A review by blythebeary
Earthsong by Suzette Haden Elgin

4.0

I would rate the entire trilogy a 5/5 stars, but wanted to be clear that the first book was my favorite. What I liked about the trilogy as a whole was its unique presentation of the scale and scope of change, and from a distinctly female gaze and perspective. So often strong women are just masculine females, probably who have been raped. This is nothing like that, nor does it even approach that narrative style. Only a few women are so important that they are consistently named, but mostly it's about making slow, meandering change over generations, with the satisfaction of results only going to the reader who can actually see it. The scale and scope are illustrated in the myriad of vignettes of Terran men and women throughout Terra and the galaxy over a lengthy timeline, with only a few connecting into anything like a story. The third book took me by surprise by straying from the linguistic element and becoming even more broad in the timeline, but it also was the most firm in its indictment of human violence. But certainly the lesson was clear: The problem is fundamental and the change will be incremental. But it is absolutely worth it.