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If you haven't yet read Marge Piercy's 1976 classic, Woman on the Edge of Time, I recommend you do so before you die. It's one of the best books I've ever read, not purely for Piercy's astute observation and the sheer genius of her imagery, but because the utopian vision of the future she portrays, in stark contrast to the desperate reality of Connie Ramos and her niece, Dolly, is still as relevant today as it was in 1976. Committed to "the bughouse", a notorious state mental institution, for daring to defend Dolly against a brutal beating from her violent pimp, Geraldo, Connie is subject to cruelty, neglect and abuse. Stripped of her humanity by staff and family alike, brutalised by forced medication and plagued by memories of past trauma, Connie dreams of her release. But the end of her imprisonment is offered only at a price: the institution wants to use her as a guinea pig in a mind control experiment, implanting electrodes into her brain. But there is one way for Connie to escape the torturous reality of the situation she finds herself in, through a mysterious visitor, Luciente, through whom she is able to enter a utopian future, where racial stereotypes and gender roles are obselete, the earth and its resources are respected and madness is not stigmatised, but simply a normal part of life. As the doctors force their way into the only refuge Connie has, her mind, she realises that it's not just her own personal freedom that she's so desperately fighting for: the future world in which she has learned to take solace is also at risk, as is her life. An absolutely brilliant book. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Turned up in good nick - very happy
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A marvellous book. One of my Desert Island Books (only 8 allowed!)100 hundred characters is a lot to write when you are busy. It's a really good read. A description of a Utopian world that I personally would love to live in.
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