Book Review: No Study Without Struggle

Editor's Note: This book review was originally published in Manhattan Book Review

Dr. Leigh Patel

Dr. Leigh Patel researches student-led activist movements that have emerged from college campuses, contending that the fervor for social change starts with the grounding and understanding of history and the promise of decolonization and liberation. In No Study Without Struggle, Patel shares her findings about social movements spanning generations, from the Combahee River Collective to Black Lives Matter. To create equitable systems in higher education, activist students and faculty are not only confronting the system of racist power but also settler colonialism. Patel argues that persistent systemic inequities stem from the complex interplay among the seizure of land, erasure of indigeneity, and theft of labor.

I have spent a considerable part of my adult life studying and working in colleges and universities, and this book held my interest. Dr. Patel is an astute scholar and educator committed to truth-telling in order to affect change. Education is not the great equalizer, she proclaims, boldly calling out the commodification of higher education to serve “racial capitalism.” In No Study Without Struggle, she challenges faculty and administrators to critically examine the workings of their institutions, from student admissions to tenure-granting processes. Through the lens of a diversity practitioner, Patel’s observations about unequal power relations inherent in diversity and inclusion functions are spot on.

While it is written from an academic insider’s point of view, the lessons in this book are accessible to anyone with an interest in untangling higher education from the interminable legacy of settler colonialism.

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Medicine Wheel for the Planet

Jennifer Grenz, PhD Working toward ecological healing requires awareness of how Indigenous ancestral knowledge and living ways can complement Western scientific approaches to environmental restoration and protection practices. Dr. Jennifer Grenz (Nlaxa’pamux mixed ancestry) worked for more than two decades as a field researcher and practitioner for environmental nonprofit organizations, where she worked with different levels of government, including First Nations in Canada. "Medicine Wheel for the Planet" compiles Grenz’s most potent realizations about the lack of forward movement in addressing an impending ecological catastrophe. A warming climate impacts not only human lives but also the natural balance that relies on reciprocal relationships rooted in deep connections to the land. She uses the metaphor of the four directions of the Indigenous “medicine wheel” to invite openness to Indigenous teachings, letting go of colonial narratives, merging lessons f...

Memento - Embracing the Darkness

Dennis "Dizzy" Doan Stories about overcoming and persevering through family dysfunction, poverty, and mental health challenges offer hope and the promise of better days. Dennis “Dizzy” Doan’s memoir Memento: Embracing the Darkness is one such story, with the added complexity of being raised in an immigrant Vietnamese family. Doan’s parents dealt with the mental and emotional aftermath of war, which forcibly uprooted them from their homeland. In the United States, they struggled to create a safe and stable life for their two sons. Doan shares his journey of finding himself, his craft, and eventually a successful tattoo business in Southern California despite personal strife and run-ins with the law. Doan is best known for developing the aesthetic language to combat anti-Asian hate that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. His art series titled “Model Minority” went viral, sparking conversation about Asian American identities and harmful stereotypes. In Memento, Doan showcase...

Enlighten Me

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Los Angeles Book Review . Author Minh Lê Standing up for oneself seems like doing the right thing. Binh did just that in the face of a racist school bully who was poking fun at his Asian heritage. But physically assaulting another student goes against school policy, and it was Binh who got in trouble. Binh shares a silent retreat with his family and younger siblings. Along with other children, he learns about stories from the previous lives of the Buddha. The stories are interesting, but for Binh, it is difficult to sit still and clear his mind when he misses his Gameboy. While he struggles with silence, he learns important lessons about friendship, community, and being present. In the graphic novel "Enlighten Me," award-winning author Minh Lê and bestselling illustrator Chan Chau tell the story of a boy who gains a better understanding of himself as he works on quieting the mind and reflecting on dharma. Lê and Ch...

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