This packed a hard punch for such a short book! I loved getting deeper into the Fire Nation culture. What we see in this comic builds off of what we see from Aang going to a Fire Nation school in the TV show.

We focus on Mai's experience in the Fire Nation girl's academy, and the parallels she sees between what she observes and her own experiences as a student, and how she tries to be the person she needed when she was attending the academy.

While not super similar in the intensity, I see how similar the Fire Nation and the United States (or really any previous and current colonial power) educations is: teachers teaching (especially to young students!) the might and power of their native nation and rewriting the history to be more forgiving and less critical than we ought to.

Very good addition to a beloved piece of media. I love reading the ATLA comics. They keep the same "geared towards kids" energy the show has, yet still make it compelling with super important themes, because media for children deserves to be good quality too!

Oh Murderbot, when will you realize you do actually like chilling with people? When will the family be found??

I did enjoy this, especially ART, they're great. MB showing them the wonders of human media and series is so wonderful!! We are slowly but surely getting to what happened to MB before the events of All Systems Red.

MB continues to act like the most reluctant and exasperated parent in the galaxy and I am here for it. I love the trope of "I keep accidentally adopting children and it's now my responsibility to keep these fuckers alive." Can't wait for MB to discover the benefits and happiness of a solid, unchanging group of friends though, they're really hopping around independently a lot.

In my bio I mention I enjoy emotionally devastating literature. And, boy, was this book right up my alley. If you also enjoy suffering & crying while reading, this is for you!

The book follows the Brights, Lillian and Ryan, as the consequences of their own secret-keeping tear them apart and scar their daughter, nicknamed Jet.

This book is raw and unforgiving at times. It shows addiction, grief and life itself in a realistic light- which is unflattering and surprising. This book asks you, how far would you go for the one(s) you love most? How far would you hide to protect yourself from future loss and pain? What abuses would you forgive from others? Can you forgive others for past abuses?

The mother, Lillian, and her daughter, Jet, are reflections of each other. Where Lillian opens up, Jet closes. Where Lillian forgives and moves on, Jet blames and remembers. It's such a clear picture into the effects our upbringings have on our worldview and our behavior to those around us since, beyond Lillian and Jet, we also get a peek into other generations of this family.

I think the generational storytelling, especially from 1st person perspective is an interesting way to tell this story. It makes it personal and gives us more insight into certain characters.

Overall would recommend, especially if you need a good cry.

This book requires a level of analysis that I, frankly, was not willing to put into it at the time of reading it. If you're reading it and thinking: "man, this guy's weird," you, much like I was, are on the right track. This was definitely a thought provoking book and I see why it's highly regarded. I am glad I read it, but I, overall, did not enjoy it.

This book aims to show/convey an absurdist view on life, which it definitely takes to the extreme. The main character, Meursault, cares for little in his life. He's distanced himself from his mother, he doesn't want to commit to his girlfriend and he doesn't seem to give a shit about his job. This "lack of performance" or lack of perceived caring for others is used as an assessment to his character later in the book, indicting his character is bad.

Meursaut's philosophy is that nothing in life matters, but we see throughout the book the effect his actions (and sometimes inactions!) have on others, however minor they are. And we can sure as hell see that these effects have meaning to other people and other characters in the book, going against his own philosophy. But Meursault doesn't understand this because he's so stuck in his own head and selfish in his actions.

As one of my favorite improv comedians and one of the creators of Dimension 20, a TTRPG actualplay once said, “in the same way your heart feels and your mind thinks, you... are the instrument by which the universe cares. If you choose to care, then the universe cares. If you don't, then it doesn't.” Sure, meaning is not inherent to life, but that doesn't mean life is meaningless. Meaning is the effects we have on other people. It's not some great destiny nor any divine purpose necessarily but Life's whatever the fuck you 🫵want it to be.