Emma > Recent Status Updates

A truly phenomenal story. Told in the way only an Indigenous person can. It is so refreshing to read about the truth of my country and through a futuristic dystopia that could come to be, even better. Some parts may seem odd to some readers but to me they are familiar and make me cry when I know others will only pass them by as a character trait or plot point. It is so nice to relate to a story and feel at home.

The story follows a woman from 1954 Shanghai to modern USA. Switching between her and her daughter, the author does an incredible job of explaining the nuances of being Chinese and Chinese-American after WWII. Describing thr political China and how it hasn't really changed at all, despite the constant regime changes and new leadership. Additionally, explaining the American Dream and the problems in the USA.

A cautionary tale about trying to control another human being.

The protagonist is so unlikable.

A clever commentary on game shows, fan culture, war, and authoritarian regimes all in one.

The original Hunger Games. The original Squid Games.

This book would never have crossed my radar without seeing the movie trailers. The first book I've read from Stephen King and I'm afraid I may have started with the best.

Satire akin to Margret Atwood. Cleverly disguised.

I don't want to read this book. It's slow and boring. But I do find that I keep reading if I pick up. Perhaps just to finish it faster though.

....the concept of the younger generation. At one point he mentions boomers, but isn't the author a boomer? The person writing in the future must have been born sometime after 2030 and I doubt they would be speaking with such pompous British words and grammar.

The juxtaposition is just not working for me.

I am also not invested in finding the poem. I am invested in figuring out what this future is like.

....is just unrealistic. I wish the author had researched the Digital Dark Age before writing this book. I have to suspend reality in that way to ready it.

Additionally, the text is dense in the way a Vonnegut novel is dense. It feels like it is written by an old white man.... and it is. And he obviously is trying very hard to understand other cultures and insert them into his book. But he hasn't grasped....

I'm enjoying the story so far and I'm appreciating that the author is inserting real events that are happening in our world right now with truth. For example, mentioning Julian Assange as on the correct side of history. I also appreciate the mention of renewable energy and other technology that may help us in the future.

However, grasping the concept of having all one's text messages, emails, etc. in an archive...

Grief, greed, nostalgia, family, sisters, aunties, cribbage.

Looking forward to an apparently fast-paced 500 page book. I've been sticking to under 400 pages for quite some time.

Read:
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling
The Great Silence
Omphalos

Not read:
Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom

Read:
Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny

Read:
The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate
Exhalation
What's Expected of Us

Skipped:
The Life Cycle of Software Objects

Pg 248. Last chapter