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If “Last Days in Two Nations” Was Workshopped...

Sung J. Woo · 31 Aug 2026

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Sung J. Woo did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

  1. Our reading

    Criticism is remembered far longer than praise.

    Their wordsAll the lovely accolades from my other students are long forgotten, which once again demonstrates the unwelcome memorability of negativity.

  2. Our reading

    Fiction needs a character the reader cares about, and dystopian fiction most of all.

    Their wordsHaving a character you care about is essential in all fiction, but it’s probably a requirement in dystopia, because the world is already so harsh.

  3. Our reading

    MacKenzie Scott's Last Days in Two Nations is weakened by too many points of view.

    Their wordsIf you had limited the story’s POVs to Damian, Liv, Jonah, and Tracy, I think it would have resulted in a more engaging narrative. The way it stands now, the book feels emotionally scattershot.

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