Restrictive Pronouns: Reading and Writing Ungendered

After reading Book Riot Contributor Rah Carter's article, "Missed LGBT History Month? There's a Book For That," I immediately ordered Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Denis Rodman by Leslie Feinberg. I wanted to read it primarily for my own interest and lack of knowledge on the subject matter and secondly because it would fit two categories of The Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge: Challenge 5 - A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ and Challenge 10 – a microhistory. Actually, come to think of, it would also fit Challenge 6: A book by a person whose gender is different from your own.

I haven't learned this much from a book in a long time and that's saying a lot considering I'm a Master's of Arts student in English Literature. It's only fitting to quote Feinberg in explaining what Transgender Warriors is about: "It is a fresh look at sex and gender in history and the interrelationships of class, nationality, race, and sexuality." Feinberg explains the difference between transgender and transsexual and lists a whole host of terms that fit within the definition of "transgender." As Feinberg struggles to come to terms with identity and treatment by society in general, readers go on a historical journey through an often hidden, but highly non-heteronormatively sexualized past. My heart hurt many times over as the microhistory moved into the more recent realms of patriarchy and capitalism that lead to the disgusting treatment of transgender people that sadly still occurs today. Don't get me wrong, as a society we have come a very long way, but we still have a very long way to go.

As I read personal statements like, "People stare at me wherever I so. Some who gawk at me shift between seeing me as a very feminine man and extremely masculine woman. I unnerve them because they can't determine my sex," it really hit me how much a person's gender is simply irrelevant. Feinberg includes a quote from Craig Hickman, poet and performance artist, that says "I often am seen by people as a 'What's that?' to which I usually respond 'Isn't beautiful enough?' We are attracted to people, to personalities, and even though physical attraction is very important, why - really - is the gender associated with any one characteristic important at all?

If I had to choose only one thing that had the most impact on me from this book, it would be the realization that language is so very restrictive. "Language can't be ordered individually, as if from a Sears catalog," writes Feinberg. I have a number of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances that could be labelled under one or more of the LGBTQ category. I have a best friend who is currently doing graduate studies research on bisexual female youth in sport and one of the most difficult parts of the research is finding people who are willing to label themselves. And really, who can blame them?

You may have noticed that I avoided using any gendered pronouns in this post, or maybe you didn't. Either way, the point is that writing ungendered can be done! After all, why should we define ourselves by a pronoun?!

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I haven't been able to get the ideas of writing ungendered and reading about ungendered characters out of my mind since I read Feinberg's book. I did a quick internet search for books that contain gender-neutral characters and was pleasantly surprised at the results. Here are just a few I plan to add to my TBR list:

Lock In by John Scalzi

This is a Sci-Fi novel that follows the story of two police agents, Chris Shane and Leslie Vann (two obviously gender-neutral names), twenty-five years after the outbreak of a contagious virus that causes one percent of its victims to become "Hadens" - fully alert humans who are unable to respond to stimuli or move. Main character, Chris Shane - whose gender is never revealed - is a Haden investigating the murder of a fellow Haden. An "Integrator" is someone who can allow a Haden to use their body which is how agent Shane functions. I actually think I'm going to check out one of the two audio-versions of Lock In, either the one narrated by Wil Wheaton (pretty cool, right?!) or the one by Amber Benson (also cool).

Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brenzenoff

This one is YA Fiction and tells the story of sixteen-year old Kid (clearly gender-neutral). Kid's life on the streets of Brooklyn is full of adventure and love and the gender of the main character nor the lover, Scout, is ever revealed. YA is typically a genre that never really seems to be able to capture my interest, but this novel and its ungendered characters has already peaked mine.

Call Me Tree by Maya Christina Gonzalez

Of all the books that came up during my search, this colourful work of Children's Literature is the most intriguing. I say that because it is a children's book and if we are going to start changing the conversation about gender and its arguable lack of importance, then the best place to start is with our children. Gonzalez' main character obviously goes by the name Tree and the story explores the idea of why someone is called he or she and the assumptions made when calling someone by a gendered pronoun. I may be an adult, but Call Me Tree is definitely a book I want to add to my collection and introduce my own children to (whenever that day comes).

Around the World in 80 Days (Audio Book) by Jules Verne

I've always been intrigued by this story, perhaps because I've always had a touch of wanderlust in me. When I happened upon the opportunity to download this audio book version for free, I couldn't pass it up, plus it counts towards to The Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge!

Around the World in 80 Days was originally published in 1872 (1873 in English), but I think Phileas Fogg may still be the best character name in literary history. Can you think of a better one?

The story tracks Phileas Fogg and Passepartout from London, England to Paris, France to Turin, Italy to Brindisi, Italy to Suez, Egypt to Bombay, India to Calcutta, India to Singapore to Hong Kong, China to Yokohama, Japan to San Francisco, U.S.A. to New York, U.S.A. to Liverpool, England and finally back to London. Throughout the journey they travel by steamer ships and sail boats, trains, an elephant, and a sled (with sails). I'm not really sure why the image from the Listening Library's website has a hot air balloon on the cover. I suppose it's likely because of the popularity that the 1956 film version of the novel, in which a hot air balloon is used at one point, brought to the story. During the entire story the listener wonders whether Phileas Fogg is actually guilty of the theft he's being accused of and whether or not he'll actually make it around the world in eighty days! I won't spoil either one for you in case you haven't read/listened/watched it.

The novel provides historical, political, geographical, religious, and cultural facts about many of the countries visited: India, Singapore, China. A lot of these details include the colonial effects of Britain, its benefits and its detriments (such as the supply of opium to Hong Kong). Every time the local natives were depicted as savages (especially the Sioux in the U.S.A.), I shuddered, but had to remind myself that Around the World in 80 Days was written in the nineteenth century. At the end of the audio book, Tim Dutlow, publisher of Listening Library, provides a nice explanation of Jules Verne's background including his lack of cultural and religious knowledge. I thought that was an appropriately added touch.

One of my favourite parts of the book is when the train crossing the U.S. has to wait for a herd of bison. I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony that only our fast-paced society would appreciate. How much do you despise waiting for a train to cross when you're trying to get somewhere?

Of course, the wanderluster in me was most interested by all of the places Phileas Fogg encounters on his around the world route. If you're not all that intrigued by the places, you might want to skip this list! Mokha, Yemen is seen from the Mongolia between Suez and Bombay and the travelers make a stop in Aden (Steamer Point), Yemen for refueling. As they approach Bombay, the Islands of Mumbai Harbour (including Salsette, Elephanta, and Butcher) are noted. On the way to Calcutta, the train stops momentarily in Burhanpur. The railway stops in the small hamlet of Kholby and the travellers must find alternative transit (which ends up being an elephant) to Allahabad where the rail begins once again and proceeds to Calcutta. After a brief stop at Banaras (Varanasi), the group arrives in Calcutta. After Hong Kong they have an unexpected stop in Shanghai before making it to Yokohama. Across the United States a number of cities are mentioned: San Francisco and Sacramento in California, Reno in Nevada, Ogden City in Utah, Green River in Wyoming, Fort Kearny and Omaha in Nebraska, Chicago in Illinois. There is one shout out to Canada as the Henrietta passes the coast of Newfoundland and just as the travellers are about to complete their journey, they must stop briefly at Queenstown and Dublin in Ireland.

The audio book is just under eight hours long and narrated by Jim Dale. He does a fantastic job with the characters' voices. Each chapter includes music for the first few minutes that sets a nice tone for the rest of the narrative. For instance, Chapter 10, taking place in Bombay, begins with lovely Indian music; Chapter 19, taking place in China, begins with vibrant Chinese tunes; Chapter 23, taking place in Japan, incorporates some beautiful Japanese music. One more added benefit of an audio version of a book is the sound effects. There are pounding horse hooves, chugging trains, gun shots, and every sound you can think of really!

This is the first audio book I have listened to from start to finish and I have to say that I really enjoyed the experience and the book. Right at the end of the recording, narrator Jim Dale speaks to the benefits of audio books for children: "Try pressing play on an audio book," he suggests, rather than turning on the television. I think I may take his advice for myself!

I have to look past the cultural insensitivity of this 1872 publication and give Around the World in 80 Days 5 stars!

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night is the second novel in Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy. I picked up the first book, A Discovery of Witches, because I am taking part in Riedel Fascination's Ethereal 2015 Reading Challenge. I'd consider these books to be fantasy, a genre that I am not typically a reader of, but that's one of the reasons I decided to join Ethereal 2015. The first book was a worthwhile read, intriguing enough to make me consider reading the second one. What really got Shadow of Night off the shelf into my hand is the fact that Harkness takes her readers back in time to the end of the sixteenth century. Historical fiction is my guilty pleasure (which means Shadow of Night also works for The Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge) and I'm a student of literature so the sixteenth century means Shakespeare!

In my review of A Discovery of Witches, I was a little disappointed in Harkness' negative opinion of Shakespeare. Part of the reason I wanted to read Shadow of Night was to see how she treated Shakespeare in his own historical era. I am sad to report that it doesn't get any better in book two. Harkness pushes her opinion that Shakespeare stole all of his work from other authors, particularly Christopher Marlowe, whom she seems to be a fan of. If you happen to be a skeptic as well, I suggest you watch this little TED Ed video: Did Shakespeare write his plays?

Diana (witch) and Matthew (vampire) time walk (one of Diana's powers) out of twenty-first-century America back to sixteenth-century England both to escape danger and find answers. One of the main purposes of their time walking is to find a witch to help Diana learn about and control her powers. The wide array of witches and their many powers is, by far, my favourite aspect of the book. The descriptions of weavers; fire, wind, water, and earth witches; and the witches' fetches (sort of like pets, but with a lot of power, that live inside a witch's body and can be released when their assistance is required) are very finely detailed and definitely imaginative. The fact that I enjoyed these fantasy aspects more than the sixteenth-century setting says a lot considering I am a historical fiction junkie. The sixteenth-century setting was well done and clearly well-researched, but I found that most of the focus was on changes required of Diana's clothing more than anything else.

Harkness intermingles the past with the present considerably well. Diana and Matthew could not travel to the past without affecting the future and the author makes sure to address that detail intelligently. All of the characters that remained in the twenty-first century from the first book were brought into Shadow of Night in some clever way so as not to be forgotten. Traveling to the sixteenth century in turn, allows the introduction of new characters from both Diana's and Matthew's past adding to the depth of character development and plot.

In my review of the first novel I critiqued how Harkness casts Diana in the stereotypical role of damsel-in-distress and allows Matthew to become the knight-in-shining-armour. In Shadow of Night Diana receives some redemption despite the female-oppressing gender dynamics of the sixteenth century. As she increasingly masters control of her powers, Diana is able to save herself and rely less on Matthew for protection.

Before giving my final opinion, I have to mention one specific detail that really bothers me. I'll quote the line so you can see exactly what I mean: "The lumbering vehicles resembled enclosed wagons and were nothing like the dashing carriages in Jane Austen films." Jane Austen was a nineteenth-century writer, not a sixteenth-century writer so I am not sure exactly what the point of this reference was. I hope the mention of Jane Austen was meant to be a comparison between the centuries and the progression of transportation, but bringing in a reference to the nineteenth century at all when the settings (whether sixteenth or twenty-first century) have absolutely nothing to do with Jane Austen or the era when she was writing just seems like a mistake. The whole statement is out of place, especially to someone like me who is finishing a Master of Arts thesis on Jane Austen. I couldn't help but notice the oddity of the reference!

Shadow of Darkness is a bit slow to get going, but the last half of the novel is quite a page turner. I don't think I'll pick up the third book, The Book of Life, anytime soon, but I won't write it off forever. Overall I'm giving Shadow of Darkness 3.5 stars.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Before I write anything about this book I have to thank Carolyn from Riedel Fascination for creating the Ethereal 2015 reading challenge. I don't know if I ever would have picked up A Discovery of Witches if it wasn't for the theme of this challenge. The genre is not what I typically spend much time with. The last novel I read for the challenge featured unicorns (a creature I'm fascinated by) and this time I chose witches (another ethereal interest). What I didn't know when I picked up A Discovery of Witches is that I would be reading about not only witches, but vampires, deamons, ghosts, and a house that is more than haunted, but, rather, alive.

In the first book of her All Souls Trilogy, Harkness gives readers a story of forbidden love reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet a.k.a. Diana is a witch descendant from Bridget Bishop, the first person executed in the Salem witch trials. She has suppressed her powers for her entire life and much of her story involves her journey to acceptance and mastery of those powers. Romeo a.k.a. Matthew is a 1500 year-old vampire. Both exist naturally and blend into human society, coming together in Oxford's Bodleian Library over an ancient, bewitched manuscript Ashmole 782 and initially despise each other. After all, vampires and witches are sworn enemies. The mystery behind Ashmole 782 is the driving catalyst for the entire plot, bringing other vampires, witches, and demons into the story as they all seek the manuscript. As the only one able to access the spellbound book, Diana soon becomes the target of each of these dangerous creatures. Matthew's increasing desire to protect Diana is inevitably what brings the two closer. 

A Discovery of Witches is an intelligent collection of history, academic intrigue, and myth. Harkness creates beautiful descriptions such as her explanation of Ashmole 782 as a palimpsest with once washed off ink reappearing under new text as if it were a textual ghost. The palimpsest image then occurs again, 350 pages later, in an image-evoking description of Matthew's body: "its bright surface obscuring the tale of him hinted at by all those scars." The most unique aspect of the novel has to be the house belonging to Diana's Aunt's Sarah and Emily (both also witches). It is not only haunted by a number of deceased relatives that come and go depending on the situation that arises within the walls, but the house has a mind of its very own. It closes, opens, and locks doors; creates new rooms for visiting guests; hides precious objects until they are needed; and any number of other strange and fascinating activities. 

If I am to provide some criticism it would be that A Discovery of Witches is basically Romeo and Juliet meets Twilight meets Fifty Shades of Grey. (In Harkness' defense, though, the last title in that list was published after A Discovery of Witches.) Despite the fact that Diana is a strong and independent female character, Matthew still takes on the protector or knight-in-shining-armour role that is so typical of love stories. It was rather disappointing when it became clear that Diana would inevitably take on the role of damsel-in-distress. Near the end of the novel, there is a subtle jab at Shakespeare that doesn't sit quite right, suggesting that the famous playwright was a magpie collecting other writer's stories. Demeaning the most famous playwright in history is a bit harsh coming from an author who has just written a contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet herself. 

What is wonderful about A Discovery of Witches and places it outside the confines of being labelled "just another forbidden love story" is that it asks for acceptance, but not just acceptance for the two lovers, an all-encompassing acceptance of all species (or races) by all others. The novel is a page-turner no doubt and as Diana and Matthew timewalk back to the 1590s for Harkness' second novel of the trilogy, Shadow of Night, the historical-fiction lover in me is definitely intrigued. I'm also curious to see how Shakespeare will fare through Harkness' eyes during his own time period. 

Overall, A Discovery of Witches is getting 4 stars and a glowing (of the witch variety) recommendation!

What Makes Olga Run? by Bruce Grierson

What Makes Olga Run? was my first book purchase of 2015. I can't go into a bookstore without buying a book so I used The Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge as an excuse. I saw this on a table donning a sign that said something along the lines of "Motivational Reading" (I can't remember exactly what it said). I immediately thought of Challenge 24: A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered "self-improvement"). I'd say What Makes Olga Run? straddles the line between traditional and non-traditional.

Like the book cover says, Olga Kotelko is a 90-something track star. She competes in eleven track and field events as a Masters Class athlete around the world. She holds twenty plus world records and over six hundred gold medals. Olga laughs in the face of old age. I adored her and her story for those reasons, but also because she is Ukrainian and grew up a rural Canadian prairie girl. I, too, grew up a rural Canadian prairie girl, have Ukrainian ancestry, and I like to run! We were a match meant to be.

The book is basically Bruce Grierson following Olga through a few years of her life. Olga agreed to it, of course, but she also agreed to much more for the sake of the book. Medical doctors and research specialists throughout Canada and the United States run a barrage of tests on Olga in an attempt to figure out how she has defied old age. They all hope that Olga is their ticket to determining a formula to produce the fountain of youth. The book gets a little bogged down with names of doctors and specialists, their accreditation and the institutes or facilities they work for, and the medical terminology that comes along with a study of the body. All of that makes for a bit of dry reading at times, but I can understand the need to give credit where credit is due.

To answer the book's title question, what makes Olga run?, Grierson records expert analyses of genetics, lifestyle, attitude, personality, training methods, habits, and motivation. All of the findings are incredibly indepth, but at the same time speculative because Olga is only one person. The doctors and specialists involved all come to the same conclusion; they need more people of Olga's age and agility to test before anything concrete can be known for sure.

The overall message that the book offers, though, is also the answer to why Olga has lived so long: exercise. Grierson includes the results of a study done by Harvard epidemiologist, Ralph Paffenbarger: "Every hour of exercise we do amounts to two hours tacked onto our lifespan" (64). Olga's message to readers is similar: "rise up off your butts, people, and you will feel better and live longer" (217). That seems like a simple message, and I suppose it is. What Makes Olga Run?, however is far from being a simple book. Grierson does a thorough job of documenting the research, but also of recording Olga's life as a Masters Class athlete. The book is both scientific and personal and I'll give four bright stars as a rating of Grierson's efforts to combine the two.

Both Grierson and Olga are Canadian so I'm also crossing off the "A Work of Non-Fiction by a Canadian Author" square on the Reading Bingo Challenge.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an author that has been on my TBR list since I first saw her TED Talk. She is so beautifully brilliant that I can't help but quote her: "The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story." Beautiful and brilliant, right?!

I was just about to leave a used bookstore empty-handed (I know, that's borderline blasphemous) when I happened upon Half of a Yellow Sun. It hasn't been on my shelf for long, only a couple of months, but I've had Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on my author list for years. In any case, I'm including Half of a Yellow Sun as one of the books in My Reader's Block's 2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge. The Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge lists "a book by an author from Africa" as one of its challenges so Half of a Yellow Sun also allows me check that one off the list! Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria.

The synopsis on the back of the novel explains that Half of a Yellow Sun "illuminates a seminal moment in African history: Biafra's struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s." It also mentions that the story is told through five unforgettable characters, and that is true, but while Odinegbo, Olanna, Richard, and Kainene are all integral to the novel's intrigue, the character who had the most profound effect on me was Ugwu. Readers follow Ugwu, a teenage boy, from the poverty of his village home through his employment as a houseboy for university professor, Odinego, and finally to the front lines of the war as a member of the Biafran army. Readers move alongside Ugwu as he learns, loves, and commits atrocities as a soldier.

Half of a Yellow Sun is a story about war, what war does to people, and how it changes people. I'm not going to lie. This book is not easy to read. It's so heart-wrenching in places that I almost had to put it down a few times. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's ability to write such realistic, yet fictional, characters is what makes this novel so incredible.

If I have one negative critique it would be the structure of the chapters. Around the middle of the novel, the plot jumps ahead to the late sixties before telling the story of the early sixties. I was confused at first, until I flipped back and then ahead to reassure myself that I had not missed integral details. I think a chronological structure might have been more effective if only to avoid reader confusion.

I haven't really adopted a rating scale so I'll stick with the age-old star chart. Half of a Yellow Sun gets an easy FIVE stars from me. I would highly recommend that everyone open their minds a little and read this novel!