Sadly this book just was not for me. This sat on my kindle for quite some time - twice I have attempted to read and twice I did not finish.

Thankyou for the opportunity but I will not be providing feedback on any commercial sites for this book.

A very creative and thought provoking collection of short stories, some of the stories were more fleshed out than others and the final section did give me whiplash with how quickly we were going through each theme but the writing was illustrative and provoking and overall it’s a great read.

A great book full of short stories. I can't say it was enjoyable, as it was hard hitting view of how unreal living in the the U.S can be as a minority . Some of the stories, I found myself nodding in agreement and other had me so angry that people are treated this way still in 2021. Would recommend to everyone.

I found that these fictional accounts were a great reminder of what people experience when dealing with the media in their lives. Their self-conceived notions oftentimes lack merit and understanding that there is a person affected or living each moment in these stories, The stories are about survival, reliance on self, and the current political and social climate causing the unwinding of moral fibers and accountability as well. I liked the thought provoking nature of this book. The stories are fictional, but very plausible and telling in many ways. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

This collection digs deep into humanity ensnared in the frustrations of the way things work, with compassion thwarted by bureaucracy, beauty tainted by facts of life, and thus forth. It's not for the delicate. I highly recommend it for the pragmatic prose and storytelling. I was fortunate to receive this short story collection, reminiscent of the style of one of my favorite storytellers Steve Carr, also for the emotionally hardy reader, from the publisher University of Nevada Press through NetGalley.

What a delightful experience. I read Author Murray's 2006 novel <I>The Conquest</i> Back In The Day and was utterly seduced by its lushness. Now, in these tales of outsiders who got in, women who want out, and people you simply did not know to ask for their fascinating lives to be narrated to you, Author Murray gives you the best treat an author can give: Everything.

Not one smidge is held back. Not one place she could go is un-gone. Go there with her...and thank me later, after you've picked yourself back up off the floor.

This is a really interesting collection of short stories inspired by current events that are at once familiar and strange. I enjoy the different approaches Murray takes in telling the stories and how I was never quite sure where they were going. The story from the point of view of the Zillow hive-mind downplaying the effects gentrification has on a neighborhood was a special favorite of mine and really nailed the uncanny valley that is brand social media treating corporate entities as people.

I'd recommend this for people who want darkly funny and really sharp takes on the current (and frankly disturbing) state of American life

Thank you to the University of Nevada Press for an advance Netgalley of this short story collection (pub date Aug 11, 2020):

Whoa: Yxta Maya Murray makes a huge gamble with this book--writing fiction based on quotations from current news articles--but boy does it pay off. Often, when authors attempt to make political points with fiction, the characters feel like puppets performing the author's opinions--unrealistic mouthpieces only created for commentary. Even if I agree with the points, I generally wish the writer had written an essay, instead of awkwardly shoving these ideas into fiction. But Murray nails it.

These characters are so real and messy and empathetic, and they show the complicated human consequences of the headlines. In "Miss USA 2015" a transgender pageant coach remembers what the contest was like after Trump's horrid "Mexicans are rapists" campaign claim: a white woman drops out of the pageant for moral reasons and makes a viral speech, but the narrator's Latina hopeful can't afford to step back. In "The Perfect Palomino" a young woman who's trying to get an abortion realizes she might have to lie and say she was assaulted, due to her state's restrictive laws. In "Walmart" a mother whose grandmother died in a racially-motivated Walmart shooting panics while trying to purchase groceries with her young child. "The Prisoner's Dilemma" addresses the issue of gentrification through a fake satirical Zillow listing, highlighting the importance of intersectional analysis and challenging the notion that gentrification is a "natural" progress. Other pieces tackle Hurricane Maria, Scott Pruitt's destructive work heading the EPA, sexual abuse scandals involving circuit court judges, California wildfires, oil drilling, family separation at the border, and the links between private schools and private prisons.

Murray's collection is incredibly astute, emotionally heavy, and (unfortunately) even more timely than ever. So many of these stories depict the class rifts created by late-stage capitalism--the way that people can justify harming others for the sake of "protecting" their own family, especially when money is on the line. This sense of callous individual entitlement over community social responsibility has reared its ugly head to an extreme degree during the current pandemic. Wouldn't it be great if, instead, we united against oppression from above? As Murray would say, the world doesn't work that way. But it could.

A collection of essays providing a statement on the current administration and its policies, The essays, written from the perspective of the people caught be their conscience and the instructions of the leaders of our government, provide a grim and most times depressing look at where this administration has led us. Even those with good intentions find themselves caught up in net of Trump's corruption.

This collection is not for the faint of heart. I found myself feeling angry, frustrated and helpless as I read through these essays. But I was happily surprised by the final entry. The main idea of which is that is up to us. The right leaders will provide the framework, but if we want to change the world for the better, we need to work together to it ourselves.

Wow! This was not at all what I was expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading and mulling over these poignant and insightful essays. I think it was a great decision to start out with the Miss USA 2015 essay, as it was easily digestible but was packed to the brim with perceptive “hot-takes”. The novel then moves into more “meaty” topics, such as gentrification from the less-than-aware perspective of Zillow copywriters, the botched US response to Hurricane Maria (as well as commentary on colorism and classism) from the perspective of a humanitarian worker, and abortion access (as well as arbitrary rules governing when and why these can be done) in more conservative areas of the country.

Acid Reign was hands-down my favorite essay. I am so glad that the nomination of Scott Pruitt to head of the EPA and subsequent environmental deregulations was deemed an important topic to cover by the author. Marta, a high-ranking lawyer at the EPA, is responsible for responding to a proposal for banning a particular insecticide. This seems like somewhat of a passion project – growing up, she and her family used the exact insecticide to spray vineyards. Although it can’t be conclusively linked to the insecticide, Marta developed stomach cancer and both of her parents developed neurological problems, leading them to die very young. In the midst of preparing her documentation on the sanction, she is directed by her boss to yank the ban from higher-ups, effectively allowing the continued use of the insecticide. Per Marta’s perspective, “Being a bad person… is different than just doing one’s job in a socially approved way with the endorsement of high government officials and a huge proportion, if not actually a majority, of American voters. If a person is directed to do things that are legal, then that is okay, because the laws have been vetted by reasonable people who are by definition not foaming-lipped homicidal maniacs.” So much to think about with this one….

I did not particularly enjoy the essay to the judge. It was hard to follow with all the footnotes, but perhaps this will be better in a different format than what I was reading.

Lastly, during the beginning of the last essay, “The Overton Window”, I was initially a bit confused as to why it would deviate so substantially from the format of the other essay. It was set in a dystopian, futuristic society after several Betsy DeVos contract renewals and, drawing from this, what I assume to be subsequent Trump re-elections. I was very happy when the essay did actually stick to the same structure as the prior essays, as it was just a Heart of Darkness-esque short story within the actual present-day narrative. Personally, I would have preferred if this was somehow teased or introduced ahead of the short story because I spent the whole time thinking, “Huh, this is a little weird. I like it, but just doesn’t really fit with the rest of the book.” UNTIL you realize it is part of the other story set in LA with Tamar, Ellen and Sandra.

I would recommend this book and will seek out other works by Murray. This was a great commentary on the current political climate. While the present situation does seem dire right now, the ending left me feeling hopeful.

"There are certain hard truths that keep this country running that civilians just don't want to know a damn thing about."

I found the format of this book to be so unique with the combination of real news clippings followed by short stories inspired by those events. Yxta Maya Murray's ability to write short stories that evoke such conflicting emotions is unlike anything I have seen before. This collection of stories forces you to reconsider how you see the world and the people living in it. Not every situation is as black and white as you may initially believe. Murray illustrates this through numerous stories in this collection such as the story from the perspective of a correction officer working with ICE and then from the perspective of someone who was taken away from their mother at the facility.

To truly get the most out of Yxta Maya Murray's writing, you must be willing to deeply think about the stories; the takeaways and messages are not glaringly obvious. For this reason, this book may not be for everyone and even if you choose to commit to delve into this work of art, not all of the stories are for everyone. The stories range in genre/format from letters to dystopian to conversational, etc and some of them weren't my cup of tea. Others, however, I absolutely won't forget, the ending story being one of them.

Just an FYI... the e-book version of this book that I downloaded from NetGalley did not have a super reader friendly format. I assume the physical copy will be much easier to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is kind of a unique collection of short stories that the author found inspiration in current headlines. Each story is preceded by the actual headline that appeared in the news...thus giving the reader a bit of a 'heads up'.... The stories are mostly present day current, she writes so expressive that the reader can sense/feel the angst in the story. A couple of the stories might have ongoing characters & I liked that aspect when I realized it happening. I think these stories kind of expose 'cracks' in our society/communities/decisions/reality..... It isn't a simple, feel good read.....it's pretty serious & thought provoking.... certainly appropriate to where we are right now in time. I think the author did a good job in these portrayals. Definitely worth reading.
I won this e-ARC in a PW Grab a Galley BookExpo giveaway from University of Nevada Press, via NetGalley......& after reading it, offer this honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book, but in the end, the stories are more like slightly-fictionalized reports, and the heavy citations--dozens of footnotes providing the real-life contexts for each story--are distracting. The writing is unpolished and awkward. It's sometimes repetitive, and is frequently heavy-handed in telling the reader about characters, events, and actions. Ultimately, it's like reading a collection of essays for an assignment: "compare and contrast the actual policies with the story. How does the story reflect the policy? Point to the specific policies referenced in the stories." A slightly more sophisticated approach would have communicated the message the author seems to be promoting far more effectively.

This collection of short stories is as current and relevant as it can get, short of reading the news (!).

The author does a fine job of bringing out the circumstances that the current political and socioeconomic situation is making everyone go through. The writing is at a clipped pace, the narrative fairly fast though not quite smooth. The ideas covered are wide ranging.

That last part is primarily where I felt the book fell short. In trying to cover such a wide variety of situations, each story is reduced to about as much content as a news blurb, literally torn from the headlines! While that makes for some white-knuckle reading (not for the thrill, but for the anger and frustration), it also makes for some really dissatisfying reading. All this has been reported ad nauseam by the mainstream - and fringe (!) - media, and literally everyone around the world is aware of the transgressions the current US administration is accused of. While many of those may be true and all that, reading them in fiction form should have provided an opportunity for personalizing and adding some nuances to the situation. As readers, we could have identified with the characters more and easier. While there are obvious attempts at personalizing the events, and the repeated use of the first person to narrate the stories does add a sense of personalization and urgency, what is lacks is - something new. A new perspective, a new voice, a new fact (or factoid!) or even a new (more malicious or "out-there") situation.

Reading these stories kept taking me back to all the analyses articles I'd read in the Times, the TIME, the Post, the Journal, the Vox, the Yorker, the Jones, the Atlantic... Other than fictionalizing all those narratives, and adding names to the mix, while overtly referencing to - and in fact, inserting - facts into the pages, there is precious little I could find new with the book.

However, having said that, I must warn the book is not a pleasant read, and it makes for a very difficult reading session, for the almost sheer barbaric honesty with which the author sometimes chooses to expose her truths.

While it is heartening to read what the stories reveal about us as a Nation and as a people, anyone who has been following the media s***storm these past three years would have read them already in the headlines and opinion pages and Editorials.

Thanks to NetGalley and Univ. of Nevada Press for an ARC to provide my honest opinion.

Great collection of short stories, really makes you think. Reminds you of the reality of America. Thank you for the advanced copy!

A strong collection of short stories, many of which pack a punch. There is a good mix, and many of the stories are quite timely. The book is essentially a showcase for the author's talent, at least in the short story format. Recommended for scifi and other short story fans.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

Thank you to University of Nevada and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Aug 11 2020

Without a doubt, Yxta Maya Murray is one of the most creative writers I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. In "The World Doesn't Work That Way, But it Could," Murray creates a parallel to our world, drawing on recent political events like the Miss USA Pageant 2015, ICE family separation and the school to prison pipeline. Reminiscent of George Saunders and Kevin Wilson, Murray expands on the bizarre, hilarious and somber to showcase the cognitive dissonance in our modern political climate. Yet there is something very tender at the heart of the stories, of humanizing those who we often think of as the "enemy"; the single mother who is forced to become an ICE worker, the harried father who advocates for family separation while trying to hold together his own, the mother who hides her government work with schoolchildren to protect her own autistic son. I loved spending time with Murray in this twisted world and highly recommend this book!

Yxta Maya Murray has created a powerful, sometimes scathing, poignant set of stories that function as cultural and social commentary as well as a call to action. Her ability to create characters and storylines that are concise but still convey rich plots and commentaries is remarkable. I love short-story collections, because usually it means I'm able to read in shorter increments and have more frequent logical stopping points. But, when I read The World Doesn't Work that Way, but It Could, I had a hard time putting it down at all! I loved the anticipation of what stories would come next. I particularly loved The Prisoner's Dilemma, The Hierarchy, and Walmart, but they are all equally powerful.

This is one book I'm eager to add to my physical book collection. I can't wait to see what Yxta Maya Murray creates next. These stories are concise but will leave you with a lot to contemplate and reflect on, so I'd definitely recommend taking some time to sit with them rather than breezing through them one after the other. This is a collection that will be relevant for a long time, and I'm really glad I got to read it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy!

This was an absolutely incredible collection of short stories that left the bitter and acrid taste of America's reality in my mouth. I find it hard to believe that a single person wrote such a versatile collection of stories- the author is an incredible talent, and she changes voice with such innate ease that it was astonishing. There are many standouts in this short story collection but in the wake of the recent news in my own country about the sexual abuse perpetrated by a well-known High Court justice, the letter of recommendation was absolutely jarring and apt for the time. There was a lot to find in this collection that will break your heart in a multitude of ways, but this one, in particular, hit home about the incredible abuses of power that those who are in charge of the judiciary can perpetrate.

There were many others in here that were absolutely shattering, such as 'Walmart', the title story, and the story about Hurricane Maria, and all of them were absolutely amazing in terms of their empathy, insight, and stunning exposition. The methods that the author uses to get inside the heads of those she writes as is so effective, and I could not find a single fault with this collection. It is an incredible set of stories, and I just wanted more of them. This book shows the devastating reality that is now the United States, and it's something that everyone should read.

A thoughtful, compelling set of stories. Each Short story is seemingly simple, but as you finish you’re hit with their power. Really one of the best set of short stories I’ve read in a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.