Cat’s Comments (group member since Jan 28, 2015)

Cat’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

DQs Day 2 - Ch 8-14

6. Have you ever eaten a meal that you provided all of the ingredients for (not by shopping for them?)
Basically, have you ever lived on a farm or ranch or foraged for a meal in the wilderness? (Dinner at Gabe’s house made me hungry.)

No, though my eldest sister has access to a veg cooperative, so gets all of her summer salad and veg from there. The protein is the tricky one...

7. What do you think of Jo and Gabe not being able to just turn Ursa in to child protective services? Do neither of them just want to be the bad guy? Is it at all realistic or a good idea that they are basically raising this child?

I guess they did try once and then decided that the risk of her running off properly was too great, and this is the best solution? I think they are both just drifters in that respect anyway

8. In a world where half of the population is in therapy of some kind and the other half is on some kind of mood altering drugs, how is it that mental illness is still so stigmatized? What do you think of Gabe’s back story? (I am going to start using the word “kaplooey” in random sentences now.)

Yeah, his family are not helping him in the least. Is it partly a generational thing perhaps?

9. Tabby is pretty cool, yes? The trip to Urbana gave us a clue to where Ursa came from, but then it was dropped from the story. Do you think that Jo just didn’t notice, or is the author just playing with us?

I think it was mostly that Jo didn't actively notice, and had other stuff on her mind. But I was surprised at the time how easily Jo let it go...

10. So, family dynamics are fun, aren’t they? What are your impressions of Gabe’s sister and mom, and how they interact? How about the newly minted “family” of Gabe, Jo and Ursa?

Not impressed with his sister at all. His mum is better, up to the point of infantilising his mental health and also being selfish about keeping him as her carer. It's good to see some functional, healthy relationships, between Jo and Tabby and increasingly with Gabe. I was impressed by Ursa's willingness to embrace the weird and uncomfortable in order to get to Gabe with what he needed.

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DQs Day 1 - Ch 1 to 7

1.) What did you think of Jo's first encounter with Ursa? What do you think you would of done in that situation?

I thought Jo dealt with it pretty well! Certainly better than I suspect I'dve done! The need to question - how is the dead body not decomposing etc etc - would be strong!

2.) I like how Jo still thinks of Gabriel as Egg Man even after she knows his actual name. It reminds me of nicknames we'd give to crushes of people in my group of friends. Anyway, What are your thoughts about him, any guesses on what his deal might be?

Egg Man forever! I lie to think I give good nickname, but it can backfire!
Like others, I think he has pulled out of advanced research to help his mother. Do we think she also has cancer, or perhaps a dementia type illness - personality and memory seeming to be a bit of a theme too. But I like him

3.) Jo, unsurprisingly called the police. Did deputy dog's (I don't remember his name) response come as a surprise? Do you think his assessment was wrong?

The view that people will foster for money and thus not care or even be abusive is accurate (my brother did emergency fostering once for a child his husband taught when the foster family decided not to have him any longer two weeks before Xmas... the stuff they did (and didn't do) for this vulnerable kid was just appalling)
That said, I was surprised that the deputy / cop thought that wandering homeless in the forest was better seemed absurd - but we need a way for the story to develop, so a spot of plot hole necessary!

4.) Does Ursa inhabiting a dead girl's body creep you out a bit? Do you think that may cause issues in future?

I mean, is she an alien, or just using that story and the dead boy as a distancing mechanism to avoid thinking about what she's escaped?

5.) The pop in of colleagues was interesting and allowed for some backstory of Jo's to be worked into the story. Do you think Tanner will pop back in at some point? What did you think of their conversation and Jo's inner thoughts on how men react to her once they 'know' her 'situation'?

Tanner will probably be back - what a tool he is! Ditto other people who are avoiding Jo because she's had a double mastectomy! Cancer - and lack of boobs - isn't contagious, after all!
I did think it was a good way of showing what Jo's been dealing with - death of her mother, her own illness and loss of traditional feminine sexuality identifiers, and also showing which of those actually matters right now for her (hint: not the loss of sexual objectification for that tool Tanner!)

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Ursa is a better name than Earpood for sure!

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I'll be joining too.

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Yeah, I assume it's 'cos she wanted the capture for readers to have the image of her being beaten (?) and imprisoned for the "crime" of speaking the truth.

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DQs Day 4 ~ (Starts…. ”As she gathered more…”)

16. When Bird and Margaret are reunited, Margaret tells him all about why she left and what led up to it. She paints a very different picture from how she had been portrayed by the media and people in general. Seems she wasn’t an activist by choice, but instead because of what other people did with her poems. What did you think about her journey and how did it make you feel for her, Ethan and Bird?

It's somehow magnificent that she went looking for the broken families, and whilst she did think about Bird throughout that, Ethan didn't seem to get the same space in her heart, which is a bit harsh!

17. Sadie and Bird have a constant struggle with their missing parents but their ways of coping with and trying to understand the why of it is very different. Yet they have a very strong friendship. What do you think drives the different strategies for coping and draws them together as friends?

Bird has some stability with Ethan, so his loss is less all-consuming, and will also be influenced by Ethan's approach to dealing with PACT impacts - head down. Sadie's drive is to find both her parents and lost life. I think the friendship is based on both having similar needs and able to offer each other support.

18. After Bird and Margaret have played the bottle cap game and spread them out over the city. Margaret has a sudden change of heart and says she can’t do it because it nor anything is worth the risk. This causes an argument between the two with Bird saying some very strong things to his mother. What do you think brought about these role-reversing reactions in each of them? Do you think they were justified in these reactions?

I can understand Bird being a fierce convert. But Margaret could've done as Domi wanted her to do, and do it as a recording not a live reading...

19. Margaret could have gone into hiding with Ethan and Bird, but instead she felt she had to tell the stories of the taken children. Why do you think it was so important to her to tell the stories especially after her argument with Bird? Do you think the stories had an impact on the people who heard them or caused any type of change to begin in their society as a whole?

I didn't really understand why she had to read them live - given the technical ability to get all the speakers connected, I can't see that a recording would have failed.

20. What was your overall impression of the story and of the book’s ending? Did the ending feel sombre, hopeful, or something else?

Mostly sombre, but a bit hopeful in that Ethan Bird & Sadie will continue the protest. a tidy bow would be a total cop out that ruined the points Ng is making.

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DQs Day 3: from "It started slowly at first..." to "...mirrored letters tattooed on her cheek."

11. We get a flashback into Margaret's life - what do you think about the contrast between her life growing up (parents wanting her to conform) and her approach to Bird's upbringing? (especially given she presents herself as being pretty apolitical)

I think that parents do often course-correct to the opposite of their upbringing, especially if it rubbed at them. So I kinda think Margaret is being deliberately non-conformist with Bird without really thinking about the wider environment that makes Asian-heritage kids being different very problematic.

12. We see the start of the Crisis - is this what you expected?

It wasn't entirely unexpected, but I didn't really follow through to the xenophobic bit.

13. There's a brief mention about the passing of PACT, with only a miniority of legislators and commentators objecting to the child removal clause, the rest believing in this being for extremes only. Do you think this is realistic of politics around legislation of this nature?

I get the legislators writing it, but we've had some poisonous laws be debated in the UK Parliament recently that got a lot of scrutiny with the most egregious clauses watered down to ineffectiveness. I was surprised that there didn't seem to be more protests from the public.

14. I mentioned that Margaret presents herself as apolitical, until her poem is used by a complete stranger to make astrong political point. Do you believe that her poems were written with a small focus on her life and nature, as she represents to Bird, or is that her being disingenuous?

I think a bit of both. The main focus was the nature, but surely the parallels to the political conversation were intended - she's not a stupid woman. I kinda disliked that she was trying to pretend to Bird that it was not in her head.

15. I think there's an interesting question or discussion to be had about the reading into artists works of things that they didn't intend. Do you think that we should be careful to take the meaning(s) intended by creators, or is the point of art (writing, music, etc etc) that people can and should take what they want, even if that was not intended?

I think that good art can always be looked at fresh with different lenses and still speak to people, but it's also good to have a view about what the artist is responding to, not least because that can deepen our understanding of the work.

DQs Day 3: from "It started slowly at first..." to "...mirrored letters tattooed on her cheek."

11. We get a flashback into Margaret's life - what do you think about the contrast between her life growing up (parents wanting her to conform) and her approach to Bird's upbringing? (especially given she presents herself as being pretty apolitical)

12. We see the start of the Crisis - is this what you expected?

13. There's a brief mention about the passing of PACT, with only a miniority of legislators and commentators objecting to the child removal clause, the rest believing in this being for extremes only. Do you think this is realistic of politics around legislation of this nature?

14. I mentioned that Margaret presents herself as apolitical, until her poem is used by a complete stranger to make astrong political point. Do you believe that her poems were written with a small focus on her life and nature, as she represents to Bird, or is that her being disingenuous?

15. I think there's an interesting question or discussion to be had about the reading into artists works of things that they didn't intend. Do you think that we should be careful to take the meaning(s) intended by creators, or is the point of art (writing, music, etc etc) that people can and should take what they want, even if that was not intended?

DQs Day 2 "Today his father doesn't say anything…” to "There was no curfew yet.”

6.) The glimpse into what Bird’s father was like before PACT, with him teaching him about his mother’s name was revealing. Have you ever had to go against your own principles to protect another?
Do you feel anything more or different for Ethan now?

I like that it allowed Bird some insight into his dad (I already liked Ethan)

7.) Did you like the story the Boy Who Drew Cats? Why do you think Margaret chose this story for Bird to remember?

I guess because of the link into the hidey-hole to get that information of her location to him - which, @Angie, suggests that she wanted him to find her NOW, not later, I think? which definitely raises concerns about her decision making process!

8.) This bloody world. Wow. An underground network of people just trying to find out that their children are still alive and well?
Can you even imagine? What do you think of the librarian now? Could you do what she is doing, do you think?

Librarians are bad-ass information sharers! The world is horrific on many levels, but in every repressive regime there are always people who resist, so I'm not surprised that there is a network to try and connect information together. I'd hope that I'd be strong enough to do something in the line of resistance...

9.) Do you think you would have done what Bird is doing and try to find your mom? Do you like her so far?
What is Margaret building with her wires and pipe?

As 12?! probably not, no. Interesting that noone was surprised at a lone traveller pre-teen. I'm not sure about Margaret - sending him that letter to lead her seems pretty selfish and risky, so I'm not convinced about her wisdom.
I hope it's just another art installation rather than the bomb we are supposed to leap to.


10.) How do you think this country got to this point? How could it happen today? I wonder if we will get a glimpse of what other countries are like. Is America like Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale, or have other countries followed suit?

I wonder what the Crisis is? feeling like a pandemic plus situation, but maybe something more? As for how wide this is across the world - It's a very American act, and there's no hint that other countries have gone insular, but the UK did go massively illogical and cut themselves off from a great trading block for "patriotic" reaons (hilariously the gvt has just had to concede that we'll continue to use EU certification to avoid red tape - give that "cutting red tape" was an alleged reason it's some climbdown!)

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