Recent Books: The Left Hand of Darkness; If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler; The Light Between Oceans

Read, read, read, that’s what keeps the world spinning round. Or at least it keeps me sane while on my daily train ride to work. I’ve read a few books over the past weeks and have some thoughts about them that may or may not be of any interest to anyone. But hey! That’s why I ramble on and on in this blog!

The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin – Probably Le Guin’s most well-known book, or at least most revered. I loved it, personally, as I suppose one is wont to do when reading a classic. Taking place on the planet of Winter (Gethen, as it’s called by the indigenous people), we follow the exploits of the one lone human on the planet, an ambassador-like diplomat from Earth named Genly Ai, as he tries to convince the civilization of joining the collective interstellar trading network he represents. At his side is Estraven, one of the aliens who live on Winter (called Gethenians), who harbors strong political connections. As the novel unfolds and Genly’s safety becomes less and less certain, he and Estraven strike up an unlikely friendship, as the Gethenian shows himself to be one of the few people on Winter Genly can really trust. Through their eyes, we explore the politics and culture of a race so unlike our own, rendered brilliantly through Le Guin’s writing. Can’t praise it enough.

If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino – Very avant-garde novel told in the second person, making the main character actually you, the reader. The premise is you pick up the brand new book by Italo Calvino called (wait for it) If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler, only to find the book isn’t complete but is misprinted and missing everything after the first seventeen words. Trying to track down the rest of the book leads you to meeting a vibrant young woman named Ludmilla, who also wants to track down the rest of the novel. Together you embark on a quest to retrieve the rest of Traveler, coming across many different books with equally confusing and abruptly ended plots along the way. While the story structure was very cool, the actual plot felt pretty thin, and I found myself not really caring about the characters or what it was they were still trying to accomplish by the end. Still, it’s worth a cursory read just for the dynamic structure alone.

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman – I read this for my work book club and actually liked it quite a bit. It follows the tragic story of a husband and wife who oversee a lighthouse off the coast of Australia. After two miscarriages and a still birth, a boat with a dead man and a crying baby washes up on shore, and they decide to take the baby in as their own. When they return to shore two years later, they discover the mother is still alive and distraught over the believed death of both her husband and daughter, all while the lighthouse keeper and his wife had been raising the daughter as their own. Full of drama and deep personal struggle, I found it very hard to put the book down. The ending felt a little contrived (for spoiler reasons, I won’t say exactly what occurs, only that it happens suddenly and seems a little cheap), but overall I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

It’s a Losing Battle For Opponents of LGBT Rights

With all the hub-bub this week brought on by Indiana’s “Religious Freedom” law and the discriminatory repercussions of it, I find myself compounded with thoughts and emotions. Marriage equality is one of the few political issues I simply will not compromise on, as I have too many close friends and family members for whom it is a very real, daily struggle. If a politician states that he is against marriage equality, then it really doesn’t matter where he stands on other issues, as I won’t be voting for them. Perhaps that may be short-sighted and stubborn, but there are plenty of people in this country who will happily rally against a candidate they perceive to be anti-2nd amendment, and at least my “do or die” issue is one that affects other people rather than focused solely on myself.

Now, all that said, it remains hard for me to get overly angry at laws like what Gov. Mike Pence signed last week. Yes, I’m upset that discrimination can be allowed to continue in this fashion and I’m frustrated that people somehow see serving gay customers as infringing on their religious freedom and free speech (it’s not; do a little fact checking and studying of the actual first amendment before trying to argue these incorrect points). But I take solace in one simple fact:

For opponents of LGBT rights, it’s a losing battle.

A Huffington Post Poll conducted in 2013 showed that Millennials, or people born after 1981 (including yours truly), overwhelmingly support gay marriage by a measure of 70%, and that number has only been going up with each passing year. Every other age demographic sits below 50%, with Gen X (born 1965-1980 by the poll’s stipulations) the closest at 49%. I would not be surprised if this number has squeaked over 50 in the last two years.

The point is, 70% of people in my generation support gay marriage, and that number is not going to go down. So while currently we may have many people in government who belong to the generations most against the idea of marriage equality, their reign will eventually come to an end. They will continue to grow old and eventually die (I know, it’s harsh to say, but it’s also the truth), and eventually Millennials will hold the positions of power, at which point this will become a non-issue. As it becomes more socially acceptable to be gay in our society, it’s going to be harder and harder for people to hold fast to anti-LGBT rhetoric.

It sucks now–no doubt about that–but much like the Civil-Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, the times will eventually change and the power of the people will shift. Yes, racism in America hasn’t completely disappeared, just as adverse feelings towards homosexuality will never disappear, but we’ll eventually reach a point where the non-bigoted with overwhelmingly outnumber the bigoted, both in society and at the governmental level.

I wish things were perfect now. I wish my cousin and my aunt-in-law and the countless friends I’ve made over the years could be free to be themselves without having to worry about unfair and bigoted treatment by ignorant people. We’re not their yet–the country is still growing, just as the generations who inhabit it grow–but I have full faith and confidence that we will reach that precipice of acceptance and love for our LGBT brothers and sisters in the not-too-distant future. We just have to keep pushing for it, and we have to make sure we don’t forget. Let’s not be one of the generations to ignore history and thus repeat it, but rather let’s be the generation of tolerance and understanding, so that when we finally come into the political majority, we can govern with compassion and humility.