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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 29.0 ms ] thread
defrost
Pretty realistic and frank memoir of being female in isolated and overbearingly male workspaces.

Mining, military, etc.

kleiba
I wonder what it would be like if I had to work in some remote place where the workspace is dominantly female. I cannot imagine it to be a wonderful experience.
sp332
The topics are heavy, but the book isn't trying to oppress you, the reader. The tone is downright conversational even when it's talking about terrible events or life-and-death decisions.

And the pacing is perfect. I opened to the middle and read 60 pages before I looked up.

ZantaWB
Read this as a fan of her work and a friend of several female geologists with stories from remote work camps. I was struck by the even-handedness of it. Really interesting exploration of labour, gender, and home. The artwork is also phenomenal at conveying the personality of the characters and the sheer scale of the jobsites.
pavlov
Kate Beaton must have a brilliant publicist. Over the past few weeks there’s been a “Ducks” blitz in the outlets I follow: email newsletters, websites, magazines. “Ducks” even made the front pages of Ars Technica and HN despite no obvious tech connection.

I’m sure it’s a quality work and I actually look forward to reading it. But I’d also like to read the companion piece by her agency:

“The Making of Ducks — how we got people who read about GPUs to care about a comic set in Alberta”

steerpike
It's probably not that complicated nor really that related to an agency. The simple fact is probably more that for a certain type of nerd with a literary bent Kate Beaton and Hark a vagrant hold a similar place in our heart as Randall Munroe and XKCD.
pavlov
For this level of exposure, probably both?

"Ducks" seems to be published simultaneously by Drawn & Quarterly in North America and Penguin Books in the UK. These two together have enough money and experience to mount a good PR campaign.

optimalsolver
What steerpike is trying to say is that you don't really need a major PR campaign for this. The people who work at those media outlets probably have a close attachment to Kate's previous works, so they'll gladly cover a new release without much prodding.
pavlov
The ideal situation is when it looks organic that way but is also a carefully orchestrated PR campaign behind the scenes.
ZeroGravitas
I think you're suggesting they have a terrible publicist.

A good publicist would get you in front of people who are interested in your work.

I think that's what's happened here.

You seem to think that they've shoved it in front of random people, which would be a waste of time.

pavlov
No, I’m saying that I’m interested in this book, didn’t previously know about it (or even the author), and this publicity blitz has successfully put the book on my buy list.

I’m not sure how the praise in my original comment could be interpreted as the opposite. Did it seem ironic? Not the intention.

probably_wrong
Tangentially related: I can't imagine how hard writing this book must have been. Not only are the main topics heavy, but even some side characters and one-off jokes feel ominous knowing where life would take her. And then having to do media tours and interviews to relieve them all every other day? Oooff.
telesilla
Her sensibility suits well the readership here. Enjoy her web comic archive -

http://www.harkavagrant.com/archive.php

A favorite:

http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=5

stokesr
Ordered the hardcover immediately, looking forward to spending a weekend chunking through it
dclowd9901
Kate Beaton’s “Hark, a Vagrant!” is some seriously fun intellectualism and the historical references will only date you if you’re 300 years old. Such a fun book if you have some sense history.
avador
Just finished a reading. (Ordered after seeing this post.)

It’s not my normal cup of tea. I will never forget it.