I've never heard of the term UBI, for universal basic income before, but I think the general idea of that is something that I'm familiar with. This was overall a pretty tough read even though it was short, because it was very grim feeling for most of the time. The situations are often difficult, and it seems like no one is really happy. That's definitely sample size at play here as well since this is only four possible stories, really, but it was definitely on the darker side.

UBI is definitely a principle that is shown in poor light here. There are maybe a FEW ways it's presented positively, but typically by a character shown as being in the wrong or untrustworthy in some way. Any positives seem vastly outweighed by the negatives. Since there's a storyline specifically with a journalist/activist angle on the subject, some of that comes in direct discourse rather than leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. Granted, there is some back and forth in those sections on the different sides to the argument, but it felt like there was a clear "right answer" being presented. I don't even necessarily disagree, it just felt very one-sided in reading it.

Since this is split into four totally separate narratives, you could probably just choose one character and read their sections all the way through, then do the same with another character. This might help if you prefer less jumping between people and places. It took me 2 or 3 times with each to really place them, which was tough when there was only about 5 chapters for each character (short story). There might be some historical notes and nuance that would be missed until you went to the next character, but I think overall each of them is pretty discrete and coherent on their own.

A quick read, and interesting. A set of vignettes, woven together without every touching. The exploration of what a world with UBI could look like is thoughtful, with more questions than answers. But this isn't just an "idea book"; it's mostly about the small human stories, people dealing with grief and fear and uncertainty, and connecting with their communities. ( )

I've never heard of the term UBI, for universal basic income before, but I think the general idea of that is something that I'm familiar with. This was overall a pretty tough read even though it was short, because it was very grim feeling for most of the time. The situations are often difficult, and it seems like no one is really happy. That's definitely sample size at play here as well since this is only four possible stories, really, but it was definitely on the darker side.

UBI is definitely a principle that is shown in poor light here. There are maybe a FEW ways it's presented positively, but typically by a character shown as being in the wrong or untrustworthy in some way. Any positives seem vastly outweighed by the negatives. Since there's a storyline specifically with a journalist/activist angle on the subject, some of that comes in direct discourse rather than leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. Granted, there is some back and forth in those sections on the different sides to the argument, but it felt like there was a clear "right answer" being presented. I don't even necessarily disagree, it just felt very one-sided in reading it.

Since this is split into four totally separate narratives, you could probably just choose one character and read their sections all the way through, then do the same with another character. This might help if you prefer less jumping between people and places. It took me 2 or 3 times with each to really place them, which was tough when there was only about 5 chapters for each character (short story). There might be some historical notes and nuance that would be missed until you went to the next character, but I think overall each of them is pretty discrete and coherent on their own. ( )

January Fifteenth follows several different characters through a single day, January Fifteenth, when they receive their universal basic income payments from the US government. I appreciated that this novella largely focused on the characters, rather than the mechanics or the politics behind the UBI. I definitely would have liked to spend more time with a couple of the characters, especially the cult member, which is always a good sign. ( )

Didactic, transforms thought experiments into characters. Excellee conversation starter ( )