The Found and the Lost

by Ursula K. Le Guin

[nannah]

This is, by far, the best book/collection of works I’ve read in the last couple of years, if not longer. Maybe for a very, very long time, to be honest. I read and liked the Earthsea books okay enough as a kid, and I’m furious it’s taken me this long to reconnect with Ursula K. Le Guin’s works.

Content Warnings:
(Unfortunately I forgot to take note of warnings for each individual novella)
- ableism (in-book as well as a lot of [unintentional?] casual ableism in general)
- ableist slurs
- rape
- victim blaming
child abuse
- CSA
- slavery
- pedophilia
- incest

Representation:
(Again … I apologize)
- many protagonists have darker skin (or are the world’s oppressed race[s])
- a few protagonists are disabled

One of these days I’ll come back here and edit this review to go work by work, because I fully intend to reread this (and take notes).

This collection is mind blowing in many ways. Firstly, it’s truly massive, larger than most dictionaries, and contains thirteen novellas: every novella Ursula K. Le Guin has written. Secondly, its concepts are not only well written but so ahead of their time that many stories published today are still lightyears behind these (the oldest novella was published in 1972 and the newest in 2002, although I can’t find publishing dates for all of them). Thirdly, it’s one of those rare collections in which every single work is fantastic. There are no duds (the first novella has inaccurate information about autism considered accurate when the work was written that makes me cringe, but it's my only critique).

I honestly have nothing more to say right now.
I’m just very glad to have once again found a connection with Ursula K. Le Guin … I can’t wait to read and reread her other works.