The Speed of Dark - Elizabeth Moon
Reading start: 2015-12-01
Reading finish: 2015-12-31

Reply to post #2 (show post):
Awesome.

FYI - this book is different in subject matter than most of Moon's body of work, it's neither kick ass army women in space nor is it high fantasy mercenaries and paladins, but it is definitely speculative in nature and stands out as one of the few books I can think of told from a non-neurotypical point of view.

Ok - sorry for the flood of stuff involving the group, wanted to get up the books from the past two years. But this one is the current read! List for 2016 is mostly, but not completely, done.

A friend of mine feels like the ending of this book is wish fulfillment on the part of the author. What's your take on it? What about projection by the part of the author onto the characters?

My discussion fodder:

Discussion Fodder:

Does the story make you examine your own behaviors and assumptions towards others? Do you see the behaviors that Lou experiences? What sort of prejudices exist towards those with different disabilities?

What do you think of the portrayal of Lou? What do you think of Lou's choice? Do you think the story falls victim to projection and fulfillment?

What is the difference between "parroting" and use of a large vocabulary?

What is the speed of dark?

Joe Lee received neonatal treatment for his autism, and grew up able to normally process stimulation. How does this change his life experience? Is he still non-neurotypical? What about the differences between Lou's generation and the older autistics who missed out completely on the medical advances as children?

What is "normal"? How "normal" are "normal people"?

How do things change who we are?

What do you think of the procedure and it's theorized applications beyond treating autism? What are the ethical implications?

What do you think about the Programmable Personality Determinant chip for correcting criminal behavior?