To Be Taught, If Fortunate
Author: Becky Chambers
Published: 2019
Audience: Adults (appropriate ages 15+)
"If you read nothing else we’ve sent home, please at least read this."
Ariadne, Elena, Jack, and Chikondi are a team of astronauts on a mission to ecologically survey four exoplanets that may possibly harbour life. Their expedition is a long one, requiring not only years of on-the-ground research but also long stretches of travelling in suspend animation to actually get to each planet. By the time they receive their monthly updates from Earth through the vast distances of space, the information is already long out of date.
Ariadne and her crewmates settle in to their new normal of exploration and discovery on alien worlds, but then the communications from Earth become infrequent, vague, and then finally silent. Faced with the possibility that Earth no longer remembers the astronauts they sent out among the stars, Ariadne begins to chronicle the wonders and dangers of their mission, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening…
Review:
There is so much to be said about this book that I honestly don’t know if I can do it justice. ‘To Be Taught, If Fortunate’ is an intimate yet expansive science fiction story from Becky Chambers, author of the award winning ‘Wayfarers’ series. Chambers is known for her spellbinding character-focused stories and detailed world-building set against backdrops of space exploration, and ‘To Be Taught, If Fortunate’ is no exception.
Starting with an earnest “please read this”, this novella uses an epistolary style that directly speaks to the reader and creates a personal connection that will have audiences hooked from the very first page. It is not an action adventure story or grand space opera. Instead, 'To Be Taught, If Fortunate' explores Ariadne and the others’ journey to far-flung planets through a tale that is part diary entries, part research notes, and part vignettes of their everyday work and personal interactions.
Readers will be utterly captivated by the small moments and relatable habits that bring these characters to life: Elena’s steadfast diligence in conducting safety checks, Jack’s infectious cheer as he investigates new rocks and fossils, Chikondi’s surprise whenever he gets too engrossed in his work and doesn’t realise someone else is in the room, and Ariadne’s vulnerable honesty in recounting their daily lives. There is a love and togetherness that permeates the interactions between these four - as friends, lovers, coworkers, voyagers, and above all as family. Through them, we are immersed in a tale that is lighthearted, poignant, beautiful, and bittersweet, and culminates in a question and literary experience that is genuinely affecting.
‘To Be Taught, If Fortunate’ is a celebration of the spirit of curiosity, citizen-funded science and spaceflight, and the contributions of so many across generations in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. It evokes the giddiness of discovery and the joy of actively living life, as well as the weighty responsibility of carrying humanity’s hopes, efforts, and sacrifices. It discusses the ethics of humans intruding on ecosystems in the name of research, and the emotional effect of being dislocated from home. The book’s short length and accessible writing style makes for a quick read, yet the story never feels rushed or too brief.
‘To Be Taught, If Fortunate’ is a beautifully written and truly moving experience. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Excerpt:
I heard the faint rush of the airlock behind us, followed by a clatter down the ramp and burst of running. Chikondi - undoubtedly having seem the feeds of our cameras pop up on the monitor - came barrelling toward us, a man on fire. Jack came out of the airlock a few seconds later, running for a few steps, stopping to fix the boot he’d hastily shoved himself into, then continuing onward.
Chikondi was beside himself […] He took a deep breath, and shouted in crescendo: ‘Multi…cellular…ORGANISMS!’ He raised his face to the sky, thrusting his gloved fists into the air like he just scored a championship goal.
‘Holy shit.’ Jack laughed. He put his palms on the top of his helmet. ‘Holy shit.’ He looked at me and Elena. ‘Are you still recording?’
‘Yes,’ Elena said. ‘Every word you say.’
‘Oh. Well.’ Jack walked over to her and turned his gaze straight in to her camera lens. ‘Holy shit.’