Feral City by Jeremiah Moss

ISBN: 978-0-393-86847-0

These words are necessary. I’ve wanted to be hyper-normal for as long as I can remember, but I’m not. Recently, I’ve embraced my Other, and Moss affirms that choice.

With that said: this book was hard to read. Not difficult, but tough—I was here for the pandemic, but I was too scared of getting sick to support the revolution, to be a body marching. My experience was not one of police brutality but of eerie calm. I knew that evil ran rampant, but I didn’t realize how bad it really got, and now knowing that happened less than 10 miles from home—Feral City took a long time to read. If I read it in one sitting, it would have broken me.

As a bonus, Moss’ sensitivity in the endnotes is overwhelmingly refreshing. Conscious of his privilege, he reflects on his language choices used throughout the book and notes that consent was provided for his retellings of works spoken and actions taken by vulnerable individuals. This is the gold standard.