“How to Argue With a Racist: What Out Genes Do (and Don’t Say About Human Difference)” by Adam Rutherford

I actually found this book through the genetics course that I’m teaching, the instructor recommended it for further reading. I have to say, this book is excellently written. It gets into a lot of complex genetics concepts, but explains it so clearly that I imagine even people who aren’t getting a PhD in the subject can follow along. (A lot of his explanations mirror what I tell my parents about what I do, so seems great to me.) The author is also very thorough, if there’s a concept with one exception he usually addresses it in the footnotes which I think is a clear indication that he did his research and knows what he’s talking about.

The book starts off by talking about skin color, both in society and the genetics behind it. This gets into the concept of race, and how bigots have talked about race over the years. Here’s the thing, skin color is a trait impacted by hundreds of genes, there is no one gene that segregates out with different races. The similarities we have between us far outnumber our differences. He then talks about our ancestors, and the fact that we inevitably have to share a number of our ancestors at this point in history. And he gets into those ancestry tests and how those are kind of bullshit. They don’t know where you come from, they are just comparing your data with others in their databases to make a guess. (I hate these companies, always glad to see someone else take them down a peg.) From there, he talks about genetics and how those impact physical capabilities, like the idea that Black men are better runners or basketball players. The fact is that those genes do much more than impact sports, what is really at play are the industries around sports in different countries, and who has access to those. He then similarly talks about the brain and IQ tests, how those have been used to “prove” the superiority of white people when it’s, again, access to resources.

Again, this is an extremely well-written book. I really enjoyed going through it. I want to re-read it just to make sure that I absorbed and understand all of his arguments, and that I can whip those out when talking to a racist. Would recommend for everyone, genetic ideas are everywhere and are so rarely understood that it’s good to educate yourself on even basic ideas.

This Is Beautiful: Lunar New Year

 This past weekend I went to a Lunar New Year party with dumpling making! I am not Asian, but I like to support my friends when they organize events and also to celebrate holidays from other cultures when possible to learn more about them. It was so fun! I was late so couldn't make dumplings but there were so many different kinds, I wish there were more in stores and at restaurants because that was so cool to see the variety. And it was nice to just socialize with people, grad students just don't get out enough. So celebrate the Year of the Rabbit! It's so fun!

“The Empress of Salt and Fortune” by Nghi Vo

This is a short book that I got from Tor.com. It’s hard to place, there’s elements of whimsy and fantastic creatures, but it also talks about serious topics regarding the kingdom it’s set in and the political world that it’s in. Overall the world building is excellent and leaves you wanting to know more and to reread the book to pick up on more details.

The story follows the cleric Chih who is travelling with their bird companion Almost Brilliant. Almost Brilliant can remember everything that they hear, and their goal is to record history, essentially. They head to the abandoned palace after the death of the Empress. There they meet Rabbit, a woman who used to be a handmaid of the Empress. She tells them stories about the palace. They learn about life, the people, and the conflict. They also learn that Rabbit had a baby, who was then claimed by the Empress as her daughter. That daughter is about to be crowned Empress of the kingdom.

It's a short work, technically a novella I think, but it packs a lot in. Each chapter starts with a list of things that Chih is chronicling in their work. I would have to reread the chapters, but I think that the items are mentioned in the stories or bear some other significance. And the stories, while they were hard to decipher at first, talk a lot about the politics of the land and the impact that those have on people. It also has to do with history and storytelling, Chih talks about how eventually all gaps in history will be filled in, you just have to be patient. And it is clear as the story goes on that Rabbit is an unreliable narrator, and that her experiences are colored by her viewpoint.

Much of it has to do with the power that women have, the Empress brings down a country by sending fortune telling messages around. There are many stories of women who go missing, and disappear from history. Rabbit is nearly one of them, she was sent by her parents to the city because they didn’t have enough to barter with. It shows the toll that this land has on its women.

In general the world building is very in depth and it nails the balance of telling you what is going on so that you aren’t frustrated versus showing you what’s going on so you can watch and pick up on things. There’s things like talking birds that remember everything, and ghosts that wander around. The names of characters confused me for a while, they tend to have multiple, like how In-Yo is also the Empress. But a lot of times you can pick up on what is going on from context clues, so while it sometimes makes you work, you never feel stranded.

This was a really fun read, especially since it is so short. There’s a sequel that I want to check out if I get the chance, to see if we find out more about Chih beyond that they are a cleric recording stories for history.

This Is Beautiful: Book Binding

This past weekend I went to a workshop on book binding, kind of on a whim. I thought it sounded cool, and it's something that I've never done before, so I just went. I originally was going to go with a friend but they had to cancel so it was just me and I was definitely nervous. But it ended up being so fun! Turns out that a friend of mine separately was going so I was able to sit with her and chat. And it turns out that book binding is super cool! There's all sorts of styles you can do, and it's very satisfying to end up with a book at the end. I don't think it'll turn into my new hobby, materials and expertise being a thing I lack, but I could see myself trying that out to rebind old books or things like that. I really want to try more random workshops like this, it's so cool the things you can learn!

“The Bands of Mourning” by Brandon Sanderson

This is the sequel to Shadows of Self, part of Sanderson’s Mistborn series (previous posts can be found here and here). There’s also a book that just came out that wraps up the series. I haven’t read that one yet. This one builds a whole lot off of Shadows of Self with its focus on gods and mystical beings, the main mission is to find these extremely powerful Bands of Mourning that give you incredible power.

The protagonist is again Wax who is a lawman and he is hesitant about this mission because he doesn’t like helping the gods. They aren’t the greatest and let him kill his ex (twice), but he gets sucked in when he finds out that his uncle is also after them and he has his sister. The book is really slow until they get to where the stuff is supposed to be and find a whole hideout of the group Wax’s uncle’s with. There they find Wax’s sister and also a group of people from a different land with advanced technology that have been tortured and enslaved. Marasi then befriends them, and the gang gets out with a flying ship. -Wax also finds his sister and gets her out.

Then they get to where the Bands are supposed to be and only find decoys. Then it turns out that Wax’s sister is the leader of the bad guys and betrays them. Wax dies in the ensuing fight. Meanwhile Marasi finds the Bands in their hidden spot and turns into a badass with their power. Wax has a lovely chat with God and decides to go back when Marasi hands him the Bands, he starts wrecking shit. The squad frees the enslaved people and they set up friendly relations with them, then they all get home and Wax finally marries Sterris.

So first of all I don’t love the junk with the gods, it all feels super heavy handed but whatever I’ve talked about that previously in other posts. I also super saw the betrayal of Wax’s sister coming a mile away, he gives her a gun and she immediately starts shooting and talking about how she wants all of them dead and it read as very suspicious to me that she wasn’t brainwashed or trying to recruit Wax or something. Which is fine, possibly could be more realistic that way, but frustrated me for a few chapters that NO ONE ELSE in the book thought anything was strange.

What I loved though were the character interactions, there’s an amazing scene where the crew is checking into the hotel and Sterris is handing the concierge a list of everything that might go wrong. Wayne wants to trade for her shoes, Wax just wants to leave, Marasi is trying to smooth over the situation, and Melaan keeps referencing that she’s an immortal god without a real body. It’s hilarious and it just keeps building, a really well written section. Amusing moments like that really make the book work because you start to feel for the characters and get invested in what’s happening. Unfortunately that aspect dropped off towards the end with all the fighting, but it’s there earlier in the book.

Anyways I had fun reading these few books, I haven’t gotten the most recent one yet but if I come across it I would not mind checking it out.

This Is Beautiful: Slow Start

 I've found that really the only way that I don't dread returning to work/school after breaks is taking a much slower start and reintroducing myself gradually. So the first week I did some work but my classes hadn't really gotten going and I wasn't doing any research. I was mostly planning and sending emails and getting myself organized. This week (the second week back really) I started doing some research and of course classes got going. It's just amazing how much my life gets easier without research involved haha. But in general, it allowed me to get excited about what I'm doing so I'm not dreading the return as much. So slow starts, they're the way to go!

Reflecting on 2022

It is a new year, and even though I’m not big on celebrating an arbitrary timepoint on the Earth’s path around the sun, I still think it’s a good opportunity to stop and reflect on what’s been going on for the past year.

2022 started with me going into the stem cell lab and starting my research there. This was really exciting since it felt like I was finally starting my thesis project, but also really intimidating since I was learning so many new things and working with different people. I’m still amazed that I did that! I was also taking a super difficult course at the time, which did not help with my stress levels, but the curve came through and I did really well somehow.

2022 was also when I started playing with community bands! I tried two local bands and while I didn’t fall in love with either of them, I have made so many more music connections and have had a lot of fun.

Over the summer I participated in Shakespeare in the Arb for the first time and had my largest acting role to date. It was honestly so fun and I made so many friends though this experience! I really cannot say enough about how happy I am that I did it.

I also realized this year that I want to medically transition to look more androgenous and match my gender a little better. I have already started that process, hopefully 2023 will complete it, but that was a scary and stressful thing to even just acknowledge.

Which takes us to the fall. I moved my cells back to the main lab and started what is essentially my own stem cell lab! This was new and while I definitely hit some potholes in the road overall I think it’s going really well! I even got a very fancy grant funded so I’ll have money for the rest of my PhD!

I also was able to teach the undergrad genetics course this fall, to finally FINALLY get teaching experience in a classroom setting. And I loved it! It just confirmed that this is what I want to do for my career. I’m hoping that in 2023 I’ll get more clarity on what my next steps should be, but that was a long time coming and I’m very excited to see what comes next.

Wow, what a year! So many things happened. Here’s to more good things to come!