Sarah > Recent Status Updates

This last chapter sent me into a bit of a tizzy because what do you mean that we have one man to thank for pasteurization, the rabies vaccine, and the beginnings of the study of pneumonia, and yet we still have people disrespecting his work by drinking raw fucking milk again???

Thankful for this book for bringing LeVar Burton back into my life both in the foreword to this collection and through his podcast that I didn't know about. Very excited to meet some new authors alongside some that I already know I enjoy!

Not sure about the writing style with this one. Interesting premise, though if the weird eugenics ideas don’t get an examination, that doesn’t bode well

Banshee is my favorite, and I'd do anything for her.

Remembrance in Cerulean has been my favorite of the collection so far. Made me tear up more than once.

Florilegia
4 stars

Calls back to a few other stories in the collection; about being cut off, forced to be small, and finding belief in yourself and your ability to grow and change

John Hollowback and the Witch
3.5 stars

On forgiveness, punishment; the witch as a figure of justice
I liked the concept more than the execution; read very much like a fairytale; excising bad memories would cause us to lose a part of ourselves; interesting conversation about justice, how it’s achieved, and who it’s for

To Follow the Waves
2.5 stars

Beautiful story and really cool idea, but felt weirdly rapey? I have no idea how to explain that, but what happens in the story seems like a bad way to start a relationship, romantic or otherwise, and it doesn't exactly seem like Nahla means kind things for Hessa.

Anabasis:
3 stars

Immigration; beautiful writing, but lacks the punch for me of the other stories; least favorite of the collection (so far)

A Hollow Play
4 stars
weird bird girls, dramatic sacrifices, unspoken and unrequited love

Thunderstorm in Glasgow, July 25, 2013
N/A
About giving up one's identity maybe? not too sure really

Pleasantly easy to read, and I'm actually nervous for poor Dantes and Mercedes already

Wing
5 stars (current favorite)

Love isn’t chance; it requires vulnerability, a willingness to share yourself with someone, and compatibility and shared stories. What is chance is meeting the person who you can love.

This one so far feels much more blatant in its messaging that the DCC series, but they're good messages so I'm not overly upset about it. It does contain Dinniman's bro-y humor, and overall at the 10% mark I'm not as invested as I was with DCC. I will continue reading because I like Dinniman's writing and the social commentary he makes.

Qahr
5 stars

I don't typically rate poems in collections, but this one is different. It's about Palestine and grief and words that cant be translated and feelings that words can't adequately express

A Tale of Ash in Seven Birds
4 stars
About the human ability to constantly transform for better or worse. Love the way this story is told
Can probably be read many different ways, but the immigrant experience or women's experience w/ a bad partner are what
I see-- the constant changing to be what another country/person wants us to be, it never being enough, and then breaking out of that cycle.

And Their Lips Rang with the Sun
3.5 stars

About connection, what we sacrifice to chase it, and how we live with the consequences of our actions. Not my favorite method of storytelling, but the ending was very sweet

The way the author lays out the radical nature and the intersection of political education and community in the visions of David Ruggles and Lewis Michaux for their bookstores reminds me of what Bettina Love says about the importance of political education and community centers in her development as a politically minded, abolitionist educator

The Lonely Sea in the Sky
5 Stars

Weirdly environmental; this one has felt the most like This Is How You Lose the Time War so far; really wish this could be a longer story too

Madeleine
4 Stars

On grief, feeling monstrous, and having others to help us find a path back towards ourselves
This one is harder to write about without making it sound like utter cliche

The Green Book
4.5 Stars

Reality vs Ideal
Wish this one had been longer; would absolutely read a full-length book of this story

Seasons of Glass and Iron
5 Stars

Story about love, abuse, the world giving kindness and grace to men and suffering to women, the cost of abuse and the cost of giving up yourself for safety, risks worth taking

I've only read the introduction, and I am immediately reminded how much I love the way Amal El-Mohtar writes. I cannot wait to get into this, but I'm going to try to pace myself through the stories!

I liked the first story, but I also am not certain that I got it. So there's that.

big issues with this so far
1 hella capitalist
2 assumes that financial incentive is only driving force of migration-- what if they don't actually want to leave but feel they have to for financial reasons? is it not better to use global wealth to improve global south instead of everyone moving to city?
4 production/consumption (and increase of both) a big focus, completely ignoring devastating environmental impacts

I dont know if it's because I took a few days break from this book or if it's just worse in book 3, but the lazy writing and silly errors are nowhere near as fun and entertaining as they were in the first two books

I’ve had this book since 2017 and got to meet Sarah. High time I give this a read

There is crack in this book