Anna's Favorite Things 2024
All the media I loved most this year!
It’s that time of year where we all come out with Best Of lists! This year was big for me, having written some of my best work and received lots of recognition for my work braiding STEM with social justice. It’s an honor to hold a position as an educator and public intellectual and I’m insanely grateful to all of you, my readers, for keeping up with my work! By the way, I’m booking in-person gigs for 2025, so if you want me to come speak at your workplace or university, hit me up through my website!
With that said, here are some of the works that inspired my own, from books to music to video essays. Enjoy! <3
Some Books I Read This Year
Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture, Sherronda J. Brown
Easily my favorite book that I read this year. It does what all my favorite writing does, weaving together seemingly-disparate concepts and outlining the shape of oppression with laser precision. It has deeply inspired my work and I hope you give it a read!
Buy it here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710512/refusing-compulsory-sexuality-by-sherronda-j-brown/
Before We Were Trans, Kit Heyam
Partially the inspiration for my essay, “Gender Was Made For White People”, this book reframes trans history in a way that’s absolutely crucial for the current moment. We truly have always been here!
Buy it here: https://kitheyam.com/writing/#beforeweweretrans
It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, Zoe Thorogood
A graphic novel about the immobilizing force of depression. 5/5 would cry again.
Buy it here: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/its-lonely-at-the-centre-of-the-earth-tp
The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions, Larry Mitchell & Ned Asta
This 70s queer classic was full of much-needed wisdom. It takes the current oppressive power structures of patriarchy and transmits them into fantasy, complete with faeries and passages like:
The strong women told the faggots that there will be two important things to remember about the coming revolutions. The first is that we will get our asses kicked. The second is that we will win.
Stone Butch Blues, Leslie Feinberg
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I never read this until this year! I now understand the hype, although my recommendation comes with the reservation that it features heavy violence, especially sexual violence. It’s very “real”, with all the good and bad that comes with it.
Buy it at your local queer bookstore. Like Bookends!
Hijab Butch Blues, Lamya H
Not exactly a sequel to Feinberg’s classic, but following in the tradition of autobiographical storytelling nonetheless, this book follows a queer Muslim protagonist discovering her sexuality.
Buy it here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/695816/hijab-butch-blues-by-lamya-h/
On Strike Against God, Joanna Russ
Can you tell I’ve been patronizing my local lesbian bookstore? First published in 1980 and republished this year, this novel follows a lesbian navigating the highly misogynistic world of the 1970s, finding that neither her straight female friends nor her gay male friends understand her unique experience. It’s a cathartic read as we enter a new, deeply anti-feminist era ourselves.
Buy it here: https://www.bookendsinflorence.com/product/on-strike-against-god-by-joanna-russ/429?cs=true&cst=custom
The Gentrification of the Mind: Witness to a Lost Imagination, Sarah Schulman
I managed to see Schulman speak in-person at Bookends earlier this month and got myself a signed copy. Jealous? You should be!!
Miss Major Speaks, Toshio Meronek and Miss Major
It’s also cathartic to read the first-hand account of a trans woman who’s been through it all. Major unpacks the mythology of queer history, including the Stonewall Riots, and dives into the violence of the police, psych wards, the state, the Johns we interact with on a regular basis, and living in survival mode.
Buy it here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/2787-miss-major-speaks
Out Of Place, Edward Said
Said was the Palestinian-American who coined the term “orientalism”, the idea that the East is static, backwards, and savage, while the West was dynamic, progressive, and civilized. A bit of a slog as far as autobiographies go, but nonetheless meaningful to read about someone born in between two worlds. I found myself relating to him multiple times, including this passage about dissociation…
One of my recurrent fantasies, the subject of a school essay ever when I was twelve, was to be a book, whose fate I took to be happily free of unwelcome changes, distortions of its shape, criticism of its looks; print for me was made up of a rare combination of expression in its style and contents, absolute rigidity, and integrity in its looks. Passed from hand to hand, place to place, time to time, I could remain my own true self (as a book), despite being thrown out of a car and lost in a back drawer.
Buy it here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/159784/out-of-place-by-edward-w-said/
A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers
In a post-singularity future, long after all machines gained sentience and left humanity to live by themselves in the wilderness, a tea monk travels into the forest and makes the first human-robot contact in centuries. Hilarity ensues as both the robot and the monk overcome their own biases about each other, attempting to answer the question, “What do people need?”
Buy it here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250236210/apsalmforthewildbuilt/
The Revolution Will Be Fed, Corrie Locke-Hardy
It’s not exactly common to put cookbooks on lists like these, but this was is genuinely useful. Written by my friend Corrie of The Tiny Activist, who’s incredibly active in the Western Mass scene, this book is chock full of recipes meant to serve a crowd. It also features vignettes about the relationship between food and politics, which are always fascinating to uncover.
Buy it here: https://www.raspberrybowpress.com/therevolutionwillbewellfed
My Movie of the Year: “Wicked, Part 1”
A more active movie-goer would have more to say about the medium, and a smarter critic would have more to say about our culture of remakes and sequels. But dammit, this movie made me cry like a baby, which is more that I can say of this year’s other biggest blockbusters. Honorable mentions to “Problemista” and “Nosferatu”, which were fabulous as well!
I should really watch “I Saw The TV Glow”, shouldn’t I? 2024 isn’t over yet, which means There Is Still Time!
My Game of the Year: Animal Well
I actually do have something to say about this game. The myth of the “Solo Developer” auteur has permeated the gaming industry since the days of Braid, but nowadays “solo dev” usually means one person did the main programming and basic game design, while outsourcing other elements such as the music, in-game art, playtesting, and more. Not here: Animal Well is the singular vision of Billy Basso, who handmade the game engine from C++ and was self-admittedly “obsessive” over the game design, which definitely shows.
Simple descriptors like “Metroidvania” or “Puzzle platformer” don’t do the game justice. Not a large game by any means, but dense with challenges that are incredibly satisfying to figure out. The mysteries in the game run deep, including hidden collectibles and ARG challenges for those who want to go the extra mile. It also has stunning visuals that are even more astounding when you learn that the game only takes of 33 MB of space.
I strongly recommend giving it a try if you enjoy stunning retro visuals and having your mind blown. It’s available on every system now, so you have no excuse! Also, honorable mention to Pokémon TCG Pocket, the only game I have on my phone.
My Top Albums of the Year
As an avid music fan, I produce a Top Albums list every year, whether people ask for it or not. You can sample all of these albums on this Spotify playlist!
While BRAT became a cultural moment like no album has in recent memory, I cannot deny the sheer quality of Rapsody’s Please Don’t Cry. This album was a triumph of storytelling and a brilliant return for one of rap’s titans. Listen like your life depends on it!
Please Don’t Cry, Rapsody
BRAT, Charli XCX
Chromakopia, Tyler The Creator
3AM (LA LA LA), Confidence Man
Big Ideas, Remi Wolf
Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii
GNX, Kendrick Lamar
What A Devastating Turn of Events, Rachel Chinouriri
Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter
Imaginal Disk, Magdalena Bay
Charm, Clairo
For Your Consideration, Empress Of
Club Shy, Shygirl
Diva of the People, Gavin Turek
Bando Stone and The New World, Childish Gambino
Dark Times, Vince Staples
No Name, Jack White
Love Heart Cheat Code, Hiatus Kaiyote
Verbathim, Nemahsis
What Happened To The Heart?, AURORA
Pulsar, L’Impératrice
Blue Lips, ScHoolboyQ
MEGAN, Megan Thee Stallion
ORQUÍDEAS, Kali Uchis
Tiger’s Blood, Waxahatchee
My Favorite Videos of 2024
All of these videos can be viewed in this playlist on my new YouTube page!
How I Solved Pokémon's Biggest Mystery, BlueBoyPhin
I’ve always been drawn to media that elevates the medium it takes place in. BlueBoyPhin is a YouTuber known for videos in the vein of “10 Obscure Pokémon Facts That Will Blow Your Mind!”, the kind of video that you would may have on in the background if you need content to fill the void. (Admittedly, I do this a lot.) This video is special, though: the channel’s creator, Wyatt Slaughter, goes beyond the fun fact format and does some original research. He and his friends travel to Asuka, a small town in Japan that inspired much of the lore of the 1999 games, Pokémon Gold & Silver, specifically the Ruins of Alph. Slaughter rises above his station and becomes a true documentarian for what is supposedly the first video in a series titled “POKEMON IS REAL”. I’m excited to see what this team does next!
You’ll Never Be Ready, Nathan Zed
In the same vein as the last example, Zed is a voice in the YouTube commentary community who puts together a stunning piece of creative writing on anxiety, feeling stuck in life, and taking risks. The soundtrack is killer, too.
The Internet Was Stolen From Us, Jessie Gender
As a writer who’s chiefly concerned with the relationship between the Internet and politics, this is the best primer I’ve seen on how the original vision for the web as a liberating space has been killed by capitalism.
Art Won’t Save Us from Capitalism, Lily Alexandre
Relatedly, my favorite video essayist outlines the benefits and limitations of how art can shape culture.
We Need to Talk About Freedom - Abolition Democracy, M* Birkholz
A manifesto on freedom: sexual, political, carceral, and everything in between.
The Really Dark Truth About Bots, Benn Jordan
A deep dive that shows just how much of the Internet is made of bots, and what that means for how we communicate.
how does an indie game get made?, Noodle
An intensely personal story that shows the gritty reality of game development.
How Conservatives Invented Gender Ideology, Alexander Avila
A deep dive on the origins of our modern trans panic.
The Endings Machine: Technology & Teleology, Sophie From Mars
An essay on why technological development is not inevitable (and also the end of the world).
The Narcissist Scare, Sarah Z
As a known true crime hater, this was cathartic.
How Jordan Peterson's Suits Taught Me Fashion, CJ the X
On the relationship between fashion and culture (and also how the Internet is corroding our sense of place in reality).
Tribalism - The Myth of Other, philosofree
An anti-colonial primer on the idea that we are all one, so we should act like it!
Are We Dating The Same Guy? | Digital Whisper Networks in the #MeToo Era, hoots
A great unpacking of whether technology is ultimately helping women navigate dating.
TRANS PERSON INFILTRATES CPAC (Parts 1 & 2), Dead Domain
A first-hand account by a leftist trans person as to what conservative culture is really like. Spoiler alert: it’s terrifying. (Watch Part 2 here.)
Human Nature, Hope & Ice Cream, Pop Culture Detective
If all of those videos have you down, this last one is a reminder about the reality of human nature.
And now, The Best Kitty of 2024.
…That’s all for this year! See you in 2025 for more weekly writings on gender, technology, and culture.
In community,
-Anna
Thank you. I really appreciated a few of the videos since I am not a youtuber and would never have gotten to them. Thank you for your work/research.