Play Book Tag discussion

3.5, waivered, but opted to round up

For a blurb, you may read the blurb :). This is on GR where it's easy to get to.

This book was, as at least one review said, very inventive. Sometimes the writing is a amazing, but sometimes it was a bit of a muddle. What I think is that Gish Jen had a lot of fun writing this, and what I like is how she added the knitting (after I read this I heard a small part of an interview with her where she brings up how that happened). She wrote all of this from the POV of Grant, but it centre around his daughter, Gwen, who was "born with a golden arm" and can pitch amazingly, even if not quite as fast as the male pitchers when it comes to speed balls. I personally am not a baseball fan, so when she named pitches and x number fast balls it meant almost nothing to me.

The world is run by AI, and people have a hard time knowing where that all ends, etc. Countries have been meshed (ChinRussia, for example, includes Japan), but there is absolutely nothing to say if AutoAmerica includes Canada and/or Mexico, but given that global warming has led to the loss of a great deal of land this is possible. This is a very feminist book, although it also deals with racism and a number of other things. This is not a book with only one or two main issued being handled.

I leaned up despite the weaknesses because for me the strengths and the originality of some of this outweighed them enough to go up, not down.

Karin, I found your review to be very interesting. I shy away from dystopian books and have not read this one. I've read a lot of Gish Jen's early books and really liked them. This one sounds quite different. Thanks for your review.

Holly R W wrote: "Karin, I found your review to be very interesting. I shy away from dystopian books and have not read this one. I've read a lot of Gish Jen's early books and really liked them. This one sounds quite..."

Which ones do you recommend? This is the first book I have read by her.

Her earlier books looked at Chinese immigrants and the clash of different cultures, often told in a humorous way. I read them many years ago and don't know if they would seem dated today. I remember liking Who's Irish?: Stories and Typical American. I remember them as being quirky.

Holly R W wrote: "Her earlier books looked at Chinese immigrants and the clash of different cultures, often told in a humorous way. I read them many years ago and don't know if they would seem dated today. I remembe..."

Thanks!