Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Tordotcom (2020), 176 pages
Description
Esther is a stowaway. She's hidden herself away in the Librarian's book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her, a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda. The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing.
Media reviews
Instead of tackling magic this time around, Gailey has populated their novella with forces we know all too well in the real world: homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, patriarchy, fascism, perpetual war, and the fraught, post-truth minefield we find ourselves navigating today. But it's the book's
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setting that allows Gailey to explore these ideas in a fresh way — it takes place in an indeterminate future where the United States has devolved into a society that resembles the Old West.... Couched in tart language, hard-bitten imagery, and pulp-Western punch, the novella benefits from its brevity. There's not a word or scene wasted, and the world-building hints at the enormity of America's imagined collapse without overdoing it. Show Less
In a post-apocalyptic American West, Librarians deliver Approved Materials to isolated towns and outposts. They are also unwittingly delivering Esther, who ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage.... Combining winking humor, cinematic landscapes, heart-stopping action sequences, and
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romances that will leave readers silently squeeing, Gailey’s (Magic for Liars, 2019) slim novel is a feat of writerly sorcery that packs a sweeping political epic into fewer than 200 pages. Even as readers are charmed by the book’s sense of righteous rebellion and queer glee, the lesson Esther learns—that everyone has a right to be who they are—will catch them right in the feels. Show Less
"Gailey’s gorgeous writing and authentic characters make this slim volume a pure delight."
User reviews
LibraryThing member SamMusher
What if Handmaid's Tale, but set in the American West and really, really gay?
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
Future dystopian Wild West lesbian librarians.
Need I say more?
Need I say more?
LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
Interesting genre- and gender-bending Western/scifi/LGTBQ novelette about a futuristic Balkanized America where bands of roving "librarians" distribute more than "approved" reading materials. They are also active agents in a vaguely-described "resistance" movement and a haven for free-thinkers of
Gailey sometimes reaches a bit too far trying for quasi-Western dialogue (particularly when describing firearms), but it's overall a quick read with a fresh viewpoint.
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all stripes. Gailey sometimes reaches a bit too far trying for quasi-Western dialogue (particularly when describing firearms), but it's overall a quick read with a fresh viewpoint.
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
This is like The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek but without blue people, with lesbians and if the women had been political terrorists. This is one of the few books I've read that I'd hoped would be the beginning of a series. I'd read all of them.
LibraryThing member Avogt221
I don't know what I was expecting when I started this book. But what I got....I'm sure was not it. This is a pulpy western romp through some kind of post-apocalyptic world. Where lesbian and non-binary librarians roam the land on behalf of the government (but not really). I found myself really
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engaged with the story and the writing. My only real complaint is that I never understood the greater politics of this world beyond a general government = bad. This is largely because the story is focused on a group of individuals who are primarily wandering alone and not interacting with a lot of people outside their immediate circle. So you never really get the overview of what the world looks like beyond this small group, But overall when the book was finished (and it is a short book) I was actually sorry there was not more to go, Show Less
LibraryThing member streamsong
The State rules with an iron fist in this Old West style dystopia. It features horses, cowboys, sheriffs, posses, six shooters and hangings when someone goes against the rules of the State – which believes in only heterosexual relationships and mind control by allowing only Approved Reading
Esther’s special friend Beatriz runs afoul of this last law and Ester’s sheriff father hangs Beatriz for having unapproved reading material. Ester had previously been frightened by her growing affection for Beatriz.
Now in order to escape her father and the marriage he has arranged for her, Ester flees to join a traveling group of State Authorized librarians who supposedly travel from town to town distributing approved reading from their horse drawn wagons.
Ester is a booklover who hopes to find a place with them. What she finds is quite different: a band of women living their forbidden loves freely, secretly distributing unauthorized material and helping fugitives working to further a rebellion. Although Ester had no idea that women could think about- much less live - loving other women and rebelling against the Laws of the State, she aspires to become one of them.
It’s a fun, slightly absurd story (they are heading to Utah where there is freedom and tolerance of the LGBTQ lifestyle). It’s thought-provoking at the same time (are we also embracing a society that devalues diversity?).
I hope there is a sequel. I’d like to find out what happens next.
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Matter.Esther’s special friend Beatriz runs afoul of this last law and Ester’s sheriff father hangs Beatriz for having unapproved reading material. Ester had previously been frightened by her growing affection for Beatriz.
Now in order to escape her father and the marriage he has arranged for her, Ester flees to join a traveling group of State Authorized librarians who supposedly travel from town to town distributing approved reading from their horse drawn wagons.
Ester is a booklover who hopes to find a place with them. What she finds is quite different: a band of women living their forbidden loves freely, secretly distributing unauthorized material and helping fugitives working to further a rebellion. Although Ester had no idea that women could think about- much less live - loving other women and rebelling against the Laws of the State, she aspires to become one of them.
It’s a fun, slightly absurd story (they are heading to Utah where there is freedom and tolerance of the LGBTQ lifestyle). It’s thought-provoking at the same time (are we also embracing a society that devalues diversity?).
I hope there is a sequel. I’d like to find out what happens next.
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LibraryThing member renbedell
A Wild West story mixed with a dystopian atmosphere about a girl on the run, joining up with a group of free-thinking Librarians who distribute material around the country. It is an uplifting, empowering story about a girl learning to be okay with how she feels and what she wants. There are a very
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interesting group of characters she learns from as she goes from experience to experience on their journey. It is written really well. As a short book, it is packed with gripping moments and character development. I really enjoyed this book. The narrator does a great job of creating an environment, but she breathes really loudly at times, but overall I would say her narration added to the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member KatyBee
Sarah Gailey's new novella, ‘Upright Women Wanted’, is set in an alternative future where a dystopian USA society resembles the Old West. In this world, information is strictly controlled by the government - feeding alternative facts and propaganda to a society struggling with poverty,
This story deals with homophobia, misogyny, patriarchy, fascism, and militarism. Esther Augustus is a young woman who has just witnessed the public hanging of her secret lover, Beatriz, for ‘deviance’ and ‘the possession of unapproved materials.’ The agents of this information are the Librarians (hooray for librarians!), a group of women who travel in wagons, disseminating reading materials to the countryside towns. The focus is on Esther, her newfound family of Librarians, and her passage toward queer consciousness and self-awakening. Esther is brave, proficient, and spirited, and her determination to earn the right to become a Librarian is an inspiration. There are no wasted words in this story, and the audio book is a good listening experience.
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intolerance, scarcity, and a depressed economy. This story deals with homophobia, misogyny, patriarchy, fascism, and militarism. Esther Augustus is a young woman who has just witnessed the public hanging of her secret lover, Beatriz, for ‘deviance’ and ‘the possession of unapproved materials.’ The agents of this information are the Librarians (hooray for librarians!), a group of women who travel in wagons, disseminating reading materials to the countryside towns. The focus is on Esther, her newfound family of Librarians, and her passage toward queer consciousness and self-awakening. Esther is brave, proficient, and spirited, and her determination to earn the right to become a Librarian is an inspiration. There are no wasted words in this story, and the audio book is a good listening experience.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
Esther is fleeing the death of her friend, Beatrice, whom she was in love with, and the marriage her father intends to force her into. To get away, she hides herself in the Librarians' book wagon. The Librarians, she knows, are upright women spreading approved materials and information. She knows
Boy, does she have a lot to learn about Librarians, and the world they, and she, live in!
This is a story set in the American west of a future time, when there has been a breakdown of the society we know. We gradually learn that there is a war, though perhaps it is of the "We have always been at war with Eastasia" variety, and technology more advanced than the 19th century is restricted and rationed. It's a repressive society, with unapproved views bringing harsh consequences.
And while the Librarians distribute approved materials, they also distribute other things.
Esther is in for an adventure she never anticipated.
This is fast-paced, exciting, and both the characters and the world are very well-drawn, with just enough information about the world that, like Esther, we are figuring things out as we go along.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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that when they find her, she'll have to be very careful not to let slip the true nature of her relationship with Beatrice, because they are upright women and will be appalled.Boy, does she have a lot to learn about Librarians, and the world they, and she, live in!
This is a story set in the American west of a future time, when there has been a breakdown of the society we know. We gradually learn that there is a war, though perhaps it is of the "We have always been at war with Eastasia" variety, and technology more advanced than the 19th century is restricted and rationed. It's a repressive society, with unapproved views bringing harsh consequences.
And while the Librarians distribute approved materials, they also distribute other things.
Esther is in for an adventure she never anticipated.
This is fast-paced, exciting, and both the characters and the world are very well-drawn, with just enough information about the world that, like Esther, we are figuring things out as we go along.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member quondame
In post apocalyptic US in a resource consuming war against internal insurrectionists, Esther has stowed away on a Librarians wagon hoping to make a righteous life for herself after her father hanged her best friend and lover for possession of Unauthorized Materials. Very on point, what you are is
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not bad message, which is fine, but lacks the zany humor I expect from Gailey. Show Less
LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
Upright Women Wanted
by Sarah Gailey
This story takes place in the US in an alternate time. The State has authorized material and reading unauthorized material can get you killed. So can loving the same sex. This book follows Esther, who watched her girlfriend hang after being caught with the wrong
Librarians transport authorized material around so everyone can read the same books, see the same movies. Esther wants to become a Librarian.
This book follows the partly wild west style adventure of these women who are considered State authorized helpers but underneath they work for the resistance. This is how Esther grows from seeing the world under a iron fist to trying to make a change.
It's full of action, romance, hope, and growth. Great characters and plot. Loved the unique world.
by Sarah Gailey
This story takes place in the US in an alternate time. The State has authorized material and reading unauthorized material can get you killed. So can loving the same sex. This book follows Esther, who watched her girlfriend hang after being caught with the wrong
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material. Her father also wants to marry her off to a guy she doesn't like. She runs away by hiding in the back of the Librarian's book wagon. Librarians transport authorized material around so everyone can read the same books, see the same movies. Esther wants to become a Librarian.
This book follows the partly wild west style adventure of these women who are considered State authorized helpers but underneath they work for the resistance. This is how Esther grows from seeing the world under a iron fist to trying to make a change.
It's full of action, romance, hope, and growth. Great characters and plot. Loved the unique world.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Esther escapes her town after her girlfriend is hung for having unacceptable literature, and decides she'll become a Librarian, bringing only approved books by wagon to the masses. The only trouble, as she finds out, is that's not exactly what Librarians do.
Blending science fiction and western,
Blending science fiction and western,
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this fun story is set in a future where war has taken over post-America yet the world's gone back in time in some ways because no one but the military has diesel for cars. Told primarily from Esther's perspective as she realizes not only who she is but also that she can be herself in a world that largely doesn't want to acknowledge she exists. Because it's so short, there's not a lot of fleshing out of characters or world-building, but I spent a pleasant day reading it and could recommend it to the right reader. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwren
A kick-ass, sophisticated Western featuring queer librarians! I would call this an adult/YA crossover novel. Hoof-pounding plot, characters well-developed, flaws and all, and a quick read that I wished had been longer, or at least will have a sequel.
LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
This was a book with a good plot, characters I believed in and rooted for, and great world-building. I wish it had been fleshed out more - I think I would have enjoyed it more as a full-length novel. Everything happened a little too quickly and such important and moving topics, and life-changing
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events, didn't hit with as much oomph as I like them to. It's a good read, and certainly worth reading, it's just... missing a certain something. Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
I loved this heartwarming story about a young woman finding her place in the world. There's a great cast of characters, including a non-binary character who is the love interest!
LibraryThing member CarrieWuj
Wild West 2.0, but in some post-apocalyptic time frame when the US is divided into regions (not unlike Hunger Games) and ultra conservatives rule and punish brutally (not unlike Handmaid's Tale). Esther has just witnessed her lover Beatriz hang by her magistrate father's hand. A chilling enough
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beginning for what is mostly a quirky, dark humor story. Esther is to be married off to Silas, but she stows away in a Librarian's wagon. The throwback to 30s Appalachia traveling librarian concept is also a little warped here: they are the perceived moral arbiters of the country, bringing state approved materials to all the regions, when in reality, they are subversive purveyors of contraband - the perfect role! Esther, operating under the first assumption, thinks she will "fix" her "wrong" thinking of same sex attraction by joining this group. She quickly learns the opposite when the two main librarians Bet and Lida reveal their relationship, and she meets apprentice librarian Cye who is "they" on the road and "she" in town. They are on a mission in the southwest territory to deliver a "package" and Esther has to be a quick study to determine who is friend or foe, how to shoot a gun and how to live a nomadic hardscrabble life. Clever play with genre and my own personal challenge to negotiate (esp. in audio!) non-binary pronouns. While I love the idea of tough-talking, straight-shooting librarians, and I see why society might revert to the lawlessness of the Wild West, I'm not sure why they had to revert to talking like old-timey cowboys - that stuck in my craw a bit - and apparently in my mind. Entertaining and thought-provoking premise, but I hankered for more depth. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I borrowed from the library.
Story (4/5): This was a fun and quick read and I enjoyed it. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world that has a very western feel to it. We mainly travel with Librarians who travel from town to town to distribute Approved
Characters (4/5): The characters are well done and I liked them. Esther comes off as pretty naive and vanilla, but grows a lot through the story. The characters she travels with are well done and I wanted to get to know them better. I think all of the side characters here could have really good stories if Gailey ever opts to write more in this world.
Setting (4/5): The world development is a bit thin here, we don't get a ton of background but there's enough surrounding detail to picture the world you're in and figure out the general gist of its history.
Writing Style (4/5): I enjoyed the pacing and adventure. Again, this isn't a complex read but just a fun little peek into this world. I would love to read more books set in this world and really enjoyed this.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. This is a fairly simple story, set in an interesting world. I would love to learn more about both this world and the characters here. I enjoyed Gailey’s writing style and will be looking up more books by her in the future. I would recommend this if you enjoy stories set in a post-apocalyptic western flavored world.
Story (4/5): This was a fun and quick read and I enjoyed it. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world that has a very western feel to it. We mainly travel with Librarians who travel from town to town to distribute Approved
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reading materials. Esther stows away in a Librarian wagon in hopes of both escaping an unwanted marriage and learning how to be a better person (by ignoring her love of other women). She does not find what she thinks she's going to in this group of adventurous Librarians.Characters (4/5): The characters are well done and I liked them. Esther comes off as pretty naive and vanilla, but grows a lot through the story. The characters she travels with are well done and I wanted to get to know them better. I think all of the side characters here could have really good stories if Gailey ever opts to write more in this world.
Setting (4/5): The world development is a bit thin here, we don't get a ton of background but there's enough surrounding detail to picture the world you're in and figure out the general gist of its history.
Writing Style (4/5): I enjoyed the pacing and adventure. Again, this isn't a complex read but just a fun little peek into this world. I would love to read more books set in this world and really enjoyed this.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. This is a fairly simple story, set in an interesting world. I would love to learn more about both this world and the characters here. I enjoyed Gailey’s writing style and will be looking up more books by her in the future. I would recommend this if you enjoy stories set in a post-apocalyptic western flavored world.
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LibraryThing member laughterhp
Unfortunately, I don’t think Sarah Gailey is for me. I don’t know if it’s because her books are mostly novellas or what, but I can’t connect with her characters. This audiobook was super short, but I was pretty bored. I just have trouble connecting and caring about the people in their book.
LibraryThing member booksandliquids
I really enjoyed this, but I wish it would have been more than it was.
What I loved
The worldbuilding. A post apocalyptic world mixed with the wild west, yes, sign me up! An oppressive government and a group of female librarians working for the rebellion under the cover of being 'proper women' - sign
The representation. I love representation and here it didn't feel forced, it fit the story and got its message accross clearly without hitting you over the head with what it wants you to take away from it.
The writing. It was engaging, very on point and I want to read more of this. I will definitely check out more books by Sarah Gailey.
What didn't work for me
I don't know if a novella was the right format for this story. It actually took me a bit to get into it, which I feel a novella shouldn't do. And then once it got started, it tried to do so much in the little time it had. I feel like this story should have been told in a novel or it should have been shortened to fit the length of a novella. As it is, some of the resolutions came too quickly for me, without much buildup, and at the same time I wished for more character development, but there wasn't time to explore those characters further and most of them ended up a bit flat.
I wish I could read a whole novel set in this world, and I hope someday I will.
What I loved
The worldbuilding. A post apocalyptic world mixed with the wild west, yes, sign me up! An oppressive government and a group of female librarians working for the rebellion under the cover of being 'proper women' - sign
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me up! The premise is cool and I feel there are a lot of great stories to be told in this world.The representation. I love representation and here it didn't feel forced, it fit the story and got its message accross clearly without hitting you over the head with what it wants you to take away from it.
The writing. It was engaging, very on point and I want to read more of this. I will definitely check out more books by Sarah Gailey.
What didn't work for me
I don't know if a novella was the right format for this story. It actually took me a bit to get into it, which I feel a novella shouldn't do. And then once it got started, it tried to do so much in the little time it had. I feel like this story should have been told in a novel or it should have been shortened to fit the length of a novella. As it is, some of the resolutions came too quickly for me, without much buildup, and at the same time I wished for more character development, but there wasn't time to explore those characters further and most of them ended up a bit flat.
I wish I could read a whole novel set in this world, and I hope someday I will.
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LibraryThing member bgknighton
Post civilization fall -- The American SW is broken into mostly conservative enclaves. The Librarians are the voice of the different and the disenfranchised.
LibraryThing member LibroLindsay
I only wish this were longer!
LibraryThing member NeedMoreShelves
In case you were wondering - yes, you do need lesbian while west librarians in your life.
My major quibble - at only 176 pages, this reads more like an extended short story, and I have sooooo many questions. Please let this be the start of many adventures in this world!
#readingwomen
My major quibble - at only 176 pages, this reads more like an extended short story, and I have sooooo many questions. Please let this be the start of many adventures in this world!
#readingwomen
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#readingwomenchallenge #dmplchallenge #popsugarchallenge Show Less
LibraryThing member Othemts
This novella has a western vibe while actually set in a dystopian future in which the United States has crumbled under autocratic rule that discriminates against LGBTQ people (ok, maybe not so far in the future?). Esther hides in a wagon belonging to The Librarians after the execution of her lover
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Beatrice. The Librarians officially travel the southwest distributing "approved" reading material but in fact are gun-slinging lesbian women and enby people with ties to pockets of resistance. It seems like a very short story for all of its ambition, but has some great moments, and can be disarmingly sweet and hopeful Show Less
LibraryThing member amanda4242
In a dystopian near-future with trappings of the Old West, Esther Augustus escapes an arranged marriage by stowing away with traveling librarians. As she makes the rounds with them, she slowly realizes that they're part of a resistance against the tyrannical government.
I was well-primed to love
Despite my disappointment, it's not a bad read and the ending is open enough for a sequel. I just hope if Gailey continues to write in this world they focus a little more on books and those who wrangle them.
I was well-primed to love
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this book as I have a deep love of bad-ass librarians: Rupert Giles, the Librarian of Discworld, even the eldritch horrors of the Night Vale Public Library all have a place in my heart. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that it didn't really matter much that these bad-ass subversives are librarians; granted, Esther's entire concept of her sexuality comes from reading the government-approved books they bring (spoiler: the government's big on burying their gays), but she could have run off with a bunch of women selling Mary Kay and the story wouldn't have been much different. Despite my disappointment, it's not a bad read and the ending is open enough for a sequel. I just hope if Gailey continues to write in this world they focus a little more on books and those who wrangle them.
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
“People like us, we draw the bad in. There’s no good end, not for us. We knew better, we read all the stories—read them too much, probably.”
This is the fifth Sarah Gailey Hugo finalist I have read, and the third I have ranked below No Award. I am starting to think that I just do not get on
This is the fifth Sarah Gailey Hugo finalist I have read, and the third I have ranked below No Award. I am starting to think that I just do not get on
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with what they are doing. (I did really like "STET," though.) In this one, it's after the apocalypse, and women librarians travel the West, enforcing moral hygiene. A young lesbian seeks refuge with them—only it turns out the librarians are the locus of the resistance. A good idea here that failed in execution, I think. The protagonist's desire to "fix" herself vs. her fascination with the librarians wasn't very well handled (I didn't really have a good sense of what she was after), and the book never really reckoned with how the librarians reconciled distributing homophobic and misogynistic material with being in the resistance. Like a lot of Tor.com novellas, it feels more like the pilot for a streaming television show than a piece of prose fiction. Show Less
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novella — 2021)
Locus Award (Finalist — 2020)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction — 2020)
NPR: Books We Love (2020)
ALA Over the Rainbow Book List (Longlist — Fiction and Poetry — 2021)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-02-04
Physical description
176 p.; 8.29 inches
ISBN
1250213584 / 9781250213587