"In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw." At seventeen, Ada is married and unable to have a child. When a wave of German Measles hits her small town, causing multiple women to lose their children, the eyes turn to barren Ada, accusing her of witchcraft. She begins her long journey to become an outlaw, running from the same sheriff that knew her as a child. Soon Ada joins the Hole in the Wall gang, made up of unusual characters that share the struggle of running away due to infertility, including The Kid. Ada turns from hearing stories about these outlaws to being part of them. Outlawed is an unusual western that redefines the rules of westerns.
— Zoe
“I am a well-adjusted adult, but I still cried when I finished this book because I loved it so much. While the western is generally a conservative genre built upon racist and sexist values, Anna North has managed to stay true to the classic in style and theme while creating a powerful and progressive story. Ada is an incredibly compelling narrator with clear passions and talents, and watching her grow into herself and achieve her goals is wonderful. Outlawed is about the many different ways to be whole and to own your power, even in a world that tries to hold you down. It’s an exciting and extraordinary novel.”
— Sylvie Weissman, Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN
“Part Western, part parable, with equal amounts gun-toting action and intellectual depth, Outlawed explores the fate of those left outside heteronormative structures, from infertility to queerness to discrimination of all kinds.”
— Anastasia Metzger, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS