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archytas's reviews
1703 reviews
Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan
This is clearly written, highly accessible survey of the science around ageing. This ranges from the mechanics of cells function through to topics such as dementia and the collapse of homostasis. He also looks at length at research around how to "combat" ageing from caloric restriction to cryogenics. The book is technical without being difficult, but also sticks to a pretty high level in most cases. It comes alive through Ramakrishnan's clear passion for his discipline and desire to communicate more clearly about what ageing actually entails. He is far from edgy in his interpretations - there is some basic selfish gene stuff I thought was overly simplified - but his analysis avoids easy answers on the social impacts, if not always the science.
He is carefully neutra, but you do get a feel that he is not a huge fan of delayed ageing, at least without having solved the myriad of social problems supporting an infirm population brings with it, and the problems of infirmity itself. Or maybe that was just me reading my own doubts on this.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
This is clearly written, highly accessible survey of the science around ageing. This ranges from the mechanics of cells function through to topics such as dementia and the collapse of homostasis. He also looks at length at research around how to "combat" ageing from caloric restriction to cryogenics. The book is technical without being difficult, but also sticks to a pretty high level in most cases. It comes alive through Ramakrishnan's clear passion for his discipline and desire to communicate more clearly about what ageing actually entails. He is far from edgy in his interpretations - there is some basic selfish gene stuff I thought was overly simplified - but his analysis avoids easy answers on the social impacts, if not always the science.
He is carefully neutra, but you do get a feel that he is not a huge fan of delayed ageing, at least without having solved the myriad of social problems supporting an infirm population brings with it, and the problems of infirmity itself. Or maybe that was just me reading my own doubts on this.
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really enjoyed this one right up to the end, and then, well, I didn't love it anymore. The world building is compelling, and having the focus on an international spy-librarian-adventurer-enforcer school let that get explored. But maybe there just wasnt enough wish fulfillment for me.
Commander of the River by Ubah Cristina Ali Farah
It was hard to find reviews of this short novel in English, so I went in not being sure what to expect. Ali Farah picks up the story in the middle, and the slow reveals combined with such gorgeously sharp characterisation of her young protagonists - and their valiant, vivacious mothers - made it a real treat. The writing is measured, evocative of riverside Rome, but shines with how the interior life of our drifting main character feels. The book captures the experiences of between betwixt and between, colorism and immigration, as well as the resiliance that loving found family can provide.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It was hard to find reviews of this short novel in English, so I went in not being sure what to expect. Ali Farah picks up the story in the middle, and the slow reveals combined with such gorgeously sharp characterisation of her young protagonists - and their valiant, vivacious mothers - made it a real treat. The writing is measured, evocative of riverside Rome, but shines with how the interior life of our drifting main character feels. The book captures the experiences of between betwixt and between, colorism and immigration, as well as the resiliance that loving found family can provide.
Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman Jr.
informative
reflective
3.75
Forman seeks to answer a big question here - what role did black leaders and communities play in supporting what has become mass incarceration of people of colour in the United States. To do so, he takes a tight focus on Washington DC, tracing the evolution of black commentary and activism from the 1960s through to today. As he notes in the introduction, this is not to imply that white power structures and racism were not drivers of the policy, but rather to look at how this played in black communities.
The story is an engaging, if depressing, one. Forman shows how demands like black representation within the police - originally seen as a way to eliminate racist policing - were struggles that were bitterly resisted, but eventually resulted in a growing black law and order officials coterie, which along with an aspirational middle class often looked to institutions of power to resolve problems in poorer black communities. He dissects how divisions amid responses to the heroin epidemic led to a focus on policing solutions over a public health approach. Essentially, he paints a picture where the absence of community-led solutions to drug use and antisocial behaviour led to an inordinate focus on self policing, which eventually, of course, just supported the kind of policing being promoted more broadly.
At times I did feel this suffered from an absence of broader perspective, but in other ways I think the tight focus makes for an easily understood story,
The story is an engaging, if depressing, one. Forman shows how demands like black representation within the police - originally seen as a way to eliminate racist policing - were struggles that were bitterly resisted, but eventually resulted in a growing black law and order officials coterie, which along with an aspirational middle class often looked to institutions of power to resolve problems in poorer black communities. He dissects how divisions amid responses to the heroin epidemic led to a focus on policing solutions over a public health approach. Essentially, he paints a picture where the absence of community-led solutions to drug use and antisocial behaviour led to an inordinate focus on self policing, which eventually, of course, just supported the kind of policing being promoted more broadly.
At times I did feel this suffered from an absence of broader perspective, but in other ways I think the tight focus makes for an easily understood story,
The Thinning by Inga Simpson
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
On an exceptionally enjoyable set of Stella Prize long listees for 2025, this is one of the most enjoyable reads. Simpson combines strong characterisation, with a slow reveal backstory and a fast paced plot, all combined with gorgeous descriptions of bushland around central NSW. This is thoughtfully written, weaving around themes of identity, responsibility and what it means to be human, all tied up in a coming of age fable. Oh, and there's lots of astronomy. This feels like a strong tale well told, with a clear (heh) point of view . It works, in part, because the plot itself is simple, making the focus on the outcome, the world and the people. (I did get unreasonably distracted by trying to work out the setting, based on a mention of the 2003 Canberra bushfires, which felt like it made it too soon for the time taken for the kids to grow, but I am odd like that).
I'm not sure it would make my Stella shortlist - there are some really stunning entries this year - but I think this is something I will be recommending a lot for just how well it balances all the elements, and how broadly I think it can appeal. And how lyrically it celebrates our world, terrestial and celestial.
I'm not sure it would make my Stella shortlist - there are some really stunning entries this year - but I think this is something I will be recommending a lot for just how well it balances all the elements, and how broadly I think it can appeal. And how lyrically it celebrates our world, terrestial and celestial.
Notes on Camp by Susan Sontag
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Sontag writes with relish, and the often flamboyant prose suits the subject matter. These essays - the first more compelling than the second - seem mostly interesting now from a historical perspective. While the focus in on the camp aesthetic, even the fact that Sontag views this as aligned with, not synonymous with, queer culture speaks to a world where other futures seemed possible, or maybe it is just that so much was hidden.
Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I could have lots of criticisms of Fundamentally - the humour for starters is not really my style - but I tore through reading this and have not been able to stop thinking about it since. Most of the reviews will emphasise that this is definately popular fiction - jokes abound, our protagonist is the kind of adorably-hopeless-but-still-somehow-smart-and-competant woman that dominate the shelves and the UN world is sharply and amusingly skewered. But what is interesting to me is how sharp the ideas in this book are. Younis has things to say here, and through her finely drawn characters, especially Nadia, an avoidant mess of an academic and Sara, a sarcastic ISIS recruit now locked in a refugee camp, she gives us a world where little is as simple as the characters want it to be.
Underneath this, there is a very real situation. There are thousands of women and children - now teenagers - living in refugee camps basically abandoned by their countries of origin. Unsurprisingly, these camps are training grounds for ISIS, providing an enduring social base. While few are from Western countries - despite the enduring fascination - the issues surrounding those who went to fight for the "Caliphate" are well portrayed here. Younis compares and contrasts Sara's fundamentalism with Nadia's jaded athiesm. Both characters find living Muslim in Britain difficult, and both seek outside their traditional faith for answers. Younis also sounds a warning, however, about over-identifying - as Nadia becomes more obsessed with helping Sara, she becomes less effective at her overall goal of resettling as many of the women as possible. Younis provides no easy solutions to the balance of empathy and cynicism in this work, the morality of making trade offs that might sell some short to make gains for others, but rather raises pointed questions.
If this works more as observation on our world than solution to it, it is not painfully hanging. Our characters get proper arcs with satisfying resolution. I'm a bit over the genre, but the solid core of the story was enough to keep me engaged - and to mainline the entire Shamina Begum Story podcast straight afterwards. (Sara's situation is clearly ripped from Begum's story, but the character is not remotely based on her. Younis has reiterated several times that this is how she imagined herself to be, should she have taken a different path at 15).
Underneath this, there is a very real situation. There are thousands of women and children - now teenagers - living in refugee camps basically abandoned by their countries of origin. Unsurprisingly, these camps are training grounds for ISIS, providing an enduring social base. While few are from Western countries - despite the enduring fascination - the issues surrounding those who went to fight for the "Caliphate" are well portrayed here. Younis compares and contrasts Sara's fundamentalism with Nadia's jaded athiesm. Both characters find living Muslim in Britain difficult, and both seek outside their traditional faith for answers. Younis also sounds a warning, however, about over-identifying - as Nadia becomes more obsessed with helping Sara, she becomes less effective at her overall goal of resettling as many of the women as possible. Younis provides no easy solutions to the balance of empathy and cynicism in this work, the morality of making trade offs that might sell some short to make gains for others, but rather raises pointed questions.
If this works more as observation on our world than solution to it, it is not painfully hanging. Our characters get proper arcs with satisfying resolution. I'm a bit over the genre, but the solid core of the story was enough to keep me engaged - and to mainline the entire Shamina Begum Story podcast straight afterwards. (Sara's situation is clearly ripped from Begum's story, but the character is not remotely based on her. Younis has reiterated several times that this is how she imagined herself to be, should she have taken a different path at 15).
The Science of Racism: Everything you need to know but probably don't - yet by Keon West, Keon West
informative
medium-paced
4.25
"I personally would much rather live in a world in which every White man wanted to lynch me, but none of them had the power to do it, than a world in which no White men wanted to lynch me, but every single one of them had the power to do it. In the first instance, I may be disliked, but I am still perfectly safe. In the second, I am safe for the moment, but my life and security hang on the whims of people who could, at any time, and for any reason, withdraw that goodwill. No matter how effectively we do it, we will never solve racism by focusing exclusively on getting White people to like ethnic minorities more. Sooner or later, we must alter the nature of our society so that ethnic minorities can be less concerned about whether White people like them or not."
West is a social scientist, and the science of racism examines the evidence that racism exists and the impact that it has. Many of the studies discussed here I had heard of in general terms - although others looking at the gap between how people predict their actions and how they act - I had not. There is excellent material on why implicit bias is not necessarily unconcious, and why being aware of it won't assist in combating it. But the sharpest parts of the book take aim at the structures of power and how it is these which ensure the impact of racism.
West is a social scientist, and the science of racism examines the evidence that racism exists and the impact that it has. Many of the studies discussed here I had heard of in general terms - although others looking at the gap between how people predict their actions and how they act - I had not. There is excellent material on why implicit bias is not necessarily unconcious, and why being aware of it won't assist in combating it. But the sharpest parts of the book take aim at the structures of power and how it is these which ensure the impact of racism.
Naag Mountain by Manisha Anjali
emotional
reflective
5.0
"I hold a conch shell to my ear to experience the music of the sea. The shell was made by an animal spirit with a longing to live, and a vision for love that spanned across generations. The seashell outlived the animal but carried their spirit in sound waves. I hear the sounds of paradise from the future. I go to the end of paradise to live my destiny.
We find a foamy part of the ocean and take off our bangles, our blouses and our petticoats. We change into fish and read the water. We cut a circle in the watery mythology. This is how we cut time in half. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company planted our bloodlines in the great southern waters. This is how our tea and biscuits became sweet on red Australian afternoons. There is a name for us. Coolie."
Naag Mountain approaches the same story from two different directions and times. What comes together is a story of being and becoming, of unity of people, sea and land. This is the kind of poetry you must read aloud, tasting the words and feeling into the rhythm which conveys this unity and almost inevitability. Anjali's images bloom in your mind as you read. I times I kept drifting in the moments, losing track of the whole, and this was a wonderful thing. This is really gorgeous poetry, which takes you on a journey and has something to show us. It doesn't get much better than that.
We find a foamy part of the ocean and take off our bangles, our blouses and our petticoats. We change into fish and read the water. We cut a circle in the watery mythology. This is how we cut time in half. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company planted our bloodlines in the great southern waters. This is how our tea and biscuits became sweet on red Australian afternoons. There is a name for us. Coolie."
Naag Mountain approaches the same story from two different directions and times. What comes together is a story of being and becoming, of unity of people, sea and land. This is the kind of poetry you must read aloud, tasting the words and feeling into the rhythm which conveys this unity and almost inevitability. Anjali's images bloom in your mind as you read. I times I kept drifting in the moments, losing track of the whole, and this was a wonderful thing. This is really gorgeous poetry, which takes you on a journey and has something to show us. It doesn't get much better than that.
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have been looking forward to this since I first heard about - literary fiction with a twisty spy plot and a social conscience. It may have been my expectations being too high, but something here just didn't connect with me. Possibly it was that the eco left grouping here felt unfamiliar, unrecognisible from my experiences with left groups and protest encampments (Neanderthals are more, in my experience, of an obsession of the far-right, to my disappointment I admit). Or maybe I just got tired of the protagonist - I must admit while I have read some spectacular books with unsympathic protagonists, I feel like I should enjoy it more than I actually do.
Whatever the case, Creation Lake left me a little underwhelmed, and without the deep investment in the characters that I think it needed.
Whatever the case, Creation Lake left me a little underwhelmed, and without the deep investment in the characters that I think it needed.