A thought-provoking article ...

[thorir2007.livejournal.com]

...for those who like thought-provoking articles:

The Great and Bizarre Men of Color Movement in Antebellum New Orleans

1. Ragamuffin, by Tobias Buckell

[rydra_wong]

First off, I've got to say that I appreciate it when a book passes the Bechdel test (a. two women, who b. talk to each other, about c. something other than a man) within the first few pages, and keeps passing it at regular intervals throughout.

This is the sequel to Buckell's first novel, Crystal Rain, and on one level it's just a rip-roaring good read, a hyperkinetic riff on a number of classic space opera and cyberpunk tropes. An ass-kicking cyborg heroine! A galactic network of wormholes! Pilots plugging their brains directly into their ships! Giant space habitats! A plucky human resistance against the evil alien overlords! Several set-piece action sequences which have "Just Waiting To Be A Major Motion Picture" written all over them!

But the Caribbean-centric diversity of the novel isn't just set-dressing or coincidence; Buckell (who recently wrote an interesting blog post on being multi-racial and identifying as a Caribbean author) deftly integrates themes of colonialism and diaspora in a way which puts a spin on many of the familiar tropes. The plucky human resistance is more than somewhat morally ambiguous, and some of the "evil" aliens may be refugees themselves (which doesn't necessarily make them nice people - but then, many of the humans aren't either ...)

Some of Buckell's prose feels a little awkward (I admit to an allergy to comma splices), but he writes fantastic dialogue, including patois and code-switching in a way which rang very true to me (though I'd be interested to know how it strikes Caribbean readers). And while the breakneck pace doesn't allow for a great deal of psychological depth, there are some genuinely surprising twists (one of which involves the death of a character who I was positive was guaranteed survival by all the laws of adventure stories).

In short, this is a fun read. But it's more than just that, and Buckell's definitely a new sf writer worth watching. And -- a space opera where the rebel starships have names like Starfunk Ayatollah and Cornell West? What's not to love?

By the way, if you're interested in checking it out, Buckell's made the first third of the novel available for free at his website here.

1. Crystal Rain, by Tobias Buckell

[chipmunk-planet.livejournal.com]

I read this recently and am looking forward to reading Ragamuffin, the sequel.

I got excited about this book because it was Caribbean SF with airships (I mean, who wouldn't be excited about that?) but this story just feels real. The cadences of the characters' speech set the scenery as much as the descriptions of the jungle around them (which are excellent). I felt like I was there in the story, something you don't often get with an author's first book. I was impressed. :)

The fact that John LeBrun is ... different ... in color, speech, and in his lack of memory of his past, just adds to the mystery of what is going on. The author uses John's little boy, Jerome, as a way to relate stories of wormholes and other worlds and the alien conflict these people have fallen into without dumping information at us or making the child a placeholder -- he has a story just as real as the adults'.

And Pepper just kicks ass. I love him!

The only thing I didn't like as well was how little mention was made of John's wife. I would have liked to see more of her point of view.

1. Some of My Best Friends: Writings on Interracial Friendships, ed. Emily Bernard

[jinian.livejournal.com]

This'll be short -- I can't hope to write a better review than oyceter did, and I generally don't write a lot when I booklog.

I do want to mention the David Mura essay, which I found disconcertingly vivid and challenging. He talks about anger and activism and trust and change, and I'm still questioning myself and falling short.

John Gennari's "Nearer, My God, To Thee" was maybe the most accessible essay for me, not because the author, like me, is white, but because of the vicious schadenfreude he imputes to his black friend William when William is putting people on the spot. It really is a particular joy to Show Them All when people are assuming I'm less than I am. I'm guessing William gets more chances at it than I do, and that it's not worth it.

Highly recommended.

2. The Mis-Education of the Negro, by Carter Woodson

[chipmunk-planet.livejournal.com]

A scathing denunciation of modern (at the writing, 1933) education of Black Americans, delving into every corner of society. This book has more excellent quotes than would fit on this post, but the author's main argument is that Blacks are being 'educated' to see themselves as inferior to whites and trained to function in a white society where they will not be allowed to fairly compete, instead of obtaining the kind of education that will allow them to achieve and help their communities by studying Black history, religion, literature, philosophy and economics.

This is an eye-opening (for me, anyway) look into what Jim Crow was really like, a Dark Ages of American history. The author gives a comparison to the late 19th century advances post-Emancipation, bringing out how (intentionally or not) racist educators later shaped Black attitudes towards themselves.

The full text is online for free here.

2. The Marvelous Effect, Troy CLE

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Judging by Troy CLE's Myspace page, this book may be more of a phenomenon than I'd thought from hearing of it on the most recent POC SF Carnival.

As usual for YA SFF novels, the inevitable Harry Potter comparison is ridiculous. The Marvelous Effect uses a strange comic-book/radio-drama style full of puffery and asides to create a really unusual feel. I had trouble getting into it, and I don't think it worked all the time, but it's an impressive effort. The plot is fairly simple: transdimensional beings want to corrupt and rule Earth, while certain humans are powerful chosen ones (here Celestial-Like Entities -- CLEs, hmm) and will fight. Its madcap rush onwards with extra sensationalism, though, is weird and fun, and I actually do think the style might get kids to read who wouldn't otherwise. I wish it were more feminist, but it's pretty great in its way.

Recommended.