Reviews - The Memory Librarian

1.13k reviews for:

The Memory Librarian

Janelle Monáe

3.88 AVERAGE

ellenwilberg's review against another edition

3.5

dark hopeful reflective tense

thedmemma's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

echoesofstrdst's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

rachelbz's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous challenging dark inspiring slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

isa12's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous 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

shinobipaws's review against another edition

4.0

Haiku
...

Short tales with a theme
Folks deemed unworthy by state
Dirty computers
.
.
Love is quite central
Reaching for heart and mind strings
Human connections
.
.
Capitalism
Secrets wrapped around power
The struggle is real
.
.
Songs further evolved
Literary companion
An entire vision

frasersimons's review against another edition

4.0

In these short stories, many of which i think could be best called post-cyberpunk, a reaction to the sub-genre, predominantly queer Black folx navigate a fascist world that scrubs memories, co-opts artists physically, away from their families and loved ones. Within this bleak landscape are acts of resistance that follow from the identity of the characters. Rather than the typical bombastic and militant acts of violence cyberpunk is known for, here the struggle is situated in verisimilitude. I like this centering much better, since it takes tenets of punk and applies it to everyone who refuses to conform to the system. Navigating away from defaultism.

I think the stories that bookend the collection are the strongest, and contrast one another tonally. But even the quietest story is a bit brilliant. A space is found to stop time and the framing for the characters is the ability to reclaim how much extra currency they now have to level the playing field in society. Not many people about marginalization and privilege in these terms, but identities intersecting with poverty know that time really is one of the most predominate things that is taken. For example: People unable to get a bank card must line up at lunch to cash their cheque at a place that takes a cut of it from them to do so, cutting into their lunch hour because the bank won’t be open outside of their shift, or they can’t get there in time regardless. In this story it is about academic competitions, where the character has to do so much more work, and put in so much more time, to compete with others. There is a thought experiment within the thought experiment introduced as well.

Other stories are about the power of representation in stories fostering the core ability to dream, and therefor change the world; the system attempting to erase queer love and identity, and the damage of internalizing those notions. All of the stories are, perhaps, more quiet than I expected. But Dirty Computer was a loud story (literally), so it makes total sense for this collection to go to the places it does. Very enjoyable.

I bought the audiobook for this one because I suspected it would have excellent narration and I was completely correct. I can recommend going that way wholeheartedly.