bookshelves: currently-reading, nonfiction, physiology
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"Time for a re-read."
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bookshelves: currently-reading, fiction, science-fiction
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bookshelves: fiction, science-fiction
If you have spent much time in urban autopia—especially Southern California—you will easily identify with many of the book's themes: frantic havoc, car culture, restless youth, etc. Throw in some heavy-duty designer drugs (along with familiar mundane ones), a very detached view of sex (frequent and largely free of attachment) and an all-too-familiar dose of a narcissistic culture, and you have what appears to be a bleakly post-postmodern story. But there are flowers of hope that spring up unexpectedly throughout.
The book feels very autobiographical in many places—and not just because KSR grew up in Orange County where the story is set. Jim is clearly the author's voice.
There are elements that presage KSR's style in the Science in the Capital series, both in character archetypes and in over style. He seems to be trying out his literary wings.
KSR chose to write this entirely in third-person present tense using multiple points of view—so much so that it took me about half of the book to figure out who the main character was. For a work of speculative fiction, this makes the story very personal.
A must-read for KSR fans and escapees from autopia. If you're interested in a surprisingly prescient piece of spec fic that was written 20 years ago, this is for you, too. Likewise if you have ever experienced the empty madness of a seemingly futile life with no direction or purpose.
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This is not a breezy and thought provoking Malcolm Gladwell book. It is a deeply thought provoking examination of purpose and the paradoxical pursuit of purpose and enjoyment. Heavy stuff.
As usual, I was drawn to the case studies. Thanks to 20+ years of research, he has a deep well from which to draw—especially in the first 2/3 or so of the book.
As I read this, I kept experiencing moments of, "oh, I've experienced this!" There was great deal that was familiar, with the challenge lying in viewing the familar and seemingly unrelated in a new light.
Perhaps it is because of my ADHD, but I seem to have an easier time than many with being in the moment, so I think I experience flow (on a smaller scale) more easily than many people. However, the concept of life themes is more difficult for me. Or so I thought until I began to reflect on the common threads of my life. I realized that I do have themes in my life, but I haven't done a very good job of making myself conscious of those themes. Hmm.
Regardless, this is well worth reading—especially if you are working as a teacher, coach, or manager. Relatively simple (but not necessarily easy) changes in thinking can lead to significant improvements in the performance of your students, athletes, or employees. The same applies to parents. Short-term gains aside, these changes can lead to a richer, more fulfilling life when extended to the bigger picture. ]]>
bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: fiction
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bookshelves: fiction, science-fiction
Oh, what a bittersweet piece of speculative fiction....
This is the third and final book in KSR's Three Californias trilogy. Unlike so many trilogies that are really just one book in three volumes, Three Californias really is a trilogy: it is three different visions of what Southern California might be like. All three are set between 2047 and 2065, but one is post-apocolyptic, the second is of a California wrapped in narcissistic materialism, and the third is utopian.
Pacific Edge is a rich foray into a utopian Orange County during one summer. As with the materialistic Gold Coast, this story also shows KSR experimenting with writing techniques and styles that come to their fruition in his Science in the Capital series.
But beyond that, I think this is KSR's most beautiful prose. His love for Orange County and what it might become are evident, and his description of the physical environment is almost heart-breakingly beautiful.
I also found myself identifying with Kevin, the protagonist. He is a great character, and (like Jim in Gold Coast) he seems to speak pretty clearly in the author's voice. While I have enjoyed many of KSR's characters, this is the first one wh I really cared deeply about what happened to him. There were several supporting characters that entranced me almost as much.
I am saddened that this trilogy didn't do better commercially. Despite winning the John Campbell Award, I think one has to have lived in some part of California for at least a few years to really enjoy the books. ]]>
bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: to-read
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