Let's Set The World On Fire
This was a fund week and by fun I mean crazy stressful. My cat, Cumulus, went into renal failure over the weekend, so there was a lot of running around trying to get him treatment. He's on the mend, thank goodness, but it hasn't been fun for either of us. I should be able to take him home tomorrow.
On to Wednesday reading stuff.
What I just finished
The Power by Naomi Alderman. My co-worker gave me this book after reading it herself and instructed me to pass it on. I'm tentatively planning on giving it to my mom over Thanksgiving. Apparently Barack Obama was a big fan, and it's not hard to see why. The basic premise is that an old chemical agent has given women and girls electrical powers and the world goes somewhat crazy as a result. Angry, women, sick of being under men's boots for so long, push back in a big way. Angry, frightened men react with violence disturbingly similar to real-life white supremacists fearing their inevitable loss of privilege and power. Plus, there's new lady cults, meme culture, unscrupulous politicians, and a clock ticking down to Cataclysm.
In many ways, this is an uncomfortable book. Part of it is the sobering mirror to look into aspect. The novel's framing device is a series of letters between the fictional author, Neil, and his editor, Naomi. It's clear that their world is basically a gender flipped version of our own, but it's explicitly portrayed as a dystopia. Our world is a dystopia, but it's one we're accustomed to and thus are less horrified by. At the same time, the entire plot of the story is basically the worst nightmare of anyone who screamed feminazi. Is this how women would react if we had power? Is this how I would react? Can we get away from basing our society on the threat of violence?
What I'm reading now
Terrier by Tamora Pierce. I've loved Tamora Pierce since Alanna: The First Adventure, but it took me forever to get around to this. It's less an adventure story and more a murder mystery, but I'm enjoying it so far. I was struck by how casually corrupt all the police are. They collect protection money, or Happy Bags, as explicit policy, everyone takes bribes (including our Hero and her training officers), and no one wants to investigate the murder of a child because everyone hate's his great-grandpa. I would love a crossover where Sam Vimes sets them straight.
On to Wednesday reading stuff.
What I just finished
The Power by Naomi Alderman. My co-worker gave me this book after reading it herself and instructed me to pass it on. I'm tentatively planning on giving it to my mom over Thanksgiving. Apparently Barack Obama was a big fan, and it's not hard to see why. The basic premise is that an old chemical agent has given women and girls electrical powers and the world goes somewhat crazy as a result. Angry, women, sick of being under men's boots for so long, push back in a big way. Angry, frightened men react with violence disturbingly similar to real-life white supremacists fearing their inevitable loss of privilege and power. Plus, there's new lady cults, meme culture, unscrupulous politicians, and a clock ticking down to Cataclysm.
In many ways, this is an uncomfortable book. Part of it is the sobering mirror to look into aspect. The novel's framing device is a series of letters between the fictional author, Neil, and his editor, Naomi. It's clear that their world is basically a gender flipped version of our own, but it's explicitly portrayed as a dystopia. Our world is a dystopia, but it's one we're accustomed to and thus are less horrified by. At the same time, the entire plot of the story is basically the worst nightmare of anyone who screamed feminazi. Is this how women would react if we had power? Is this how I would react? Can we get away from basing our society on the threat of violence?
What I'm reading now
Terrier by Tamora Pierce. I've loved Tamora Pierce since Alanna: The First Adventure, but it took me forever to get around to this. It's less an adventure story and more a murder mystery, but I'm enjoying it so far. I was struck by how casually corrupt all the police are. They collect protection money, or Happy Bags, as explicit policy, everyone takes bribes (including our Hero and her training officers), and no one wants to investigate the murder of a child because everyone hate's his great-grandpa. I would love a crossover where Sam Vimes sets them straight.