These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma

Sad. Moving. Timely.

Yiming Ma’s collection of short stories all wrap around the central themes: nationalism, resistance, surveillance. How sweet freedom feels for a woman running in the night, for a child swimming in the river, for a man losing his memories. Sedition is a crime I’ve been thinking about more and Ma guides us through the topic from many angles.

I would definitely recommend this book but also… it’s sad! It’s a little hopeful. And it’s feeling like maybe it will come true.

And you can tell this was written by someone who spent a lot of time in the Bay Area.