“What would happen if you couldn’t forget, if every emotion from every person whose grief you’d eaten came back up? It could happen if something went wrong with the formula millions and millions of permutations down the line. A thousand falling men landing on you.
Nneoma tried to retreat, to close her eyes and unsee, but she couldn’t. Instinct took over and she raced to calculate it all. The breadth of it was so
vast, too vast. It was just her and Kioni together, their burden excessive, even for two. The last clear thought she would ever have was of her father, how crimson his burden had been when she’d tried to shoulder it, and how very pale it all seemed now.”
― What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Nneoma tried to retreat, to close her eyes and unsee, but she couldn’t. Instinct took over and she raced to calculate it all. The breadth of it was so
vast, too vast. It was just her and Kioni together, their burden excessive, even for two. The last clear thought she would ever have was of her father, how crimson his burden had been when she’d tried to shoulder it, and how very pale it all seemed now.”
― What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus, but actually dislike people who breathe. Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.”
―
―
History, Medicine, and Science: Nonfiction and Fiction
— 1537 members
— last activity Oct 14, 2025 06:03PM
Discussion about the fascinating stories of our scientific and medical past
The Brain and Mind
— 4419 members
— last activity Jan 28, 2026 09:00AM
This is a group for readers to recommend and discuss books related to real and/or artificial brains. Categories include but are not limited to: neuros ...more
Brain Science Podcast
— 890 members
— last activity Dec 25, 2021 06:44AM
This is a discussion forum for fans of the Brain Science Podcast. The Brain Science Podcast is "for everyone who has a brain;" which hopefully include ...more
Political Philosophy and Ethics
— 6270 members
— last activity 4 hours, 7 min ago
Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the ...more
The Feminist Orchestra Bookclub
— 4576 members
— last activity Oct 17, 2025 06:48PM
Discover and recommend more feminist reads here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/96419.The_Feminist_Orchestra_Potential_Reading_List We're also o ...more
Pat’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Pat’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Pat
Lists liked by Pat
































