The April 2024 Serious Insights Bookshelf
The future is complex. Scenario planners look for social, technological, economic, environmental, and political uncertainties to understand the variables that should be explored against a focal question such as “What will work look like in 2035?” Naming uncertainty is just a starting point. Those variables receive a unique value for each scenario that informs the narrative. I tell my students to think about the variables as prototypical characters and their ultimate value as the traits and behaviors they exhibit in the story.
Cover photo by Vincenzo Malagoli on Pexels.com
I draw from a wide variety of fiction, nonfiction, and even poetry to inspire the values I assign to uncertainties. In scenario narratives, uncertainties become certain. Futures coalesce. The now value-laden uncertainty-variables interact to create the environment in which traditional characters live. Through scenarios, we tell the stories of the future and of those who might live in them, including our future selves.
Reading fiction helps scenario developers craft better characters to live in their futures. Although scenarios may be taught in classes on strategy, masters of scenario planning are writers first and strategy experts second.
I am going to start sharing my monthly reading, with a little help from AI (which I edit heavily), to provide a summary of the books for those who may need a little tease to buy the listed title or borrow it from the local library. Amazon links will be provided for Kindle editions.
In the April 2024 Serious Insights Bookshelf, I share Samuel R. Delany’s classic Babel-17 and Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, the new darling of Shakespeare lovers.
Babel-17. Samuel R. Delany
In “Babel-17,” Samuel R. Delany’s seminal work of science fiction, readers embark on a linguistic odyssey through the depths of space. Published in 1966, this novel remains a cornerstone of speculative literature, blending intricate language theory with visionary storytelling. Readers will even find some poetry between the covers.
At its core, “Babel-17” explores the power and limitations of language in shaping perception and understanding. Set against the backdrop of an interstellar conflict, the narrative follows Rydra Wong, a renowned poet and cryptographer tasked with deciphering a mysterious alien code known as Babel-17. This enigmatic language, believed to be a weapon employed by the enemy, holds the key to victory in the ongoing war.
As Rydra delves deeper into the intricacies of Babel-17, she grapples with its profound influence on her consciousness and identity. Through Rydra’s journey, Delany deftly examines the intricate interplay between language and thought, challenging traditional notions of communication and cognition.
Amidst the linguistic intrigue, “Babel-17” also explores themes of identity, love, and the nature of reality. Rydra’s complex relationships with fellow soldiers and allies add layers of depth to the narrative, infusing the story with emotional resonance.
Delany’s prose is as poetic as it is thought-provoking, weaving a tapestry of words that captivates the imagination. His exploration of linguistic relativity and the construction of meaning invites readers to ponder the ways in which language shapes our perception of the world. In much the same way, I ask scenario planning students and clients to put a name on uncertainty so the ideas that confound them can be grappled with as near physical manifestations of the unknown.
Ultimately, “Babel-17” is more than a science fiction novel; it is a meditation on the power of language to shape our understanding of reality. Delany’s masterful blend of speculative concepts and lyrical prose makes this a timeless classic that every person interested in exploring and describing futures should read.
Available on Amazon Kindle here.
Hamnet. Maggie O’Farrell
I have to say, “Hamnet” took a minute to read. While Maggie O’Farrell’s tale offers readers an intimate glimpse into the heart of one of literature’s most enduring mysteries, the death of William Shakespeare’s son Hamnet, its structure often takes the reader through time and space to explore the peripheral of this fictional Shakespeare. The side journeys don’t always intrigue. Thus, a put down and pick up (or in the case of Kindle, a pick another book and come back later) for this one. But a satisfying ending in the heart of Southwark.
Set against the backdrop of 16th-century England, O’Farrell’s narrative unfolds with the grace and elegance of a Shakespearean sonnet. Through her lyrical prose, she paints a vivid, though not idyllic, portrait of family life in Stratford-upon-Avon, where young Hamnet roams the English countryside.
The story centers on Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, a complex woman facing an emerging world through the eyes of a healer, a woman in love with a distant husband she doesn’t really understand, surrounded by a community and in-laws who don’t understand her. Readers witness the joys and sorrows of motherhood, the fierce love that binds a family together, and the profound grief that accompanies loss.
As Hamnet’s fate unfolds, O’Farrell explores themes of love, loss, and the immutable bond between parent and child. Her exploration of grief is raw and unflinching, yet infused with a quiet strength that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit.
In “Hamnet,” O’Farrell balances her prose between historical fact and fictional speculation, breathing new life into the enigmatic figure of Shakespeare’s wife and the son who inspired “Hamlet.” She invites readers to ponder the enduring mysteries of art, love, and loss.
Available on Amazon Kindle here.
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