Books second person You May Enjoy This List of Books Written in the Second Person You find yourself inextricably drawn to this article—will it mention your favorite example? You must know! By James Davis Nicoll | Published on August 29, 2024 Art by Constantin Hansen (1826) Comment 0 Share New Share Art by Constantin Hansen (1826) You peruse your bookshelves1, looking for something to read, when a thought occurs to you. You’ve read many books with third person perspective. Indeed, that seems to be the standard. First person narratives abound as well2, particularly in detective-adjacent stories. But what about second person? Wouldn’t it be easier to identify with the protagonist if the text suggested that the reader is the protagonist? Writers must disagree, for there are relatively few examples. However, with some thought, you come up with five, that most perfect number of examples3. However, one of them suggests a bold narrative structure that will almost certainly break the Reactor website. The prospect of weeping web admins is too delightful to resist. Setting that example aside for now, you settle for four… Well, why not? Readers are unlikely to notice unless you draw attention to that detail, and you can always remove any such admission before sending off the file. While you did intend to remind yourself not to highlight your deviation in this matter, you are distracted by a rabbit outside the dining room window. You never write the note. It is a very adorable rabbit. You Will Go to the Moon by Mae and Ira M. Freeman (1959) You remember fondly this children’s classic of space exploration, almost as old as NASA itself. Aimed at young readers, it delivered its essential space travel concepts to you in vocabulary appropriate for first graders, with illustrations on each page to further entice its target market. Given how often you reread it as a child, the design succeeded in its purpose. Turning the pages, you consider what aspects of a lunar trip the Freemans got right—the need for a multistage rocket—and how many of the details did not play out as envisioned in the 1950s. In particular, rotating space stations are an as-yet unrealized potential4. Still, you are bothered by the possibility that this book is not quite true second person. The phrasing suggests an adult is relating the events to come to a child before dispatching it into the icy depths of endless space, never to return. Are there better examples? The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie (2019) The Strength and Patience of the Hill is a god, old enough to remember trilobites. Despite this vast perspective, it chooses to focus on a small, very recent series of events. These involve power politics amongst the bipedal primates who recently evolved, their effect on Mawat, and Mawat’s friend Eolo. Mawat, a prince of his people, believes that his father was murdered so that his uncle could take power. In fact, while Mawat’s uncle is indeed a miscreant, the crimes being committed are far more ominous than a simple assassination. Mawat’s misapprehension and the actions he takes as a consequence have divine implications. Tragedy for some, but not for The Strength and Patience of the Hill. Have you ever provided a list of Hamlet-influenced works, you wonder? This question is a welcome distraction from the cold fact that this example too is not quite what you had in mind. Some sections of the narrative are second person, but others are first. Clearly Leckie did not consider your current needs. Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (2019) You discover that having entertained readers with a snarky, straightforward first person account in Gideon the Ninth, Muir shifts her perspective to Harrowhark “Harrow” Nonagesimus and her preferred tense to second in the sequel. Harrow ascended to the status of Lyctor at great cost to Gideon. You are not surprised to discover that surprises await…or why would there be a sequel? In fact, a glorious assortment of surprises awaits both Harrow and you, as Harrow’s recollection of events is both incomplete and hard to reconcile with the first volume. Clearly, the author is working towards a goal visible to her, but initially not to the reader. Confused but intrigued, you persist. In what is becoming a recurring pattern, you notice that this example too does not quite fit the remit. Harrow the Ninth is not entirely second person. Some portions are third person. You consider whether you should have researched more diligently, rather than acting in your usual haste. You are comforted by your conclusion that fault must lie with either Senator Proxmire or the Thor Power Tool Decision, as they are the sources of all evil in the world according to top SF pundits. Onward! Halting State by Charles Stross (2007) The narrative draws your attention to three protagonists, police person Sergeant Sue Smith, programmer Jack Reed, and forensic accountant insurance fraud investigator Elaine Barnaby. The tale cycles through each protagonist’s perspective. At the center of the plot is Hayek Associates, a company that is the victim of a cybercrime. Ideally, crimes should be straightforward to resolve. This one is not. This is unfortunate, as the stakes are far higher than is at first apparent. You note the care that Stross takes to make each perspective easily distinguished from the others, and the determination with which he stuck to second person. You also dwell upon on how swiftly and comprehensively actual near-future history diverged from Stross’ speculations. How sunnily optimistic SF authors were, nearly twenty years ago. Nevertheless, Halting State is exactly what you had in mind when you began, and you type the final period with satisfaction. Could you round out the numbers to five by discussing Rule 34, Halting State’s sequel? You would have to mention two works by the same author in one essay not specifically devoted to that author. This feels like cheating. You set Rule 34 aside for an essay about novels set in the 2020s. You feel smug that in the course of writing this essay, you thought of ideas for three more. You prudently decline to consider how few of your idea seeds eventually become finished essays. You realize that this leaves the matter of comments. Readers being so many and so widely read, no doubt they will immediately think of the examples you might have mentioned5. Best to admit personal flaws and await illumination. Will commenters frame their comments in the standard format or will they use second person? You conclude there is no way to find out except to wait and see.[end-mark] The shelves of your own library or those of your public library? You decline to clarify. ︎Always raising the question: to whom the narratives are addressed? ︎For reasons you do not care to explain at this juncture. After all, why would you need to explain your own choices to yourself? ︎On reflection, you muse on the lost opportunity presented by focusing on adult astronauts, rather than child astronauts. More children than adults can be crammed into a given mass of payload and in the days of the Baby Boom, children were plentiful and easily replaced. You wonder where your copy of Rocket Girls is. It too features a bold solution to the question of payload. ︎In some cases, works you did mention. ︎The post You May Enjoy This List of Books Written in the Second Person appeared first on Reactor.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Brazil’s Supreme Court has escalated the country’s retaliation against Elon Musk by freezing the financial assets of Starlink Holding, a subsidiary of Musk’s. This action is in response to another Musk company, X, which has refused to censor posts and designate a legal representative in Brazil. This decision was part of a broader action taken by the controversial Justice Alexandre Moraes of the Supreme Court, who targeted an economic entity led by Musk. According to Brazilian media, on August 18, Moraes mandated the freezing of all financial assets of Starlink within Brazil to secure the payment of penalties levied against X by Brazilian courts. Justice Moraes’ decision stems from the ongoing dispute involving X’s operations in Brazil. The company, under Musk’s direction, had recently shut down its Brazilian office on August 17, citing disagreements with the Supreme Court’s fines and content censorship mandates. This closure followed the court’s demand, made the day before, for X to appoint a legal representative to address these issues formally. The lack of a legal representative prompted Justice Moraes to issue an ultimatum to the social network, giving them 24 hours to comply under threat of service suspension in Brazil. The urgency and consequences of these legal actions were communicated via a post on the Supreme Court’s X profile, directly responding to X’s announcement about the office closure to protect employees and the withdrawal of their representative. Aside from X, Musk’s Starlink operates within Brazil, providing satellite internet services, particularly in the Northern region. The leadership of Starlink in Brazil has been informed and summoned to respond to the financial obligations imposed on X by the Brazilian judiciary. Starlink, the satellite internet service by SpaceX, is particularly significant in Brazil for enhancing connectivity in remote and underserved regions, such as the vast Amazon rainforest where traditional broadband is impractical. This technology provides reliable internet access, supporting educational resources, digital commerce, and connectivity during natural disasters, which are frequent in regions prone to floods and landslides. Additionally, improved internet access aids environmental monitoring efforts in the Amazon, facilitating better resource deployment against illegal activities such as deforestation and wildlife trafficking. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Brazil’s High Court Freezes Starlink Assets Over Musk’s X Censorship Refusal appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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The liberal media has worked hard in recent weeks to help Democratic operatives rehabilitate Kamala Harris' public image. Essential to that effort has been her characterization as competent and capable — a task made all the more difficult by her track record as vice president and border czar over the past three years. Establishmentarians' desperation to gloss over Harris' complicity in President Joe Biden's various failings and unpopular initiatives was crystallized in a Politico article this week, titled, "'Our corrupt leadership': Vance tries to tether Harris to Biden during Michigan rally." Critics rushed to note that Vance doesn't have to do what Harris has already done — that there is a hyphen in "Biden-Harris administration" that both serves as a tether and cuts through the absurdity of Politico's framing. All administration officials refer to the 'Biden-Harris administration' instead of the easier-to-say 'Biden administration.' In fact, Politico has previously emphasized the existence of this hyphen. Politico reported in early 2021 that: For personnel announcements during the transition, officials were told to include quotes from both Biden and Harris. And all administration officials refer to the 'Biden-Harris administration' instead of the easier-to-say 'Biden administration.' Various federal agencies followed suit, all making sure to tether Harris to Biden. Again, according to Politico, the "Education Department was referring to the 'Biden-Harris administration' on its website from Day 1, with the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management following suit on Jan. 25." Harris has effectively been tethered to Biden since 2020. 'Fast food industry tries to tie Ronald McDonald to McDonalds.' Harris' previous presidential campaign was a complete failure — so much so, she didn't even make it to the first vote. The New York Times indicated ahead of the campaign's collapse that Harris "has proved to be an uneven campaigner who changes her message and tactics to little effect and has a staff torn into factions." After August 2019, when she was briefly polling around 10%, she took a massive nosedive in the polls and never recovered. Shortly after a poll revealed that a majority of Democrats in her own state of California wanted her to call it quits, she did so, bailing out in December 2019. Biden apparently took pity on Harris, telling reporters, "I have mixed emotions about [her exit]," and calling her a "first-rate candidate." Ultimately, Biden permitted Harris to tether herself to him and together they proceeded to take power. In the years since, Harris has routinely cosigned Biden's policy initiatives and decisions, including the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which Harris has boasted signing off on. Despite Harris' history of working hand in glove with Biden, Politico reported Tuesday, "Former President Donald Trump's running mate tried to tie Harris to the Biden administration's policies — saying at one point that 'Kamala Harris has been calling the shots' — while also warning of China's emergence as an economic superpower that's taking jobs away from the U.S." Politico's controversial suggestion that Vance is unfairly insinuating a link between Harris and Biden has been met with widespread ridicule as well as a community note on X. Vance responded to the article on X, tweeting, "The thing is: she's Biden's Vice President." Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) posted an image of the Biden-Harris 2024 logo, noting it was "their campaign logo up and until a few weeks ago." Blaze News social media specialist Ben McDonald quipped, "Fast food industry tries to tie Ronald McDonald to McDonalds." "I knew the corporate press was shameless but I didn't realize that they were this stupid," wrote anarcho-capitalist author Michael Malice. Amid the backlash, Politico stealthily changed the title of its article without an editor's note admitting the alteration. At the time of publication, the article was titled, "Vance warns of China’s influence during Michigan rally." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A video from an Aurora, Colorado, apartment shows a group of men with firearms storming through the complex, which has reportedly been taken over by Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang.The footage, obtained by KDVR, shows five men, four of whom were carrying guns, pounding on the door to a residence at the Edge at Lowry. Moments later, the door appears to open from the inside before the men enter the apartment.'Nobody is helping the Americans that are trapped in these apartment complexes.'A separate video taken at what seems to be an earlier time captured two men standing outside the same residence. One of the men can be seen using a hammer to destroy the door's deadbolt lock. Between the two videos, the apartment door appears to have been replaced. KDVR reported that illegal immigrants have taken over the complex. Since then, the property has become a hotspot for criminal activity.According to the residents who captured the videos, a shootout occurred at the complex shortly before the footage of the armed men was taken. The incident left one individual seriously injured, and several vehicles were damaged.Former residents Cindy and Edward Romero told KDVR that living at the Aurora complex had become "a nightmare."The Romeros' vehicle was riddled with bullets from a shootout that occurred earlier this month.The couple stated that they had trouble getting local organizations to assist them with moving out but were ultimately able to leave, thanks to Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky.Jurinsky told KDVR, "The city nonprofits have lined up to help the migrants that have come here but nobody is helping the Americans that are trapped in these apartment complexes.""This isn't just Americans. Other Venezuelans are being extorted by this gang," she added.According to Jurinsky, TDA has overrun the apartment complex.Jurinsky told Fox News Digital, “In the entire Denver metro area, it has been like pulling teeth to get anyone, the media, other elected officials, to get anyone to acknowledge the presence of this trend and to acknowledge that there is even a problem.”Aurora previously passed a resolution stating that it would not provide resources to illegal immigrants arriving in the city. However, approximately nine miles away, the sanctuary city of Denver is spending generous amounts of taxpayers' funds on illegal aliens. Denver's promise of assistance is attracting more individuals to the area, who are then spilling over into Aurora.The Aurora Police Department has formed a special task force to "specifically address concerns" regarding TDA and "other criminal activity affecting migrant communities."The city has confirmed that it is "increasingly collecting evidence to show the gang is connected to crimes in the area." However, city officials stated that the TDA's influence is "isolated."The massive uptick in illegal immigrants arriving in the Denver and Aurora areas has prompted increased costs and homelessness. A recent poll found that Colorado residents' top concern is the area's cost of living, followed by homelessness, cost of health care, drug overdoses, crime, mental health, jobs and the economy, and illegal immigration.Dave Metz, president of Democratic-aligned FM3 Research, stated, "This year's Pulse Poll results don't just show that Coloradans perceive housing issues as a problem — they see them as a crisis."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The campaign for a left-leaning candidate running for city council in Oakland, California, got off to a bad start after a homeless woman apparently stole a bag full of donations during a campaign kickoff rally over the weekend.On Sunday, Charlene Wang, 33, hosted an event at a local park to launch her campaign for the open seat on the Oakland City Council. As the event wrapped up, a women described as homeless and "clearly mentally disturbed" by the California Globe suddenly began swiping several bags and purses, reports claimed.'Tirelessly fighting for disadvantaged communities by launching new social programs at all levels of government for homelessness, education, healthcare, and environmental justice.'Wang was able to wrestle most of the purses, including her own and her mother's, back. However, the homeless woman apparently kept hold and wouldn't let go of the bag containing a host of donation checks collected at the rally.According to video, Wang and her team attempted to reason with the woman in hopes of convincing her to give the bag back — to no avail. "I very much tried to have a de-escalatory conversation with her to convince her to hand over the bag," Wang said, according to KGO. "Offer her a warm meal at the grocery store, even give her money in exchange for the bag, but that did not work out."Wang also attempted to solicit the help of those involved with the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland Program, which offers "community response ... for non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls" in the city. Unfortunately, the ostensible social workers weren't available during the weekend, KGO indicated.Finally, fearing that the situation was escalating out of control, Wang resorted to contacting law enforcement. Unfortunately, police weren't available to respond either."They said there were 250 calls ahead of us, and they said they would actually come by to take a report afterwards," Wang told KGO.After allegedly throwing food and, in the words of the California Globe, "flashing her whatevers," the suspected thief reportedly wandered away, donation bag still in hand. Wang estimated that the bag contained about $1,000 worth of checks. According to the California Globe, Wang has asked donors to stop payment on those checks.Despite the apparent theft, Wang harbors no ill will against the suspect. "I am not angry at her or anything like that," she insisted."I can only imagine the trauma she is going through having to live on the streets."Wang, who is running on a platform of reducing crime and helping the homeless, was left frustrated and confused by the silence from Oakland police. As of Wednesday, they still had not come to investigate the issue, Wang claimed."I think this is yet another example of first responder service. I was left to fend for myself in an essence," she said.The New York Post reached out to the police department for comment.Wang's campaign website brags about her work on campaigns for former President Barack Obama and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as well as her previous work to help the homeless in Massachusetts. The website further notes that Wang identifies as LBGTQ+ and claims that she has dedicated her life "to tirelessly fighting for disadvantaged communities by launching new social programs at all levels of government for homelessness, education, healthcare, and environmental justice."Even with those leftist bona fides, Wang is still surprised by the association between leftists and anti-cop sentiment. "I’m frustrated by the idea that progressives are automatically anti-police, that we don’t care about public safety," she said, per the California Globe."That is the state of the first responders in Oakland, and that’s why I’m running."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!