040 Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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No matter how highly we anticipated reading Friday Black, the debut short story collection by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, there was nothing that could have prepared us for range of genres, disturbing imagery, and thought-provoking fantasy that we found in this book — everything from consumerism zombies to post-apocalyptic knife queens. Join us as we barely scratch the surface on the brilliance of this collection and explore how distancing ourselves from reality helps us see the world how it truly is.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Adjei-Brenyah essay “Why do you write political stories?”

• Jordan Peele, actor, writer, director, producer

• Sorry to Bother You, film by Boots Riley

• Kimberly Jones, “Equality not Revenge,” interview with Trevor Noah

• The Giver by Lois Lowry

• Ronny Chieng comedy special, Asian Comedian Destroys America!

• Beyonce’s directory of black-owned businesses

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

• Ray Bradbury short story “There Will Come Soft Rains”

What to Read Next:

• Son by Lois Lowry

• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

• The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

• Noughts & Crosses novel series by Malorie Blackman

• Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

Next Episode: (Season 5 Coming Soon!)

• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory