A review by serendipitysbooks
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 Friday Black is a fierce,unflinching expose of racism, classism and capitalism in the United States. The best stories to me were based firmly in fact yet the details are such that they feel dystopian. Take the opening story, The Finkelstein 5, where the protagonist struggles to accept the exoneration of a white man charged with killing five Black children. The defence felt sadly recognisable - the Black children’s very existence made them a threat- and even the over-the-top nature of the murders did not seem as far-fetched as it should. The protagonist also talks about dialling his Blackness up or down, depending on the situation- a sad reflection that being Black puts people at risk. Similarly the titular story Friday Black is an exaggerated look at that madness that is Black Friday retail while Zimmer Land is set in a theme park where patrons pay to pretend to shoot Black and Muslim characters in role playing scenarios. Most stories highlight the alienation and desperation their male protagonists experience.; hyperbole and satire common tools. Not every story hit the mark for me but ove rall this is a truly powerful collection.  
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