Red Clocks

Leni Zumas

Set in a future Oregon where the federal government has overturned Roe v Wade and has even outlawed in-vitro fertilization. Basically, this is a semi-realistic portrayal of what life would be like if reproductive rights are managed by government. Including the adoption/foster system disfunction. Zumas is clearly an Oregonian, using her home as setting for a novel. Sometimes this comes across as unimaginative or novice. And this feels that way at the start. But ultimately, the setting adds character to the story. The story follows several residents (school teacher, student, mother, etc.) of the coastal Oregon town, each with their own life drama. But each individual story touches on or circles around reproductive issues to tie everything together. Engaging and well told. Not dystopian enough to scare anyone into changing their mind about anything, but a probable real future.
4 stars (out of 4)

Chrysalis

Brendan Reichs
Book 3 of Project Nemesis

Now it gets weird. The class is surviving on "New Earth". But of course, not all is as it seems. We go from colonizers, to space ships, to AI, back to colonizers. Continually weird, and Reichs redeems the 2nd book with some creativity here. I kept thinking, how is he going to resolve all of this... and then he throws another complete left turn. In this conclusion, the Fire Lake group meets up with a Montana group and are again surprised by where they are and what they are a part of. What starts out as a continuation of the "Lord of the Flies" fight for domination transitions into an us-against-them fight for survival of humanity. We have been turned around so many times that even up until the end, we are not sure about what is real, and what is not (just like the characters). The series overall has some holes in it in terms of continuity (Sophia seems to take responsibility for some decisions that she can't really have been responsible for in the timeline), but they are minor to the overall plot and don't really break the experience.
3 stars (out of 4)

Genesis

Brendan Reichs
Book 2 of Project Nemesis

Min and Noah have been identified as Beta test subjects in a crazy experiment/project. Only the 64 sophomores in Fire Lake, Idaho are alive, and they have been instructed to narrow their number down to move on to the next phase. But since no-one can die (death leads to a reset), what does this mean. The immediate implication is that factions are formed and a "Lord of the Flies" battle for survival begins. This is traumatic, violent and visceral. Maybe it was necessary for Reichs as a plot device, but it goes on too long. Explore the alternative sooner. It seems like he had more fun than necessary writing this section when it could have been shortened to a couple chapters to make the point and move on to the next phase. Just my 2 cents. In the end, the class resolves its narrowing and moves on...
2 stars (out of 4)

Nemesis

Brendan Reichs
Book 1 of Project Nemesis

Raised in small town Fire Lake in Idaho, Min has an existence that is not comparable to anyone else. She is murdered on each of her even numbered birthdays. The reality is that she is not sure about reality. Is she crazy? Hallucinogenic? or... Regardless, she has only one real friend, Tack. And neither of them can stay out of sight of the school bullies. In fact, Tack seems to intentionally incite trouble. The story is told in alternating fashion from the first person perspective of Min, and Noah. He is nominally part of the cool group, but also shares a birthday with Min, they have some connection in this small town. So Min (and Tack, and Noah) are trying to figure out what is going on, trying to live a "normal" teenager life, and hiding this horrific reality at the same time. Probably this could be a psychological metaphor for bullying if it wasn't all too real for these kids.
3 stars (out of 4)

The will to change: Men, Masculinity and Love

Bell Hooks

This is my first introduction to Hooks. The book is an investigation of male feminism (both shortcomings and possibilities) for men in a "imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy". She talks about the development and shortcomings of feminism for men, and of the implications of patriarchy, particularly for black men and for women who profess to fight against it. I found her critique of patriarchy to be on point, but wished she would have given more direction for further action or reading. Maybe in 2004, there were not resources available. She states (again, in 2004)

No significant body of feminist writing addresses boys directly, letting them know how they can construct an identity that is not rooted in sexism. There is no body of feminist children's literature that can serve as an alternative to patriarchal perspectives, which abound in the world of children's books.

and I would add in the world of sci-fi/fantasy. So my question is, in the past 15 years, does this body of work now exist? Are there role models and characters in literature (especially in YA lit) that promote alt-patriarchal thinking?
4 stars (out of 4)