Graceful Burdens

Out of Line collection

From New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay comes an unforgettable tale of nightmarish bureaucracy in which genetic profiling has redefined the “unfit mother.”

A trip to the library prompts one woman to question her fate in this galvanizing short story. For a woman like Hadley, deemed not acceptable to procreate, there’s only one recourse. Unlicensed for motherhood, she can alleviate her grief and frustration at a “baby library,” where a curiously endless supply of infants is available for a two-week loan. But the borrowed life that serves as a temporary balm leads to a journey of self-discovery that will forever change the direction of Hadley’s future.

Roxane Gay’s Graceful Burdens is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.

Audible narration by Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)

©2020 Roxane Gay (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Wonderful, captivating.

A short story that is all intrigue and heart from beginning to end. A brief glimpse into a scary, but empowering world.

handmaid's tale-esque

Samira Wiley..what a gem. Loved this short story! Margaret Atwood dystopia themed setting..wondering how far in the future this is..

Stunning!

I had no idea what to expect from this short story, but I love Roxane Gay, so I figured it would be worth a quick read. Absolutely amazing! The ability to build such a fully realized world in so few pages is truly a gift. The characters are well drawn and the story intriguing. Samira Wiley's narration is a thing of pure beauty. Absolutely fabulous!

Incredible

I want to know more! THIS WAS SO.GOOD! I LOVE ROXANNE GAY! Please write more!

Prescient

With the overturning of Roe, this dystopian short story feels prescient with the times. Galvanizing.