A review by bebidocrimes
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

inspiring reflective fast-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

4.25

This reminded me a bit of the episode of the Jordan Peele Twilight Zone where a team of astronauts launch into space just as nuclear armageddon begins. What decisions do you make when you don't know what is going on back home? Are they all really dead? Do we have a right to take the opportunity to fly away and make a new life elsewhere? It gives the reader a decision to make at the end, but I don't think it's easy to take directly. The Earth in that story at that point in time has experienced a geomagnetic storm from a solar burst that knocked out all technology. We as readers don't know what that resulted in, and I feel inadequate to make the call: do we bring the astronauts home or send them to a new habitable planet? I do think this book makes a beautiful case for exploration for the sake of sating curiosity, we all want to know what's out there. It takes into account that it is not selfish to worry more about our own planet before we look to others, as well as people using technological advancements for their own gains, be it money or fame or ego. I think it is human nature to want to know more, especially when we feel so isolated and alone in our galaxy. I really love the bonus content in the back, interviewing her astrobiologist consultant (and mom) which shows why Chamber's stories read a bit like The Martian but not down to every mote of dust and without so much pretension. It really blends where our understanding lies now and where it could lead, while taking a few liberties for the sake of wonder. Temporary evolutionary editing sounds dope as hell, I want to go to a 2G planet just so my little chip will make me jacked. I want to be able to absorb space's ambient radiation as a fuel source!
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