The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree Jr.

Now we're getting into true cyberpunk territory. This novella by James Tiptree Jr (pen-name for Alice B. Sheldon) laid the foundation to so much sci-fi that came after it. The Girl Who Was Plugged In was first published in 1974, but I read the 1989 Tor edition. It's a quick read that to me felt quite psychedelic but once you get into the swing of it you wish there was more. As a male reader I was left in introspection about my own relationship to female gender and any work of fiction that has me understanding my reality on a deeper level is always welcome.

.::[FIRST IMPRESSIONS]::.

In scrolling through The Essential Cyberpunk Reading List I initially didn't think I would be interested in reading about a 15 year old girl, but my social science student side was intrigued by the concept of feminist sci-fi. The fact that it won a Hugo Award was a plus too (earlier the better). I also recognised what must of felt like a necessity for Sheldon to write under a male pen-name to be taken seriously as a sci-fi author at that time.

.::[PART ONE - ANALYSIS]::.

Sheldon/Tiptree juxtaposes two conflicting realities which ultimately collide. The life of P. Burke and the life of Delphi the "Remote" P. Burke controls. In the future depicted due to the enforcement of the Huckster Act, almost all advertising is banned (bliss to my brain). Enterprising corporations have found a loophole however by employing celebrities for product placement (doesn't that sound familiar) and P. Burke through (un)fortunate circumstances is given the opportunity to become one of these celebrities through her surrogate Delphi.

Ultimately I think this book is based on how women are valued in society. We are given an ugly depiction of P. Burke who fulfils her role in society by conforming to idealised femininity controlled by male advertising executives in the form of her surrogate Delphi. Her real self is only a tool in the manifestation of corporate profits and her worth as an individual is determined by the sexual appeal of her idealised surrogate.

I also want to meditate on society banning advertising, in that I really want to see it happen. Or at the very least, much more stringently regulated. It's visual pollution, it's poison for our minds. As P. Burke's love interest says in the novella: "They've got the whole world programmed! Total control of communication. They've got everybody's minds wired in to think what they show them and want what they give them and they give them what they're programmed to want". We as a species have to break free from this cycle. I recommend to everyone to read No Logo by Naomi Klein.

.::[PART TWO - REVIEW]::.

This book should be essential reading for Instagram models and the Facebook famous. It's as relevant today (perhaps even more so) as it was back in the 70's. I actually read this twice in one week because I enjoyed it so much. It has me in the mood to watch Surrogates again, but I would love to see a direct film adaptation of this work. I also heard this story was a major inspiration for Gibson who I'm about to read which sounds awesome because I really liked Sheldon/Tiptree's style. Thoroughly reccomend, I'm giving it... 4 out of 5.