Heads of the Colored People
By Nafissa Thompson- Spires
Book Review !
With a debut novel hitting the scenes in 2018 and winning the LA Times Book Prize and Pen America Literary Award; Nafissa Thompson created a masterpiece of short story collections. This electrifying piece meddles in social issues, race, class, identity politics, culture awareness and police injustices. The author introduces to the reader an unique style of writing that is verbally inventive, bold, exciting, and a awkward humor. I thoroughly enjoy this read as it was fast and fun. This is a voice that American Literature needs.
The complex stories takes the reader through the emergence of social issues head on in its realities even though this is a fiction novel. It reveals “the constant” in America ; unarmed black men, excessive force and another dead body. When will it end ? There needs to be consequences and reform in law in enforcement. What about the black woman? Where is the awareness ? These questions arises as you read these collections. What happens when the Black race competes with each other instead of working together ? We fail. In one of the storylines presented as letters, the author interprets the petty thinking we can have within our own race. Why do we have to out do each other , why can’t we just strive to make each other better ?
Reading this series of short stories allowed my mind to escape into a deeper depth of thinking. A bunch of what if’s flooded my mind and a take on reality intruded on my optimism. The take on social media can blur anyone’s reality as shown in one of the stories. It creates a magnitude of impersonations, facades and emotional misinterpretation. Be true to yourself and prove yourself to YOU. In this good emergence of daring talent I give this read five stars.