Nat Schaefer > Recent Status Updates

“In any land, among any kind of people, three human weaknesses are at the root of trouble: fear, anger, and arrogance.” - Lakota elders

I am struggling to get through this. I see why people like it - especially people who spend a lot of time on video games. Reading through different levels of the game, and the fighting of one boss after another is not my bag. The start was interesting.

But for those who do like video games and reading, it’s Hunger Games x Ready Player One x … Star Trek?? I don’t think I’ll finish it though.

So far I’m stunned this book got room-temp reviews. I find it deeply insightful and helpful. 🤯

Love the character Molly so far.

Mind still not made up. It seems like, if the purpose of the Pulitzer is to expand our understanding of many eras and classes of American life, there are better resources than this story for understanding the civil war, post-civil war, sociopathy, Quakers, and/or the history of psychiatric care in America (the work of Nelly Bly in particular is so much better at this). Maybe it’ll conclude with clarity.

I just don’t think rape scenes need so much detail. It borders on fetishizing it and I can’t get on board with that. I feel like the author wants to portray it as negative and inherently evil but crossed a line and missed the mark. ☹️ Into the second half and those scenes seem to have ceased, thank God.

A lot of rape happening here. Not a comfortable read, but probably a realistic experience for women caught in the tangles of the civil war at that time. Readers should approach with caution. Taking breaks.