This month's book was COMPLETELY different than the November book club selection Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman! Not only was Friday Black by by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah a collection of stories instead of a novel, but it also tackled a lot of the issues we are facing in this country. Here is the synopsis from GoodReads.com:
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.
The stories reminded me so much of Black Mirror, which is one of my favorite shows. I loved that each chapter was a different story and it was SO WELL-WRITTEN. The saddest part about reading this for me was that some of the chapters seemed like they would actually happen in today's society rather than seeming extraordinary. I think my favorite of Adjei-Brenyah's stories was the school shooting story - what about you guys?
In lieu of actual questions this month I'm thinking we can just discuss what we thought about each of Adjei-Brenyah's stories and what impact they had on you when comparing them to current issues we are facing in society. Can't wait to see what you guys think!
xoxo. Alexandra
