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sunrays118's review against another edition
2.0
Not good. Not good.
This was supposed to be a collection of stories to challenge our perceptions and appreciate diversity yet it was smothered in sexism and stereotypes. It was cringe worthy. The authors barely took the time to consider what they were writing; it was sloppy and painful.
In one particularly painful example: A woman is kidnapped. She is beloved by all the creatures of the world, she is strong and beautiful, she makes gorgeous music. However, a man comes up and kidnaps her and she is helpless against him. He threatens her with a knife and she instantly complies and agrees to make his food and perform for him whenever requested. Here's where the problems become too awful to continue. Every night the woman steals the man's knife and leaves the cave where she is being held hostage and yet over and over she says she is kept prisoner... WHILE HOLDING A KNIFE AND LEAVING THE CAVE AS THE MAN SLEEPS.
What a disaster. I am furious I made the library order this.
This was supposed to be a collection of stories to challenge our perceptions and appreciate diversity yet it was smothered in sexism and stereotypes. It was cringe worthy. The authors barely took the time to consider what they were writing; it was sloppy and painful.
In one particularly painful example: A woman is kidnapped. She is beloved by all the creatures of the world, she is strong and beautiful, she makes gorgeous music. However, a man comes up and kidnaps her and she is helpless against him. He threatens her with a knife and she instantly complies and agrees to make his food and perform for him whenever requested. Here's where the problems become too awful to continue. Every night the woman steals the man's knife and leaves the cave where she is being held hostage and yet over and over she says she is kept prisoner... WHILE HOLDING A KNIFE AND LEAVING THE CAVE AS THE MAN SLEEPS.
What a disaster. I am furious I made the library order this.
luketolvaj's review against another edition
5.0
This incredible anthology is an answer to Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories. Each story is its own vibrant take on the allegories, some more directly than others. They reclaim these narratives and challenge the racism in Kipling’s work.
All of these stories were wonderful and brought something unique to the table, but there were a few that really stood out for me.
Saṃsāra by Georgina Kamsika tells a rich, melancholy story of a biracial child who has been disconnected from part of her culture due to the influence of racism and her white father. It explores this theme through the lens of grief and familial love. The prose was profoundly gorgeous.
Best Beloved by Wayne Santos was a stunning and chilling story highlighting the evil, racist actions of the British Empire both on a large scale and individually, and their undoing via cultural customs they so often sneered at. I fell in love with it.
Queen by Joseph E. Cole and The Cat Who Walked by Herself by Achala Upendran delved into the realm of anthropomorphic animals. Both were incredibly beautiful, telling two very different stories about slavery and the path to freedom and revolution.
I love this book and I highly recommend picking up a copy. It’s very important and more than worth it!
All of these stories were wonderful and brought something unique to the table, but there were a few that really stood out for me.
Saṃsāra by Georgina Kamsika tells a rich, melancholy story of a biracial child who has been disconnected from part of her culture due to the influence of racism and her white father. It explores this theme through the lens of grief and familial love. The prose was profoundly gorgeous.
Best Beloved by Wayne Santos was a stunning and chilling story highlighting the evil, racist actions of the British Empire both on a large scale and individually, and their undoing via cultural customs they so often sneered at. I fell in love with it.
Queen by Joseph E. Cole and The Cat Who Walked by Herself by Achala Upendran delved into the realm of anthropomorphic animals. Both were incredibly beautiful, telling two very different stories about slavery and the path to freedom and revolution.
I love this book and I highly recommend picking up a copy. It’s very important and more than worth it!
wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
3.0
As with all anthologies, it's a mixed bag. Some stories I loved, others I didn't overly care for. But they were all good. I think this is definitely worth picking up. The stories are a great new, diverse take on a problematic "classic."
sunn_bleach's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall a solid selection of short stories meant to reflect on Kipling and colonialism’s legacy. The best take his format and run with it; the worst are either cliché or feel like they were written for a different prompt. “Samsara” is unbearably cloying (what Gen Zer doesn’t know Freddie Mercury? did the author ever speak to a teenager?) and also not related to the topic. “How the Camel…” and “How the Tree of Wishes…” feel like updated fairy tales for a modern age in Kipling’s style. “How the Ants…” and “How the Spider…” are eviscerations of colonialism and Kipling’s condescension in the way I want.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Colonisation, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Cancer and Child death
setauuta's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not super familiar with the Just So Stories, but I really enjoyed this collection. This was one of the more consistent anthologies I've read in a while - there were no weak stories, and all of them have me something to think about.
ivellon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookwrm526's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
liacooper's review against another edition
4.0
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. Full review coming soon!
eddiford's review
4.0
I really love the concept of this anthology--I read the Just So Stories as a kid, and I was excited to see this reclaimed take on them from colonized cultures.
I must admit, I thought this was a kids book, aimed at the same demographic as the "original," so to speak, but it definitely isn't suitable for young children.
With any anthology there will be a wide range of quality, and of course I liked some stories better than others. I thought "The Cat Who Walked By Herself" didn't make much sense and mostly just was a "Men Bad" story, didn't like it at all; "How The Camel Got Her Paid Time Off" is hilarious, a worker's rights fable in the format of something like "Tuca & Bertie" or "Aggretsuko" with a literal camel who smokes cigarettes and explicit references to the "original" book.
"Samsara" is a perfectly good little story, but feels only tangentially connected to the anthology's premise; it deals with themes of cultural identity, whitewashing, and tradition, but there's no talking animals, no magical fairytale qualities. Similarly, "There Is Such A Thing As A Whizzy-Gang," while I have to assume it is inspired by some Indigenous Australian folklore, is really just a short little horror story with no solid connection to the themes. Neither are bad stories by any means (In fact, I found "Samsara" quite lovely and touching), but I'm not sure either really belong in this collection, given its explicitly stated intent.
Overall, however, I enjoyed the anthology, I really like the idea of it and I thought it was executed pretty well, but it certainly had some entries that, as they say, did not understand the assignment, which of course is likely to happen with any anthology.
I must admit, I thought this was a kids book, aimed at the same demographic as the "original," so to speak, but it definitely isn't suitable for young children.
With any anthology there will be a wide range of quality, and of course I liked some stories better than others. I thought "The Cat Who Walked By Herself" didn't make much sense and mostly just was a "Men Bad" story, didn't like it at all; "How The Camel Got Her Paid Time Off" is hilarious, a worker's rights fable in the format of something like "Tuca & Bertie" or "Aggretsuko" with a literal camel who smokes cigarettes and explicit references to the "original" book.
"Samsara" is a perfectly good little story, but feels only tangentially connected to the anthology's premise; it deals with themes of cultural identity, whitewashing, and tradition, but there's no talking animals, no magical fairytale qualities. Similarly, "There Is Such A Thing As A Whizzy-Gang," while I have to assume it is inspired by some Indigenous Australian folklore, is really just a short little horror story with no solid connection to the themes. Neither are bad stories by any means (In fact, I found "Samsara" quite lovely and touching), but I'm not sure either really belong in this collection, given its explicitly stated intent.
Overall, however, I enjoyed the anthology, I really like the idea of it and I thought it was executed pretty well, but it certainly had some entries that, as they say, did not understand the assignment, which of course is likely to happen with any anthology.