Goodreads Doesn't Have It, Data Migration: Perfects Victims and the Politics of Appeal
TW: Rape
Original review: Absolute toxic joke. Saw all I need to see here. 2024 publication date. Get help.
Updated Review May 15, 2025: Definitely has toxic moments way more often than the average book. Perfect Victims was on purpose and they are saying how these victims allegedly plan and conspire for them to seem so well behaved before, during and after the crime to make it clear they did nothing to deserve this, nothing to bring it on, and are thus the clear and stark victim. However this is a well known phrase used by actual rapists trying to defend themselves when they lose control of their bodies and desperately claw at anything to victim blame, trying to convince themselves of such bizarre features like they mind read the victim and the victim in their mind wanted to be raped to rationalize their rape. It's ironic that the title itself is the tonal mistake itself that he knows exists and does the reputational damage he knows will be done. He is definitely mocking how people train to not make tonal mistakes preparing and adapting specifically for the legal theatre which is a fair mock aimed at corruption but when real rape, murder or otherwise victims are given legal advice by their lawyers to maximize their chances in court this is when this toxic rhetoric isn't OK anymore. I also liked the line where he said if you point to their God and see nothing animated and they defend it to the point of psychosis, it suddenly there in their reactive, prideful psychosis grows limbs. I also think it's funny that throwing Israelis into the sea is considered a genocidal statement when nothing about throwing them into the sea necessarily implies anything other than they have a nice swim. Why and how this phrase is genocidal I'll never understand.
This book's author meant the toxic matter the title suggested after further research, several passages on it back up he explicitly and deliberately meant this especially toxic phrase, and my original opinion and rating remains the same for doing that deliberately even where I am usually otherwise for more tasteful and thoughtful Palestinian literature happy to rate and valorize as an earned four and five stars. Not this one. At any point. Not OK.