From the get go, I felt this book in my soul. I used to joke that staying at my college over break was the wild west with the dining halls being closeFrom the get go, I felt this book in my soul. I used to joke that staying at my college over break was the wild west with the dining halls being closed. A lot of doemstic FGLI students even pointed out the fact that a lot of us couldn't even work during breaks as jobs went to international students first. I remember my junior and senior year was especially rough. There was a time senior year when at home, I had to use my phone as a mobile hotspot and use a box as a table in the bathroom to write a paper. Food wasn't guranteed and neither was safety or the space to think about the complex emergent systems of ants. The hood and going back to poverty and dealing with the compounding traumatic incidents were complex enough. Yet, I graduated somehow. Did I enjoy my 4 years? Looking back I can say I appreciated it, but it wasn't particularily enjoyable. So hearing how these issues still remains and were exacerbated by COVID, wasn't a surprise. However, I'm writiing all of this from reading just the first chapter. I'm sure my thoughts about this book will only improve. Feel very valdiated but also learn something new about how I can improve the experience of the FLGI kids that will come after me....more
I read this book years ago. Great book. Some say it's YA but the themes are rather adult. it is action packed but also is supported by deeper meaningsI read this book years ago. Great book. Some say it's YA but the themes are rather adult. it is action packed but also is supported by deeper meanings. Sets up the stage nicely for the rest of the Enderverse. This book changed the way I understood the I Ching. ...more
I binge read this book. It's been years since I finished Ender's Game. I loved that book, it helped me understand the I Ching Hexagram 15 in more detaI binge read this book. It's been years since I finished Ender's Game. I loved that book, it helped me understand the I Ching Hexagram 15 in more detail. I've been meaning to pick this book up. Let me say that it reminded me of the Children of Time trilogy. I binge read it untill 4 am today, which says a lot about the book. In this book, Ender has matured a bit and has carried the weight of his actions from his first book. I wish I could say more but still processing this book. This book was what Card wanted to originally write but needed the prelude of Ender's Game to flesh it out. Overall, it's a great book about what it means to truly understand an alien species. However, it does read differently than the first book and it did remind me of more contemporary works that have carried some of the ideas better. Will I read Xenocide? Maybe. I need to read something untill my Audible credit renews so I can finish out the Hyperion series. ...more
This book is free with my Audible account, so I decided to give it a listen as this abridged version is only 4 hours long. My thoughts with any RobertThis book is free with my Audible account, so I decided to give it a listen as this abridged version is only 4 hours long. My thoughts with any Robert Greene book are to read it not as a guide but as more of a collection of stories and quotes. His background is in classics after all. It's like a fancy picture book but about "primal" human instincts. Regardless, it is enjoyable to hear of famous actors from back in the day most have not heard of due to the passage of time, fictional or real. I will most likely forget 99 percent of this book, but I will remember the first line: those who have no insecurities and are comfortable with themselves are impossible to seduce. It is interesting to hear his idea that to become more attractive, we have to be less insecure and egotistic and become more of who we are; to embrace our natural qualities that are already attractive. This book isn't a quick pick-up book, rather it details what makes an idea or someone so seductive. Simply put, it's seductive because it fills a missing part in us. Moving onto Ego is the Enemy as that is also super popular nowadays......more
This book talks about something very few book does, and that is ego. We're told that we need to have passion and find life's goals. But we rarely put This book talks about something very few book does, and that is ego. We're told that we need to have passion and find life's goals. But we rarely put in the work. Or are humble; we believe we deserve certain experiences. A short book, it does get repetitive at times, but I don't mind it because the lessons here are important. It's a constant effort to check oneself before one wrecks himself. Instead of asking who we want to be, we should ask what are we doing? Because by doing, we become. I copied 25 quotes from this book. Will refer back to this book every year. ...more
What Krakauer does well is his side stories that add depth to the narrative. My first Krakauer was Into the Wild. My second is Into Thin Air. His nonlWhat Krakauer does well is his side stories that add depth to the narrative. My first Krakauer was Into the Wild. My second is Into Thin Air. His nonlinear stories and chapters also add considerable depth to the history and the gravity of the attempt to climb Everest. Overall, a short and compelling read. ...more
Currently on Chapter 7. Wow just wow. If you are a writer or a naturalist or an environmentalist, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. There arCurrently on Chapter 7. Wow just wow. If you are a writer or a naturalist or an environmentalist, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. There are two books on Audible read by Bass, his "For a Little While" and this book. This book made me laugh and realize the importance of mentorship in writing but also the constant journey to better ourselves.
Wow! I just finished listening to this. The issue with modern education is that we don't take the time to choose our mentors. Or take the time to reflect. We follow a predetermined road expecting a smooth ride. Bass took 3 years out of his life to thank his mentors by cooking for them. Sharing a bit of the Yak food and culture. In life, food and drink with our friends is important despite being deprioritized. Also Bass is nearing old age and he reflects on his life and writing appropriately so. Overall, I read this after For a Little While and they both go hand in hand. Maybe one day, I’ll get my doctorate then move to the Arctic and write about life in America from the other side. ...more
I thought this book was a solid 4 star book. But I think the impact and what this book does brings it to 5 stars. I would love to give this book to myI thought this book was a solid 4 star book. But I think the impact and what this book does brings it to 5 stars. I would love to give this book to my close friends when I'm going through my struggles so they can understand me better.
A lot of people are reading this book after the author's previous editing of Sensory: Life on the Spectrum Comic Anthology. But this book is the author's personal journey that still continues to this day with daily life and the struggles of neurodivergent people. The world isn't designed for neurodivergent people. Autistic people have an extremely elevated risk for isolation, ideation, bullying, low self image, and etc. We're not all happy beneath our masks. I felt validated reading their story and found it important. The last line, "The sky doesn't need to be clear to be beautiful" sums up the author's journey. I think the negative reviews are from people who state the book feels like a feels dump or a trauma dump with few solutions. I disagree. It's a memoir of the authors personal struggles with mental health as an AuDHD person. It requires bravery and courage to put yourself out there including how AuDHD people can be extremely hard on themselves. How do we go from the toxic positivity and the superhuman or "You're more than your Disabilities" ableist rhetoric into acceptance? I believe the journey is unique but the Autistic population often gets infanttilized and never heard....more
I just finished this book. WOW. The way each stories wrapped up with the monologues of each character and their reflections. The role of generational I just finished this book. WOW. The way each stories wrapped up with the monologues of each character and their reflections. The role of generational trauma and expectations. The acknowledgements at the end were beautiful. Glad my library had this on Libby with no wait times; because this was a great read. Here is a partial quote, "All to defend his home, his dreams, against the threat of us, a horde of refugees, who had come here because we had no other dreams left. What other choice was there but to escape to this valley of dust and pollen and California smog? Where else was there to go in the aftermath of genocide?" I may not have enjoyed every story but each story felt realistic but also very meta as well.
Even though the book has elements of queer identity, the book is more than just a sum of it's parts and shouldn't be limited to one category. It's about the intersectionality of what it means to love when your parents didn't have the luxury of love. It's about the loss of memories, the presssure of expectations. Generational differences. The last paragraph of each story: the reflections of every character and their monologue of their life against the past and the future. The pressure to be more than what you've done so far. The restive feeling of wandering after attending college. Your parents tell you to go to college, you do then what? You come home. A home your parents came despite not knowing this is where they will raise their children. Some not knowing how they will do it alone.
I was devastated to find out this book was published after the author's death. The acknowledgement was beautiful. He put elements of himself and his experiences in these stories. I love the title Afterparties. Glad I read this in a couple of days for the book club....more
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