Lyssa Strata: A Comedy for the Frustrated

A small-town librarian finds her voice and kicks some misogynist butt in the process.

Inspired by the classical Greek comedy, Lysistrata, librarian Lyssa Strata has long begged the Town Council of Athena, Massachusetts to repeal its disgusting, old, misogynist, and racist laws, but the Council, an all-male entity for 400 years, has blown her off as a redheaded spinster—who, according to a 1673 law, should legally be run out of town at the end of a musket upon a poor fiscal year.

When Lyssa seeks to invade the male bastion as the first woman ever on the Council, the men in charge treat her candidacy as a hilarious joke; that is, until Lyssa leads the women of the town on a sex strike.

PRAISE FOR LYSSA STRATA

“A wickedly clever, sly take on the Greek classic that will have you rolling in the aisles of your own home as hard as the ancient Greeks rolled in the…aisles? Of their….ancient theaters??? Whatever, I didn’t read the original Aristophanes and neither did you. Save yourself the trouble and read this hilarious reimagination of it instead.”

—Emily Flake, Saint Nell’s Proprietrix & Cartoonist, The New Yorker

“If you’ve ever wondered what it would have been like if Terry Pratchett wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, this is the book for you.”

—Jenny Trout, USA Today and internationally bestselling author

“There’s a lot to be frustrated about: the pink tax, politics, old white guys. Nelson deftly satirizes local politics and the patriarchy in Lyssa Strata. The ladies of Athena, Massachusetts may cherish a secret, but I don’t—read this book.”

—Brooke Knisley, Your Local Redheaded Succubus. Oh, and Also Writer.

“Martti Nelson has created a character in Lyssa the librarian who anyone could love, admire, and relate to—one who has had enough of the BS and does something about it. This novel will make you feel alive, or at least awake.”

—Jessica Delfino, author of Amazon #1 bestseller Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks

“Nelson’s deliciously laugh-out-loud funny spin on an ancient Greek tale shreds modern-day sexism with OG feminism.”

—Marta Acosta, award-winning author of the Casa Dracula series

“Fans of Parks and Recreation, rejoice—there’s a new Leslie Knope to be found in Martti Nelson’s Lyssa Strata. Packed with call backs to the Greek myth on which it’s based, this book will make for a satisfying read for any woman who’s mad as hell at the patriarchy and isn’t going to take it anymore, but also wants a laugh a minute along the way.”

—Lana Schwartz, author of Build Your Own Romantic Comedy: Pick Your Plot, Meet Your Man, and Direct Your Happily Ever After

“Funny and rage-inducing is a tough balance, but Martti Nelson has written a book that is equal parts laugh riot and just plain riot. I want to be Lyssa Strata’s best friend!”

—Jen Mann, New York Times Bestselling Author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat

“Martti Nelson’s Lyssa Strata is the funny novel of feminine rage you’ve been looking for. Between sexist politicians, horrifying laws, and no decent pockets in our clothes, how are the women of everywhere not on strike right now? Don’t burn things down IRL; instead, live vicariously with Lyssa and her marauding gang of fed-up women!”

—Kristina Wong, Performance Artist, Comedian, and Elected Representative of Koreatown LA