Liberation Day: Stories
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- Create Date：2022-11-12 18:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：George Saunders
- ISBN：B09SKZ4BJ3
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Summary
MacArthur genius and Booker Prize winner George Saunders returns with a collection of short stories that make sense of our increasingly troubled world， his first since the New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist Tenth of December
The "best short story writer in English" （Time） is back with a masterful collection that explores ideas of power， ethics， and justice， and cuts to the very heart of what it means to live in community with our fellow humans。 With his trademark prose--wickedly funny， unsentimental， and perfectly tuned--Saunders continues to challenge and surprise: here is a collection of prismatic， deeply resonant stories that encompass joy and despair， oppression and revolution， bizarre fantasy and brutal reality。
"Love Letter" is a tender missive from grandfather to grandson， in the midst of a dystopian political situation in the not-too-distant future， that reminds us of our obligations to our ideals， ourselves， and each other。 "Ghoul" is set in a Hell-themed section of an underground amusement park in Colorado， and follows the exploits of a lonely， morally complex character named Brian， who comes to question everything he takes for granted about his "reality。" In "Mother's Day，" two women who loved the same man come to an existential reckoning in the middle of a hailstorm。 And in "Elliott Spencer，" our eighty-nine-year-old protagonist finds himself brainwashed--his memory "scraped"--a victim of a scheme in which poor， vulnerable people are reprogrammed and deployed as political protesters。
Together， these nine subversive， profound， and essential stories coalesce into a case for viewing the world with the same generosity and clear-eyed attention as Saunders does， even in the most absurd of circumstances。
The "best short story writer in English" （Time） is back with a masterful collection that explores ideas of power， ethics， and justice， and cuts to the very heart of what it means to live in community with our fellow humans。 With his trademark prose--wickedly funny， unsentimental， and perfectly tuned--Saunders continues to challenge and surprise: here is a collection of prismatic， deeply resonant stories that encompass joy and despair， oppression and revolution， bizarre fantasy and brutal reality。
"Love Letter" is a tender missive from grandfather to grandson， in the midst of a dystopian political situation in the not-too-distant future， that reminds us of our obligations to our ideals， ourselves， and each other。 "Ghoul" is set in a Hell-themed section of an underground amusement park in Colorado， and follows the exploits of a lonely， morally complex character named Brian， who comes to question everything he takes for granted about his "reality。" In "Mother's Day，" two women who loved the same man come to an existential reckoning in the middle of a hailstorm。 And in "Elliott Spencer，" our eighty-nine-year-old protagonist finds himself brainwashed--his memory "scraped"--a victim of a scheme in which poor， vulnerable people are reprogrammed and deployed as political protesters。
Together， these nine subversive， profound， and essential stories coalesce into a case for viewing the world with the same generosity and clear-eyed attention as Saunders does， even in the most absurd of circumstances。
Reviews
Luke Mark
，
He’s still one of the best， title story， Mother’s Day and Elliott Spencer standouts
Caitlin
，
Much of this collection feels derivative — Liberation Day and Elliott Spencer are spin-offs of Spiderhead; The Mom of Bold Action could be Al Roosten’s wife; Mothers Day is The Falls written by a misanthrope。 It also feels like Saunders has lost his faith in humanity — there is little joy， even less hope， no stories about people taking care of each other。 At the same time， there are still masterpieces。 Ghoul is my favorite Dystopian theme park story since Civilwarland in Bad Decline。 Love Letter Much of this collection feels derivative — Liberation Day and Elliott Spencer are spin-offs of Spiderhead; The Mom of Bold Action could be Al Roosten’s wife; Mothers Day is The Falls written by a misanthrope。 It also feels like Saunders has lost his faith in humanity — there is little joy， even less hope， no stories about people taking care of each other。 At the same time， there are still masterpieces。 Ghoul is my favorite Dystopian theme park story since Civilwarland in Bad Decline。 Love Letter’s passage about the time when change was still possible is gut wrenching， perhaps the best one-liner since Isabelle’s passage about the sum total of sadness。 And My House is exactly what I want from a short story — a morsel that so perfectly captures something about the human condition。 。。。more
Rach
，
So: I saw Saunders in conversation with Julie Buntin on 10/28/22 and that was truly great。 Saunders is as full of witticisms and honesty and counsel as you'd expect， and also he made me sob in public talking about his marriage。 I am not the biggest fan of this work and this book was probably par for the course， for me， but it feels more disappointing since I'm reading it coming off of such a wonderful experience sharing a room with him。 I *think* this contains less Saunders-ian sci-fi than previ So: I saw Saunders in conversation with Julie Buntin on 10/28/22 and that was truly great。 Saunders is as full of witticisms and honesty and counsel as you'd expect， and also he made me sob in public talking about his marriage。 I am not the biggest fan of this work and this book was probably par for the course， for me， but it feels more disappointing since I'm reading it coming off of such a wonderful experience sharing a room with him。 I *think* this contains less Saunders-ian sci-fi than previous collections--only 3 of those stories here--and those are without question the best of the bunch。 It made me want to reread In Persuasion Nation and remind myself of the taste of a pre-Trump Saunders。 This book weirdly reminded me of An Evening With Tim Heidecker in that both are works from White Men well into their careers （/fame） that in some contours are very damning of those who are Part of the Problem （in this Era） but in a way that feels very personal and tinged with guilt because of the aforementioned status that necessarily constructs the perspective these works are written from。 Also: I am talking out of my ass， and to myself。 。。。more
Zach
，
“Ghoul” A+++
Abbie
，
This is a very dark and confusing book to me。 There are nine short stories in this new George Saunders book “Liberation Day”。 George Saunders wrote this during the COVID lockdown。 It’s a very grim look at the state of this world and the people in it。 Some of the chapters were disturbing， like Ghoul。 I didn’t like the strange AI and weird sexual references and I could not tell who was who， some of time。 I did enjoy the story， “Love Letters”。 The narration is excellent in the audiobook。 Tina Fey a This is a very dark and confusing book to me。 There are nine short stories in this new George Saunders book “Liberation Day”。 George Saunders wrote this during the COVID lockdown。 It’s a very grim look at the state of this world and the people in it。 Some of the chapters were disturbing， like Ghoul。 I didn’t like the strange AI and weird sexual references and I could not tell who was who， some of time。 I did enjoy the story， “Love Letters”。 The narration is excellent in the audiobook。 Tina Fey and Michael McKeon are just some the voices on the audiobook。 It’s difficult to give a rating on these short stories。 Over all probably 3 stars。 Have to think on this。 。。。more
Eric
，
It isn't as stunningly next-level as Lincoln in the Bardo or Tenth of December but it is upper tier Saunders， easily my favorite living writer。There was one story I didn't like much that nonetheless had some great moments （The Mom of Bold Action）， 4 that were absolute jaw-droppers （the title story， Mother's Day， Love Letter， My House）， and the rest were rock solid。Something I'll be thinking about for a while: in past stories like Victory Lap， The Falls， and Tenth of December， Saunders bounced be It isn't as stunningly next-level as Lincoln in the Bardo or Tenth of December but it is upper tier Saunders， easily my favorite living writer。There was one story I didn't like much that nonetheless had some great moments （The Mom of Bold Action）， 4 that were absolute jaw-droppers （the title story， Mother's Day， Love Letter， My House）， and the rest were rock solid。Something I'll be thinking about for a while: in past stories like Victory Lap， The Falls， and Tenth of December， Saunders bounced between perspectives of two different， seemingly opposing characters and asks "but would one risk their health and safety to rescue the other from harm or death？" The answer in those stories was a resounding yes。 In Mother's Day， a very similar story to those， things take a decidedly darker and more pessimistic turn and we're left wondering if we are truly there for each other。 I don't know how I feel about the fact that one of our most prominent humanists is expressing this， or that it hit so hard for me， but no literary moment has made me despair our times more。 。。。more
Jared
，
Guy has still got it， but not peak Saunders
AJ Nolan
，
Beautiful collection of short stories。 George Saunders just leaving fully into the weird。 Some people may dislike these stories for that reason， but I am charmed by them， just s as I am charmed by Saunders。
Susan Lundy
，
Someone should try to get George Saunders' "Sparrow" into conservative media because the story is universally a love story without any political overtones。 Maybe in that manner， some conservatives who would never read "Liberation Day" or "Love Letter" will discover what an excellent writer he is and pick up his earlier books for a try。 I had convinced my bookgroup to read "A Swim in the Pond in the Rain" on the strength of my offer to serve refreshments at my house， and we had one of the best di Someone should try to get George Saunders' "Sparrow" into conservative media because the story is universally a love story without any political overtones。 Maybe in that manner， some conservatives who would never read "Liberation Day" or "Love Letter" will discover what an excellent writer he is and pick up his earlier books for a try。 I had convinced my bookgroup to read "A Swim in the Pond in the Rain" on the strength of my offer to serve refreshments at my house， and we had one of the best discussions of the COVID era then。 All I'll say is that I'm saving my "Saunder's Five Star" but would have done 4。5 if I could have done so， actually on the basis of "Love Letter" which took my breath away both politically and emotionally。 。。。more
Chella
，
3。5/5 - For many years I had avoided Saunders like a plague， based on some ill-formed opinion I had。 I believed Saunders would be a difficult read - akin to watching a David Lynch movie， in reverse （not that watching it as is would make any more sense than it would。。 but you get the point）。 And I'll admit that this *was* a difficult read - but one that I came to enjoy and appreciate。 Every short story had the author experimenting with the style。 There was one with the stream of consciousness （wh 3。5/5 - For many years I had avoided Saunders like a plague， based on some ill-formed opinion I had。 I believed Saunders would be a difficult read - akin to watching a David Lynch movie， in reverse （not that watching it as is would make any more sense than it would。。 but you get the point）。 And I'll admit that this *was* a difficult read - but one that I came to enjoy and appreciate。 Every short story had the author experimenting with the style。 There was one with the stream of consciousness （which， in case you want to know， is my favourite narrative style）， one with switching POVs， one with a very fractured writing （for reasons that would become obvious）， one with an immersive story telling， and a few other interesting tactics。 Is this the greatest book I have ever read？ Not really。 Is this the greatest book of Saunders？ I don't know， but going by the reviews， it probably isn't。 But what it is， is it rid me of the inhibitions I had of George Saunders and thereby the inhibitions I had of trying out eclectic writing forms。 And for that， I'm genuinely grateful。 。。。more
Matt Sheffield
，
3。75/5
Ryan
，
Master of the short story。 At times I find his voice so unique that it is distracting， but inevitably it brings such compassion and nuance to his characters that it feels just right。 Especially after reading more about his process and seeing how he pares down the words and ideas。
Tommie Whitener
，
Didn't like it。 Those dystopian， futuristic stories with gimmicky syntax and letter arrangement really turned me off。 Did like Sparrow and A Thing at Work。 Mother's Day was OK。 Didn't like it。 Those dystopian， futuristic stories with gimmicky syntax and letter arrangement really turned me off。 Did like Sparrow and A Thing at Work。 Mother's Day was OK。 。。。more
Suzanne Rubinstein
，
Surprisingly， it was the shortest and most under the radar stories that spoke to me。 I believe he is at his best through the inner dialogues of his characters， and my， what a pleasure those are， especially when he can seamlessly move from one character to another， as in a Thing at Work。 Finishing up with My House， you are left with a beautiful feeling of longline， both for the characters in that story as well as for maybe just one more story to enjoy。 I would rate this 5 stars， if only I could c Surprisingly， it was the shortest and most under the radar stories that spoke to me。 I believe he is at his best through the inner dialogues of his characters， and my， what a pleasure those are， especially when he can seamlessly move from one character to another， as in a Thing at Work。 Finishing up with My House， you are left with a beautiful feeling of longline， both for the characters in that story as well as for maybe just one more story to enjoy。 I would rate this 5 stars， if only I could choose a few stories to not include in this collection， since， I’m sort of embarrassed to add that those either were above me or I just simply could not connect to the storyline （though even in those， the characters where delicious to read）。 。。。more
John Pehle
，
Oh my， no easy read here。 George Saunders， in nine unconnected short stories， has created a world that seems dystopian but also connected to our current events。 A few of the stories are hard to process because of the use of dialect and partial thoughts that muddy the narrative。 Several of the stories draw us into a world of a population repressed and manipulated and several delve deeply into romantic and/or familial relationships。 Each story is fascinating but few of the 232 pages qualify as "pa Oh my， no easy read here。 George Saunders， in nine unconnected short stories， has created a world that seems dystopian but also connected to our current events。 A few of the stories are hard to process because of the use of dialect and partial thoughts that muddy the narrative。 Several of the stories draw us into a world of a population repressed and manipulated and several delve deeply into romantic and/or familial relationships。 Each story is fascinating but few of the 232 pages qualify as "page turners"。 Be prepared to struggle， re-read segments， and scratch your head。 。。。more
Robert Purcell
，
I love George Saunders - I think his strange， funny， wise， sometimes deeply weird stories are amazing。 Just not this collection of them。 Read "Civilwarland in Bad Decline" or "Lincoln in the Bardo" to enjoy Saunders at his best。 I love George Saunders - I think his strange， funny， wise， sometimes deeply weird stories are amazing。 Just not this collection of them。 Read "Civilwarland in Bad Decline" or "Lincoln in the Bardo" to enjoy Saunders at his best。 。。。more
Will Ejzak
，
I was tempted to give this fewer than five stars。 The negative review goes like this: George Saunders has reached the point of his career where you can play George Saunders BINGO with each of his short story collections。 Dystopian theme parks？ Check。 Airhead suburban housewives （who are subsequently humanized）？ Check。 Highbrow rewrites of Flowers for Algernon？ Check。 Poor， marginalized people forced to sacrifice their memory/humanity/identity and entertain the rich as the only alternative to sta I was tempted to give this fewer than five stars。 The negative review goes like this: George Saunders has reached the point of his career where you can play George Saunders BINGO with each of his short story collections。 Dystopian theme parks？ Check。 Airhead suburban housewives （who are subsequently humanized）？ Check。 Highbrow rewrites of Flowers for Algernon？ Check。 Poor， marginalized people forced to sacrifice their memory/humanity/identity and entertain the rich as the only alternative to starvation/death？ Check。 Condemnations of wage slavery？ Check。 If you were to describe the plots of half of these stories， you'd be like， "Wait， are you sure this isn't the next season of Black Mirror"？ But it's not。 It's George Saunders， and it's beautiful。 Of all the human beings in the world， George Saunders might be one of the three or four I admire most。 He's like a very silly 21st century Dostoevsky， an intensely moralistic writer who doesn't rub it in your face。 It might actually do him a disservice to call him "moralistic": that implies that he's delivering sermons or something， and Saunders rejects sermonizing at （almost） every turn。 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain and Tenth of December are two of my favorite books ever， and if Liberation Day isn't quite on that level， it's still got all the Saundersy things that make everyone obsessed with him。I do think it starts off a little weak。 The title story， "Liberation Day，" is basically a rewrite of "Semplica Girl Diaries" but more ambitious and less successful。 It bites off a little more than it can chew。 "The Mom of Bold Action" is a tiny bit sentimental and obvious。 "Love Letter" is beautiful but maybe not deserving of its widespread acclaim。 After that， the collection starts to take off。 "A Thing at Work，" "Sparrow，" "Ghoul，" "Mother's Day，" and "Elliott Spencer" hit familiar Saunders beats， but they're hilarious and profound and extremely moving。 These are basically as good as his very best stuff。 "A Thing At Work，" in particular， feels like a late-career Saunders masterpiece: no sinister dystopias， just a crushing， absurd piece of realism。 On the other end of things， "Ghoul" leans hard into dystopian silliness and ends up being maybe his very best theme park story。 （And there are many。） It's hard to put this into words， but even a mediocre Saunders story feels bracing and helps me recalibrate a little。 Saunders is a big softy， but he's also an artistic genius and a political firebrand， like if Winnie-the-Pooh and Che Guevara had a baby。 It's a pretty unique combination， and it hits me right in the gut。 He's a very important figure in my life， and I'm glad he's still out there writing and thinking and doing podcast interviews。 （I've listened to about four of them about this book alone。） It's embarrassing for adults to have heroes， but Saunders is probably as close to one of those as I've got。 。。。more
Brad
，
3。5 stars。 George Saunders is a confounding author。 I find his stories frustrating because he usually drops you into a world with no footholds; but I find his stories fulfilling because eventually nearly everything comes into focus。 By the end I often wonder if I even enjoyed the stories。 Ultimately， I enjoy what his stories do to my mind， how it takes unfamiliar pieces and slowly puts them together。While this wasn't my favorite of his collections， he has done it again。 This collection switches 3。5 stars。 George Saunders is a confounding author。 I find his stories frustrating because he usually drops you into a world with no footholds; but I find his stories fulfilling because eventually nearly everything comes into focus。 By the end I often wonder if I even enjoyed the stories。 Ultimately， I enjoy what his stories do to my mind， how it takes unfamiliar pieces and slowly puts them together。While this wasn't my favorite of his collections， he has done it again。 This collection switches between his dystopian worlds and domestic squabbles。 （Jarring to say the least， but I've come to expect that with Saunders。） I found this collection more moralistic than what I remember previous collections being and， at times， more hopeful。I will undoubtedly keep reading George Saunders。（view spoiler）[Summaries:“Liberation Day” – Jeremy is one of three actors （in addition to a chorus of singers） confined to a single room， a room designated for performances。 These performances （odd simulations that surge through the performers） are for their owner， Mr。 U， his family， and wealthy friends。 The performers are all indentured servants who have signed their lives away to benefit family members in the outside world。 As part of signing their lives away， they have their memories wiped and have no concept of life beyond the performance room。 Mr。 U’s adult son Mike teases the performers and says it will soon all be over。 Mike then interrupts the next performance with an armed militia who has come to judge and sacrifice the wealthy who enslave these people for their merriment， but before they can Jeremy， still in character， steals a gun and shoots members of the militia to save his owners， Mr。 and Mrs。 U， unaware that he has foiled his own liberation。“The Mom of Bold Action”A writer contemplates her next story when her son arrives home， hurt from having been pushed down by a troubled man。 She uses this to write a piece about bringing justice to that troubled man。 Her husband Keith reads the piece and decides to hit the man with a baseball bat to the legs。 They learn it was the wrong man they injured and are forced to drop their case against the troubled man， letting him go scot free。 The writer throws away her story。 Keith is pained by his mistake。“Love Letter”When three people， each known only by a single letter， come into some legal trouble （one of them lacks the proper paperwork， another refuses to give information on the other two）， a grandson （a friend of the three） writes to his grandfather for his thoughts。 The grandfather responds to the letter voicing that while he is opposed to much happening in the government at present， the grandson acting could have negative effects on his family。“A Thing at Work”When Brenda， the office chatterbox， says something insulting about Tim， the boss， just as Tim is walking in， the bystander （Gen） worries she looks complicit。 Gen explains the situation to Tim and， after he basically calls her a tattle tale， Gen rats Brenda out further as a thief stealing office and breakroom supplies。 Brenda retaliates by ratting out Gen for having an affair with a client and billing the client for the time。 Brenda gets fired for her stealing while Gen gets away with her white-collar thievery。 Gen explains to Tim that the affair is off and offers lots of TMI information， leaving Tim wondering why she would share all this with him。“Sparrow”An ever-predictable girl with bird-like features falls for her co-worker at the market。 Though she doesn’t seem to possess an original thought， eventually the co-worker is won over by how agreeable she is to anything he says。 Over time， the cynicism around the couple fades until all they townspeople see are two people devoted to each other。“Ghoul”Somewhere deep underground， a society exists。 Their function is to act out different scenes for visitors who never come。 Should a member of this society mention the lack of visitors or any issue at all （floods， power outages）， they are guilty of breaking Law 6 and kicked to death。 The society has Monitors whose job is to watch for others breaking Law 6 and blowing their whistle。 Just after his friend Rolph is kicked to death， Brian receives a note the friend wrote about how there is no hole for visitors to come through; the hole is plugged up…meaning no visitors will ever come。 Then after his lover Amy dies， Brian received a note saying much of the same。 After being asked to become a Monitor， Brian resolves to expose the falsities this society is built upon by copying the letters and dispensing them widely， even though it will assuredly end in his own death。“Mother’s Day”Alma walks around the neighborhood with her adult daughter Pammy。 They spot Debi， a neighbor， an Alma says Debi is no friend and does not wave。 Debi， meanwhile， recalls sleeping with Alma’s husband and， though she was sad when he broke it off， she marvels at how now she is the happy one and Alma the miserable one。 A hail storm starts and Alma and Pammy look for cover， refusing help from Debi; Debi gets over it。 Alma has a heart attack and dies。 In the afterlife， she is greeted by her dead husband who asks if she can accept him now; when she refuses， instead seeking his understanding， her hands feel aflame。"Elliott Spencer"A liberal organization is taking people in desperate situations and signing them up for service to their cause。 Those who sign up have their mind's wiped and must relearn everything。 What they learn is mostly limited to the cause。 One such person is 89 （later Greg） who joins others in missions where they assault police officers。 Realizing that the organization looks like the bad guy in these scenarios， they give 89/Greg a new assignment of being beat up by the police。 This gains 89/Greg publicity， but when interviewed he is quickly exposed as one of the brainwashed agents used for propaganda reasons。 When 89/Greg starts recalling things from his former life， his handlers get worried。 He will need to have his mind wiped again， but if that doesn't take he'll be returned to his desperate situation， a wino living under a bridge。 He makes his escape， somewhat haplessly。"My House"A man visits a home he intends to buy。 The current owner asks if he could visit after he sells and the man hesitates before politely saying yes。 This hesitation prompts the owner to not sell。 The owner's wife dies and the property becomes dilapidated。 The man writes to the owner several letters， getting increasingly perturbed by his stubbornness。 After a while the man realizes it is he who is the stubborn one， but while he drafts a letter to this effect， he never sends it。（hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Kellen Blair
，
George Saunders proves once again to be the master of the short story。 This new collection contains 9 gorgeous stories that are at once thoughtful， challenging， and laugh-out-loud hilarious （"The Mom of Bold Action" was -- especially -- a riot）。 I would've happily kept reading if this collection contained 900 instead of 9！ George Saunders proves once again to be the master of the short story。 This new collection contains 9 gorgeous stories that are at once thoughtful， challenging， and laugh-out-loud hilarious （"The Mom of Bold Action" was -- especially -- a riot）。 I would've happily kept reading if this collection contained 900 instead of 9！ 。。。more
Sarina
，
Mijn favoriete schrijver。 Missch niet zo perfect als 10 december maar toch， 4 sterren zou te weinig zijn
Amanda
，
This is my first George Saunders collection and I honestly have no idea how I feel about it as a whole。 There were some stories I liked， others that left me confused and wanting more， and some I just didn’t care about。 I wish the stories had seemed connected and kept looking for that， though that’s on me because nothing in the description mentioned it。 The audio version was done very well and I felt like the narrators added a lot to the stories。I liked “Liberation Day” though I was super confuse This is my first George Saunders collection and I honestly have no idea how I feel about it as a whole。 There were some stories I liked， others that left me confused and wanting more， and some I just didn’t care about。 I wish the stories had seemed connected and kept looking for that， though that’s on me because nothing in the description mentioned it。 The audio version was done very well and I felt like the narrators added a lot to the stories。I liked “Liberation Day” though I was super confused through a bunch of it。 This， “Ghoul，” and “Elliott Spencer” stand out as being particularly unique。 I thought “Love Letter” felt a little too close to being real and it was a bit unnerving。 I liked “The Mom of Bold Action” and thought the narration was great。 Having read this， I might read more of Saunders。 I’m not a big short story reader， but it’s good to branch out from time to time。 。。。more
Olivia Berman
，
I’m a big Saunders fan — I feel like he writes so beautifully about humanity and the truths of being human and also does some cool dystopia/almost sci fi thinking which is interesting to me
Frank
，
It is very seldom that I do not finish a book that I have begun reading， no matter how bad the writing。 However， after the Fifth story in this book I finally closed the cover and said that's it！ I just cannot continue reading gibberish like this。 It is a total waste of my time considering there is so much more intelligent and rewarding literature out there to be enjoyed。 It is fortunate that I don't encounter this situation very often。 So please， don't waste your money on this trash。 You should It is very seldom that I do not finish a book that I have begun reading， no matter how bad the writing。 However， after the Fifth story in this book I finally closed the cover and said that's it！ I just cannot continue reading gibberish like this。 It is a total waste of my time considering there is so much more intelligent and rewarding literature out there to be enjoyed。 It is fortunate that I don't encounter this situation very often。 So please， don't waste your money on this trash。 You should note however， that one of the book's reviewers stated that this Author was "One of the most gifted， wickedly entertaining story writers around"。 So， maybe it is just me？？ 。。。more
Amy
，
Several workplace stories--many are dystopian future workplaces， with brainwashed workers whose job is performing weird or sinister or pointless things。 Many of the stories have humor in them。 Some shift point of view partway through。 My favorite stories in the collection get at the moral complexity of one choice getting out of control。 I like Saunders more with each collection he puts out。 He has his themes and techniques， and you just know a Saunders story the way you just know a Sorkin script Several workplace stories--many are dystopian future workplaces， with brainwashed workers whose job is performing weird or sinister or pointless things。 Many of the stories have humor in them。 Some shift point of view partway through。 My favorite stories in the collection get at the moral complexity of one choice getting out of control。 I like Saunders more with each collection he puts out。 He has his themes and techniques， and you just know a Saunders story the way you just know a Sorkin script or a Coen brothers movie。 。。。more
David
，
There was one story in this collection that really didn’t resonate with me， but the highs I felt were very high。 There are a few new favorite Saunders stories in the mix here。
Alix Grace
，
-some of these are stunning short stories that are so economical and well-constructed and well-written， but others felt a bit overwrought and too of-our-time-it was really interesting reading these short stories after reading about saunders' philosophy of short stories in "a swim in the pond in the rain" as i'm not fully sure how some of the stories adhered to his concepts-that being said there were a couple really good ones in there （that i sadly had already also read before， which is always th -some of these are stunning short stories that are so economical and well-constructed and well-written， but others felt a bit overwrought and too of-our-time-it was really interesting reading these short stories after reading about saunders' philosophy of short stories in "a swim in the pond in the rain" as i'm not fully sure how some of the stories adhered to his concepts-that being said there were a couple really good ones in there （that i sadly had already also read before， which is always the peril of an anthology i suppose） -would recommend to a friend but will not read all of the stories in this collection again 。。。more
Diana
，
Surely this won't work as an audiobook， I thought。 Short stories？ I am such an inattentive reader until I am grabbed by the characters， and with short stories， that's multiple times you have to start caring。 But I had a free audiobook （thanks， Libro-FM for your free audiobooks for library people！）， and I needn't have worried。 George Saunders pulled me into these stories so quickly。I'm maybe in love with George Saunders？ Not in a sexual way， though; my fantasies mostly have to do with having him Surely this won't work as an audiobook， I thought。 Short stories？ I am such an inattentive reader until I am grabbed by the characters， and with short stories， that's multiple times you have to start caring。 But I had a free audiobook （thanks， Libro-FM for your free audiobooks for library people！）， and I needn't have worried。 George Saunders pulled me into these stories so quickly。I'm maybe in love with George Saunders？ Not in a sexual way， though; my fantasies mostly have to do with having him in my kitchen in the morning， giving him coffee and scones and talking， talking， talking。 I saw him read once。 Mostly， when I see an author speak， I feel underwhelmed， even if I love their work and they speak well。 Reading their work is so much more meaningful and intimate， I think， than seeing them speak to a crowd in person。 When I left the George Saunders event， I didn't want to leave。 I kind of wanted to cry。 Or go to him and offer my guestroom and brag about my scones （which are truly excellent）。His stories are funny and generous- forgiving of human weakness。 He just seems to entirely understand how people think。 Even women- he does a great job getting into the heads of women， which is rare among male writers。 And he's smart and perceptive and the writing is sharp and evocative。I loved a story about a future dystopian world in which people agree to kind of sell themselves， have their memories wiped， and then hang on the wall， connected to a computer， either telling stories or singing them。 One of the stories they told was about Custer's last stand， so that was entwined in this story and was also moving。There's one about two mothers who have hated each other for decades and failed their own children， all as a result of a philandering man。 The voices in this story are so clear， the characters so distinct。 （Partly because the reader of this one was perfect。）I was moved by two that seemed more personal， less about the vivid created characters。 One takes the form of a letter to a son about how democracy died in the United States， how his generation failed generations to come。 Saunders has written essays about Trumpism and the fascist turn of the Republican party， so you know what he's talking about。 And there's one about an old house， about someone who wanted to buy it and a seller who changed his mind。 It's an interesting and fruitful relationship to explore， buyer and seller of a house， but I think this story is really about death。 The house is beautiful， but you can't really keep it。 Enjoy your house， your life， while you're in it。But they all caught me。 He has a lot of old books I haven't read-- I didn't start reading him until the last 3 or 4。 It's nice to know I have a rich vein to explore。 。。。more
Jim
，
I am probably guilty of expecting too much when one of my favorite authors delivers a new book， and in this case I was less than pleased with the result。 Sure， he comes at stories from different angles， and this can be disconcerting， but this set lacked much of the humor and whimsy I hope for out of Saunders。 These were darker， creepier， to me。 One felt as if it was a reject from one of his earlier collections。 The title story was interesting， but weird， though I did like its use of history。 Uns I am probably guilty of expecting too much when one of my favorite authors delivers a new book， and in this case I was less than pleased with the result。 Sure， he comes at stories from different angles， and this can be disconcerting， but this set lacked much of the humor and whimsy I hope for out of Saunders。 These were darker， creepier， to me。 One felt as if it was a reject from one of his earlier collections。 The title story was interesting， but weird， though I did like its use of history。 Unsettling describes it best， I think。 。。。more
Carol Theisen
，
not giving a rating as I did not read entire book， first 3 and last stories， just not in the right head for the dark depressing situations and characters。 Saunders is masterful in his writing and I loved 10th of December， perhaps I will revisit this collection some day or better yet to read as a group， lots to discuss here。
Arthur
，
Saunders is as good as ever at knowing just what to withhold about his little dystopias to keep the reader preoccupied with the questions he wants you to ask。 Too often， though， the stories in this book feel like they're relying on the same formula， peppered with a preciousness that I can best describe as "NPR-esque"。 The shine really wears off once you puzzle out the secrets of the settings。It's not without its high points， but they're scattered and mostly come in the more grounded stories， whi Saunders is as good as ever at knowing just what to withhold about his little dystopias to keep the reader preoccupied with the questions he wants you to ask。 Too often， though， the stories in this book feel like they're relying on the same formula， peppered with a preciousness that I can best describe as "NPR-esque"。 The shine really wears off once you puzzle out the secrets of the settings。It's not without its high points， but they're scattered and mostly come in the more grounded stories， which are less reliant on Saunders' well-honed bag of tricks and more concerned with exploring the queasy depths of ethics and empathy for upsettingly flawed people。I listened to it as an audiobook and Michael McKean's narration （only one story， sadly） was my favorite part。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Liberation Day: Stories
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Liberation Day: Stories&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft