Hannah
John Green's “curiosity megaphone” offers a story that completely shifted my perspective and understanding of the historical complexities of TB. It also put words to the connected injustices related to our healthcare system and the product of living in an oligarchy (where there's an abundance of knowledge & resources to cure TB).
Food for thought I've been craving! It's heavy yet imaginative and grounded in a liberated reality. O'Brien and Abdelhadi brilliantly capture the “what ifs” when reclaiming systems for us all. Centering the idea of communizing resources, spaces, and systems - I found myself wondering and weeping about the possibilities this version of world building offers. What would it be like to not assume what's best for others (even children), to live in symbiosis with one another and our natural environments, care for ourselves through relationships and localized “systems”, harnessing creativity when not bogged down by working for others/corporate greed to simply have basic needs met....
“Turns out, so much of what we thought was supporting us was holding us back”. (Pg. 152)
Complex and brilliant as is usual for Octavia Butler. While considered science fiction, the reality she grounds her readers in around the complications of religion, technology, power, government, radicalization, violence, etc. - all the while illustrating depth and dimension to her characters- created a story worthy of reading again and again.
The concept of Doppelgängers and mirrors/parallels drawn were both fascinating and validating as a framework. Dense in some parts but intellectually rich & deeply introspective. Loved the undertones of identity exploration in this politically fractured moment.