Reading Kyle Harper's book made me wonder just how much of history was driven by exogenous natural events rather than the actions of human beings. I read a few books on this theme last year and I especially enjoyed John L Brooke's 'Climate Change and the Course of Global History: A Rough Journey' which makes this case quite well.
I think a lot of questions regarding the tone and content of children's and YA literature in the Anglosphere today could be answered by looking at the the nature of what writers there are living in as a working community. Going from the drama that actually makes it out into the wider online world, it's a sharkpit that makes the current state of academia seem like a day care.
On the school books, you're not overreacting. This is crazy. The books are either about oppression and struggle because of race/gender/sexuality, or an escape to "magic realism" and fantasy.
Are there no other challenges and adventures that'll connect with middle schoolers of today. Is this all that life is about? Or are these the obsessions and anxieties of the authors visited upon them, which will haunt them for the rest of their lives?
After your podcast with Ramez Naam I looked up his science fiction books. His first book, Nexus, is spectacular. It’s as good as anything by William Gibson and better than most Michael Crichton. My likes-science-fiction-but-isn’t-a-nerd wife loved it too and read it in a day. We’ve got the two sequels sitting here waiting to be read (and the first one is exactly as standalone as the reviews say — you’ll want to read more but the first book is completely self-contained and you won’t feel like you have to read the sequels to get a proper experience).
Reading "Dangerous Ideas" by Eric Berkowitz. A history of censorship going back to before Antiquity. Surprisingly dence, I really think RK would like this one.
Reading Kyle Harper's book made me wonder just how much of history was driven by exogenous natural events rather than the actions of human beings. I read a few books on this theme last year and I especially enjoyed John L Brooke's 'Climate Change and the Course of Global History: A Rough Journey' which makes this case quite well.
I think a lot of questions regarding the tone and content of children's and YA literature in the Anglosphere today could be answered by looking at the the nature of what writers there are living in as a working community. Going from the drama that actually makes it out into the wider online world, it's a sharkpit that makes the current state of academia seem like a day care.
On the school books, you're not overreacting. This is crazy. The books are either about oppression and struggle because of race/gender/sexuality, or an escape to "magic realism" and fantasy.
Are there no other challenges and adventures that'll connect with middle schoolers of today. Is this all that life is about? Or are these the obsessions and anxieties of the authors visited upon them, which will haunt them for the rest of their lives?
After your podcast with Ramez Naam I looked up his science fiction books. His first book, Nexus, is spectacular. It’s as good as anything by William Gibson and better than most Michael Crichton. My likes-science-fiction-but-isn’t-a-nerd wife loved it too and read it in a day. We’ve got the two sequels sitting here waiting to be read (and the first one is exactly as standalone as the reviews say — you’ll want to read more but the first book is completely self-contained and you won’t feel like you have to read the sequels to get a proper experience).
Reading "Dangerous Ideas" by Eric Berkowitz. A history of censorship going back to before Antiquity. Surprisingly dence, I really think RK would like this one.
I'm reading the Forgotten Revolution by Lucio Russo (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19890668-the-forgotten-revolution)
I haven't learned so much from a book in a long time. Highly recommended.