Naomi Alderman
@naomialderman.bsky.social
I write novels (eg The Power, new novel is The Future), I make games (eg Zombies, Run!), unorthodox Jew. not-getting-into-pointless-arguments-on-the-internet is an act of revolution. However complex you think things are, they're more complex than that
yeah
Realizing the "we poisoned you all with lead for decades" generation was immediately followed by "we fucked up teaching you how to read, now you're bad at it and hate it" generation to be followed by "Mandatory AI will fry your cognition" generation. Well, shit.
www.apmreports.org/episode/2019...
www.apmreports.org/episode/2019...
How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers
For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't kno...
www.apmreports.org
November 11, 2025 at 10:17 PM
yeah
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
yes. being a leftwing ex-Orthodox Jew, I maybe straddle a wider range of views among my friends and family than some (than many?)
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
In response to some of the comments:
If you agree with *all* the reporting of a news organisation that is both independent *and* non-partisan, then it's very unlikely to be independent and non-partisan.
This is true regardless of your politics.
Agreeing with all its reporting is the wrong test
If you agree with *all* the reporting of a news organisation that is both independent *and* non-partisan, then it's very unlikely to be independent and non-partisan.
This is true regardless of your politics.
Agreeing with all its reporting is the wrong test
Information underpins democracy and the BBC is a key part of that.
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
November 11, 2025 at 10:47 AM
yes. being a leftwing ex-Orthodox Jew, I maybe straddle a wider range of views among my friends and family than some (than many?)
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
yes. being a leftwing ex-Orthodox Jew, I maybe straddle a wider range of views among my friends and family than some (than many?)
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
In response to some of the comments:
If you agree with *all* the reporting of a news organisation that is both independent *and* non-partisan, then it's very unlikely to be independent and non-partisan.
This is true regardless of your politics.
Agreeing with all its reporting is the wrong test
If you agree with *all* the reporting of a news organisation that is both independent *and* non-partisan, then it's very unlikely to be independent and non-partisan.
This is true regardless of your politics.
Agreeing with all its reporting is the wrong test
Information underpins democracy and the BBC is a key part of that.
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
November 11, 2025 at 10:47 AM
yes. being a leftwing ex-Orthodox Jew, I maybe straddle a wider range of views among my friends and family than some (than many?)
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
it may be shocking to learn that: every bias I have ever seen the BBC accused of, I have also heard someone else say they have the precise opposite one
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
Roses are red
Kites are for flying
Kites are for flying
![Telegraph headline: Terminally ill man tackled to the ground by six police officers after mooning speed camera as part of his 'bucket list' before dying (subhead: Retired lecturer Darrell Meekcom had been irritated for years at being caught for "silly speeds" while only marginally over the limit). Plus photo of “Darrell Meekcom, a wheelchair user, [who] criticised the police response as "completely disproportionate"”. He is an older man with little hair and an understandably downbeat expression, holding a walking stick which has a head shaped like a bird’s](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vckf3haopb3yncclmf7o2m3f/bafkreidaovzz3ewtmvdh5oxu4j5vo7lokofefxh2reeerchbrhxqogeaua@jpeg)
November 11, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Roses are red
Kites are for flying
Kites are for flying
it happened very insidiously, slowly and from multiple different fronts.
*for all its problems, which I do not dispute*, the conversation about ending the BBC is absolutely being pushed by the rightwing, because (of their ideological goals and) they simply disagree with public-service anything.
*for all its problems, which I do not dispute*, the conversation about ending the BBC is absolutely being pushed by the rightwing, because (of their ideological goals and) they simply disagree with public-service anything.
Can't believe there are conversations about ending the BBC. This is like listening to a family calmly discussing whether to shoot it's dog, or burn down the house.
November 11, 2025 at 10:22 AM
it happened very insidiously, slowly and from multiple different fronts.
*for all its problems, which I do not dispute*, the conversation about ending the BBC is absolutely being pushed by the rightwing, because (of their ideological goals and) they simply disagree with public-service anything.
*for all its problems, which I do not dispute*, the conversation about ending the BBC is absolutely being pushed by the rightwing, because (of their ideological goals and) they simply disagree with public-service anything.
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
For those in any doubt please take a look at this study: Life Without The BBC: downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...
downloads.bbc.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 10:13 AM
For those in any doubt please take a look at this study: Life Without The BBC: downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
naomialderman.substack.com/p/flesh-by-d...
I wrote this, about Flesh by David Szalay. It is a brilliant book, one of the most worthy Booker-winners in years. It’s also really, really important. This post contains stuff about childhood sexual abuse and how we let down boys and young men.
I wrote this, about Flesh by David Szalay. It is a brilliant book, one of the most worthy Booker-winners in years. It’s also really, really important. This post contains stuff about childhood sexual abuse and how we let down boys and young men.
Flesh by David Szalay
most correct and brilliant Booker-winner in years
naomialderman.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:55 AM
naomialderman.substack.com/p/flesh-by-d...
I wrote this, about Flesh by David Szalay. It is a brilliant book, one of the most worthy Booker-winners in years. It’s also really, really important. This post contains stuff about childhood sexual abuse and how we let down boys and young men.
I wrote this, about Flesh by David Szalay. It is a brilliant book, one of the most worthy Booker-winners in years. It’s also really, really important. This post contains stuff about childhood sexual abuse and how we let down boys and young men.
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
In this weekend’s @theobserveruk.bsky.social I review the thought provoking new book by @naomialderman.bsky.social ‘Don’t burn anyone at the stake today’ (Fig Tree) which examines our current information crisis. HTTPS://observer.co.uk/culture/books/article/how-to-survive-an-information-crisis
How to survive an information crisis | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In this weekend’s @theobserveruk.bsky.social I review the thought provoking new book by @naomialderman.bsky.social ‘Don’t burn anyone at the stake today’ (Fig Tree) which examines our current information crisis. HTTPS://observer.co.uk/culture/books/article/how-to-survive-an-information-crisis
I strongly suspect that the official Bluesky 'your account has been suspended' function does not message people from the address 'kitkatnoir'.
November 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
I strongly suspect that the official Bluesky 'your account has been suspended' function does not message people from the address 'kitkatnoir'.
quite honestly one of the more horrific aspects of modern internet 'feminism' is the way some (#notall) women laugh at the idea that a man can also be a victim.
Flesh is a genuinely important riposte to that. not that it's a line in an argument, it's its own thing.
Flesh is a genuinely important riposte to that. not that it's a line in an argument, it's its own thing.
I have never read anything else that talks so well about the ways in which men too can be victims of abuse, but are often not able to name it - and no one else can really understand why what has happened is so wrong. It is a quietly brilliantly radical novel.
November 10, 2025 at 10:11 PM
quite honestly one of the more horrific aspects of modern internet 'feminism' is the way some (#notall) women laugh at the idea that a man can also be a victim.
Flesh is a genuinely important riposte to that. not that it's a line in an argument, it's its own thing.
Flesh is a genuinely important riposte to that. not that it's a line in an argument, it's its own thing.
an extremely correct decision.
this is not a spoiler: the novel starts with a teenage boy being sexually groomed and abused by an older woman.
for me, the rest of the novel is about the fallout from that in his life. it is the answer to "har har I would have loved that" nonsense.
this is not a spoiler: the novel starts with a teenage boy being sexually groomed and abused by an older woman.
for me, the rest of the novel is about the fallout from that in his life. it is the answer to "har har I would have loved that" nonsense.
November 10, 2025 at 10:05 PM
an extremely correct decision.
this is not a spoiler: the novel starts with a teenage boy being sexually groomed and abused by an older woman.
for me, the rest of the novel is about the fallout from that in his life. it is the answer to "har har I would have loved that" nonsense.
this is not a spoiler: the novel starts with a teenage boy being sexually groomed and abused by an older woman.
for me, the rest of the novel is about the fallout from that in his life. it is the answer to "har har I would have loved that" nonsense.
this about family estrangement and why everyone's cutting everyone off:
rachelhaack.substack.com/p/why-everyo...
is the same cultural force that is pushing for destruction of the BBC
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
is the same force that means someone *can* become 'not a Prince' now
rachelhaack.substack.com/p/why-everyo...
is the same cultural force that is pushing for destruction of the BBC
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
is the same force that means someone *can* become 'not a Prince' now
Why Everyone’s Cutting Everyone Off: The Cultural Story Behind Family Estrangement
A therapist’s look at how postmodern ideas, digital culture, and consumer values quietly rewired our expectations of family, and what we can do to restore connection in an age of disconnection.
rachelhaack.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:03 PM
this about family estrangement and why everyone's cutting everyone off:
rachelhaack.substack.com/p/why-everyo...
is the same cultural force that is pushing for destruction of the BBC
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
is the same force that means someone *can* become 'not a Prince' now
rachelhaack.substack.com/p/why-everyo...
is the same cultural force that is pushing for destruction of the BBC
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
is the same force that means someone *can* become 'not a Prince' now
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
Thought this was quite lovely.
Always good to remind yourself that not everything is awful right now.
youtu.be/Qp7K6pEWEuk?...
Always good to remind yourself that not everything is awful right now.
youtu.be/Qp7K6pEWEuk?...
What happens when you set a river free? | BBC News
YouTube video by BBC News
youtu.be
November 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Thought this was quite lovely.
Always good to remind yourself that not everything is awful right now.
youtu.be/Qp7K6pEWEuk?...
Always good to remind yourself that not everything is awful right now.
youtu.be/Qp7K6pEWEuk?...
Circulatory system walking through the kitchen day comes quicker and quicker every year
Happy Circulatory System Walking Through the Kitchen Day! Don’t forget to smash your clocks!
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Circulatory system walking through the kitchen day comes quicker and quicker every year
Yes. This is the way.
Really can't recommend this setting enough. Makes the site so much more pleasant to use when the people who reply are people who generally understand your deal. Solves the Discover Feed problem immediately.
BSky is so much more usable now that I’ve set the boundary that for nearly all of my posts you have to follow me in order to be in my replies
November 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Yes. This is the way.
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
"I think we’re in the middle of burning stuff down which we’ll never be able to get back."
Excellent on the BBC and why it needs defending to protect the informational health of the country by @naomialderman.bsky.social
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
Excellent on the BBC and why it needs defending to protect the informational health of the country by @naomialderman.bsky.social
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
the BBC and why it needs defending
even if you don't always agree with it, and sometimes it does things that you think are outright terrible
naomialderman.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:59 PM
"I think we’re in the middle of burning stuff down which we’ll never be able to get back."
Excellent on the BBC and why it needs defending to protect the informational health of the country by @naomialderman.bsky.social
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
Excellent on the BBC and why it needs defending to protect the informational health of the country by @naomialderman.bsky.social
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
inspired by this, I have done a free extract of this section of the book here. it is about understanding that *with all its problems* the BBC is as important for our intellectual health as the NHS is for our physical health:
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
November 10, 2025 at 7:52 AM
inspired by this, I have done a free extract of this section of the book here. it is about understanding that *with all its problems* the BBC is as important for our intellectual health as the NHS is for our physical health:
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
I recommend this, having seen Naomi speak at Stroud lit Fest at the weekend:
November 10, 2025 at 12:33 PM
I recommend this, having seen Naomi speak at Stroud lit Fest at the weekend:
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
For those interested in this kind of thing (ie all of you) this new book by @naomialderman.bsky.social is out now and it's FANTASTIC. Don't Burn Anyone At The Stake today is the title, and it covers the current information crisis we are living through, set in the context of previous ones.
a friend sent me a text just now saying “looks like Tim Davie is being burned at the stake today”
And yeah. This is very much “Thomas Moore is accused of not supporting the break with Rome, find a way to get his head off”. it‘s the information crisis.
www.penguin.co.uk/books/469677...
And yeah. This is very much “Thomas Moore is accused of not supporting the break with Rome, find a way to get his head off”. it‘s the information crisis.
www.penguin.co.uk/books/469677...
Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today
What’s the most useful thing you could know about your own life?
In this era-defining book, developed from her groundbreaking Radio 4 essay series, Naomi Alderman turns her boundless curiosity and in...
www.penguin.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 12:44 PM
For those interested in this kind of thing (ie all of you) this new book by @naomialderman.bsky.social is out now and it's FANTASTIC. Don't Burn Anyone At The Stake today is the title, and it covers the current information crisis we are living through, set in the context of previous ones.
Can someone please turn this into a series of novels set in the Song dynasty which then becomes a longrunning television series starring eg Benedict Wong?
I can help with the format proposal but could only be co-writer at best, because it needs someone with much more China expertise than me.
I can help with the format proposal but could only be co-writer at best, because it needs someone with much more China expertise than me.
things I have discovered while researching the new series of Human Intelligence: the first ever textbook on forensic science was written in the year 1247 by a crime investigator in Song dynasty China.
It is called Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collect...
It is called Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collect...
Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Can someone please turn this into a series of novels set in the Song dynasty which then becomes a longrunning television series starring eg Benedict Wong?
I can help with the format proposal but could only be co-writer at best, because it needs someone with much more China expertise than me.
I can help with the format proposal but could only be co-writer at best, because it needs someone with much more China expertise than me.
things I have discovered while researching the new series of Human Intelligence: the first ever textbook on forensic science was written in the year 1247 by a crime investigator in Song dynasty China.
It is called Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collect...
It is called Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collect...
Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM
things I have discovered while researching the new series of Human Intelligence: the first ever textbook on forensic science was written in the year 1247 by a crime investigator in Song dynasty China.
It is called Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collect...
It is called Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collect...
yes the question is not "are the BBC perfect?"
(obviously not, sometimes they are awful)
it's "if we let them fall, will we like what comes next to fill the vacuum they leave?"
(no. no one on Bluesky will like it unless they are purely on here to hate-read.)
(obviously not, sometimes they are awful)
it's "if we let them fall, will we like what comes next to fill the vacuum they leave?"
(no. no one on Bluesky will like it unless they are purely on here to hate-read.)
BBC needs to be protected. While they certainly have leanings towards bias on many issues (imo) & can be infuriating, alternative is a media controlled by ratings driving advertising revenue & drowning in bad actors w/ personal agendas - the poison will spread through UK media landscape as a whole
November 10, 2025 at 12:07 PM
yes the question is not "are the BBC perfect?"
(obviously not, sometimes they are awful)
it's "if we let them fall, will we like what comes next to fill the vacuum they leave?"
(no. no one on Bluesky will like it unless they are purely on here to hate-read.)
(obviously not, sometimes they are awful)
it's "if we let them fall, will we like what comes next to fill the vacuum they leave?"
(no. no one on Bluesky will like it unless they are purely on here to hate-read.)
Reposted by Naomi Alderman
@naomialderman.bsky.social's new book: "A friend - who’s read the book - texted me yesterday to say “I see they’ve decided to burn Tim Davie at the stake today”. And so I thought it was probably the right time to put this extract on Substack." naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...
the BBC and why it needs defending
even if you don't always agree with it, and sometimes it does things that you think are outright terrible
naomialderman.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 AM
@naomialderman.bsky.social's new book: "A friend - who’s read the book - texted me yesterday to say “I see they’ve decided to burn Tim Davie at the stake today”. And so I thought it was probably the right time to put this extract on Substack." naomialderman.substack.com/p/the-bbc-an...