Extra(Ordinary) People

Cover of the 1984 St. Martin's Press edition by Greg Scott

Extra(Ordinary) People is a 1984 collection of five linked stories by Joanna Russ, including the Hugo-winning novella Souls.

Contents

• Souls
• "The Mystery of the Young Gentleman"
• "What Did You Do During the Revolution, Grandma"
• "Bodies"
• "Everyday Depressions"

Souls is first in the collection and introduces the theme of identity as a mask for one's true, human self. Russ focuses on gender identity and sexual identity, to hilarious effect in "The Mystery of the Young Gentleman" and "What Did You Do During the Revolution, Grandma", and poignantly in "Bodies". "Everyday Depressions", the final story in the collection, romps through the outline for a lesbian gothic novel. Like most of Russ's work, Extra(ordinary) People does not really conclude, but rather makes a gesture to the reader: as Russ put it in an interview, "This is the way of the world; and what are you going to do about it?"

Editions

• Apr 1984: New York: St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-27806-3. (hardcover)
• Jan 1985: New York: St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-27807-1. (trade paperback)
• Apr 1985: London: The Women's Press, ISBN 0-7043-3950-1. (paperback)