Have you ever read a story that actually kind of changed the way you think about things? Because I just did. That story was “Smartening Up,” the first story in an anthology called Where The Wild Ladies Are, written by Aoko Matsuda and translated by Polly Barton.

First, a shoutout to my younger sister, who got me this book as a Christmas gift. She knows me too well.

Also, as a content warning: the story does have a mention of suicide.

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