The Book Pile

(The Arrival movie was based on) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

May 22, 2023
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ANECDOTE

Comedy Tour Plug And Thermometer Joke

  • Kellen plugs his upcoming comedy shows and tour dates as a personal aside.
  • He jokes about doing a seven-month ticket countdown for Des Moines to promote sales humorously.
INSIGHT

Start With An Irresistible What-If

  • Great stories start with a single irresistible "what if."
  • Ted Chiang builds each tale by pivoting a simple question into deep emotional and intellectual territory.
INSIGHT

Beauty Can Be Engineered Into Addiction

  • The story "Liking What You See" probes whether we'd erase physical beauty to stop discrimination.
  • Chiang shows beauty can be amplified by culture into an addictive force like refined cocaine.
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