Kirstin

This book raised my heart rate every time I was reading. It very effectively transferred the feeling of anxiety from the main character to me as the reader, but that effectiveness didn't feel enjoyable. Even with the character growth by the end of the novel, I was still frustrated with our character. It was definitely an exercise in understanding and embodying the complexity of enmeshed families and relationships. I almost want to re-read it, but I also am so happy to be done with the stresd that this book made me feel. 

I'd like to get a physical copy of this! Listening was great, but reading and writing and sitting with the commitments longer will, I think, provide a more fulsome experience. 

This is an anthology of short stories, written by young Gazans - people who are from there, and who may still live there. It is devastating, and funny and hopeful at times, and so beautiful. Incredible work by the authors and editor, including the short biographies at the end of the book. 
Grateful to KoboPlus to have this available as part of my subscription. 

SAPIENS was disappointing. Of course, to even attempt to provide an accurate or somewhat comprehensive history of the species is a mountainous task, and that can be applauded. 
But. 
Harari's choices in this novel struck me as incredibly biased and, frankly, patriarchal  and hegemonic. When understanding that he is a History scholar, this makes some sense - he is focusing on what the victors have focused on! But, as he posits the history of Sapiens (at least early stages) to basically be about and determined by biology, his choices to skim over historical systems of oppression aree shown to be problematic.
I was hoping throughout the book that there would be refutations of pseudo-science and fake evolutionary biology (aka eugenics), or at the very least, recognition of the biases that lead to racist and sexist policies, but Harari only included analysis of theories when he clearly disagreed with them, such as around the Agricultural Revolution. 
There are interesting parts in this book, and as a very high level view of evolutionary understanding of the human species and history, I found some value in it. But the number of times that this book made me laugh or fume or roll my eyes greatly outweighed the appreciation that I have for it. If I want to have human history and biology mansplained to me by someone who is not an expert in either, I'll go to a local undergraduate class. 

Full review will come, maybe/probably when I'm done the whole series. 
What a start to a series. This was so fun and fast and devastating and GOOD.