Le Guin, Ursula K. - Voices
This is in the same series (possible trilogy?) as Gifts, though it's not necessary to read one before the other.
The country of Ansul has been conquered and occupied by the Alds for seventeen years. The Alds believe that the spoken word is holy, and as such, they have routinely destroyed all the books of Ansul over the years. Reading is an act of heresy and forbidden; the once great Library of Galvamand is desolate. Despite having grown up knowing little but the Ald occupation, Memer learns to read.
I LOVED this book. It was particularly good to read it because I've recently been craving girls of color kicking ass, and Memer is one. The world itself is somewhat influenced by the Middle East, but really, it's Le Guin's own creation, and all the people of Ansul have dark skin. And while the Alds have lighter skin, they have "sheep hair" (as Memer calls it). And the publisher or editor or whoever made the decision was wonderful enough to actually *gasp* have a non-white girl on the cover with the right hair. Person who made the cover and approved it, thank you so much!
Memer is not a sword-wielding ass-kicker, but she kicks ass just the same. We see the occupation through her eyes; she's angry as hell at the Alds, and so are we, but she is fair and thoughtful as well.
This is a really great book on colonization and post-colonization, on occupation and rebellion, and, more importantly, it's on rebuilding societies and governments, on recovering pride and liberty, on learning what happens in the insane mess after an occupation ends.
The factions consist of the more radical revolutionaries of Ansul, as well as the more radical faction of the Alds, along with the moderates and others trying to work toward compromise. I would say this is a somewhat ideal look at the process, but I think Le Guin knows that and chose that. It's ideal not because it's been prettified, but because the people in charge manage to have enough of the right mindset to not having everything disintegrate into war; even having the right people in the right place, this is still not a book of easy solutions, which is why I admire and like it so much.
I also felt so much for Memer; her hate of the Alds is never glossed over. Le Guin doesn't make the process easy for Memer, and she understands that the anger of people who have been enslaved and occupied for a generation shouldn't be mended quickly, because they have more than enough cause for anger. I particularly loved the moments between Memer and Simme, an Ald boy; it's not the standard "Look! They are understanding and crossing cultural gaps!" There's too much of a power differential for them to be real friends, which is something that Memer understands but Simme cannot.
I'm also happy because the book gives so many ways to be re-empowered; Memer's way is not the Waylord's is not Orrec's, and the book understands that for decolonization and deoccupation to be successful, both the occupiers and those who were occupied must change and that the change of relinquishing power and re-taking power is a difficult and fraught process.
And last but definitely not least, I loved the characters so very much. Orrec and Gry from Gifts show up, this time full grown, but the story remains Memer's the entire way through. And! It is a story about books and knowledge and regaining what conquerors have taken away, much like Tigana and Song of the Basilisk.
Anyway, if you couldn't tell, I really loved this, and it is highly recommended, and I could probably babble on for pages and pages about occupation and post-occupation rebuilding, on re-empowerment and forming coalitions, on books and reading and how they all intertwine.
Links:
- helen_keeble compares Voices and Gifts
The country of Ansul has been conquered and occupied by the Alds for seventeen years. The Alds believe that the spoken word is holy, and as such, they have routinely destroyed all the books of Ansul over the years. Reading is an act of heresy and forbidden; the once great Library of Galvamand is desolate. Despite having grown up knowing little but the Ald occupation, Memer learns to read.
I LOVED this book. It was particularly good to read it because I've recently been craving girls of color kicking ass, and Memer is one. The world itself is somewhat influenced by the Middle East, but really, it's Le Guin's own creation, and all the people of Ansul have dark skin. And while the Alds have lighter skin, they have "sheep hair" (as Memer calls it). And the publisher or editor or whoever made the decision was wonderful enough to actually *gasp* have a non-white girl on the cover with the right hair. Person who made the cover and approved it, thank you so much!
Memer is not a sword-wielding ass-kicker, but she kicks ass just the same. We see the occupation through her eyes; she's angry as hell at the Alds, and so are we, but she is fair and thoughtful as well.
This is a really great book on colonization and post-colonization, on occupation and rebellion, and, more importantly, it's on rebuilding societies and governments, on recovering pride and liberty, on learning what happens in the insane mess after an occupation ends.
The factions consist of the more radical revolutionaries of Ansul, as well as the more radical faction of the Alds, along with the moderates and others trying to work toward compromise. I would say this is a somewhat ideal look at the process, but I think Le Guin knows that and chose that. It's ideal not because it's been prettified, but because the people in charge manage to have enough of the right mindset to not having everything disintegrate into war; even having the right people in the right place, this is still not a book of easy solutions, which is why I admire and like it so much.
I also felt so much for Memer; her hate of the Alds is never glossed over. Le Guin doesn't make the process easy for Memer, and she understands that the anger of people who have been enslaved and occupied for a generation shouldn't be mended quickly, because they have more than enough cause for anger. I particularly loved the moments between Memer and Simme, an Ald boy; it's not the standard "Look! They are understanding and crossing cultural gaps!" There's too much of a power differential for them to be real friends, which is something that Memer understands but Simme cannot.
I'm also happy because the book gives so many ways to be re-empowered; Memer's way is not the Waylord's is not Orrec's, and the book understands that for decolonization and deoccupation to be successful, both the occupiers and those who were occupied must change and that the change of relinquishing power and re-taking power is a difficult and fraught process.
And last but definitely not least, I loved the characters so very much. Orrec and Gry from Gifts show up, this time full grown, but the story remains Memer's the entire way through. And! It is a story about books and knowledge and regaining what conquerors have taken away, much like Tigana and Song of the Basilisk.
Anyway, if you couldn't tell, I really loved this, and it is highly recommended, and I could probably babble on for pages and pages about occupation and post-occupation rebuilding, on re-empowerment and forming coalitions, on books and reading and how they all intertwine.
Links:
- helen_keeble compares Voices and Gifts