Motley Kamuka

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers reminds me of 2 songs from my childhood. Barracuda by Heart and Don't Go For That by Hall and Oates. They are both songs about people pressuring them to write hits a certain kind of way. Through their integrity they wrote songs that were hits, but not by using the corporate formula being pushed on them. The idea that someone wrote this book and I have it in my hand goes against the "you don't have to do anything" message. I like the message, even if it's confounded. No message is free from counter examples. What I like is the quality of empathy, caring and honoring of one's truth, authenticity of her characters. There's a real kindness in the imaginary communities she creates. 

The genderless pronouns and sibling instead of brother or sister for a monk for Sibling Dex in A Psalm for the Wild-Built is going to take some getting used to. In a way the gender construct has some information to the degree that people cling or reject it, and to get a blank feels weird. I mean I want a post-gender world where gender doesn't matter.  The book uses "they" instead of him or her or she or him. And that makes me think of plural, like there are more people around instead of a monk of some moon in the future where there are gods we don't recognize.  Sex of course is a biological thing and that marks biological female and male, but that doesn't mandate anything about femininity and masculinity which are social constructs. If men work they can drink and punch walls. Women can be dependent and express feelings. Those are social ideas of being.  Transgender experience is puzzling, and really might be the last prejudice to overcome. I don't think we...