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A Psalm for the Wild-Built
A burned-out tea monk and a robot walk into the woods. The robot's conclusion: you don't have to earn being alive. 🍵
Who it's for
Dex has done everything right: they became an excellent traveling tea monk who comforts others, yet they still feel an unnamed restlessness, which is exactly the experience of burned-out helpers who can't explain why success isn't enough.
Feelings it meets
What it is
A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a 2021 science-fiction novella by Becky Chambers, the first in her Monk & Robot series. Dex, a non-binary monk, travels between farming communities serving custom-blended tea and listening to villagers' concerns, but wants a change from that routine.
Where to find it
In print (Tordotcom); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain. Hugo Award winner (Best Novella).
Before you start
Age: Ages 12+
the best way out is always through.Robert Frost, “A Servant to Servants,” North of Boston
