MsB > Recent Status Updates

Only a little way in and already loving the narrative voice. Really drawn to how Everett explores the power of language, especially the uncomfortable idea of code-switching for the comfort of the slave owners.

Fascinating ideas, but I’m not convinced the novel fully executes them well. The report-like style creates distance, and I have struggled to connect with the characters.

Interesting....

I've welled up a few times today during my reading. I'm so sad that I've almost finished it. 😭

I’m getting bored now. It’s mostly a privileged man moaning about “wokeism,” occasionally interrupted by the odd sharp or insightful observation about pop culture. More rant than reflection at this point.

Weird that it’s from 2019, because so much of it feels uncomfortably apt right now. Not sure I agree with much of his views and attitudes, but it is hard to argue that he didn’t see a lot of our current cultural mood coming.

My interest is beginning to dip a bit. I love the examples of morally ambitious people who changed the world, but at this point it’s starting to feel a little unreachable rather than inspiring. Maybe I’m just in a pessimistic mood, or maybe the bar is getting uncomfortably high?

Almost a fifth of the way into Moral Ambition and really enjoying it so far. The language is clear and accessible , it is also encouraging, and only slightly disparaging. Possibly easier to read when you already feel like you’re in a meaningful career, so I admit that I'm reading with a bit of smugness.

Just past three-quarters of the way through. I keep thinking about how much the novel relies on the victim being Arab and how Meursault’s “absurd” trial is only possible because the person he kills is socially erased. Reading it like this makes the absurdity feel entangled with colonial power and injustice.