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lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
This collection covers race, class, entitlement, ability, selfishness, hopelessness, and femaleness with an honesty, nuance, and humor that is ultimately re-readable and re-readable and re-readable.
I gave "Suicide, Watch" to a group of high school students I was leading in a creative writing workshop and they loved it.
And I just added a copy to my Amazon cart because I have to return my library copy and I need to spend more time with the bibliography Thompson-Spires included at the end of the book.
I gave "Suicide, Watch" to a group of high school students I was leading in a creative writing workshop and they loved it.
And I just added a copy to my Amazon cart because I have to return my library copy and I need to spend more time with the bibliography Thompson-Spires included at the end of the book.
yellowswagger's review against another edition
5.0
This collection of stories is not only entertaining, but a testament to how the black experience is anything but monolithic
elizabethfisher's review against another edition
4.0
Vignette-style books are not usually my cup of tea. I did appreciate the wide range of characters and the way they weave together subtly throughout. Overall, I wanted to love this book but only really liked it.
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting collection of loosely interconnected stories
amydobrzynski's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
2treads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The ways in which Spires tackles the issues of race, class and preferences here aren't new but there is a certain spin that she has brought to each character and their story which makes them fresh and lends a certain resonance as the reader interacts with and responds to each person and their individuality within their environment. She is allowing her characters to be themselves in all their beauty, with all their flaws, either reckoning with or accepting themselves as they are.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Grief, Body shaming, Bullying, Self harm, Stalking, and Police brutality
thechanelmuse's review against another edition
5.0
Man, listen. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a well-written, refreshing, thought-provoking, clever collection of short stories centered around various Black identities and their (internal and external) experiences, for Black people are not monolithic.
That damn “Belles Letters” story arranged in petty back and forth letters between two mothers about the other’s daughter bullying their daughter had me weak. All of the stories deal with the pressure of respectability, and how the characters work with it or against it. So well done. This is Nafissa’s debut work? That pen game
That damn “Belles Letters” story arranged in petty back and forth letters between two mothers about the other’s daughter bullying their daughter had me weak. All of the stories deal with the pressure of respectability, and how the characters work with it or against it. So well done. This is Nafissa’s debut work? That pen game
gboye's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic set of short stories that range from funny to disturbing to tear-inducing. I hate to use the phrase “I feel seen” ... but I feel seen! Reading black characters in a slew of ordinary modern places (higher ed, DMV line, YouTube, therapy, cosplay convention) and states of emotion (suicidal, narcissistic, jealous, spiteful, obsessed) with a pinch of satire was so special. It’s like it hit the special overlap in the Venn diagram of my identity, my experience of literature, and my sense of humor.