Status Updates From A Psalm for the Wild-Built ...

I was intrigued by the infrequency with which characters other than Dex are brought up. In fact, it takes about two and a half pages before a person, not including Dex, is even mentioned. I suspect the author is trying to mirror Dex's introverted and socially uncomfortable lifestyle in her writing style. The result is an undertone of loneliness projected without directly addressing it in a utopian-like world.

After reading 20 pages of the story, the author is doing a good job of painting a picture in my head. I didn't even know that a tea monk was a thing. I felt bad for Dex as they were put in a tough position for their first task as a tea Monk. But as The Story Goes On, I think Dex will show progress in their job helping people as a tea Monk. This job feels like it would totally fit me.

I feel like Dex is very adventurous and determined in their decision in the book. They just have the mind to be free and travel around the Panga in their wagon. It’s hard to predict what they’ll encounter after the robot has lived apart from humans, while they just left their job and learn to be a new tea monk step by step.

I am happy for Dex as they are going to pursue their wishes and find the singing crickets. I am suprised on how the robot is introduced in the story. I am suprised of how good a signer Dex is during his first night alone. I am curious to know how many patients in average, Dex was taking at the marketplace. I am curious to know if Moss-cap has any friends who are going to be introduced later in the story.

An interesting statement Chambers writes, "It looked impossible easy to fall into, and equally difficult to get out of." Makes me think of people who struggle with addiction. I am not sure if the author struggled with addition themself, but I would imagine they know someone who did and that's why they wrote about it. Addiction is scary because when one try seems like nothing, it's leads to a lifetime of suffering.

Something that jumped out to me right away was how tea is used in this book, much like it is in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. On page 12, the author explains how a tea monk has the job of listening to people's problems and giving them tea. It is interesting to me that two totally different authors of two totally different books both decide to use tea as a way spark a conversation between people who have never met.

When Sister Fern invites Dex to see their new home, there is a quote on the back of the wagon - "find the strength to do both." I think the author is trying to say that he modern people of Panga have rejected the idea that you must choose between: Nature vs. Technology, or Comfort vs. Sustainability. That even though it is hard, both options are possible, it only requires the strength to find balance between the two.

Dex, a garden monk, leaves the City to search for a more meaningful life. The author changes Dex’s vocation to a tea monk to emphasize “non sibi,” focusing on serving others rather than power and wealth. Dex goes out of their way to comfort others, showing empathy. Similarly, the Transition preserves half of Penga for humans and half for countless species, reflecting the author’s care for nonhuman life.

In the opening of A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Dex uses they/them pronouns, which makes their identity feel open and not limited to male or female roles. Becky Chambers likely chose this to reflect the book’s theme of questioning labels and expectations. If Dex meets a robot, it is likely the robot will gain a fuller human perspective, not just from men or women, but from both worlds combined.

I feel like I can agree with sibling Dex that cities can be nice, but loud and annoying, and that's why he want something quiet like nature. I like Dex taking the tea wagon so he could still be a tea monk for people in villages. I felt sad for Dex when he sat for hours until someone came to the tea wagon to talk to Dex about her dead cat. I like the plot so far and am excited to learn more about Dex in nature.

It stood out to me that when the narrator was describing Dex that they used the pronouns they/them, and when talking about Dex they refered to them as sibling, not brother or sister, sibling. I wonder why the author choose to write Dex to be a they/them and not as a he or a she. I think that this will be helpful to give us a perspective of this modern world from the eyes of someone neutral. rather than a boy or girl.

I was not surprised when Dex tried to become a tea monk, but failed miserably. Flipping your life from one extreme to another is difficult. Dex's willingness to do this shows their courage to step out of their comfort zone. I think that Chambers is trying to show that failing is not the end of the road, but rather a learning curve. I predict that Dex will soon find success through the hardships of change.