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A review by kamisha
Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders by Lucas K. Law, Susan Forest
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book!
This was such a special and fascinating collection of stories! Each story wowed me in different ways and each spoke uniquely on its own. This is a collection of speculative fiction short stories about migrations and borders, and the reasons people seek other places. Each story shows the reader how migrations or the crossing of borders can be more than just physically moving from one‰ŰŞs home, these changes can also be emotional, mental, or cultural. And they impact every person in different ways. All of these stories show us that ‰Ű÷home‰ŰŞ can be a fluid concept and it is very much a concept that we carry within us in addition to being a physical place.
These stories were all so very impactful and each carries its own message, they truly all felt like the author‰ŰŞs were contributing a part of themselves within these stories. I really enjoyed reading this collection and found myself consuming it slower than I usually do most books, because it felt like I needed time to savor each of these stories. There wasn‰ŰŞt a single story that I rated lower than 3 stars during my reading of this, and the majority of them were all 4 or 5 star reads for me.
A few of the stand out five star reads for me were:
‰ŰĎPorque el Girasol se llama Girasol‰Űť- Rich Larson
This story involved a group of migrants essentially quantum walking through borders. Also, there are terrifying monsters that can catch you if you falter while crossing. There is a ‰ŰĎwall‰Űť mentioned several times in the story, and it definitely hit some eerily similar notes to today‰ŰŞs world. Fear and the need to help your family escape were heavy in this story. The atmosphere of this short story was just so terrifying and important.
‰ŰĎHabitat‰Űť- Christie Yant
In this story the inhabitants of Earth have brought upon themselves a self-imposed apocalypse and in order to save what remains of Earth and themselves, they have created Habitat-- a new sustainable living space for survivors. However, the reverse of the situation is turned on its head in this story as we see that denizens of Habitat are constantly sweeping the remains of human tribes on Earth away from their lives out in the open to be force-integrated into life within Habitat. I loved the conservation message of this one.
‰ŰĎDevouring Tongues‰Űť- S.L. Huang
An intricate look at the ways that languages help us transcend borders, but how our first language, even if it may not be prominently used culturally, can feel like home to us. A Chinese foreign student in Japan desperately sells parts of her soul to the Reaper, in an attempt to master her multilingual learning and ultimately create safe passage for her family, but along the way realizes she is losing parts of her culture that she cannot afford to lose.
‰ŰĎThe Vagabond of Trudeau High‰Űť- Sarah Raughley
This ended up being my favorite short story in the entire collection. It carries such a powerful, important and relevant message for all of us today. A young girl of Nigerian immigrants experiences police brutality firsthand when she witnesses her father being brutally beaten one night. Incorporating elements of Yoruba folklore, she is offered a chance at revenge and must decide what is most important to her. At school, amidst the parameters of a patriotic assignment, she struggles to define what being Canadian means for her and those around her who feel anything but ‰ŰĎat home‰Űť here.
Each of these stories were so very different in particulars, but so unifying in their messages. I loved the aspects of speculative fiction that the authors added to these stories and the fluid genre nature of each story. Though each story has an element of ‰Ű÷other‰ŰŞ to it, it doesn‰ŰŞt take much to imagine that they all could very well take place in the world we live in right now.
This collection is also extremely special because on publication, the publishing company donated $1,000 to support mental health programs, and a portion of the anthology's net revenue also goes to support mental health programs! This is such an important collection of stories and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves!
This was such a special and fascinating collection of stories! Each story wowed me in different ways and each spoke uniquely on its own. This is a collection of speculative fiction short stories about migrations and borders, and the reasons people seek other places. Each story shows the reader how migrations or the crossing of borders can be more than just physically moving from one‰ŰŞs home, these changes can also be emotional, mental, or cultural. And they impact every person in different ways. All of these stories show us that ‰Ű÷home‰ŰŞ can be a fluid concept and it is very much a concept that we carry within us in addition to being a physical place.
These stories were all so very impactful and each carries its own message, they truly all felt like the author‰ŰŞs were contributing a part of themselves within these stories. I really enjoyed reading this collection and found myself consuming it slower than I usually do most books, because it felt like I needed time to savor each of these stories. There wasn‰ŰŞt a single story that I rated lower than 3 stars during my reading of this, and the majority of them were all 4 or 5 star reads for me.
A few of the stand out five star reads for me were:
‰ŰĎPorque el Girasol se llama Girasol‰Űť- Rich Larson
This story involved a group of migrants essentially quantum walking through borders. Also, there are terrifying monsters that can catch you if you falter while crossing. There is a ‰ŰĎwall‰Űť mentioned several times in the story, and it definitely hit some eerily similar notes to today‰ŰŞs world. Fear and the need to help your family escape were heavy in this story. The atmosphere of this short story was just so terrifying and important.
‰ŰĎHabitat‰Űť- Christie Yant
In this story the inhabitants of Earth have brought upon themselves a self-imposed apocalypse and in order to save what remains of Earth and themselves, they have created Habitat-- a new sustainable living space for survivors. However, the reverse of the situation is turned on its head in this story as we see that denizens of Habitat are constantly sweeping the remains of human tribes on Earth away from their lives out in the open to be force-integrated into life within Habitat. I loved the conservation message of this one.
‰ŰĎDevouring Tongues‰Űť- S.L. Huang
An intricate look at the ways that languages help us transcend borders, but how our first language, even if it may not be prominently used culturally, can feel like home to us. A Chinese foreign student in Japan desperately sells parts of her soul to the Reaper, in an attempt to master her multilingual learning and ultimately create safe passage for her family, but along the way realizes she is losing parts of her culture that she cannot afford to lose.
‰ŰĎThe Vagabond of Trudeau High‰Űť- Sarah Raughley
This ended up being my favorite short story in the entire collection. It carries such a powerful, important and relevant message for all of us today. A young girl of Nigerian immigrants experiences police brutality firsthand when she witnesses her father being brutally beaten one night. Incorporating elements of Yoruba folklore, she is offered a chance at revenge and must decide what is most important to her. At school, amidst the parameters of a patriotic assignment, she struggles to define what being Canadian means for her and those around her who feel anything but ‰ŰĎat home‰Űť here.
Each of these stories were so very different in particulars, but so unifying in their messages. I loved the aspects of speculative fiction that the authors added to these stories and the fluid genre nature of each story. Though each story has an element of ‰Ű÷other‰ŰŞ to it, it doesn‰ŰŞt take much to imagine that they all could very well take place in the world we live in right now.
This collection is also extremely special because on publication, the publishing company donated $1,000 to support mental health programs, and a portion of the anthology's net revenue also goes to support mental health programs! This is such an important collection of stories and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves!