Another short read I did because I felt like it, randomly picked from a YouTube video
Two book reviews in a row? What is going on?
I wanted another quick read after that last book, something that I could read in a day or so. I ended up picking The Undefeated by Una McCormack, after watching a video with short science fiction recommendations.
The book is about a journalist who kind of made a name of herself, after writing stories about corruption, war and other events in a universe where Humanity has managed to colonize multiple planets and thrive in Space, forming a Commonwealth of planets.
Now that she is old (around 60 or so years), she goes back to her planet of origin and reflects on her life, the decisions she made, her circumstances. At the same time, we learn about a race of people, genetically created (and treated) as servitude, and an upcoming uprising, soon to come. There’s melancholy, regret, and acceptance.
Honestly, this book was really, really well written, for how short it is, I really enjoyed its prose. As you might guess, the book deals with slavery, discrimination and similar topics, told from the perspective of this old woman who kind of ended up doing everything she wanted, who kind of fought against corruption, for justice, and still feels like she has more to offer, a duty to fulfill.
Anyway, I was never bored at any moment. The book kind of reads as a memoir of the old days, it kept me interested and wondering how it would all relate to the present. It was refreshing to have a female protagonist, and the fact that she is of old age, made her even more unique.
I don’t usually read book reviews before writing mine, but this time I did. A few people seemed to not like the book because it focuses more on the oppresors rather than the oppressed, white-guilt, savior complex, etc. As a mexican, I enjoyed it, and it was recommended by a black woman so, I think you should give it a read and form your our own opinion, or feel free to ignore.
