A People's Future of the United States

December 15, 2018
A collection of stories about marginalized people, set in the near future.Pause for a moment to think about everything terrible that's going on in the United States right now, such as the rise of nationalism and the creeping dread that everything women, people of color, and LGBT folks have gained in the last 50 years could be yanked away at any moment. (No hard feelings if you chose not to imagine this.) Now, what if all of that could be...even worse? This question drives most (but not all) of the 25 stories in this collection, featuring a lineup that reads like a who's who of current science-fiction writers, including Daniel José Older, Seanan McGuire, and Lesley Nneka Arimah, among others. Despite all the big names, there are great stories and not-so-great ones. Charlie Jane Anders' "Bookstore at the End of America" is one of the weakest entries, in which California has seceded from the U.S., and the depiction of both countries plunges into stereotypes and stupidity within a cloying mother-daughter story. On the other hand, N.K. Jemisin's "Give Me Cornbread or Give Me Death," about taming genetically engineered, racist police dragons, is a joy to read. Lizz Huerta's "The Wall" is one of the few semihopeful stories: After a southern border wall was built, the United States crumbled while Mexico survived, thanks mostly to its powerful, wise women. Lastly, "Now Wait for This Week" by Alice Sola Kim deftly mixes #MeToo and Groundhog Day (just trust us) into something timely yet transcendent. Overall, readers may find the collection to be a sort of inkblot test; those who feel optimistic about the future may find stories of fighting against oppression uplifting, but for those who already feel anxious, reading how bad things could get may be a bit nauseating.A mixed bag of topical, speculative tales.

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If you could rebuild history, what would the United States be today? This question is answered in the works of 25 speculative authors, of whom each shows the promise--or tragedy--of what might have been or could still be. Featured entries include N.K. Jemisin's "Give Me Cornbread or Give Me Death," in which a group of female raiders turn dragon riders with a lot of ingenuity, plus a lot of hot sauce. When "The Wall" is actually built at the States' Southern border, Mexico flourishes in Lizz Huerta's vision. Malka Older takes on the intersection of digital activism, marginalized persons, and the creation of a new society, offering an excerpt from "Disruption and Continuity." With other writers such as Charlie Jane Anders, Hugh Howey, Omar El Akkad, and Justina Ireland adding their voices, readers will wonder how speculative these stories actually are in the face of our reality. VERDICT A timely compilation that highlights the hope and anxiety of the current political climate.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Starred review from January 1, 2019
LaValle (The Changeling, 2017) and John Joseph Adams has collected a variety of potential futures from an array of speculative fiction authors. There are dystopias based on the worst aspects of American politics, such as A. Merc Rustad's Our Aim Is Not to Die, in which anyone not considered an ideal citizen is subjected to financial, political, and medical oppression, and Omar El Akkad's Riverbed, which follows a Sikh woman revisiting the site of an internment camp. Other stories simulate documentary evidence of the future, such as Charles Yu's Good News Bad News, in which news reports tell of robots with racist algorithms and space colonies of refugees. Other standouts include Alice Sola Kim's excellent Now Wait for Last Week, in which a woman relives the same week of her life over and over and is wearied as much by misogyny as she is by repetition, and Kai Cheng Thom's What You Sow, in which the only cure for a plague of insomnia is the blood of a formerly oppressed minority of strange and wondrous beings. This anthology is highly recommended for any speculative fiction reader, particularly those interested in the possibilities of science fiction to critique the present through visions of the future.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)