Science Fiction Annotation
Author: Lily Brooks-Dalton
Title: The Light Pirate
Genre: Science Fiction
Subgenres: Dystopian, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
Number of Pages: 336
Geographical Setting: Florida
Time Period: Near Future
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2040: A Handbook for the Regeneration: Based on the Documentary 2040 by Damon Gameua
This book is mostly a recap of the documentary 2040 but it still sounds worthwhile picking up. Damon Gameua walks us through what 2040 could potentially be like if we do not take proper precautions now. He gives us tools throughout the book and documentary for sustainable farming that could improve Earth by 2040.
Subgenres: Dystopian, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
Number of Pages: 336
Geographical Setting: Florida
Time Period: Near Future
"Wanda has been at sea for long enough. She comes ashore, and when she does, the wind is no longer only wind. The wind is brimming, carrying a hundred million grains of sand, pieces of shell, dead jellyfish, strips of seaweed, driftwood. Moving island, carrying these spoils, she reaches down to gather more. Bigger things: dinghies and signposts and trash cans and tree branches. She grinds against the earth, swallowing the town whole. Rudder is part of her for as long as she wants it. And everything in it is hers."
Plot Summary:
Florida is gradually succumbing to the encroaching ocean as worsening weather patterns and rising water levels overwhelm the inadequate infrastructure. In the face of an impending hurricane, we are introduced to Kirby, a lineman residing in the small town of Rudder with his pregnant wife Frida, and their two sons, Lucas and Flip.
Just before the hurricane strikes, Lucas and Flip go missing, prompting Kirby to search for them. In his absence, Frida goes into labor and delivers their baby girl, Wanda, on the kitchen floor. Wanda's birthday is an annual reminder of the hurricane that changed their lives forever.
As Florida continues to crumble, Wanda grows, navigating the challenges of a changing landscape and her struggles. The narrative follows her from childhood into adulthood, where she copes with loss, builds a community with those who stayed behind, and seeks purpose in a new environment now dominated by nature.
Subject Headings:
Hurricanes -- Fiction
Climate Change -- Fiction
Hurricanes -- Fiction
Climate Change -- Fiction
Appeal:
Tone - Suspenseful
I was on the edge of my seat during the first half of this book. I simply could not wait to see what would happen next. Leading up to Hurricane Wanda, the tone was suspenseful yet foreboding, because the reader knew something terrible would happen. Post-hurricane, that tone is still present but we are now grappling with a dwindling society. Literally left on the edge - the ocean continues taking what it wants. Wyatt & Sarricks write that the tone in science fiction "disorients (or reorients) readers, taking them outside their comfort zones and forcing them to reimagine situations and events in other contexts" (98). I definitely felt a bit disoriented and uncomfortable thinking about the cost of climate change while reading this fictionalized account of something that could definitely happen.
Writing Style - Compelling
The writing style was absolutely beautiful. The breaks between some of the sections where Brooks-Dalton personifies the ocean were haunting. The quote above is one of those breaks and it is one thing I couldn't stop thinking about.
Frame/Setting - Eerie
The population of Rudder has been dwindling since Hurricane Wanda and we as readers are met with descriptions of what is left. Brooks-Dalton does a phenomenal job of creating an "evocative and visual" (Wyatt & Sarricks 96) landscape. Wanda adapts when the landscape around her continually changes.
3 Terms That Describe This Book:
Foreboding, Thought-Provoking, Hopeful
3 Relevant Fiction Works:
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3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works:
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An interesting study by an investigative journalist, Miseducation reviewed textbooks and made a database with all of the states to discover just how wrong we teach climate change. Through her study, she has found a clear divide between red and blue states.
2040: A Handbook for the Regeneration: Based on the Documentary 2040 by Damon Gameua
This book is mostly a recap of the documentary 2040 but it still sounds worthwhile picking up. Damon Gameua walks us through what 2040 could potentially be like if we do not take proper precautions now. He gives us tools throughout the book and documentary for sustainable farming that could improve Earth by 2040.
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Great annotation! I read this one last year and really enjoyed it!
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