@Ragman,
I think they may have the kidney disease under control. He lives in OK, so I don't get any full reports. His posts have been upbeat. Thanks for responding.
Where EndEarthers ranks on Amazon:
Best Sellers Rank: #2,648,680 in Books
#13,456 in Dystopian Fiction (Books)
#1,099,145 in Literature & Fiction (Books)
Got my first Goodreads review:
"DNF (did not finish). I am so sorry."
No star(s)
No problem. I expected a lot more negative feedback than there has been. It's a blunt presentation from the perspective of an 80 year-old 60s activist in what he believes to be the end days of humanity. That's story one. She likely didn't examine the remaining five. It's okay. I wish I had a quarter for every book I DNF.
My radicalization likely started when my own family taught me how it feels to be gaslighted and bullied. By the time I saw through LBJ and his Vietnam policy I had already witnessed the way Cuba got blacklisted after the rich Americans lost their tax haven/playground. The Beat literature and Bob Dylan spiced up the mix. Barry McGuire, whom I saw in photos in the LA Free Press hauled off by the hair during a demonstration in an LA park. Phil Ochs saw it more clearly than most and I followed him avidly. The Fugs sang River of ****, about voting the "lesser of two evils." No matter which party held the reins, protestors always were and are brutalized. The Black Panthers destroyed for organizing among the poor. A building in Philadelphia blown up without regard for the innocents therein. Nixon expanding the war and not giving it up until he was defeated. The murder of the Kennedies, Malcolm and MLK. Kent state. By the time Reagan came along I had gone beyond the line of no return.
Going to the zoo this morning. Hope I don't see any of y'all in the cages.
The Houston Zoo is a marvel. Staff loves their jobs and the animals have been given nicer areas to live in. Of course, no matter how you decorate a jail, the prisoners can never be free. Given that poachers and greedy society has made all of these creatures marked for extinction, perhaps the better zoos can keep many of them going for a while.
I was allowed to feed lettuce to a giraffe. Its wet tongue brushed my thumb.
@edgarblythe,
This comment fits in with “end of the world” thinking. Some of us are quite concerned about multiple species extinctions and such tragedies: man is doing little to prevent its own extinction. Humanity is bound and moving headlong at breakneck speed to its inevitable end. Earth will survive minus the presence of mankind.
@Ragman,
And that's what my book is about, in six stories. I frankly no longer support humanity, but I am mightily concerned for the poor animals and plants.
@edgarblythe,
Amazing discovery about giraffe 🦒 … they have very long purple tongues.
@Ragman,
The giraffes I saw were darker colors than I expected. I guess I am too influenced by illustrations
@edgarblythe,
Fortunately, I’ve had a chance to travel and see them in the wild. Truly amazing sight. Their pattern of spots are as different as fingerprints. I’ve taken some amazing photo images. When they bend down and splay their legs so they can reach the water below is an acrobatic feat. Needless to say, that can make them vulnerable to attack.
@Ragman,
I'm thinking the necks must not be as heavy as they look, else they would lose their balance.
@edgarblythe,
Unusually with their long necks…they have a smaller sized heart as compared to other animals….has a very thick and elastic left ventricle wall that allows the blood to reach up to their brain.
I borrowed Gregor for my character's name, based on the fact he was born an insect. An intelligent oversized insect. Gregor appears in the fourth story of my six-story collection.
For now the famous writer is about to mop the floor.
