Genre: Nonfiction, essays
Format: paperback
Rating: 3/5
A Scotland native, Clare Hunter explores the use of textiles throughout the world (though emphasizing Europe and parts of SE Asia, mostly in WWII) from the medieval period up through present day. From the Bayeux tapestry to embroidered pieces depicting Asian POW camps, she looks at how humans have used fabric, sewing, and embroidery to create community, send political messages, and heal mental and emotional wounds throughout history.
Each chapter is an essay on a different related subject, which makes this a hard book to describe and rate. I think the most interesting portions were when she discussed Asian textiles, as that was the subject I knew the least about. I learned some things, I related to a lot. But unless you (like me) are deeply interested in textiles or social history, you probably won’t find this terribly interesting. I definitely feel it was worth a read, but not sure if it will stay on my shelf long enough for a second read. I did ear mark a few subject I want to research further, however, and in that sense it was very useful as a reference.