Reviews with content warning for Mass/school shootings - Friday Black

Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

43 reviews

apiersonsmela's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did. What I feel it does well is to draw attention to many pressing issues in modern (American) society, but where it falls short is in the length and nuance of the stories, so that many are just “wouldn’t it be messed up if this happened?” Personal favorite is Through the Flash, but I wouldn’t recommend other stories to my friends.

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gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed each of the story stories. They were really attention grabbing and different from one another, but still displaying similar messages to the reader.
I'm not often drawn to short stories and if this wasn't a group read, I don't think I would have found and read this. I'm glad that I did get a chance to be introduced to this book and will have to keep an eye on the author for any upcoming writing he has.

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melanie_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Whoa, this collection of stories is intense. These stories are a bit violent for my tastes, but honestly exposes a lot about how Black people in America are treated.

With more focus on raising the minimum wage, I also appreciated the perspective of retail workers that's rarely captured in today's literature.

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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amykuc's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was unlike any I've ever read before. The writing is tight and the stories are often difficult to look into. We start off with The Finkelstein 5 where a trial beyond understanding ends with a horrific verdict. And once you're in, it's impossible to climb out. Amusement parks, retail shopping, and school shootings are all written about from a voice we have never heard before.

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mateoj's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

2.0

life tip: 'I should have stopped reading after the one about aborted fetuses' will always be a true statement.

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kyarabereading's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I think Adjei-Brenyah does a good job of mixing in commentary of very real social issues with very absurd elements of fantasy. It's those crazy twists that each story has that really drew me in as a reader and helped me want to find the meaning behind each story. The book covers really dark topics that make you want to put the book down because they can be hard to stomach, but Adjei-Brenyah's writing style is so beautiful and haunting and interesting that I couldn't bring myself to do so. Also, some stories shine more than others, but I think that's expected of any short story collection. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I will definitely be reading it again.

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