A review by nina_rae_131
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“If you read nothing else we’ve sent home, please at least read this.”

To Be Taught, If Fortunate is written to an Earth who has forgotten the four astronauts they sent into deep space decades prior. It is accessible to people from all backgrounds. The scientific concepts are explained. They avoid jargon and don’t dive too deeply into the specifics. In some parts, it was overexplained to the point that I found myself skimming, but I have a background in ecology and evolution. 
 
Ariadne, our narrator, is not a scientist but an engineer. She is a jack of all trades, master of none, and helps all three of her co-astronauts across three exoplanets and a moon. The author explores how conditions on these planets vary from Earth and the changes humans have to endure to survive there. She writes about the joy of discovery through the new animals and plants she describes. She explores the responsibility humans have to leave no trace (exploration, not colonization). She also looks at the effects of isolation and how the world moved on after the astronauts started their journey. 
 
It feels like nonfiction, which I enjoyed, but may not be for everybody. There were lots of descriptions about the planets’ ecology, along with the research the astronauts did. There is not a lot of action. It also focuses on the relationships between the characters, the love and friendship, the strain of isolation, etc. 
 
I would recommend this book to people who want to know the unknown. To the people who look up into the stars or deep into the ocean and wonder what is hiding in the dark. 
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