II (thought clearly not enough with the way this country is going at the moment). But the more recent history? Not a damn word.

It is absolutely hilarious (in a very not hilarious way) how White Supremacist men are all fear-monger-y about Black men going after White women and yet have no problem kidnapping and raping Black women. Seriously, wtf, you POS. The cognitive dissonance is astounding.

Somehow surprised and yet not, given how states were about abortion laws before Roe v. Wade was overturned, to learn states also passed laws to nullify Brown v. Board of Education. All of this stuff just makes me shake my head in “wtf are we doing?” and “don’t we have better things to be legislating about?” Ugh.

I’m sorry… “interracial incubi”? And “Armageddon [was] just around the corner.” Because… wtf. I know this shit was deadly serious in the moment, but the lengths White Supremacists went to in their own heads and in real life in order to degrade and stop Black people from voting or from interracial marriage is a fucking joke. So very unserious. And yes, I know the lens I’m looking at it through is as a 30-something white woman in 2026, where some of this shit is still rearing or re-rearing its ugly head… still. So. Fucking. Stupid. Racism is very fucking stupid. The obsession with sex by all of these "morally upstanding" people is also very fucking stupid.

So yeah... I really do appreciate At the Dark End of the Street for teaching me more about a part of history the US just wants to sweep under the rug. I sincerely hope that more people pick up this book and take the messaging to heart. We need to do better and keep moving forward... all I've got is platitudes at this point. Well, that and Listen to Women damnit.

Quotes that Stuck Out

My commentary in blue 

"For surely those who perpetuate these ugly prejudices here are seeking to destroy our democratic form of government just as surely as the Axis forces." - Courier reader 

"This of course will be very bad for the war effort," he argued, "for it is senseless to fight fascism abroad is fascisitc influences are to be protected here at home." - Charles S. Seely 

"Blacks in Montgomery knew better. The city's police force had a reputation for physical and sexual violence. Police brutality plagues the black community." - Narration

     Like I've said, not a great look, historically, for police forces, even if this is specifically referencing Montgomery, Alabama. - Me

 

"Whether that had been a white girl involved or a colored girl, a jury is very reluctant to pass a death sentence or life imprisonment for that charge upon a man" - Mayes McGehee

     I think it's gross how White Men have been getting away with lesser sentences for rape since, ya know, forever. Pisses me off, quite frankly. - Me

"there is no human being on the face of the earth" who had the right to violate or abuse another person, "no matter who you are or where you think you come from or whatever possession or control you have," - Jerry Paul 

 

In Other News

Well, now that I've finished with the heavy subject matter we can move on to a little levity. I finished my Impmon Project over on OviPets. Based on the Digimon of the same name. Tattoos on the face and stomach were done by me in GIMP. Impmon took me approximately 11 months to complete.

African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke by Thomas Lockley

I spent a good portion of my teen years really, really obsessed with Japan and Japanese culture. I'm still at least somewhat interested so when my roommate/bestie/ex-girlfriend let me go through a bunch of ARCs she had, this was among the ones I was most interested to read. African Samurai had really scratched my Japan itch. I had never heard of Yasuke, but it was fun to learn about him.

African Samurai tells Yasuke's story both without fictionalizing a lot or relying on quotes from historical documents. It's not a particularly dry text, but there were certain parts I though dragged... mainly explaining Valignano and the ending with all the speculation. That said, I didn't have any trouble getting through African Samurai. I didn't find myself particularly bored at any point and, surprisingly to me at least, didn't really skim much until the end.

I did have a slight nit-pick from early on in the story. The Europeans not bathing thing. Really, really wish this wasn't even mentioned. Like, why? Pretty sure it's supposed to convey how "weird" Japanese customs are to the Portuguese, but I just roll my eyes every time this comes up. Sure, Europeans might not have bathed every day, but they bathed and I doubt it would have been that weird to have been expected to for special occasions. Just... why we gotta keep perpetuating this myth?

There's also discussion surrounding global slavery here. Unavoidable, I think, especially given Yasuke's more-than-probable backstory. It wasn't the most enjoyable bit to read, but I believe it is definitely necessary to address and keep addressing. Slavery was, and in some places still is, a thing that we as humans have done to each other and we need to remember that, even if it's uncomfortable.

We also need to remember that views on sexuality aren't as homogeneous and hetero as certain people would like us to believe. The warrior class' homosexual practices are addressed here as well. The fact that it wasn't just a Japanese thing is also mentioned. Good. Remind people that this is also a part of our history.

Yasuke himself doesn't exactly get much characterization, which makes sense, as his actual mention in historical documents is sparse. That's largely why this review doesn't focus on him, so much. To be fair, the book doesn't exactly focus on him either, though it doesn't not focus on him, if that makes sense. There's just a lot about what Valignano and Nobunaga are doing and the sociopolitical stuff around them. Yasuke doesn't actually do much. Not a bad thing, exactly, but yeah. It's a thing.

I would definitely recommend African Samurai to anyone who's interested in Japan, specifically in the historical context. A+ in that regard.

The Empress and Wings of Fury

The Empress by Laura Martinez-Belli

A Very Short, Spoiler Free Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: March 24, 2022

Pretty good, but overall depressing. I found the jumping around the timeline to be confusing, if I’m honest. I think the overall story might have been served better by a more linear telling. I did learn a few things in the process of reading and digesting this book, so that was nice. It continues to amaze me how much history is just skipped over in history classes.

 

Wings of Fury by Emily R. King

A Very Short, Spoiler Free Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: February 6, 2002

I’ve been a fan of retellings and reworking of myths and legends for a very long time. That said, I was not a fan of this. The main character annoyed me and I did not like the twist at the end that seemed to largely be there for the “yay girl power” moment.

Actually, as I’m thinking about it, there are several moments in this book that just didn’t feel earned and seemed to come out of nowhere. Especially the ending. The way things just kind of fell into place with little to no explanation or build up bothers the heck out of me.