Happy Book Birthday to Disobedience by Daniel Sarah Karasik
Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Disobedience, the first novel by acclaimed writer Daniel Sarah Karasik. Disobedience is a remarkable work of queer and trans speculative fiction that imagines how alternative forms of power can refuse the violent institutions that engulf us.
Happy Book Birthday to Disobedience by Daniel Sarah Karasik! Already named a “Most Anticipated” Spring 2024 fiction title by 49th Shelf and All Lit Up, this marks our third book with Karasik; we’ve also published their poetry collection Plenitude (2022) and the play Little Death (2015). Karasik’s work often grapples with themes of queerness and sexuality in conjunction with social and political advocacy, and Disobedience is no exception. This speculative and dystopian work of fiction is rooted in a revolutionary socialist and political subjectivity that emerges with as much beauty and urgency as their previous titles.
Karasik has shared this video to introduce readers to Disobedience in anticipation of the book’s release:
Praise for Disobedience
“In the tradition of great, socially conscious sci-fi authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Karasik’s debut novel is a daring, emotionally arresting dive into the heart of many questions that haunt society today… Disobedience is a striking addition to queer and trans futurism, to speculative fiction, and to the revolutionary imagination.”
—Kai Cheng Thom, author of Falling Back in Love with Being Human
“In their dystopia that is a terrifyingly logical extension of our present moment, Karasik illuminates so much about our broken society, and the precious commodity of trust. A dire warning that is also dramatic, sexy, and bleakly hopeful, this story will stay with me for a very long time.”
—Jessica Westhead, author of Avalanche
“Karasik’s meticulously observed, blazingly felt novel, Disobedience, renders abolitionist and communist futures touchable. Oriented by a sensitivity to pleasure, to the dignity of desire, to the erotics of collective risk, Karasik reminds us ‘there have always been alternatives.’ This book invites us, full of contradictions and failures as we are, into that transformation, and, in so doing, fosters a disciplined, courageous optimism—that one might press on without innocence, without certainty, in the work of togetherness.”
—Jody Chan, author of impact statement
“Disobedience begins as a riveting story of sexy, trans-feminine, kinky rebellion. By its end, Karasik offers us a nuanced exploration of the challenges of interpersonal harm, accountability, and transformative justice in a revolutionary community in struggle. This book is both an entertaining speculative fiction and an aid in thinking through the desires and dynamics of radical movements.”
—M. E. O’Brien, co-author of Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072
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That’s all for now, dear reader. Please join us again in wishing a very Happy Book Birthday to Disobedience by Daniel Sarah Karasik. Available now from our online shop or from your local independent bookstore. Happy reading!
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