Book Review/Heather Seggel

Pleasure Principles

Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good (AK Press) is an anthology of sorts, an Afro-futurist manifesto that’s expansive and inclusive, published by a small Anarchist press. It is also, as I write this, on the New York Times Bestseller list. I can’t overstate the amount of joy these intersecting data points cause me to feel.

Author adrienne maree brown describes the book as “written and gathered,” as it includes her own essays as well as interviews with burlesque performers, sex workers, and Beyoncé fans, and essays by Audre Lorde and Joan Morgan that are foundational texts when it comes to pleasure activism. There are “Hot and Heavy Homework” assignments at the end of chapters, framed in dotted lines so they look like coupons, encouraging readers to engage with their pleasure centers; this might mean processing trauma, finding boundaries and pushing them or enjoying their edges, or simply thinking consciously about what might feel good and learning how to ask for it responsibly.

Sex is not the only pleasure explored here; brown writes about her use of weed and ecstasy and the joy and relaxation they’ve provided, and about taking time off from them to work with more clarity. She talks to folks working in Harm Reduction and how their guiding philosophy of treating drug users as whole people worthy of unconditional love and support marks a huge change from the usual rejection and stigmatization they face. She also calls out the influx of Silicon Valley “tech bro” money into the cannabis business as legalization approaches; drug arrests still disproportionately affect people of color, while white users, growers, and dealers can somehow fly beneath the radar in plain sight.

If the connection between getting high and getting it on and “politics” is confusing, read the book; brown builds an artful case that makes clear sense by the end. “What we need right now is a radical, global love that grows from deep within us to encompass all life. No big deal,” she writes. Essentially, running from crisis to crisis (as many of us have been for two-plus years now) and putting out fires doesn’t allow us time to dream, or even breathe. Getting centered, whether that means connecting your naked body to the earth beneath you or learning to pole dance as a way to build strength and confidence, is a present-time activity that points toward a more enjoyable future. A more just future. A future worth working toward.

There is art to look at and there are poems to read, and some discussions of delicious food as well. Some interview subjects derive most of their pleasure from gardening, and we surely need more hands loving the earth. (I’ve been strafed with Roundup twice in the past week by folks unwilling to bend over and simply pull a few weeds.) The conclusion has resources for you if you’re curious about practicing meditation or other modalities discussed here, such as somatics. Should you encounter a new word or acronym, fear not: Footnotes act as a glossary, and offer thorough explanations of terms like BIPOC, trans, cis, and others.

Many of brown’s essays were originally blog posts for Bitch Media; they build her theory and are then buttressed by the more mixed-media pieces here. In many ways, Pleasure Activism reads like the best sort of ‘zine: It has something of substance to say, and uses a patchwork approach to get that message across. A reader who is less interested in the sex or drugs will find a lot here that is never labeled “self care” but amounts to developing a base of centered power from which it’s possible to effect change in society without constantly draining your own batteries. And this shouldn’t matter, but come on: It’s a New York Times Bestseller. People are listening.

If you’re feeling the adrenal fatigue common to survivors of the Trump years, read this book. If you think Black activism is dry and humorless, read this book. If you want a better future but can’t articulate what that looks like, start with your own pleasure. Uncomfortable with that idea? You know what’s coming: Read this book. Pleasure Activism is the antidote to our worst ideas about progress. It’s a hell of a lot of fun to read, and a real manual for change.

Heather Seggel is a writer living in Northern California. Email heatherlseggel@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, May 15, 2019

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