Saturday, February 14, 2015

'China Mountain Zhang' by Maureen F. McHugh

China Mountain Zhang, Maureen F. McHugh (2)

I was surprisingly disappointed with this novel. I found it in the library and was taken with the many awards noted on the back cover, including Hugo and Nebula nominations. While it is set in a near future, which has China having taken over the majority of the US and has a parallel storyline concerning a commune on Mars, there was very little Science Fiction to note. The novel focused far more on social issues. The main character is a gay technician who happens to be half ‘ABC’, American Born Chinese and half Hispanic. The early 20th century issues he faces with his lineage and his sexual orientation encompass the entire book. While important issues, they seem ill placed in this book. There were a couple of unique concepts – kite flying as a sport (where the fliers ride the kites while ‘jacked in’ to the internet); and engineers that design buildings by free forming ideas in a computer. But overall I slogged through this book – which is never a good sign.

Monday, February 2, 2015

'Being Mortal' by Atul Gawande

Being Mortal, Atul Gawande (4)
I believe this is an important book for all to read, though I’ll add the caveat that it is painful to read. The descriptions of aging, the sad tales of terminal patients and the obvious soul searching we are urged to do with regards to our own feelings and those of loved ones. With data and examples, Dr. Gawande illustrates how we have become a culture with advanced medicine that uses those advancements to draw out our lives, often with disregard to the quality. While the average person died (relatively quickly and peacefully) at home in the 1940’s, we now live longer and tend to die of frailty in a medical facility as the many larger maladies are staved off with advanced medical treatments. Living longer can be great, but he points out how often we (family members, loved ones) tend to forget there are still choices that can be made to keep the quality of life worthwhile – and how important it is to understand how each person defines that quality. While the discussion is painful, I can see the importance of understanding the person’s fears, wants and needs while making decisions that can hugely affect their daily life.