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Dec. 4th, 2014 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsDecember 4th! the_rck asked me about one book I think everyone should read, which is a question I'm having a lot of trouble answering. People are so different! There are very, very books I would actually recommend universally. And even the books that I think almost everyone would like doesn't mean I think everyone should read them. VALUE JUDGMENTS ARE DIFFICULT. Like, I do think Howl's Moving Castle, for ex., is almost universally charming to some degree but I don't need it to be imposed on a high school curriculum!
...that's a good way to think about this, though, I guess. What books would I put on a curriculum, if I were designing one? Here's a few uncategorized options:
The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein, because as well as being a good book it's a really useful way of understanding the scientific method
The History of White People, Nell Irvin Painter, because hey, let's start thinking about whiteness as a socially constructed race like everything else and not as a default template, thanks
The Stories of Ibis, Hiroshi Yamamoto, because yes, let's talk about sociology and humanity and relationships in the digital age, hypothetical high school classroom, let's do it!
Black Maria, Diana Wynne Jones (or Aunt Maria, depending on your edition), because OF COURSE I'm putting a Diana Wynne Jones book in my hypothetical classroom curriculum. "But why Black Maria, you don't even agree with most of Black Maria, it's full of bizarre gendered weirdness!" you may say, to which I say, "YES, ABSOLUTELY, LET'S ALL READ IT AND PICK IT APART AND TALK ABOUT IT." :D?
...uh, I don't think this really answered the question that was asked at all. Apologies!
the_rck asked me about one book I think everyone should read, which is a question I'm having a lot of trouble answering. People are so different! There are very, very books I would actually recommend universally. And even the books that I think almost everyone would like doesn't mean I think everyone should read them. VALUE JUDGMENTS ARE DIFFICULT. Like, I do think Howl's Moving Castle, for ex., is almost universally charming to some degree but I don't need it to be imposed on a high school curriculum!...that's a good way to think about this, though, I guess. What books would I put on a curriculum, if I were designing one? Here's a few uncategorized options:
The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein, because as well as being a good book it's a really useful way of understanding the scientific method
The History of White People, Nell Irvin Painter, because hey, let's start thinking about whiteness as a socially constructed race like everything else and not as a default template, thanks
The Stories of Ibis, Hiroshi Yamamoto, because yes, let's talk about sociology and humanity and relationships in the digital age, hypothetical high school classroom, let's do it!
Black Maria, Diana Wynne Jones (or Aunt Maria, depending on your edition), because OF COURSE I'm putting a Diana Wynne Jones book in my hypothetical classroom curriculum. "But why Black Maria, you don't even agree with most of Black Maria, it's full of bizarre gendered weirdness!" you may say, to which I say, "YES, ABSOLUTELY, LET'S ALL READ IT AND PICK IT APART AND TALK ABOUT IT." :D?
...uh, I don't think this really answered the question that was asked at all. Apologies!
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Date: 2014-12-04 11:54 pm (UTC)I should finish the second Steerswoman book. I don't remember why I put it down. I'd probably have to start over from the beginning because I've forgotten all the details.
I also don't remember Aunt Maria nearly as well as some others of Jones's books. I think I didn't click with it. Of course, that might well make it interesting to talk about. Failure can be more interesting to talk about than success.
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Date: 2014-12-05 03:09 pm (UTC)Black Maria is a failure in a lot of ways, I think, but I find it a really fascinating failure; it nags in my head for weeks every time I reread it. It's DWJ trying to come to terms with how internalized sexism screws people up, and she's not very good at it because internalized sexism has, in fact, screwed her up. But it's so interesting to watch her try!