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rocky41_7A+ Library is my bit where I review books with asexual and aromantic characters. The most recent book I've read was To be Taught, if Fortunate by Becky Chambers. The book description is:
At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to journey to neighboring exoplanets long known to harbor life.
A team of these explorers, Ariadne O'Neill and her three crewmates, are hard at work in a planetary system fifteen light-years from Sol, on a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds. But as Ariadne shifts through both form and time, the culture back on Earth has also been transformed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the story of the wonders and dangers of her mission, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.
The character: Chikondi Daka, asexual
At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to journey to neighboring exoplanets long known to harbor life.
A team of these explorers, Ariadne O'Neill and her three crewmates, are hard at work in a planetary system fifteen light-years from Sol, on a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds. But as Ariadne shifts through both form and time, the culture back on Earth has also been transformed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the story of the wonders and dangers of her mission, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.
The character: Chikondi Daka, asexual
Final verdict: Thumbs up, a new favorite for this exercise
The Asexual Rep
Not much to say here. Chikondi is a supporting character in a cast of four. His sexuality is mentioned once by the narrator, Ariadne, and never comes up again. Chikondi never pursues a romantic relationship with the rest of the crew, nor do any of them approach him, so it's effectively a nonissue.
I will say that I liked Chikondi a lot; he's a sensitive, enthusiastic, thoughtful character who was really a joy to read about.
The Rest
This is my new favorite book from this exercise. To be Taught is a fantastic work of sci-fi that truly captures the joy of discovery and the love of learning alongside the hazards of space exploration. Chambers does a marvelous job helping you see the world through Ariadne's eyes, and Ariadne and the crew wonder at everything they see. Balancing a desire to respect these alien environments with a surpassing eagerness to learn about them, the crew of the Marion embody scientists to me: people for whom the accumulation of knowledge is its own reward.
Chambers also does deft work of explaining scientific concepts to a potentially ignorant audience; there was nothing in the book that was hard to understand once Ariadne had explained it.
This book captures so much of the best of human curiosity, our drive to understand the environment around us, and our willingness to keep pushing ourselves to know more, to be better, to continue advancing and moving forward, while also not ignoring our potential to harm even where we don't intend to.
At the same time, the novella does great work with the tension of the situation. The crew of the Marion are close, and they all value their mission, but when pressures bear down, tensions still rise. Furthermore, the precariousness of their position frequently comes up, especially when they start to worry that all is not copacetic back on Earth. Nevertheless, they are determined to keep working and all of them feel the weight of the responsibility they bear as the ones chosen by the world to go out onto this mission.
I also enjoyed how the book tells you just what you need to know to understand the story. For instance, it's heavily implied Ariadne and her crewmate Jack used to be in a romantic relationship, and may continue to have sexual encounters during the mission, and less heavily implied that Ariadne also has/had a sexual relationship with her crewmate Elena. Yet she never gives a blow-by-blow of their relationships up to the point of the mission. Ariadne only tells us these four people are like family to her, and we see the rest unfold for ourselves. Perhaps this is only a reflection of the short length of the book, but I found it refreshing among some other books that feel the need to tell stories like a paint-by-number. I enjoyed the ambiguity; it felt both realistic and human, and gives the reader some room to interpret as they enjoy. It especially suits a first-person narration as we see here—Ariadne prioritizes telling us what she thinks is important, which isn't her romantic past or even present, but the mission.
There were some truly beautiful and thoughtful quotes, and the ending of the book brings it around in such a rewarding and emotionally hard-hitting way. I enjoyed this one beginning to end, and I may even buy a hard copy for myself.
The Asexual Rep
Not much to say here. Chikondi is a supporting character in a cast of four. His sexuality is mentioned once by the narrator, Ariadne, and never comes up again. Chikondi never pursues a romantic relationship with the rest of the crew, nor do any of them approach him, so it's effectively a nonissue.
I will say that I liked Chikondi a lot; he's a sensitive, enthusiastic, thoughtful character who was really a joy to read about.
The Rest
This is my new favorite book from this exercise. To be Taught is a fantastic work of sci-fi that truly captures the joy of discovery and the love of learning alongside the hazards of space exploration. Chambers does a marvelous job helping you see the world through Ariadne's eyes, and Ariadne and the crew wonder at everything they see. Balancing a desire to respect these alien environments with a surpassing eagerness to learn about them, the crew of the Marion embody scientists to me: people for whom the accumulation of knowledge is its own reward.
Chambers also does deft work of explaining scientific concepts to a potentially ignorant audience; there was nothing in the book that was hard to understand once Ariadne had explained it.
This book captures so much of the best of human curiosity, our drive to understand the environment around us, and our willingness to keep pushing ourselves to know more, to be better, to continue advancing and moving forward, while also not ignoring our potential to harm even where we don't intend to.
At the same time, the novella does great work with the tension of the situation. The crew of the Marion are close, and they all value their mission, but when pressures bear down, tensions still rise. Furthermore, the precariousness of their position frequently comes up, especially when they start to worry that all is not copacetic back on Earth. Nevertheless, they are determined to keep working and all of them feel the weight of the responsibility they bear as the ones chosen by the world to go out onto this mission.
I also enjoyed how the book tells you just what you need to know to understand the story. For instance, it's heavily implied Ariadne and her crewmate Jack used to be in a romantic relationship, and may continue to have sexual encounters during the mission, and less heavily implied that Ariadne also has/had a sexual relationship with her crewmate Elena. Yet she never gives a blow-by-blow of their relationships up to the point of the mission. Ariadne only tells us these four people are like family to her, and we see the rest unfold for ourselves. Perhaps this is only a reflection of the short length of the book, but I found it refreshing among some other books that feel the need to tell stories like a paint-by-number. I enjoyed the ambiguity; it felt both realistic and human, and gives the reader some room to interpret as they enjoy. It especially suits a first-person narration as we see here—Ariadne prioritizes telling us what she thinks is important, which isn't her romantic past or even present, but the mission.
There were some truly beautiful and thoughtful quotes, and the ending of the book brings it around in such a rewarding and emotionally hard-hitting way. I enjoyed this one beginning to end, and I may even buy a hard copy for myself.