Recognize Fascism, a collection of science fiction short stories edited by Crystal M. Huff, does what it says on the tin. Each story either explores some facet of how society can easily be manipulated into a fascist state, or explores the courage an individual must summon in order to fight against fascism that may already be entrenched in their society. Although the theme of fascism binds them, each story is unique, and, for the most part, well-developed.

I want to give big props to the editor, and to World Weaver Press, for offering such diverse and inclusive stories from a very diverse group of authors, many of whom are POC, disabled, lgtbqia+, etc. This is refreshing, since science fiction writing has historically been mostly the realm of white men. As several stories in this collection point out, if you want to shake things up, you have to be willing to upend the status quo. Diversity is the antithesis of the fascist ideal.

I also have to say, I really appreciated the inclusion of content notes at the beginning of each story that warrants them, and I think that should really become industry standard. If it is beneficial for the mental health of some people, and detracts nothing from the story, why not, right?

Of the many stories in the collection, a few stood out to me as exceptional in writing, concept, and worldbuilding. They are, in no particular order: "The Company Store," by Kiya Nicoll; "Go Dancing to Your Gods," by Blake Jessop; "The Three Magi," by Lucie Lukacovicova; "A Disease of Time and Temporal Distortion," by Jennifer Shelby; "In Her Eye's Mind," by Selene dePackh; and "Scholar Miaka's Brief Summary of Memories Imbued in Memory Object Exhibit Item 132.NW.1," by Jaymee Goh. That isn't to say that I didn't like the other stories--I absolutely did. The above, however, really stuck with me, and if asked which stories I'd recommend another to read from this collection if they lacked the time to read the whole thing, those are the ones I'd suggest. (I do have to admit a bit of favoritism here, however--based on worldbuilding alone, I would adore it if Jennifer Shelby ever decided to write a novel about Revekah's earlier adventures in temporal smuggling. Even though Revekah's story was over, I wanted more of her world! So many possibilities!)

I work in a high school library, and although this story collection isn't specifically aimed at a young adult audience, there is nothing in it that would preclude its inclusion in our library. In fact, I believe that the message presented, and the diversity of authors and stories included, make it a very important read for the teens of 2020. I definitely recommend that my library acquires a copy of Recognize Fascism, and I hope many others will, as well.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I could barely finish this one ... there is very little symmetry occurring between all the stories in this anthology, and though there is clearly talent among the authors included, it feels like that talent was only producing very juvenile, obvious things. I feel like this is a disjointed compilation of stories, and at the end of the day they all blur together in my mind as nothing really special. There are not stand-outs that I can name in this anthology.

Overall 5⭐

Diverse writers 5⭐

Diverse characters in each story 5⭐

Content warnings on almost every story 👍

I absolutely loved this anthology. Scifi and fantasy are my favorite genres and these short stories were an absolute treat.

Some of them are a little light hearted, some are heavy and dark. Some are funny.

All feel real, fleshed out. Each character in each story was well done. I like some over others but I dislike none of them.

There's trans representation, gay representation, multiple identities, it was amazing.

These stories range from individuals actively fighting against facist regimes to others who fight back by refusing to let people afraid to live their lives.

Sometimes the only thing you can do is refuse to be shut away, make yourself small and believe the horrendous lies people spew. Standing up to hate can be a rebellion or someone walking out of their house and not hiding who they are.

My one complaint comes from one of the early stories. In it is a description of skin that reads "...the only woman with skin darker than a dirty linen table cloth."

Skin should never be compared to something dirty, especially when in regards to darker skin. I don't care if the person who is the owner of the skin tone being referenced is an awful person. Colorism is a serious issue and it has no place being a casual descriptor in fiction.

That's the only thing that I disliked but even now it still doesn't sit well with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this e-arc