Fandom Acts of Kindness by Tanya Cook

Fandom Acts of Kindness Reviews

• 
  Sasha

  Listen I am one of those book people who cannot write in a book and y'all are asking me to do that! This book is an excellent introduction to getting involved in activism it walks you through all the steps (it even asks you to plan it out in the pages). Loved it and recommend it to anyone who is interested in doing some chaotic good.
• 
  Lara

  This book is an excellent guide for taking the multi-layered and sometimes overwhelming concept of activism and breaks it down with not only easy, but fun to do activities. It also gives side by side real life and in story examples of activism to show how wide ranging your actions to can really be.
• 
  Lori Holuta

  Fandom Acts of Kindness is a resource guide to fandom-based activism, backlit with bright optimism, warmed by acceptance, and chock-full of sage advice. It makes frequent use of characters we know and love as examples. You’ll be in good company on your journey, with characters from Lord of the Rings, the Marvel universe, The Incredibles, Harry Potter, Supernatural, and more.
  
  I can’t help sharing a bit of advice from my own first fandom: Northern Exposure. In the remote town of Cicely, Alaska, radio station KBHR’s Chris “In The Morning” Stevens earnestly and often flamboyantly tackled causes he believed in, often to the entire town’s consternation. But while I admired his passions, I identified more closely with the quiet, enigmatic Marilyn Whirlwind, a Tlingit of the Raven clan who also lived in Cicely. When Joel Fleischman, a New York doctor fulfilling a contractual obligation, arrived in Cicely and entered his ‘rustic’, run-down clinic, Marilyn was already there, sitting peacefully in the waiting room. When he learned why she was waiting for him, Joel firmly told her that there was no job for her. She ignored him and simply started doing the job she didn’t have. As time passed, her job status became a running joke. But, she still showed up early every morning, had the coffee ready when Joel arrived, and continued doing the work she’d been told wasn’t required. Over time, she became exactly who Joel needed to help him settle into his new life as a small-town Alaskan doctor. Marilyn saw a need, realized she had the skills to fulfill it, and had the patience to stay the course.
  
  We can’t all be Chris Stevens. But many of us can be Marilyn Whirlwind, and this book is mainly for us. It’s not a passive read, though. You’re going to be asked—often—to pause, think, and create your own customized lists dealing with all aspects of activism as you see them, and what you can do to help.
  
  The authors want you to write those lists in the book. There’s even blocks of straight lines printed on the pages. Now, I already love Tanya Cook and Kaela Joseph like family, but I’m going to take issue with those instructions. Civilized people don’t write in books… unless they’re J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst writing S, Ship of Theseus. (If you don’t get that reference, I highly recommend you put your entire life on hold for a week and read that book.)
  
  My advise: Keep a journal or notepad close at hand, or open your preferred digital writing program. Whenever you’re asked to make a list, write the topic in bold letters at the top of the page, and complete your list. Start a new page for each topic prompt. When you’ve completed the last list-making assignment, put all the pages into a folder or however you like to organize paperwork, or save your file somewhere you can easily locate it. As your personal journey progresses, you might find it helpful to take another run through the questions and see how your answers take form a second time around. And your book will remain scribble-free!
  
  Book hygiene nitpickiness aside, the beauty of the lists you’ve created is that they are uniquely yours. Through the guidance of experienced activists, you’ve created a practical plan that’s within your abilities, budget, and most importantly, your comfort zone. You can do it! Like Marilyn Whirlwind knew all along, there IS a job, and it’s yours to take.
  
  My thanks to authors Tanya Cook and Kaela Joseph, BenBella Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion. This review was originally published at SciFi Radio:
  https://scifi.radio/2023/01/18/fandom...
• 
  Dr. Bex

  *disclaimer* I received a free copy of this book as part of the good reads giveaway.
  
  I really enjoyed and appreciated the organization and interactive aspects of this book. By including activities, the authors are giving us as readers an opportunity to slow down and think through the ways in which we might use fandom and activism to best serve the world through our own strengths. The inclusion of so many different fandom examples was a great way to be inclusive to people from all fandom backgrounds. It was especially fun when I knew the examples they were mentioning (in particular Supernatural fandom, GISH, and Random Acts) because of my own involvement in those groups. I also thought it was very helpful that they addressed different perspectives (especially in Ch. 8 - The Dark Side of Fandom) while at the same time not excusing certain problematic behaviors. The chapters and their subsections make references easy to find and the inclusion of resources at the end was quite helpful.
• 
  HopeF

  A quick, fun read for those looking to get started in activism and/or volunteering.
• 
  Tikri /Letitia

  Are you a 'fan'?
  Read this hands on approach to activism which will both inform and challenge you.
• 
  Dani

  I'm amazed at the research that must've gone into this book for all the various fandoms discussed! It's a wonderful book if you have thoughts of becoming active in charities, activism for whatever causes are important to you. Lots of exercises to help you identify what's important to you and what parts you might want to play, leader, supporter, etc. Some incredible stories of what some fandoms have accomplished for communites in need, charities, etc. The author also does discuss the 'dark side of fandom'. If this sort of thing interests you I can't recommend this book any higher!