Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue
| "Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Charlie Jane Anders | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Boston Review |
| Publication date | October 30, 2017 |
"Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue" is a science fiction story by Charlie Jane Anders. It was first published in Boston Review, in their 2017 Global Dystopias anthology.
Synopsis
Rachel is a trans woman who is captured by an agency that forces detransition by means of brain transplants — where she discovers that the person supervising her torture is her childhood friend Jeffrey.
Reception and awards
Gardner Dozois compared it to Kafka's The Castle.[1] Publishers Weekly considered it "astoundingly good".[2]
In 2020, Anders stated that she has only read the story aloud once, as she finds it too traumatizing; as well, she reported that "other trans people have told [her] that they had to lie down after reading it."[3]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | James Tiptree Jr. Award | — | Honor List | [4] |
| 2018 | Locus Award | Short Story | Finalist | [5] |
| Theodore Sturgeon Award | — | Won | [6] |
Origin
Anders has described the story's genesis as her own anxieties over the then-pending inauguration of Donald Trump.[3]
References
- ^ Gardner Dozois Reviews Short Fiction, by Gardner Dozois, in Locus; published February 12, 2018; retrieved May 1, 2019
- ^ Global Dystopias, reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published December 4, 2017; retrieved May 1, 2019
- ^ a b Never Say You Can’t Survive: How To Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories, by Charlie Jane Anders, at Tor.com; published May 12, 2020; retrieved December 14, 2021
- ^ "Bergin Wins 2017 Tiptree Award". Locus. March 14, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "2018 Locus Awards Winners". Locus. June 23, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ "2018 Campbell and Sturgeon Awards Winners". Locus. June 25, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
External links
- Text of the story, at Boston Review
- Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database