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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
The app closed on me when I was writing my review- so here’s the cliff notes version:
Was unfamiliar with Dirty Computer e-motion picture/video thing but still caught on pretty quickly to the who’s who and what’s what.
Definitely need to check out more of Janelle Monae (music etc)
Was unfamiliar with Dirty Computer e-motion picture/video thing but still caught on pretty quickly to the who’s who and what’s what.
Definitely need to check out more of Janelle Monae (music etc)
So, I was already fascinated by the “emotion video” that Janelle Monae released alongside their Dirty Computer album - visuals that would put Jodorosky to shame, sci fi dystopia, Afrofuturism, not even remotely subtle queer imagery, all hella up my alley. And now, to see a collection of short stories that focuses on the world of the album and pairs with some amazing queer/bipoc collaborators while they’re at it is just a hell of a treat. I’d be interested to hear more about how this collaboration came about, since it’s been about four years since the original album, and if it had been closer I would’ve assumed it was a marketing push for tie in material, but this feels more like Monae and their collaborators fleshing out a world that inspired all of them. My favorites from this are the title story from Alaya Dawn Johnson of a black woman that’s risen high in the ranks of the dystopia and her own secrets, Danny Lore’s story about a queer commune on the fringes of society and the politics of what it means to be “pure” enough, and Eve Ewing’s story about a lesbian couple that discovers that the pantry in their apartment exists outside of time, and their disintegrating relationship, though all of the stories in here are good. The album’s world can sometimes feel like set dressing and incidental to the actual stories, but I also like the idea of Monae giving the setting to play around in, and letting them go wild from there. (Though, cynically, I’m sure someone would say that the collaborators just worked stories they couldn’t sell otherwise into the setting.) my only real criticism is that the digital copy I picked up didn’t really do a great job of displaying the collaborators except in the table of contents navigation menu, which you had to click to bring up. Either way, if you’re looking for a neat read, and liked the album and the movie that came with it, pick this up.
“I know I never met you before, but it’s like you already moved in. You’re already making room.”
I don't know. Right book, wrong time? I love Janelle Monáe's music, I loved the Dirty Computer emotion picture when I first saw it years ago, and I loved it all the more when I rewatched it in preparation for listening to this. And this is some really creative scifi, with a lot of the expected tropes, but with the bonus of unexpected POVs and voices, and lots of loving focus on queerness and gender and rebellion and antifascism. All of this is my jam. But it was overall just okay for me. Maybe all of the things I loved didn't translate super well into writing. All of the stories were interesting in their own right, but the world building was loose and hazy in a way that just didn't stick with me. Conceptual stuff like this, you can get away with it in a music video. It's a lot more glaring in prose? Or, idk, maybe everything was explained super well and it just went over my head. This was one of those listening experiences where I was finding it super hard to concentrate, and idk if that was more me or the book. I restarted a few times, and kept rewinding to make sure I didn't miss anything, but by the time the end rolled around, I felt like I'd only internalised maybe 80% of it all. Just... very basic things, like the memory wipes and the rise of New Dawn, I feel like I'm still hazy on all of that. This introduced me to a lot of great characters, but they weren't the most memorable. The closet time story was sooooo interesting, but didn't quite go to the places I wanted. Or maybe I didn't quite get the intent behind it. Same with the time travel one.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Janelle Monáe and Bahni Turpin, and it was pretty good. I'm like genuinely in love with Monáe's voice so the story she narrated, the titular one, is the story that sticks out to me the most. A lot of great romantic writing and quotes in there too. I like Turpin's voice as well, but I feel like all the stories after the first one are kind of a blur to me. For sure I need to reread this in the future; maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind for scifi. I honestly feel like this is a world I could love! But yeah, it unfortunately didn't resonate with me like I wanted.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
societal homophobia/transphobiaThe hard old way of forgetting, which is remembering with grief.
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
Another fave of 2024 that I think should be a study for how we make new queer utopic futures.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
someone please explain the end of time box to me. it’s keeping me awake at night, 2 weeks later. help.