This year, PADERBORN2READ—The English Book Club celebrates the twelve days of Christmas with twelve curated reading recommendations for the festive season and cozy winter days.
The ninth day of Christmas, with nine ladies dancing—to a feminist sci-fi classic:
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
recommended by PADERBORN2READ member Ronja
“This story is not all mine, nor told by me alone. Indeed I am not sure whose story it is; you can judge better. But it is all one, and if at moments the facts seem to alter with an altered voice, why then you can choose the fact you like best; yet none of them is false, and it is all one story.” (p. 1)
Meet Genly Ai, a human envoy sent from planet Earth to planet Gethen by the Ekumen, a confedaration of planets in diplomatic and economic exchange. Genly Ai has been tasked with establishing diplomatic grounds with the inhabitants of Gethen—a task made complex for two reasons: first, Gethen is an icy planet far from welcoming to humans; second, Gethen’s inhabitants are a human race drastically different from other humans in one respect: they do not have a fixed biological sex, but assume male or female bodies in a monthly cycle depending on their partner. Genly Ai does his best to see the Gethenians as ambisexual people, non-conforming to his binary system of thought, but struggles to overcome his own biases and his male and female role stereotypes.
When Genly Ai’s safety on Gethen becomes threatened, his host Therem Harth rem ir Estraven comes to his aid, not only keeping Genly Ai from physical harm but also helping him change his perspective. Banding together against the icy cold of Gethen, they literally cross a glacier and metaphorically bridge the differences between their races.
“Light is the left hand of darkness and darkness the right hand of light.” (p. 252)
Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness was originally published in 1969—surprisingly early for a sci-fi novel, written by a female author, dealing with an ambisexual people. It has since become a feminist sci-fi classic and in my opinion should be considered a deeply human narrative. This novel made me consider different ways of thinking and of shaping a society, which many novels of ideas do, but it also made me laugh and cry, due to its action-packed plot and well-rounded characters. Estraven holds a special place in my heart, they are one of the most genuinely human characters in literature I have ever had the pleasure to read about. Take this book with you under a cozy blanket, snuggle up against the winter on Gethen, and enjoy the warmth radiating from this deeply moving and impactful story.
