Conscious Designs is an engrossing exploration of the nexus between life and death, humanity and technology, self and collective consciousness. AuthorConscious Designs is an engrossing exploration of the nexus between life and death, humanity and technology, self and collective consciousness. Author Nathanial White uses thought-provoking prose to pose my favorite storytelling question: What if? Through technology, protagonist Eugene Wallace and his wife experience alternate versions of their lives - or do they? Even their simplest exchanges offer opportunities to consider the contradictions of the human condition:
- “To suffer is to be human. But we can also suffer alone,” he said. “No, to share in suffering. That’s what makes us human.”
I was intrigued by Eugene’s three different physical modes: paralyzed and in pain, paralyzed with technological mobility but still in pain, freed from paralysis and pain but only by losing his sense of self. I also have minor spinal cord damage, and invisible pain and disability are part of my daily life. The writing touched on things I have trouble expressing to those who don’t experience it:
- “I just don’t understand why he still feels pain, why his digital body is still paralyzed. This is just pain that he is imagining. It isn’t real. Right?”
This novella is both beautiful and unnerving. It's complete as-is, but I'd be all-in if White expanded it into a longer novel, or if some visionary turned it into a feature film. Highly recommend!...more
A Someday Courtesan is not your usual girl's coming-of-age story. This frank, refreshing, and unsettling memoir dives deep into a question most such tA Someday Courtesan is not your usual girl's coming-of-age story. This frank, refreshing, and unsettling memoir dives deep into a question most such tales treat as a tangent: how does an American girl grow into her sexuality when the subject is taboo? Sephe Haven's wide-eyed journey from grade-school through college travels a maze we woman all recognize but rarely speak.
Haven's story is often hilarious in its look at girlhood naïveté fed by society's dysfunctional combo of silence and obsession about sex. It's also poignant in its frankness about the predatory behavior women endure in secret for fear of being blamed rather than protected. It's incendiary in asserting that a girl's journey to adulthood is so dangerous because male sexual dominance is assumed as a natural privilege while female sexuality is assumed as perverse or submissive.
Through it all, Sephe Haven's hope burns bright: hope for a kinder world in which a girl might be allowed to express all of herself, including her sexual self, without retribution or victimization. Her story is both deeply private and potentially revolutionary, if readers dare to let it in...and let it out. ...more
Sephe Haven’s shares her journey from life at Juilliard to life as an escort with the kind of deep honesty and insight that makes for a story both wilSephe Haven’s shares her journey from life at Juilliard to life as an escort with the kind of deep honesty and insight that makes for a story both wildly funny and deeply sad. Haven offers a window into a world few of us know but that most women will instantly understand. Both her external story and inner monologue had me questioning many assumptions our society makes about women, and why we women accept them. ...more
Tell Me Everything is one of the most compelling memoirs I’ve ever read. Erika Krause’s journey as a private investigator not only takes us into the uTell Me Everything is one of the most compelling memoirs I’ve ever read. Erika Krause’s journey as a private investigator not only takes us into the underbelly of a major rape-culture lawsuit with implications for all women, but also bravely reveals her own personal stakes as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
Krause’s lyrical, honest prose creates a layered read, combining the plot and pacing of a true-crime thriller with the profound introspection of a woman confessing her most personal secrets. Her gaze both inward and outward is unflinching. Unsettling as the topic is, I experienced a cleansing feeling as I read it, because the author casts much-needed light on dark places. I was astonished that even as some sections made me want to cry and scream in outrage, Krause could still surprise me with unexpected and much-needed laughter at life’s absurdities.
I felt inspired by this story of a warrior who refused to concede defeat in a society that gives so much permission to violence, this story of a survivor who has fought the good fight for herself and for those she owed nothing, this story of a hero as flawed and wounded as any of us, and just as susceptible to temptation—in this case the temptation to become addicted to secrets. Tell Me Everything serves as a reminder that so long as women keep telling the truth, and someone keeps listening, there’s hope. I wish everyone would read this book. ...more
Woman of Light is an exquisite work of art, and I felt sublime sorrow and kindred joy in reading it. Kali Fajardo-Anstine focuses her lens on an intimWoman of Light is an exquisite work of art, and I felt sublime sorrow and kindred joy in reading it. Kali Fajardo-Anstine focuses her lens on an intimate world of family, friendship, and community as a prism for a profound historical saga. This prism reveals how the pressures of colonialism, class warfare, and racial barriers impact the lives of extraordinary individuals of the ordinary classes.
Protagonist Luz Lopez shines light on the way invading cultures become majority cultures with the power to push people off their land, and off the paths their talents deserve, into the shadows. Yet, Luz, her ancestors, and friends, not only persevere, but also perform feats of daring as entertainers, activists, and visionaries. Arm-in-arm they rise. Sometimes they even do magic, reminding me to keep my eyes peeled for the inspiring real-life magic Chicanas can conjure under pressure.
I loved The Three-Body Problem, and this second book in Liu Cixin’s trilogy took the story up another notch. This story delivers on multiple layers ofI loved The Three-Body Problem, and this second book in Liu Cixin’s trilogy took the story up another notch. This story delivers on multiple layers of both plot and theme. The elements of science fiction, dystopian fiction, mystery, and romance blend seamlessly. I couldn’t wait to enter this sophisticated puzzle every night and let it take me to unexpected places. It’s a rare gift to read something that feels so totally new. I look forward to the third book the way I look forward to returning to a favorite haunt....more
A delightful read in the tradition of the Wild West tall tale. It's also a thoughtful allegory on aging: growing old and deciding what of our wild youA delightful read in the tradition of the Wild West tall tale. It's also a thoughtful allegory on aging: growing old and deciding what of our wild youth to keep, what to discard, and what to defend from those who would revise our history or try to tell us who we are today. The humor was terrific: a famed and deadly gunslinger gets a second chance as a dentist with a penchant for the quiet life, so of course it's funny.
I loved the attention to telling details of history, and the reminder that so much we take for granted was once new-fangled. I appreciate the optimism it entails for a young person to meet their icon and not be disappointed. As an older reader, I found the greatest gift of this story the feeling that age need not take away from us the power to go outlaw when a righteous cause calls....more
City of Girls is a lively and funny, smart and poignant consideration of the gifts life can offer when an independent woman decides for herself what hCity of Girls is a lively and funny, smart and poignant consideration of the gifts life can offer when an independent woman decides for herself what her path through womanhood should be. In this story, we see how women grow their power to express the best of themselves when surrounded by the support of other women.
Protagonist Vivian Morris moves against a historic backdrop that perfectly sets off this jewel of a story, celebrating the female in a time traditionally thought to belong to men. Vivian cuts a gorgeous swath through a multifaceted New York, a city that makes Elizabeth Gilbert's reflections on the fully realized life...sparkle....more
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