"Rebel. Warrior. Hero"
Issue 6: Embarking on Shelley Parker-Chan's Story, "She Who Became The Sun"
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“She Who Became The Sun” by Shelley Parker-Chan is an epic tale of a young woman who disguises herself as a man to survive. What starts as a means of survival soon translates into a burning desire for power and greatness, for which she’s willing to pay any cost. Although her desire and ambition lead her down difficult circumstances, the same emotion has kept her alive when all hope was lost.
Parker-Chan’s ability to write her characters in such a three-dimensional way makes you want to root for the protagonist, even though some of her actions are deeply immoral. The author has created complicated characters, brimming with emotion, and deeply connected to their fate. Despite the expectations of their respective societal parameters, the characters are determined to establish their own path in life, claim their destiny, and decide for themselves how they’ll be defined. They are unapologetically human.
What I love about this book is the integration of women with ambition, in a world that would disregard a woman due to predetermined gender biases. It sets an example of what it means to be human, not necessarily what it means to be your gender. In that regard, the story sets an example of what is possible when we remove gender restrictions and open our minds to what we are capable of as people. It is simply a beautiful, but tragic tale, of what people can accomplish when we believe in ourselves and strengthen that belief through action.
In this email we’ll cover:
What’s New
Quotes and Questions to Reflect On
Insights and Inspiration
Closing Remarks
“However tired I am, however hard it is: I know I can keep going, because I’m alive.” - Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became The Sun
What’s New?
Book of the Week:
"She Who Became The Sun" By Shelley Parker-Chan's Story
Genre:
Fantasy Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
This is a bold reimagining of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty and [her] rise to power. Having had her destiny determined as a young girl, a life that would result in ‘nothing,’ she fights to claim an identity that she believes doesn’t belong to her. Especially after the tragic deaths of her family, she is faced with doing everything possible to survive. This includes taking on the identity of her brother who was determined to be ‘great.’
She decides that her fate will be determined by her alone, which leads her on the path to becoming the person that she ultimately becomes. Her gender is almost erased as she takes on the destiny her of brother, joins a monastery, and throughout the story, becomes a commander for rebellions (the Red Turbans). Although her initial objective was to survive, she later begins to desire a fate bigger than just survival, she wants to be great.
Why We Love It:
The characters fully embody the complicated nature of what it means to be human. Taking gender and predetermined biases out of the picture, the author writes about people who are presented with challenges and going about them to the best of their ability. The book centers around several themes in that regard, including themes of destiny, power, choice, fate, and overcoming adversity in the name of desire.
Reading the book I came to understand the relevance of both the protagonist and the antagonist, which are both evenly followed throughout the story. They are both flawed and impacted by their pasts, though they are neither good nor bad. However, how they perceive their own lives is what affects them moving forward.
Zhu (our protagonist) is propelled towards greatness in her life, knowing that although she cannot change her past she can change her future. Whereas Ouyang (our antagonist) is motivated by revenge, being fixated on events from the past and unable to let his hardship go. They are both driven, but by different outlooks that set the tone for their momentum.
Both characters have made their way up through the ranks, and in many ways mirror each other. When reading the book I came to understand that although motivation and desire are the energies that will propel you forward, it is your perception that determines the direction.
Key Message:
Zhu has an incredibly challenging character journey, one for which she utilises her ‘nothing’ fate as ammunition to defy the limitations placed on her. She’s determined and also ruthless in her pursuit of being great, because she believes that she can rise to power.
The key message of this story, in my opinion, regards perspective and inspired action. Although Zhu is our protagonist, the book positions both the protagonist and the antagonist in a manner where we can see the two characters mirrored. By doing so, the parallels and differences become far more clear when reading, and the story’s themes become more present in Zhu’s choices.
This young woman decides, despite all the odds, that she is going to create a path for herself instead of allowing herself to give into the determined fate that she was given. She made choices with determination and heart that she was going to find a way to firstly make it out alive, and secondly to be great.
Subconsciously, it portrays what we are capable of as women, as men, and ultimately as people. When we take what we have, although it might not be very much, when we truly embody that sense of belief in ourselves and take action to help realise those beliefs further, we can accomplish so much in our lives.
Although the story can be quite dark, it is ultimately an inspirational story of a young girl who became more than anyone ever thought she would be.
Quotes and Questions To Reflect On
Quote of the Week:
“Denying desire only made yourself vulnerable to those who were smart enough to see what you couldn't even acknowledge to yourself”
― Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun
Creative Project: Manifestation
Let’s design your ideal life!
Despite the challenges, Zhu had an intention for her life. It started with survival but eventually evolved into achieving greatness.
What is your intention for your life?
What can you do today that will bring you at least one step closer towards that dream life?
Let’s create a vision board!
Nothing is more inspiring than consistently exposing ourselves to the kind of life that we want.
Start to explore Pinterest and see what is out there. Choose the pictures and quotes that best resonate with your intentions.
Once you’re done, put it in a place where you know you’ll see it every day. If it’s digital, you could set it as your device’s wallpaper.
Write a list or routine of what your everyday dream life looks like
What does your daily, weekly, and monthly, routine look like?
What sort of extra things would you love to do every week?
Envision the type of work your ideal self does
Describe what your beauty routine/ wardrobe entails
What sort of relationships does your ideal version have?
Lastly, get comfortable with fear
Just like Zhu, you’ll have to move past your comfort zone in order to achieve more out of life.
When we keep that vision for ourselves in mind, it makes it less daunting. So hold that energy of desire close and move forward as best as you can.
Getting comfortable with fear doesn’t mean that you don’t experience the emotion, but rather you are able to manage your feelings without letting it impact your forward movement.
Move the needle forward - avoid doing tasks that don’t help you achieve your goals. Your intentions are key to this.
Be consistent and keep showing up for yourself.
As Oprah has said, “Believe in your capacity to achieve.”
Insights and Inspiration
This Week’s Featured Author:
Shelley Parker-Chan (they/them)
Background:
Shelley Parker Chan is an Asian-Australian author, whose ‘Radiant Emperor Duology’ was a Sunday Times and USA Today Bestseller. Although they reside in Australia, they’ve won several awards for their books, including The British Fantasy Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Novel. They also won the 2022 Astounding Award for Best Debut.
Other Works:
He Who Drowned the World
Beyond the Book:
Shelley Parker-Chan has done several written interviews, so I thought I would share this one from The Fantasy Hive.
Have a read-through if you’re interested in diving deeper into the book through the author’s eyes.
Closing Remarks
Believing in yourself is so important. Without that practice, in our day-to-day lives, it can be very easy to be swayed into a life that may not be the right fit for us. Just as Zhu had done, she didn’t allow someone else to determine who she was to become, she decided that for herself especially when she connected more deeply to her desires as the story unfolds.
As her desire strengthens, she continues on that trajectory, takes inspired actions, and somehow the right elements that would help her achieve her desires become more apparent and opportunities keep showing up. She doesn’t give up on herself, and so those around her start to believe in her as well.
I think that sometimes there’s a part of us that would like to wait for someone else to believe in us first so that that emotional validation can help us gain some momentum, but the reality is that it starts with us. I think that very few people would genuinely believe in us unless we had some sort of proof to show that we have that potential.
Potential, however, only shows up after we’ve adjusted our mindset. By believing in ourselves, we’ll be more likely to take action towards our desires, get excited about progress, and consistently find ways to push ourselves further. This is how potential shows up, when we consistently show up for ourselves.
Until Next Time!
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Warm regards,
June Tara
Founder of Spark Siren