March was a compelling month for reading, as I dove into four books that spanned genres, centuries, and even planets. Despite their differences, “Intermezzo” by Sally Rooney, “Red Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson, “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine” by Rashid Khalidi, and “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism” by Sarah Wynn-Williams all explore the consequences of ambition, the complexity of human systems, and the fragile balance between idealism and reality. Each of these works, in their own way, holds up a mirror to the societies they describe and to the people within them.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo is an exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family. The novel follows two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek, who, despite being siblings, seem to have little in common. In the wake of their father’s passing, each brother processes grief differently—Peter, a 32-year-old human rights lawyer, struggles with self-medication and complicated relationships, while Ivan, a 22-year-old former chess prodigy, begins a relationship with Margaret, a 36-year-old arts program director. The novel explores themes of grief, age-gap relationships, sibling dynamics, and power structures in romantic relationships.
Rooney’s narrative delves into the complexities of familial bonds and the individual paths of coping with loss. The portrayal of the brothers’ divergent responses to their father’s death highlights the intricate interplay between personal aspirations and familial expectations. This exploration of grief and personal transformation resonates with the themes found in the other books reviewed this month, as each work examines the human condition amidst changing circumstances.
By incorporating Intermezzo into this month’s reading, I gained a deeper understanding of how personal loss and societal structures influence individual choices and relationships, further enriching the overarching themes of power, change, and human complexity explored in the other works.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
In contrast, “Red Mars” is a sweeping work of science fiction that imagines the colonization and terraforming of Mars. But like “Intermezzo,” Robinson’s novel focuses deeply on character psychology and the human condition. The story of Mars’ settlement is a grand metaphor for political experimentation and environmental manipulation. The colonists arrive full of ambition and vision, but the cracks in their utopian ideals become quickly apparent. Power struggles, conflicting ideologies, and personal betrayals echo the same themes of ambition and disillusionment found in Rooney’s work.
Robinson’s Mars is not just a setting but a character, shaped and reshaped by the people who seek to master it. In this, it parallels Earth-bound histories and ambitions—like those examined in Khalidi’s and Wynn-Williams’s nonfiction books.
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Khalidi’s historical account offers a powerful, scholarly examination of the ongoing conflict in Palestine, stretching back to the British Mandate. Through personal and political lenses, he frames the conflict as a colonial war imposed upon the Palestinian people, marked by broken promises, foreign interventions, and the relentless assertion of power.
The book’s themes resonate strongly with “Red Mars” and “Intermezzo.” All three examine how powerful institutions and ideologies can shape, distort, and often destroy the dreams of those living under them. Khalidi’s detailed recounting of historical events also shares a meticulous attention to cause and consequence, not unlike Wynn-Williams’s approach to corporate critique in the tech world.
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Sarah Wynn-Williams’s “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism” is a memoir detailing her experiences as a former director of public policy at Facebook (now Meta). In this exposé, Wynn-Williams provides an insider’s perspective on the company’s internal culture, decision-making processes, and ethical challenges. She recounts incidents highlighting Facebook’s pursuit of global influence, including efforts to enter the Chinese market and the development of censorship tools.
What makes this book particularly relevant to the others is its examination of how institutions operate behind closed doors and the toll that unchecked ambition and idealism can take. Like “Red Mars,” it examines the complexities of pioneering new frontiers; similar to “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine,” it scrutinizes prolonged conflicts and power struggles; and as with “Intermezzo,” it reflects on personal and societal transformations.
Final Thoughts
What unites these four books is their meditation on the human cost of ambition and the illusions we cling to. Whether it’s a pair of brothers grappling with personal loss in Ireland, colonists forging a new society on Mars, a historian dissecting a century of injustice, or a former tech executive exposing the inner workings of Silicon Valley, each book asks us to consider what happens when ideals meet the harshness of reality.
Together, they made for a rich and sobering reading experience—a reminder that while the settings may differ, the stories of power, hope, and disillusionment remain deeply, universally human.
March Book Review: Four Stories of Power, Change, and Human Complexity
March was a compelling month for reading, as I dove into four books that spanned genres, centuries, and even planets. Despite their differences, “Intermezzo” by Sally Rooney, “Red Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson, “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine” by Rashid Khalidi, and “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism” by Sarah Wynn-Williams all explore the consequences of ambition, the complexity of human systems, and the fragile balance between idealism and reality. Each of these works, in their own way, holds up a mirror to the societies they describe and to the people within them.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo is an exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family. The novel follows two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek, who, despite being siblings, seem to have little in common. In the wake of their father’s passing, each brother processes grief differently—Peter, a 32-year-old human rights lawyer, struggles with self-medication and complicated relationships, while Ivan, a 22-year-old former chess prodigy, begins a relationship with Margaret, a 36-year-old arts program director. The novel explores themes of grief, age-gap relationships, sibling dynamics, and power structures in romantic relationships.
Rooney’s narrative delves into the complexities of familial bonds and the individual paths of coping with loss. The portrayal of the brothers’ divergent responses to their father’s death highlights the intricate interplay between personal aspirations and familial expectations. This exploration of grief and personal transformation resonates with the themes found in the other books reviewed this month, as each work examines the human condition amidst changing circumstances.
By incorporating Intermezzo into this month’s reading, I gained a deeper understanding of how personal loss and societal structures influence individual choices and relationships, further enriching the overarching themes of power, change, and human complexity explored in the other works.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
In contrast, “Red Mars” is a sweeping work of science fiction that imagines the colonization and terraforming of Mars. But like “Intermezzo,” Robinson’s novel focuses deeply on character psychology and the human condition. The story of Mars’ settlement is a grand metaphor for political experimentation and environmental manipulation. The colonists arrive full of ambition and vision, but the cracks in their utopian ideals become quickly apparent. Power struggles, conflicting ideologies, and personal betrayals echo the same themes of ambition and disillusionment found in Rooney’s work.
Robinson’s Mars is not just a setting but a character, shaped and reshaped by the people who seek to master it. In this, it parallels Earth-bound histories and ambitions—like those examined in Khalidi’s and Wynn-Williams’s nonfiction books.
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Khalidi’s historical account offers a powerful, scholarly examination of the ongoing conflict in Palestine, stretching back to the British Mandate. Through personal and political lenses, he frames the conflict as a colonial war imposed upon the Palestinian people, marked by broken promises, foreign interventions, and the relentless assertion of power.
The book’s themes resonate strongly with “Red Mars” and “Intermezzo.” All three examine how powerful institutions and ideologies can shape, distort, and often destroy the dreams of those living under them. Khalidi’s detailed recounting of historical events also shares a meticulous attention to cause and consequence, not unlike Wynn-Williams’s approach to corporate critique in the tech world.
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Sarah Wynn-Williams’s “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism” is a memoir detailing her experiences as a former director of public policy at Facebook (now Meta). In this exposé, Wynn-Williams provides an insider’s perspective on the company’s internal culture, decision-making processes, and ethical challenges. She recounts incidents highlighting Facebook’s pursuit of global influence, including efforts to enter the Chinese market and the development of censorship tools.
What makes this book particularly relevant to the others is its examination of how institutions operate behind closed doors and the toll that unchecked ambition and idealism can take. Like “Red Mars,” it examines the complexities of pioneering new frontiers; similar to “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine,” it scrutinizes prolonged conflicts and power struggles; and as with “Intermezzo,” it reflects on personal and societal transformations.
Final Thoughts
What unites these four books is their meditation on the human cost of ambition and the illusions we cling to. Whether it’s a pair of brothers grappling with personal loss in Ireland, colonists forging a new society on Mars, a historian dissecting a century of injustice, or a former tech executive exposing the inner workings of Silicon Valley, each book asks us to consider what happens when ideals meet the harshness of reality.
Together, they made for a rich and sobering reading experience—a reminder that while the settings may differ, the stories of power, hope, and disillusionment remain deeply, universally human.
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