Books!

I've been wanting to post a blurb about the book I've been reading but I wanted to see how it ended before I wrote anything. It's taken me forever to finish it. I think it's because since Christmas I've been reading a lot of non-genre fiction and non-fiction, as opposed to my usual sci-fi/fantasy fare. I also seem to have been busy looking after a baby and when he's snoozing, I'm gaming or watching a movie. So my reading schedule is a little less than it used to be.

Anyway, the book I just finished reading is called the speed of dark by Elizabeth Moon. She's done some sci-fi/fantasy stuff herself, but this isn't a genre book at all. The author is the mother of an autist, and you can really tell that this is an important topic for her to deal with.

It's set in a near-future world (mid-2000's somewhere) where they've been able to 'fix' most genetic disorders in the womb. The main character, Lou, is an austistic man who is of the last generation that was born before the technology became available. It is a very interesting book as most of it is told from his perspective and has to do with his choice regarding a possible 'cure' for adult autism.

It is an excellent book that deals with the question, What is normal? If you cure someone who has had autism since birth, are they going to still be the same person?

The biggest theme is about change. Even without treatment, Lou changes. Is it for the better? With the treatment cancel out his own personal growth? What about everyone around him? How are they changing? It's also great how the autistic people in the book end up seeming much more 'normal' than everyone else. From this point of view, it's everyone else that is strange and abnormal, while the autistics are grounded in reality and logic.

It also delves into a lot of corporate politics, bigotry towards the disabled and even gets into some interesting discussions about the nature of faith.

I really enjoyed it. I'm glad I didn't just blast through it as it was one of those books you want to read a chunk of, think about, and then go read some more. I highly recommend it.

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What I'm Reading: Apocalypse Array
What I'm Playing: Resident Evil 4, Mercenaries
What I'm Watching: Stargate: SG-1 Season 1, Whatever's on Discovery Channel