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A review by cmasterson
Insurrections: Stories by Rion Amilcar Scott
5.0
I picked up Insurrections because I was beyond enthralled with Rion Amilcar Scott's story in Out There Screaming. His style is raw and poetic in that story, and this book is no different. Scott is the master at making his stories palpably human. There is such a range of emotions, intricacies, and life in each story that truly enraptures the reader.
I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, but I will highlight a few of the stand outs:
"A Friendly Game"
This is my personal favorite story in the collection. I really love the before and after of the mother character in this story. And how that contrasted with the boys playing their basketball and their own hierarchical struggles in their group was awesome.
"202 Checkmates"
This story shows a father and daughter bonding over chess over the course of a year. Through these games, we get an insight not only to their lives, but to life itself. It's a fascinating way to tell a story; attaching it specifically to one medium.
"The Legend of Ezekiel Marcus"
I'll be honest. I can't tell you why this story hit me the way it did (of course, like all the stories, the prose and themes were immaculate.) I feel like everyone had a pushover teacher like Mr. Cole, and watching that need to be liked devolve until his eventual downfall was a fascinating journey. And then the kids in the story added a whole other dynamic which was just icing on the cake.
"Party Animal: The Strange and Savage Case of a Once Erudite and Eloquent Young Man"
I love when stories play with form. The usage of the story as an academic article surrounding the case of a man who digressed from a super intelligent boy to a man acting as an animal was fascinating.
I could really go on and on and describe every story with such applause. But that wouldn't be fair to you, reader of this review. You should go visit the town of Cross River for yourself, and see what you can learn.
I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, but I will highlight a few of the stand outs:
"A Friendly Game"
This is my personal favorite story in the collection. I really love the before and after of the mother character in this story. And how that contrasted with the boys playing their basketball and their own hierarchical struggles in their group was awesome.
"202 Checkmates"
This story shows a father and daughter bonding over chess over the course of a year. Through these games, we get an insight not only to their lives, but to life itself. It's a fascinating way to tell a story; attaching it specifically to one medium.
"The Legend of Ezekiel Marcus"
I'll be honest. I can't tell you why this story hit me the way it did (of course, like all the stories, the prose and themes were immaculate.) I feel like everyone had a pushover teacher like Mr. Cole, and watching that need to be liked devolve until his eventual downfall was a fascinating journey. And then the kids in the story added a whole other dynamic which was just icing on the cake.
"Party Animal: The Strange and Savage Case of a Once Erudite and Eloquent Young Man"
I love when stories play with form. The usage of the story as an academic article surrounding the case of a man who digressed from a super intelligent boy to a man acting as an animal was fascinating.
I could really go on and on and describe every story with such applause. But that wouldn't be fair to you, reader of this review. You should go visit the town of Cross River for yourself, and see what you can learn.