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okiecozyreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
I was really interested where the book would go from this point. Being an educator, I think about students like Robin and wonder what is the best way to help them.
It’s a little sci fi, with a message about the condition of the earth, nature and empathy. When it got to this part, I felt like it was at times more heavy handed.
I went back and watched Oprah’s interview with the author on Apple plus. (It’s interesting he doesn’t have internet connection and has to go somewhere to do zooms, etc). The discussion about the title was interesting - based on Plato’s Cave - “The eye knows two kinds of bewilderment- coming into the light and out of the light”
This is a story about a little boy who goes into and out of the light - and both processes are bewildering.
I could see comparisons to Flowers for Algernon and at times, it reminded me of Ted Chiang.
“Imagine a planet where the past never went away, but kept happening again and again, forever. That’s the planet my nine-year-old wanted to live on.”
“In the face of the world's basic brokenness, more empathy meant deeper suffering.”
“He'd discovered, on his own, what formal education tried to deny: Life wanted something from us. And time was running out.”
“The world had become something no schoolchild should be allowed to discover.”
“And you always say, an experiment with a negative result isn't a failed experiment.
"No," l agreed. "You can learn a lot from negative results."
Which do you think is bigger?
Outer space ...? Or inner space?
Graphic: Death of parent and Mental illness
enoemo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The main character is really flawed and makes a lot of mistakes, and also definitely doesn't always see things for how they are but I think that is what makes his dilemma so deeply emotional and relatable in a way? Also I finished reading this on election day and that just hits different, ahhhh.
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Animal death, Child death, Animal cruelty, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, and Xenophobia
aviabraham's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief
astridrv's review against another edition
I love Powers’ writing - yes it’s grandiose and saccharine and dramatic and I love it. Some pages left me breathless - the space chapters?? Perfection.
It felt cathartic to have my gut feelings about the climate crisis put unflinchingly in words.
I do think the books has some interesting things to say about neurodivergence: to which extend is the society we are supposed to function in even desirable? What treatment helps you to live, what treatment changes you, what doesn’t change you, why does it matter? What do we owe our children and ourselves? How to parent with a broken heart in a broken world?
But I also feel really conflicted about how Robbie’s autism was dealt with in the book, and I’m really upset by the ending, that is so seeped in the ableist trope of “ultra sensitive being representing humanity’s consciousness and downfall” when he is just a young human who deserves care and guidance and happiness.
I can sense that it was written with nothing but love, but I have big issues with it.
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death of parent, and Ableism
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death
lindsayorme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
meremeth's review against another edition
Minor: Animal cruelty, Ableism, Death of parent, and Bullying
kirstym25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Ableism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident and Animal death
gentle_human's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Self harm, Animal death, Child death, Grief, Suicide, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Car accident, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Ableism
blessedbamboo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Ableism, and Cursing
virginia_vex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent