Orientalism

This feels like a textbook so I find it hard to rate and review. overall, I can see why this book was and still is very important and I kinda wish someone would condense the messages in here to make it more accessible to others who aren't in academia because the messages in this one really should be read by everyone. it's almost disheartening how relevant and relatable Said's critique of global power structures still is even today, almost half a century after this book was published... I have to admit that I didn't quite understand or I wasn't in the headspace to dissect, especially in the latter half of the book, but overall it was still an impactful read, I feel like I look at society and pop culture, and all these daily things that we take for granted a bit differently now and see how Orientalism (though it is an outdated term and stems from antiquity) informs so much of our daily lives, even modern-day conflicts from WW2 to the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and most recently the conflicts in Syria and the tension between China and many other countries. This was just so eye-opening. 4/5.