Liberation Day: Stories
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- Author：George Saunders
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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
Matthew
，
A new book from George Saunders is always a treat， and for me this did not disappoint。 While it does trod some of the same ground that his stories have in the past， to me that's not a bad thing。 And his trademark compassion and kindness are still on full display， even if many of his characters seem more trapped than ever by the selfishness， thoughtlessness， and cruelty so often present in modern life。I can see myself returning to several of these stories again and again。 Some particular favorite A new book from George Saunders is always a treat， and for me this did not disappoint。 While it does trod some of the same ground that his stories have in the past， to me that's not a bad thing。 And his trademark compassion and kindness are still on full display， even if many of his characters seem more trapped than ever by the selfishness， thoughtlessness， and cruelty so often present in modern life。I can see myself returning to several of these stories again and again。 Some particular favorites:The Mom of Bold ActionLove LetterMother's Day 。。。more
Sarah
，
I'm glad I accidentally placed a hold on the audiobook version of George Saunders' latest short story collection， Liberation Day。 The narrators really breathed a lot of life into the flawed characters in each little world。 The speculative fiction/dystopian stories were my favorite， but that's not to say that I didn't enjoy the "simpler" sections that dealt with regret， power， and unfulfilled dreams。 I'm glad I accidentally placed a hold on the audiobook version of George Saunders' latest short story collection， Liberation Day。 The narrators really breathed a lot of life into the flawed characters in each little world。 The speculative fiction/dystopian stories were my favorite， but that's not to say that I didn't enjoy the "simpler" sections that dealt with regret， power， and unfulfilled dreams。 。。。more
Ryan Motter
，
Top Stories- Liberation Day， Love Letter， Sparrow， Mom of Bold Action。 This was good， although not as affecting as Tenth of November。 There is still no one who demands more work from their reader than George Saunders。
Kestrel Green
，
Some stories 5/5， others less so
James Corson
，
George Saunders truly is the master of the short story。 In his latest collection， we get nine stories that tackle a few main themes: exploitation of the poor and powerless by the rich and powerful; how our biases blind us to the harm we do to those around us; and the search for meaning and for freedom in a meaningless， constrained life。 All of the stories are elevated by Saunders' simple prose and by his incredible ability to give each character a unique voice。Liberation Day is worth reading for George Saunders truly is the master of the short story。 In his latest collection， we get nine stories that tackle a few main themes: exploitation of the poor and powerless by the rich and powerful; how our biases blind us to the harm we do to those around us; and the search for meaning and for freedom in a meaningless， constrained life。 All of the stories are elevated by Saunders' simple prose and by his incredible ability to give each character a unique voice。Liberation Day is worth reading for the title story alone。 （It is also the longest story by some margin。） "Liberation Day" is about a man who is pinioned to a wall with fellow Speakers and Singers and forced to entertain his owner and his rich friends。 It has a sci-fi flavor that reminded me a bit of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go， especially since the narrators of both slowly comes to realize how they are being exploited for the benefit of the wealthy。 This is Saunders at his best。The rest of the stories don't quite reach the heights of the opener， but they are still very good。 "A Thing at Work" was probably my second favorite story。 It is a funny but sad story about workplace drama that rotates among three great narrators。 "Elliott Spencer" tackles some of the same themes as "Liberation Day，" with a little hint of politics thrown in。 It's not quite as good as "Liberation Day，" but it's still great。 And "Sparrow" was the rare moment of lightness and beauty amidst the darker and more depressing surrounding stories。The only story that I didn't like was "Love Letter"， which is by far the most political entry in the collection。 Its subject matter -- how to navigate through a police state -- is certainly relevant， but parts of the story come across as shrill and overblown。 Or maybe I'm just overly optimistic。Again， this collection is great。 I have to admit， I am a bit late in getting on the George Saunders bandwagon， especially since my first experience of his work was the just-okay Lincoln in the Bardo。 （I can see why it won the Booker Prize， but it just wasn't my cup of tea。） But I absolutely loved his analysis of Russian short stories in his college-lecture-in-a-book， A Swim in the Pond in the Rain。 It was a pleasure to see him translate his ideas about what makes a great short story into his own fiction writing。 Now I just need to dig into the rest of the Saunders catalog， starting with Tenth of December。 。。。more
Jeff
，
Man。 Saunders sure loves his dystopian theme parks。
henghost
，
I read some of the stories collected here in the New Yorker prior to the publication of this book and worried that one of the authors -- to use terminology from that one Christian Lorentzen tweet -- who used to beguile me had become cutesy -- or， worse， had started watching MSNBC。 A story like "Love Letter，" for instance， reeks to me of the noxious handwringing about some vague， poorly articulated threat of "fascism" endemic to certain liberal circles circa the Trump Administration。 In fact， ess I read some of the stories collected here in the New Yorker prior to the publication of this book and worried that one of the authors -- to use terminology from that one Christian Lorentzen tweet -- who used to beguile me had become cutesy -- or， worse， had started watching MSNBC。 A story like "Love Letter，" for instance， reeks to me of the noxious handwringing about some vague， poorly articulated threat of "fascism" endemic to certain liberal circles circa the Trump Administration。 In fact， essentially all of Saunders' output from the last five years or so seems colored by Trump， just as his work from the early aughts is colored by Bush （e。g。 some people read his story "Addams" -- an anagram for Saddam -- as an allegory for the Iraq war -- perhaps accurately， perhaps problematically）。 Of course， this is not in and of itself a flaw， and indeed Saunders executes some of his commentary flawlessly， even if it's still tinged with his signature moralizing; often it's in the most "speculative" stories （imperfect term）， namely "Elliot Spencer，" a kind of fictitious response to the endless， nauseating thinkpieces titled things like: "Meeting the Trump Voters: Good Hearts Corrupted。" The title story is the strongest here， and feels almost like the definitive Saunders piece， a rerun of the greatest hits （"Semplica Girl Diaries" and Lincoln in the Bardo are the main ones） and yet still experimental， still contemporary。 It's like if there had been a scene about Hamilton in John Carpenter's They Live。 It's a new voice， spanning centuries， that cements， at least in my mind， Saunders' staying power as an American master。 。。。more
Dan Douglas
，
Not every story in Liberation Day is a 5。 But the 5’s in the book are so strong that the weighted average overall is 5 stars。
David V
，
I’m a big fan of George Saunders so I’m rounding this up to four stars。 I always enjoy the world and characters he creates， his writing style， and the way he plays with words and form。 In many ways， he hasn’t broken any new ground here as there are a few dystopian stories that feel a bit familiar。 Mr。 Saunders clearly has a bone to pick with our current state of politics and is not subtle in imbuing a couple of stories with his beliefs。 The biggest letdown for me was that the stories didn’t have I’m a big fan of George Saunders so I’m rounding this up to four stars。 I always enjoy the world and characters he creates， his writing style， and the way he plays with words and form。 In many ways， he hasn’t broken any new ground here as there are a few dystopian stories that feel a bit familiar。 Mr。 Saunders clearly has a bone to pick with our current state of politics and is not subtle in imbuing a couple of stories with his beliefs。 The biggest letdown for me was that the stories didn’t have quite the softness and humanity that I found in Tenth of December or Lincoln in the Bardo。 Overall， I enjoyed the book but thought it was a notch below the past efforts。 。。。more
Eric
，
This collection of nine short stories shows what a beatdown the last six years have given both George Saunders and his characters。 With a couple of exceptions， his tone here is bleaker than in the past， with a kind of acceptance of the end of democracy。 Two of the longer pieces feature characters pulled from society and reprogrammed for entertainment and political ends。 He doesn’t throw in the towel and give up on humanity completely; a few stories are ultimately upbeat。 Saunders is likely my fa This collection of nine short stories shows what a beatdown the last six years have given both George Saunders and his characters。 With a couple of exceptions， his tone here is bleaker than in the past， with a kind of acceptance of the end of democracy。 Two of the longer pieces feature characters pulled from society and reprogrammed for entertainment and political ends。 He doesn’t throw in the towel and give up on humanity completely; a few stories are ultimately upbeat。 Saunders is likely my favorite author of the 21st century。 I wouldn’t recommend Liberation Day as a starting point for newcomers， but there’s enough here to remind me why I fell in love with his work in the first place （if I ever require reminding）。 。。。more
Anita Pomerantz
，
Extraordinarily witty， creative， and highly empathetic， Saunders doesn't disappoint with this collection of nine short stories。 It's a little unfair of me， but basically on the star rating front， I compare him to himself and find that this collection wasn't quite as compelling for me as Tenth of December， but I still LOVED a lot of these stories。Liberation Day， Ghoul， and Elliott Spencer were similar in their approach。 Each took place in a futuristic world where those in power hid the truth from Extraordinarily witty， creative， and highly empathetic， Saunders doesn't disappoint with this collection of nine short stories。 It's a little unfair of me， but basically on the star rating front， I compare him to himself and find that this collection wasn't quite as compelling for me as Tenth of December， but I still LOVED a lot of these stories。Liberation Day， Ghoul， and Elliott Spencer were similar in their approach。 Each took place in a futuristic world where those in power hid the truth from certain segments of the population and used their power to manipulate people for their own ends。 On some level， these three stories felt like re-workings of the same idea。 They all worked very well， but Ghoul was my personal favorite of the three because the main character was so sympathetic。The other two stories I really liked dealt with the topic of revenge - The Mom of Bold Action （a mom taking revenge on behalf of her son） and A Thing at Work （two employees escalate an unfortunate work situation）。 For me， the least successful story was Love Letter which is essentially short form political commentary written in the form of a letter from a grandfather to a grandson。 It lacked Saunders' trademark wit and didn't quite have the forward momentum of most of the other stories。 All in all though， Liberation Day just leaves me wanting more， more， more。 I will eagerly await the next story collection from this astounding author。 。。。more
Bob Hughes
，
Having loved Lincoln in the Bardo， this was my first foray into his short stories， and I found them weird， wonderful and oddly engaging。We have topics and worlds as varied as a future where language operates entirely differently， frustrated families， and dystopian memory wiping。 Although I sometimes found myself a little lost in some stories， I admired the craft of it all， gorgeous sentences that convey far more than first appears。 I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchan Having loved Lincoln in the Bardo， this was my first foray into his short stories， and I found them weird， wonderful and oddly engaging。We have topics and worlds as varied as a future where language operates entirely differently， frustrated families， and dystopian memory wiping。 Although I sometimes found myself a little lost in some stories， I admired the craft of it all， gorgeous sentences that convey far more than first appears。 I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Matt Giudice
，
"History， when it arrives， may not look as you expect， based on the reading of history books。 Things in there are always so clear。 One knows exactly what one would have done。"Saunders goes political in his latest collection of stories with characters taking justice into their own hands。 Highlights include a suburban mom getting completely triggered when her son comes home bruised from a scuffle， Adult Son Mike calling upon a violent radicalist group to help free mind-wiped humans， and more。 As a "History， when it arrives， may not look as you expect， based on the reading of history books。 Things in there are always so clear。 One knows exactly what one would have done。"Saunders goes political in his latest collection of stories with characters taking justice into their own hands。 Highlights include a suburban mom getting completely triggered when her son comes home bruised from a scuffle， Adult Son Mike calling upon a violent radicalist group to help free mind-wiped humans， and more。 As always， Saunders plays with sentence fragments and capitalization which can occasionally be distracting but ultimately a nice touch of world and character building。 His humor really shines for me when his classic naive characters struggle to capture the profound moments in their limited vocabulary。 When learning the concept of death， the 89-year-old， mind-wiped zombie， Elliot Spencer， can only repeat the phrase "no spring chicken。"Another great collection to pick off the shelf， Liberation Day gives 9 perspectives of the human rights war raging within our communities， with occasional speculative elements added for flavoring。 。。。more
David Meyer
，
Readings Saunders short stories is always enjoyable but I feel like I have to stay sharp while I'm reading them， and usually only read one or two stories in a sitting。 He often doesn't let you in on just what it is you're reading until about halfway through the story， so you'll need to remember details from earlier that will suddenly have meaning later on。 Where he gets his ideas （or just what might be wrong with him） we may never know， but I do hope he keeps churning out stories。 Readings Saunders short stories is always enjoyable but I feel like I have to stay sharp while I'm reading them， and usually only read one or two stories in a sitting。 He often doesn't let you in on just what it is you're reading until about halfway through the story， so you'll need to remember details from earlier that will suddenly have meaning later on。 Where he gets his ideas （or just what might be wrong with him） we may never know， but I do hope he keeps churning out stories。 。。。more
Mike Malangoni
，
If you like Saunders， you will like this book。 If you don’t know or don’t like his work， I don’t know。 You may be captivated， you may be unmoved and frustrated by the style， and the weight of it。 But the thing that will stick with me， and I believe should stick with you， is from the final story， just six pages in length， “My House”:That letter exists in my mind。 But I am too tired to write it。 Well， that is not true。 I am not too tired。 I’m just not ready。The surge of pride and life and self is If you like Saunders， you will like this book。 If you don’t know or don’t like his work， I don’t know。 You may be captivated， you may be unmoved and frustrated by the style， and the weight of it。 But the thing that will stick with me， and I believe should stick with you， is from the final story， just six pages in length， “My House”:That letter exists in my mind。 But I am too tired to write it。 Well， that is not true。 I am not too tired。 I’m just not ready。The surge of pride and life and self is still too strong in me。 But I will get there。 I will。 I will write it yet。 Only I must not wait too long。 。。。more
Derek Bosshard
，
A nice collection！ Most of these stories share a common thread in that they have the actual act of storytelling at their core。 I like how Saunders tends to muck up any sense of judgment or evaluation， which allows the stories to be just elusive enough to really get lodged in your brain。 I especially enjoyed “Liberation Day，” “A Thing at Work，” “Ghoul，” and “My House。”
Dave Oakley
，
4。5 realistically， but with no half-star options idk if i can put it at a full 5 just cuz a saunders 5 is a high bar
Heidi
，
Great stuff！！！ These stories reminded me if watching Westworld， sometimes you have no idea what's going on but it's still AWESOME！！！ Great stuff！！！ These stories reminded me if watching Westworld， sometimes you have no idea what's going on but it's still AWESOME！！！ 。。。more
Sellmeagod
，
It's a bit like James Joyce publishing Finnegans Wake and going back and writing Dubliners 2: The Reepiphanies。 Lincoln in the Bardo is one of the greatest novels ever that stretched conventions and reveled in chaos and heart， so yes expectations are high since this was supposed to be a return to Saunders's favored form， but even on its own divorced from the preceding legacy I think Liberation Day would be lackluster （honestly without the name recognition， this is probably not noteworthy）。 There It's a bit like James Joyce publishing Finnegans Wake and going back and writing Dubliners 2: The Reepiphanies。 Lincoln in the Bardo is one of the greatest novels ever that stretched conventions and reveled in chaos and heart， so yes expectations are high since this was supposed to be a return to Saunders's favored form， but even on its own divorced from the preceding legacy I think Liberation Day would be lackluster （honestly without the name recognition， this is probably not noteworthy）。 There is no furthering of the artistic vision here: we get a "Semplica Girl Diaries" redux on 'roids in the titular first story， with the Proper Noun Gizmo for enslaving humans trope， but then there's ANOTHER one that does the same brainwashed-slave-awakens storyline in "Elliott Spencer" as if once wasn't enough。 And throughout there's a reliance on his favorite symbols: masturbation， sexual affairs， and ruined theme parks; and there's his reliance on his favorite style: missing articles with telegraph syntax。"Sparrow" and "My House" are two stories that feel different and intrigue me: "Sparrow" because it is one of his archetypal everyman/everygirl lackluster， downtrodden， simple protagonist stories， but this one's even more universal than ever， as it features a collective voice for the narrator and absolutely no specificity in characterization -- the theme is told in forms and tropes alone。 "My House" has a classic American short story arc， a bit of Poe mystery and Faulkner decay。 The protagonists in both ultimately end up the same as all his others: trying to forgive and figure out the moral greyness -- but these are done with less absurdity， which made them stand out to me。 I do like some of the absurd silly dystopian moments， too， of course。 Saunders is often hilarious， but he's just done it before。"Love Letter" is the worst of the bunch， and the most disappointing one for me。 Unforgivably corny。 It's a letter from Grandpa to grandson， so I guess we could side with the revolutionary son who stands up against the Trump-family dystopia， which is cringeworthy enough， but the story makes us side with Gpa who essentially says to avoid conflict and protect what you love but don't risk that life that prolongs the love。 But any sense of even this glint of potential irony or criticism or complication of the out-of-touch narrator is erased as it reads in the exact same earnest voice as his "we'll make it thru Covid" letter that Saunders wrote his students。 This fictional voice， which is sincere， is just Saunders himself saying "we'll make it thru Trump's son， the next authoritarian president， if we just love each other， but it didn't have to be like this if we had voted Hilary and noticed soon enough。" There is no bravery or creativity in publishing a warning about Trump in short story form to a New Yorker audience in 202_ （the 2 is left in the tens column， cos， it， like， could be THIS decade！）。 Clumsy， goofy， misguided。 The whole thing is awfully reductive of the entirety of American history （was it really so great？） and reads like a boomer who's doom-watched the Jan 6 footage on repeat and thought that it just all stems from one lunatic Trump man and it needs to be stopped: thus， a solution of being good to one another。 It's not even that I disagree politically， it's that it isn't a short story， it's a didactic political pining， reduced to the lowest level of dystopian Nostradamusing。 There has to be nuance -- all his stories before have had some sort of ironic or twisted understanding -- but I guess he felt the stakes were too high and he had to make a stand， so cue the "wow， this dystopia seems eerily familiar" copy。 "Love Letter" is the first story up in Chicken Soup for the NPR Listener's Soul。 Hated that one。In Lincoln in the Bardo the tenderness and empathy for even the bad characters we felt come slowly， revealed rather than being forced upon us， but Saunders is in full-speed mode here: a character makes judgments then immediately realizes "but wait， no。。。I shouldn't judge" in the most overt way possible all within the same paragraph， immediately backpedaling。 This happens in back-to-back stories here with multiple narrators per story who think in the same shorthand way， doing the same self-conscious revisionism。 Dozens of his characters do this。 It's cute， but his mission to teach us concern for others makes for some forced characterization。Here's hoping the new Cormac McCarthy （the other quirky white American old boy whose books are seismic events） will redeem the second half of October。 。。。more
Brennan Miller
，
4。5 rounded downsaunders is always gonna have a special place in my heart。 i first encountered his writing in college when i was starting to consider writing fiction， and a huge part of my love for the short story form is inspired by him。 this latest collection is very much a Saunders collection。 he's not reinventing anything， least of all his own prose style， and he's playing with a lot of themes and aesthetics he's been toying with from the beginning。 there are two different stories in this ve 4。5 rounded downsaunders is always gonna have a special place in my heart。 i first encountered his writing in college when i was starting to consider writing fiction， and a huge part of my love for the short story form is inspired by him。 this latest collection is very much a Saunders collection。 he's not reinventing anything， least of all his own prose style， and he's playing with a lot of themes and aesthetics he's been toying with from the beginning。 there are two different stories in this very collection with remarkably similar setups （the title story and "elliott spencer"）。 as a reader familiar with Saunders work， i started to get the impression that i might've seen it all。 and i guess i have？ but each story is so rich and rewarding that it doesn't really matter that he's sticking to what he does best。 because he still does it so very well。 i think these stories are a bit less emotional than those found in "tenth of december，" where every story seems to be engineered to make you cry。 that's not to say these aren't emotional - they very much are， it's a Saunders collection - but it doesn't feel as orchestrated。 there's a disappointed liberal boomer / gen x'er sentiment that is noble and real but also maybe just ever so slightly cringe。 this collection is exactly what you think it's gonna be。 if you're a Saunder's fan， you'll probably like it。 if you're not， this isn't going to win you over， but that's your loss cuz he's great。 A NOTE ON THIS EDITIONokay， this is a first edition i got here。 there are two fairly significant typos that somehow both occur on the book jacket:1。 the inside book flap "about the author" says he's published 11 books， then the "about the author in the book itself says 12。 which one is it？ how can you fuck that up？2。 when describing the story "elliot spencer" on the inside flap， they say the protagonist is an 89 year old man。 he's not 89， that's just his designated number。 the text clearly states this。kinda can't believe the book jacket made two fairly noticeable mistakes。 doesn't impact literally anyone but me but i'm like。。。dude wtf。 how do you fuck up a book jacket？ 。。。more
Nancy Gilreath
，
George Saunders is a masterful and inventive writer， but the stories in his latest collection， Liberation Day， just didn’t resonate with me。 They are all a bit surreal， even tending to science fiction in some instances。 I couldn’t generally penetrate that to get the the essence， which I know underlies each story。 The only one I loved was the last， in which homeless people had their memories wiped clean and then served as protesters for various causes at the direction of their handlers。 There was George Saunders is a masterful and inventive writer， but the stories in his latest collection， Liberation Day， just didn’t resonate with me。 They are all a bit surreal， even tending to science fiction in some instances。 I couldn’t generally penetrate that to get the the essence， which I know underlies each story。 The only one I loved was the last， in which homeless people had their memories wiped clean and then served as protesters for various causes at the direction of their handlers。 There was a poignancy and an underlying message about those who are manipulated politically。 The collection is a worthwhile read for its originality， but I enjoyed his stories in Tenth of December much more。 。。。more
Jeff T Talbott
，
2。5 stars。
Poppy
，
This book is not for me。 I am too disturbed by the premise of the first story to finish it， let alone continue with the rest of it。
Frank Thoms
，
OriginalFrom the opening story you are taken into Saunders’s unique mind， unique writing， unique psyche。 You don’t read him， you immerse。 I was not always with him but he would manage to bring me in。 A unique experience。 I will read it again。
Chrissy
，
George Saunders can do no wrong。 This short story collection reads like a season of Black Mirror: a series of uncanny worlds and exceptionally well drawn characters， each of which make us question core truths。 I am in awe of his skill as a short story writer。 Each one of these 9 stories is its own unique， unbelievably well-drawn universe。 The trust he puts in his readers to leap in and let him build up the scene is so much fun to experience。 I loved this collection very much。
DD Burlin
，
A collection of short stories about autonomy， freedom of choice， and agency。 Two stories wherein memory is wiped and the protagonists are controlled by others， seemingly happy until they realize their lack of freedom。 The stories "The Mom of Bold Action" and "Love Letter" are about cautiousness and inability to take action。 "A Thing at Work" is a story in which things billow out of control to the detriment of the weakest。 "Mothers Day" seems more about a lack of self-awareness。 The protagonist i A collection of short stories about autonomy， freedom of choice， and agency。 Two stories wherein memory is wiped and the protagonists are controlled by others， seemingly happy until they realize their lack of freedom。 The stories "The Mom of Bold Action" and "Love Letter" are about cautiousness and inability to take action。 "A Thing at Work" is a story in which things billow out of control to the detriment of the weakest。 "Mothers Day" seems more about a lack of self-awareness。 The protagonist in "Ghoul" takes action that he hopes will lead to the fall of a denialist status quo。 Great writing。 George Saunders can make me laugh out loud at totally inappropriate times。 LOVE！ 。。。more
Antonio Stefan
，
4。5
jedbird
，
How strange to rate a Saunders book a mere four stars。 I've been moved by all previous story collections and LINCOLN IN THE BARDO was a masterpiece， but this book was just kind of。。。Saunders doing his dummies-in-dystopia poignant juxtapositions， and he does them so well， but。。。I wanted something more。 What I really wanted was another novel， rather than collection， that would be just as revelatory and affecting as LINCOLN except of course entirely different。 That's a lot to ask， and I definitely How strange to rate a Saunders book a mere four stars。 I've been moved by all previous story collections and LINCOLN IN THE BARDO was a masterpiece， but this book was just kind of。。。Saunders doing his dummies-in-dystopia poignant juxtapositions， and he does them so well， but。。。I wanted something more。 What I really wanted was another novel， rather than collection， that would be just as revelatory and affecting as LINCOLN except of course entirely different。 That's a lot to ask， and I definitely didn't get it。 I just got a bunch of well-crafted peak-Saunders short stories that just aren't enough。 。。。more
Tyler Lukey
，
I don't really dive into many short stories aside from Flannery O'Connor。 I will be reading more of Saunder's work after this experience。 The writing is absolutely enthralling。 It is funny， descriptive， and character-building。 I love when the writer puts you into the mind of the crazy。 My favorites of the 9 stories were Ghoul， a hellish underground theme park。 I also loved Liberation Day， where people are brainwashed to act， in this case， it was Custard's Last Stand。 Lastly was Elliot Spencer， t I don't really dive into many short stories aside from Flannery O'Connor。 I will be reading more of Saunder's work after this experience。 The writing is absolutely enthralling。 It is funny， descriptive， and character-building。 I love when the writer puts you into the mind of the crazy。 My favorites of the 9 stories were Ghoul， a hellish underground theme park。 I also loved Liberation Day， where people are brainwashed to act， in this case， it was Custard's Last Stand。 Lastly was Elliot Spencer， the brainwashing of an older wino for propaganda and political reasons。 Thank you to my library for a free copy of this book in exchange for nothing。 。。。more
Jeff
，
I mean， it's a collection of George Saunders short stories。 If you know what that means， you don't need a review — and if you don't， you've got some real fine reading ahead of you。 I mean， it's a collection of George Saunders short stories。 If you know what that means， you don't need a review — and if you don't， you've got some real fine reading ahead of you。 。。。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