To Be Taught, If Fortunate in Do Better: SFF without Sexual Violence

May 10, 2020 A. _____ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi, 2020

This is a perfect pandemic reading slump book — gentle, well written, short and optimistic. Loved it.

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Oct 07, 2020 Joanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, available-library-book

This book was one of the Science Fiction books I had seen as an award winner. I had wanted to read it for a while. It was on the list of books that are less violent. Also, I liked the idea of people adjusting themselves to an environment instead of the other way around.

I would say the premise of people adjusting their bodies is not a major part of this book. However, I enjoyed it. There were some unique aspects of it that I found refreshing. When the characters discovered a new life form, they o ...more

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May 03, 2020 Leticia rated it liked it

Shelves: novella, women-of-the-future-challenge, sff_awards, 2020-tbr-sff-clean-up

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I liked the writing style a lot and the main character was so so relatable, therefore the three stars. Not five stars tough because I think that the potential of the premise wasn't met. It felt like a story forced to finish too early and with a highly illogical end adding to that.
I understand the symbolic/dramatic value of the end, it probably served the theme of the story in a way I could not understand well enough. But why would astronauts not be willing to make a decision on a mission where i I liked the writing style a lot and the main character was so so relatable, therefore the three stars. Not five stars tough because I think that the potential of the premise wasn't met. It felt like a story forced to finish too early and with a highly illogical end adding to that.
I understand the symbolic/dramatic value of the end, it probably served the theme of the story in a way I could not understand well enough. But why would astronauts not be willing to make a decision on a mission where it was their responsibility to make decisions?
I miss the time when science fiction stories were positive and about a leader making decisions, even if they were not always politically correct all the time. In this Novella the effort to make the politically correct decision chocked the characters capacity to make any decision and that, waiting for others to decide for them, was the worst decision they could have done.
Any of the two other decisions, going back to Earth or exploring further would have been a better decision than what happened, which was making no decision at all. Waiting, in a way that would make any later course of action impossible, or nearly impossible, was illogical. I don't think that staying put for at least thirty years to wait for a democratic decision is a logical course of action.
There is a saying in Portuguese "You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs." and that was the main problem in this story. They were terrified of breaking any eggs and thus became paralyzed.
I understand the group mentality of our new generations and I also value it immensely, I think our younger people are (at least theoretically) better and more advanced human beings than us because a species should evolve positively over time.
Let's tough not forget that it was also the decisive power of individuals, even if sometimes not-politically-correct individuals, who brought us here. We survived because we killed the saber-toothed tiger, not because we were compassionate about it. ...more

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Dec 14, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a neat little novella written as a transmission from a long-term space exploration mission back to the citizens of earth. I loved the way this was written. The prose is beautiful, the ideas are interesting, and each character gets a chance to shine despite the short length.

The ending didn't quite work for me and there was a portion around the third planet they visited that dragged a bit, but I would still highly recommend this. ...more

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Mar 02, 2022 Andrea rated it it was amazing

As long as Becky Chambers wants to keep making stories, I will keep reading them. The worlds she creates scratch an itch in my brain I didn't know I had. They fill your heart with joy and hope when you need it the most. They make you feel seen, and feel loved, and they make you want to love. They make being a human feel a little less terrible. ...more

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