altlovesbooks

"In chaos, no one won."

I was expecting something entirely different than what this book delivered. I think there's something here for someone who wants a gendered discussion of a female pirate (co-)captain's life during the age of piracy in China, but that kind of wasn't what I was looking for when I picked this one up. There's no cool pirate captain action, no high seas battles, just a woman trying to keep her fleet together after the death of her pirate captain husband and philosophizing about a woman's lot in life.

Honestly, I thought it was quite a bit dry and boring. I never really came to sympathize with Shek Yeung, and honestly found what she thought of the people around her kind of depressing. I actually found Cheung Po way more sympathetic, (early book plot spoilers) because he clearly cared for Shek Yeung, but she actively avoided sharing those feelings.

There's something here if you're looking for something introspective, but nothing here if you're just looking for a cool pirate book.

I thought this book was inoffensively bland at its best and actively harmful at its worst. Early on in the book it talks about determining if the difficult conversation is one that you need to be having at all, and gives the example of two coworkers who aren't getting along. A direct quote from the book about this scenario:

"If you still feel like you need to say something, either because you are the defacto leader, or that the tension between these two coworkers is generally making for an uncomfortable work environment; then the only conversation that you might have is to empower the one who has come to you to have the conversation themselves. You might suggest, 'It sounds to me that there are some important things you need to discuss with your coworker. I know it will be a difficult conversation, but it is probably best that you talk to them rather than me since you are most directly involved.'"

Yes, I'd love for people to be adults about everything, but as a supervisor/manager, there are absolutely times you need to clear up interpersonal issues. Washing your hands of the situation and dumping it back on them to figure out is not a good look.

The rest of the book talks about how to actually have difficult conversations, but most of it is information that I thought was rather obvious. Know your facts, don't make assumptions, don't coe out swinging with wild accusations. I don't like their idea of using a 3x5 card with your talking points, though, since it then looks like you're talking to your card and not to the person, but whatever.

Skip this, was not impressed.