Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wanderinglynn 's review for:
The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer
by Janelle Monáe
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Dirty Computer is Monáe's concept album that imagines a dystopian future where technology is used to wipe the memories of non-conformists living under an Orwellian techno-authoritarian regime. In Monáe’s companion film or “emotion picture” (available on YouTube), the full set of music videos for the album are interwoven with narratives that provide context for the story and show how the individual songs fit together within her overarching theme. This book contains five stories set in the world of Dirty Computer, each co-written with a different author.
I have not listened to the album or seen the emotion picture, so I did feel like I was missing something when I started with the first story. But the world building is fleshed out just enough in the first story. I was able to stick with it and get the gist of the world of the Dirty Computer. However, I'd probably recommend viewing the Dirty Computer video first because I think it would have helped me understand this world better.
That being said, it seems each of these stories is set in slightly different times of this world. Save Changes seems to be set fairly early in this dystopian world, whereas the Memory Librarian seems to be many decades into this world. For me, it would have helped to have had a timeline or some sort of linear understanding. And I think that maybe some of the conceptual things she did in the album and picture might not have translated well to page. While collaborations are great, I think collaborating with 5 different co-authors also hindered the cohesiveness that she might have been aiming for.
The positives are these stories are full of queerness, feminism, and creativity with themes of how humanity needs artists, dreamers, and people who don't necessarily fit with the square box that current society thinks people should fit into.
Overall, mixed feelings. Like most short stories, some I liked more than others. 3 stars.
I have not listened to the album or seen the emotion picture, so I did feel like I was missing something when I started with the first story. But the world building is fleshed out just enough in the first story. I was able to stick with it and get the gist of the world of the Dirty Computer. However, I'd probably recommend viewing the Dirty Computer video first because I think it would have helped me understand this world better.
That being said, it seems each of these stories is set in slightly different times of this world. Save Changes seems to be set fairly early in this dystopian world, whereas the Memory Librarian seems to be many decades into this world. For me, it would have helped to have had a timeline or some sort of linear understanding. And I think that maybe some of the conceptual things she did in the album and picture might not have translated well to page. While collaborations are great, I think collaborating with 5 different co-authors also hindered the cohesiveness that she might have been aiming for.
The positives are these stories are full of queerness, feminism, and creativity with themes of how humanity needs artists, dreamers, and people who don't necessarily fit with the square box that current society thinks people should fit into.
Overall, mixed feelings. Like most short stories, some I liked more than others. 3 stars.