Insurrections
Subtitle: stories
By: Rion Amilcar Scott
Series: The University of Kentucky new poetry and prose series
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 194
ISBN-13: 9780813168180
Work titles: Short stories
Description: "A suicidal father looks to an older neighbor--and the Cookie Monster--for salvation and sanctuary as his life begins to unravel. A man seeking to save his estranged, drug-addicted brother from the city's underbelly confronts his own mortality. A chess match between a girl and her father turns into a master class about life, self-realization, and pride: "Now hold on little girl. ... Chess is like real life. The white pieces go first so they got an advantage over the black pieces." These are just a few glimpses into the world of the residents of the fictional town of Cross River, Maryland, a largely black settlement founded in 1807 after the only successful slave revolt in the United States. Raw, edgy, and unrelenting yet infused with forgiveness, redemption, and humor, the stories in this collection explore characters suffering the quiet tragedies of everyday life and fighting for survival. In Insurrections, Rion Amilcar Scott's lyrical prose authentically portrays individuals growing up and growing old in an African American community. Writing with a delivery and dialect that are intense and unapologetically current, Scott presents characters who dare to make their own choices--choices of kindness or cruelty--in the depths of darkness and hopelessness. Although Cross River's residents may be halted or deterred in their search for fulfillment, their spirits remain resilient--always evolving and constantly moving."--
Table of contents: title: Good times --; title: Everyone lives in a flood zone --; title: A friendly game --; title: Boxing Day --; title: The slapsmith --; title: 202 Checkmates --; title: Juba --; title: The legend of Ezekiel Marcus --; title: Confirmation --; title: Party animal: the strange and savage case of a once erudite and eloquent young man --; title: Klan --; title: Razor bumps --; title: Insurrections.