Other than some Asimov, a couple of science-fiction books I read in middle school, and The Martian, I haven't read too many sci-fi novels. Part of what turned me off from the genre is that a lot of works were fantasy veiled in technology and pseudoscience. Another is the lack of attention to social and environmental issues that often elude many science-fiction writers, one of the main critiques of sci-fi that I've gathered from my recent research on feminist futurology.
Aurora checks all of these boxes. But good science necessities detail and the author walked a fine line between specificity and engagement, for me. I felt like I had to slog through the beginning a bit. I was lost in the weeds, perhaps. That's why I knocked off a star (I'd remove only half if I could).
But the payoff was worth it. Robinson left no stone unturned (except …
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Aidan rated Starting Point: 1979-1996: 5 stars
Aidan rated Solutions and Other Problems: 4 stars
Aidan rated Turning Point: 1997-2008: 5 stars
Aidan rated Laziness Does Not Exist: 5 stars
Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
From social psychologist Dr. Devon Price, a conversational, stirring call to “a better, more human way to live” (Cal Newport, …
Aidan rated Stuff White People Like: 3 stars
Aidan rated Theft! : a history of music: 3 stars
Aidan rated Chop Suey, USA: 5 stars
Aidan rated When the air hits your brain: 5 stars
Aidan rated White kids: 5 stars
Margaret A. Hagerman: White kids (2018, New York University Press)
White kids by Margaret A. Hagerman (Critical perspectives on youth)
Aidan rated My Twisted World: 5 stars
Aidan rated Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal: 5 stars
Aidan reviewed Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
Aurora is a 2015 novel by American science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson. The novel …
Review of 'Aurora' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Other than some Asimov, a couple of science-fiction books I read in middle school, and The Martian, I haven't read too many sci-fi novels. Part of what turned me off from the genre is that a lot of works were fantasy veiled in technology and pseudoscience. Another is the lack of attention to social and environmental issues that often elude many science-fiction writers, one of the main critiques of sci-fi that I've gathered from my recent research on feminist futurology.
Aurora checks all of these boxes. But good science necessities detail and the author walked a fine line between specificity and engagement, for me. I felt like I had to slog through the beginning a bit. I was lost in the weeds, perhaps. That's why I knocked off a star (I'd remove only half if I could).
But the payoff was worth it. Robinson left no stone unturned (except for intentional dramatic effect) in describing the the "hard," social, and ecological sciences and their effect on the characters' emotional states. It's a novel you get lost in and that becomes engrossing by the end. It also contains one of the most beautiful and interesting falling actions I've read in a long time.
Aidan rated Carl Sagan's Cosmic Connection: 5 stars
Aidan reviewed Unbecoming men
Review of 'Unbecoming men' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This “pamphlet,” as the authors call it, contains valuable first-hand accounts of the early modern men’s movement happening in parallel to second-wave feminism. Like second-wave feminism, it suffers from a lack of diversity (they admit this outright). But in context, it’s a fascinating and meaningful read. We essentially get a look into these men’s diaries as they use feminist ideas and male-consciousness raising to help explain their past and present as well as to predict the future. Anyone interested in feminist literature or masculinity studies will surely enjoy this quick read