A review by krisheiney
Up the Walls of the World by James Tiptree Jr.

adventurous challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book is bonkers. I didn’t always enjoy reading it, but I love it anyway. I’m glad I read Tiptree’s other work and her biography first and fairly recently—I don’t think I could have gone along with the wild storyline and themes without that background.

I grant that this book is flawed, but I love the Tyrenni and their windswept joy, I love Tiptree’s nuanced construction of Tyrenni gender roles and communication styles and hierarchies. I love the focus on empathy and parenting and respect. I love how Alli Sheldon inhabits a male perspective and shows the world beyond maleness with such vivid simultaneous pain and beauty.

“For the first time he has really grasped life’s most eerie lesson:

The Other Exists.