Dignity

by Otter Lieffe

Isolation and community. Restrictions and freedom.

The near future is a militarised state, a fractured continent, and a world in which fascism is resurging following pandemics and climate devastation.

Against this grim backdrop, the characters of Dignity form a deeply diverse resistance movement that brings connection, strength and hope to those who need it most.

Genres: Fiction, Dystopia

301 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Kes Otter Lieffe is a writer, ecologist, and community organiser currently based near Berlin. She is the author of a trilogy of queer speculative fiction novels, several short stories, and a colouring book series on queer ecology. Kes writes from a working-class, chronically ill, transfeminine perspective.

Reviews

[Liz Thumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otter's books weave together so many elements that are missing from mainstream fiction. One of my favorite elements of the books are the characters. They feel like a breath of fresh air when so many stories we are told include characters that don't reflect our ideas and experiences. Characters who live on the margins and have so much to say. People who are middle aged, BIPOC, use a wheelchair, trans, non binary, queer, radical, kinky, and so much more. These are people whose voices we don't hear in mainstream media and so through Otter's books we read about their hopes, struggles, desires. This representation is so vital for those who don't identify whatsoever with the cis, heterosexual, white, wealthy, monogamous characters that are all too often the center of books, movies, and TV shows. Thank you Otter for giving us the stories of these multi-faceted people and showing us their lives.

[Squid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great if you've read Margins and Murmurations because you learn more about the histories of some of the characters, but it also stands on its own as a story about oppression and resistance, especially the movements for queer liberation and disabled rights. It also has beautiful descriptions of urban wildlife and succintly captures how issues around privilege and oppression can come out in activist groups.

[Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The two main characters, Ash and Pinar, are two women in a committed long-term friendship,struggling in a dystopian speculative future that already kind of exists now.

Ash and Pinar are herbalists and I enjoyed how working with different herbs is mentioned throughout the book. At one point a leaflet called 'A Prisoner's Herbal' is mentioned, which I guess must be a nod to the book 'A Prisoner's Herbal' by Nicole Rose- I find such cross-references cool!

Even though I'm a young person, I appreciated that most of the characters are older (relative to me) and Ash and Pinar are in their 50s/60s- they are protagonists in a dystopian novel in a way that usually only young chracters get to be- and their age didn't at all reduce how I related to them.

[Ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

everything ive ever wanted from a book. PLEASE read this. im begging you

[Jitka Špičanová · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about a world none of us would want to live in. Still, it's a world that draws you in. The pitfalls and joys of activist life and the lifelong struggle for human rights and a life of dignity.