Friday Black

by

Paperback, 194 pages

English language

Published Sept. 26, 2018 by Mariner Books.

ISBN:
978-1-328-91124-7
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OCLC Number:
1022977777

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4 stars (2 reviews)

In the stories of Adjei-Brenyah’s debut, an amusement park lets players enter augmented reality to hunt terrorists or shoot intruders played by minority actors, a school shooting results in both the victim and gunman stuck in a shared purgatory, and an author sells his soul to a many-tongued god.

Adjei-Brenyah's writing will grab you, haunt you, enrage, and invigorate you. By placing ordinary characters in extraordinary situations, Adjei-Brenyah reveals the violence, injustice, and painful absurdities that black men and women contend with every day. These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world.

8 editions

reviewed Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Enjoyed having read it, even if I didn't always enjoy reading it

4 stars

Some of the stories had a level of brutality that made me far more uncomfortable than the subject matter itself. At times it felt like it was shock value for the sake of it. My personal taste is having vulnerability and humanity be the force that shatters my heart, though it's good to be reminded of another facet of experience. Having finished, there are some parts of the stories that sank in deep and will stay with me. It is not a collection I will return to, nor would I heartily recommend it to the void, yet I am happy that I've read it.

Subjects

  • Racism
  • Fiction