Starred review from January 23, 2023
In this impressive collection, Anappara and Soomro bring together deeply personal essays from authors of color on the craft of writing. The selections interrogate the ways in which the “tenets of good writing” privilege “a Western perspective,” and they consider what alternative approaches to fiction grounded in the experiences of people of color might look like. In “On Crime Fiction,” Femi Kayode recounts worrying if his second novel, focused on the societal “systems” that led to a lynching in Nigeria, would satisfy the expectations of mystery readers. The standout “On the Second Person” reads like a short story and tells of Kiese Laymon’s struggle to get his first novel published over his editor’s complaints that Laymon had not yet mastered being “a real black writer.” Other essays grapple with the expectation that writers of color should act as “representative of your country and your people,” as when Tahmima Anam meditates on embracing humor while flouting the expectations of white readers. There’s not a weak piece among the bunch; each brims with intimate personal reflection and insight into the purposes and power of fiction. The result is a vivid look at what it means to be a writer of color today.
Starred review from January 1, 2023
A loosely epistolary collection elucidating the joys and challenges of being a writer of color. Although the essays are titled using craft elements like structure or character, the majority of the pieces sprawl vividly beyond their stated intentions. For example, Soomro's wise and vulnerable essay, "On Origin Stories," and Tahmima Anam's devastatingly hilarious and poignant essay, "On Humor," contain lessons on authenticity that are far more useful than an essay formally dedicated to the topic itself. In "On Character," Tiphanie Yanique creates not just a lesson on craft, but also a gorgeously frank celebration of the power and knowledge people of color inherently bring to the page. "It is important to me," she writes, "that I begin by making plain that I am not revealing any damn thing to you, audience, that you do not already know....The gist: since before your own birth this wisdom of character development has been inside of you. The world destroyed you and your people before you in order for you to learn it. Do not let the world take it from you now." Equally astounding is the generosity with which many of the contributors allow readers into their personal lives. Anappara, for example, candidly describes the self-loathing she felt while working on a novel by the bedside of her terminally ill sister, explaining how the writing both kept her sane and made her feel a kind of "madness." Kiese Laymon writes about the cruelty he inflicted on himself and his loved ones while grappling with years of manipulation at the hands of his former editor. While the book is addressed to writers of color, artists of all races will benefit from the honesty, profundity, and munificence radiating from each of these letters. Other contributors include Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Xiaolu Guo, Myriam Gurba, and Mohammed Hanif. A stunningly personal and practical compilation of literary and life advice.
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Starred review from February 15, 2023
In this essay collection, novelists Anappara (Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, 2020) and Soomro (Other Names for Love, 2022) bring together authors of color from all walks of life, extending empathy and wisdom for aspiring fellow writers. The contributors are unapologetic in their suggestions to unlearn westernized rules for storytelling and to reimagine and dissect their craft without the white gaze. They encourage readers to decentralize the understanding of (and pandering to the feelings of) a white, cisgender audience. Themes of authenticity, trauma, structure, and voice are communal but are addressed with an endearing level of intimacy. The authors also expose the gaslighting they've experienced in traditional publishing pathways, offering truth full of both caution and defiant inspiration. The resulting book is a beautiful collage of advice with a recurring directive: writers must bring their full selves to storytelling. Elements such as social status, environment, community, and cultural traditions all play a part in making well-rounded characters. At the end of each essay, a list of suggested readings offers avenues for further research. This captivating love letter to writers of color deserves to be in every library the world over.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.