A history of present illness by Anna DeForest. This novel follows an unnamed protagonist through her journey as a student doctor. It was a quick read and the prose was lovely. Dr. DeForest is a neurologist and palliative care physician, so no doubt this book was inspired by some of her own experiences.
Bipolar bear and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad health insurance: A fable for grownups by Kathleen Founds. Who hasn't been frustrated by the convoluted rules of health insurance? And how much harder is it when you have an illness that interferes with your daily ability to function? I loved the dark humor of this graphic novel and how the author created it as a means of coping with her own mental illness.
Sh*t I say to myself: 40 ways to ditch the negative self-talk by Katie Krimer, MA, LCSW. Even when things are going well, there's a quiet little voice in the back of my brain saying mean things to me. Turns out I'm not alone in that. This book has snarky and practical advice from a therapist about how to retrain your brain to stop doing that.
We all want impossible things by Catherine Newman. Another funny book about a serious topic.
The power by Naomi Alderman. I enjoy books set in our world where something is just a little bit off. In this case, teenage girls suddenly develop a physical adaptation that allows them to discharge electricity, similar to electric eels.
I read The Power a number of years ago. Here's my review of the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe Power / Naomi Alderman
Posted April 1, 2020 by rjkoehler52 in Book Review. Leave a Comment
In The Power, Naomi Alderman creates a world in which young women suddenly possess a unique power, the ability to deliver a bolt of electric energy to overpower any opponent. At first, it is used to rectify injustices inflicted on women across numerous cultures. But in no time, it leads to revolutions across the globe, where women begin to abuse their positions of power to victimize men in society. It also results in a counter revolution, in which men begin to fight back against what they view as sexual discrimination. In other words, this book tries to address the question, “Is the cure worse than the disease” when roles in the power dynamic are switched?”
The Power is clearly a dystopian novel, a piece of speculative fiction that gratifies because of its willingness to show both sides, whether they be positive or negative. In the novel, Alderman focuses on six characters: Allie (Mother Eve), a religious figure leading the women’s awakening; Roxy, a daughter tied to a crime family in England; Tunde, a journalist attempting to document the dramatic shift of power on a world scale; and Margot, an American politician with ambitions set on the White House.
The Power is a novel that grandly tries to address the topic of sex and power globally. It does so without taking sides, leaving the reader to decide if the young women’s discovery of a dominating power is a good thing or not. While Alderman’s plot sometimes strains belief, it never does cross a line into incredibility. For readers who enjoyed Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, this novel will find a welcome place next to it on the bookshelf. Outlining a possible sexual war in our near future, it does not feel all that far fetched in this era of #MeToo and the payment demanded.