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This was an interesting short story about a woman deemed not acceptable to procreate. She then decides to "borrow" a baby from the library which changes everything about her life. And then we have Seraphina who is licensed to have children but doesn't really want or enjoy them. It's always a case of the grass is always greener...I was really enjoying this story and wished it was a full novel! My first time reading Ms. Gay and I was impressed.
Powerful short fiction highlighting the dangers of government controlling all aspects of our lives. Women are resilient and there will always be those brave enough to resist.
WHAT. I need this to be a whole damn book ASAP!!!!
Roxane! We need a full book about this! Whew!
Gripping, thought-provoking short story!
/ / / Read more reviews on my blog / / /2 ½ stars Graceful Burdens is a competently written short story that is very much concerned with reproductive justice. This story presents us with a world in which some women do not meet the necessary 'requirements' to be mothers and therefore are not allowed to reproduce. Some 'unfit mothers' borrow babies from a 'baby library', others are grateful not to have to reproduce. Of course, there are also those who have no choice but to reproduce. The reality R...
I love dystopian novels and this short story was so good, I wished it were a novel!
Read it in one night. I need a full novel with all these characters and their complex issues in a messed up world that Roxane created. I loved it!
Super short story about a dystopian society where couples have to be licensed to have babies and mysterious baby libraries will lend you a baby if your maternal instinct gets too strong but you've not been licensed to have babies of your own.
This short story has a Handmaid’s Tale vibe. I wish it was longer, this would make for a really good novel.
This story is from the "Out of line" collection, and what what I know, the primary subject matter, is women taking control. This one, was in a dystopian setting, and the women are ruled by people, that choose whether or not you are fit to raise a child. If you are deemed unfit to be a Mother, you can always loan a child, at the local library, just like Hadley did, and this is her story. The writing was accessible, and the characters were developed enough despite the length of this story. I thoug...
So short but worth the read. Gay has found a way to emphasize the lack of control women have over their own bodies. How there is an "order" to be considered worthy or not. Not being able to reproduce lessons your value and you are now limited to renting a baby from a library or being a helper. Gay shows what happens when women break free of the norm and start to reconnect with themselves versus societies structure.
I listened to this at 2am with an insomnia riddled brain so my review isn't going to be amazing. However, that said I really enjoyed this. It was very feminist, very much about reproductive rights and the various societal roles women take on (whether they want them or not), and their perceived worth depending on whether they are mothers or not. I found it quite thought provoking, and I liked the various women's voices. It had definite The Handmaid's Tale vibes, and for such a short novella I tho...
This 21 page short story is part of the Out of Line Collection which is currently available on Kindle Unlimited. What happens when women step out of line and take control of their own lives? All women are screened at 16 for their suitability to procreate and based on those results you are given a license to procreate or not and that's all I'm going to tell you because anything more would be a spoiler in this short story but know this is excellent. I cant believe how much is packed into such few
I did like this one, but thought there were too many holes in the story to truly give it five stars. Also the whole borrow a baby thing was just bizarre and felt like it would be more suited to a Black Mirror episode where you don't have to set that up. Since this was a short story, I thought that Doctor Gay left too many questions for me while reading and the end. I still did think it was a solid piece of story-telling though."Graceful Burdens" is set in a world where some women are allowed to
In the alternate reality of Graceful Burdens, you have to pass a genetic screening to be allowed to have children. Those who fail can only numb their desperation and longing by checking out babies from the library. Yes, a two week loan, no, renewals are not allowed. One has to wonder – where do these library infants come from?Full review on our blog.
So good! Too short!
Roxane Gay has done it again! She never fails to take my breath away or draw me so deeply into a story. Only 21 pages, but each page packs a punch. I love dystopian novels and Graceful Burdens takes us into this alternate [or not so distant] future and shows the effects of the government dictating what women can and cannot do with their bodies. Only those they deem fit can have kids. Those that aren't as worthy aren't allowed kids, and, if they have them, the kids end up just as the government s...
I wish this short story was a full length novel. This book is written by Roxane Gay and I am convinced that it is. This is something she likely to write.
This had quite a hard hitting beginning which really caught my attention. A dystopian future where babies are the issue in this troubled world; only a few privileged and genetically perfect women are allowed to conceive. So as you might expect we have women who want to be mothers and are denied the chance and visa versa, rather obviously. It did make me think but it was so baby focused I couldn’t quite empathise, also it seemed like men and women just didn’t like each other any more, let alone l...
