exceptionally nuanced exploration of the desperate clawing escape one must make from white cis heterosexual indoctrination (specifically of an american nature) in combination with structural/familial abuse. not an easy read, and certainly not a pretty one, but will be familiar to those folks who have experienced such a journey. a highly suggested read for all white folks who have not.
4 days
10 days
16 days
"She was theirs; they were hers. The love of monsters was uncomplicated."
16 days
really wonderful series delving into the psychological implications of better--and really what does better mean--futures in space. shows a hopeful possibility while also acknowledging that with improved quality of life also comes improved quality of complicated ethical quandaries and improved quality of all kinds of navel gazing. and managed all of that with good disability related worldbuilding.
a month
"Our points of origin are spread out across the galaxy. We hail from systems that remained self-contained for billions of years, with evolutionary clocks that all began at different times. How is it possible that when meeting our galactic neighbors for the first time, we are all instantly reminded of creatures back home--or in some cases, of ourselves?"
a month
""I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people," said the man. "You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.""
a month
"It began to dawn on Windle that the human body is not run by the brain, despite the brain's opinion on the matter. In fact it's run by dozens of complex automatic systems, all whirring and clicking away with the kind of precision that isn't noticed until it breaks down."
2 months
"Keep going. No feeling is final."
2 months
"But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless, and terrible. But this much I can tell you, you ape ... we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality."
2 months
"Each man thought: one of the others is bound to say something soon, some protest, and then I'll murmur agreement, not actually say anything, I'm not as stupid as that, but definitely murmur very firmly, so that the others will be in no doubt that I thoroughly disapprove, because at a time like this it behooves all decent men to nearly stand up and be almost heard . . . But no one said anything. The cowards, each man thought."
2 months
"It is my belief that the World (or, if you will, the House, since the two are for all practical purposes identical) wishes an Inhabitant for Itself to be a witness to its Beauty and the recipient of its Mercies."
2 months
Strawberry Thief, 1883, William Morris (1834-1896)
"A great textile, like the William Morris Strawberry Thief, is a piece of art, but it takes a lot of time to make a piece of art. It isn't simply design either. You have to understand the fabrics and what they can bear. You have to understand the dyeing process and how to achieve certain colors and what will make the color last through the ages. If you make a mistake, you might have to begin again. [...] This fabric is not just a fabric. It's the story of failure and of perseverance, of the discipline of a craftsman, of the life of an artist."
