Riding the Wave of Tomorrowx3
Here’s why it is worth reading Gabrielle Zevin’s epic book 📚
“To be half of two things is to be whole of none.”
This line from Gabrielle Zevin’s achingly brilliant novel “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” stung me. Even though she was alluding to the mixed race of one of her endearingly complicated characters, the meaning could include other categories of experiences and identities. It is perfect for what I see as an increasingly hybrid world.
In my case, culture and religion, or even language. I immediately thought of my own unlikely yet authentic ethnic origins: Eastern European Jewry meets Princeton, New Jersey WASP culture. Or being an American married to a German and navigating raising a bilingual child in Berlin. Or even growing up bicoastal: SF Bay Area and DC.
Zevin’s 10th book is so relatable and yet deeply expansive. It focuses on a group of friends brought together and apart via their passion for gaming and game creation, but it manages to touch upon Eastern vs. Western world cultures, East vs. West Coast US culture, Ivy League vibes, modern Jewish cultural references (Jewfros) while sprinkling in German language: (Ersatz, Weltschmertz, Zweisamkeit, Hefeweizen, and Doppelgänger.) 😅
“If kids know one German word, it’s doppelgänger. / What kids are these! Are they all in AP English!?”
She mixes colorful terms seamlessly like ‘shtetl buddha’ when describing her character’s Asian and Jewish roots and disposition. It was both super enjoyable refuge-reading plus exposure to newness (i.e. gated Japanese temples and delectable treats, signage in LA’s Koreatown, and game design specifics.)
Note: To grasp Tomorrowx3 characters’ approach to entrepreneurship, check out investor David Peterson’s smart take here. Thanks to David for the final push to make this book part of my summer reading. Though already, my clever Austin-based sister-in-law who supports non-profits had raved about Zevin’s book. This shows you how the story, themes, and characters appeal to a wide variety of readers, like you!
But let’s get back to a few of the lessons this book imparts:
“The most successful people are also the most able to change their mindsets.”
This seemingly bland business class tip to one of the main characters, Sam, who was rather tortured by life reminds us to redirect our thought patterns for new mental outcomes. It helped Sam grapple with many tough personal and professional situations. We create new options when we look for them.
“Marx was fortunate because he saw everything as if it were a fortuitous bounty.”
I truly understood this character Marx: his love of life and people was contagious. His strongly-held belief in his friends’ creativity, coupled with his steadfast vision to help ‘produce’ and bring something genius to life was remarkable. More comms/PR people should read this book to appreciate how a creative founding team must make hard choices at every turn, and then be able to tell a compelling story about it.
“Ultimately, they decided the only way to market it was to be honest about what they had.”
That’s what the game design team decided to do. And speaking of company storytelling, this struck me as advice I would give to Earlybird portfolio companies. It revealed how even when you tell the truth, there will be room for interpretation – for reading into the facts. So you have to master how to control the narrative. Who you position as spokesperson of that narrative matters. In the novel, Sadie recognizes this power: as both an ideator and workhorse behind the game’s execution.
Seeing both sides
What was especially fascinating was how different definitions of success, or in the case of these game developers, game ‘greatness’ ranged from meaning either very popular OR true to its artistic form. The team also approached product management in different ways: either excited by or repelled by uncertainty.
Despite being nearly 500 pages long, this book propels you forward with its poignancy, humor, and heartbreak. It personally brought back memories: visiting the Glass Flower collection at Harvard, attending Bat Mitzvah celebrations, navigating Northeastern snowstorms, exploring Venice Beach, watching the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington DC, reading Macbeth in high school, studying printmaking & appreciating Japanese woodcuts.
Finally, the cross-generational relationships between grandparents and grandchildren were touching. There’s plenty of ‘Bubbemeise’ wisdom in here for all. I, of course, had a Bubbe but had to ask my German husband how Meise is used here; he said it’s like a ‘tic’ or I’d say, thang. The other major NPC ‘non-player character’ in this book is actually health itself; it weaves throughout the book, affecting mental health, orthopedics, oncology, pregnancy, and even pets.
I seriously cannot recommend this complex work of genius enough! Even comedian Jimmy Fallon made it his first book club read last summer. The only thing missing is an index to sort through the multitude of terms and ideas this book unlocks. You are welcome here. 🤲 Now go read it. 🌊
