My Iron Widow Story
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao has been praised in my small corner of the internet. As of this publishing (and their last update), Kel (@Panediting, she/they) has sold 107 copies at their Barnes & Noble branch. Now, this is a book about a very angry woman. For a non-binary bookseller to sell this book at a B&N, in the mid-west I believe, with the sheer adoration she has for this story, I had to read it. I didn't know it had anything to do with giant robots (mechs).
I am not being hyperbolic when I say that Zetian is angry. Her visceral frustrations with gender identity, expectations, and roles in her world range from reasonable to "fuck yeah, girl. this is bullshit!" To watch her face obstacle after obstacle isn't disheartening, as some stories like this tend to lean, it's empowering.
If you have a constant, simmering frustration at the overwhelming bullshit of the patriarchy that plagues our world... this is the book for you. As I read this book I knowingly nodded along as Zetian does what she must to survive, I can't even imagine what this book can do for others who don't see their anger in popular media.
But more importantly, if you can't wrap your head around why women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ folks are just so pissed off all the time, this book may offer some insight with the backdrop of giant robot fights, excessively controlling military advisors, and some romance...
It's great. Read it.
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