For readers of David Wong Paul Beatty and George Saunders an electrifying and wholly original collection of satirical stories that create a bitingly funny portrait of American racism capitalism and politics
Framed as a reference work of humorous ?entries? that offer trenchant social commentary Everything Abridged presages a dark vision of the near future but tells jokes in the face of it: An intelligence agency operative uncovers a conspiracy to generate conspiracies and realizes his participation in the scheme. A Caribbean monarch meets four decades of American presidents and adjusts his country?s foreign policy accordingly. Experiment participants are asked to bring back a gun as quickly as possible. A copywriter on a space colony advertises a weapon with the potential to destroy his home during an intergalactic war.
These and other linked stories many of which feature a speculative bent?about being Black in America law enforcement practices in an android society Olympic speed walking consumerism nuclear war and more?are interspersed with hilarious one-line definitions for words ranging from abolition to zygote creating a sharply humorous portrait of American inequality. With his singular wit sharp prose and shrewd observations Dennard Dayle captures the struggles his characters face to keep hold of their sanity in a society collapsing into chaos and absurdity.
