The City We Became [GRPL Book Club]Like this list

25 items

• The Perishing

  a Novel

  Deón, Natashia,

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  Fiction. Set in a brilliantly conjured Depression-era Los Angeles, "The Perishing" follows the story of Lou, a young Black woman who wakes up in an alleyway with no memory of how she got there or who she is - nothing but a suspicion that this isn't…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Riot Baby

  Onyebuchi, Tochi,

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  Fiction. Ella can see the future. She knows what's in store for her brother, Kev, before he's born amid the flames and outrage of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. She knows things aren't going to get better. She knows he'll be brutally beaten by police…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Sun

  a Novel

  Roanhorse, Rebecca,

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  Fiction. An epic fantasy inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas, "Black Sun" takes place on the eve of a prophecy fulfilled: a solar eclipse that portends the return of a god. Full of political intrigue and forbidden magic, this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Remote Control

  Okorafor, Nnedi

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  Fiction. A slim novel with big impact, "Remote Control" explores one of the most fundamental questions of spec-fic: what does it mean to be human? Penned with exquisite skill and set against a brilliant Afrofuturistic backdrop, "Remote Control"…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Prey of Gods

  Drayden, Nicky,

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  Fiction. The future is looking up in South Africa circa 2064. Between personal robots, renewable energy, and a booming industry in genetic engineering, life in Port Elizabeth is almost perfect. But there's a new drug on the streets awakening powers…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crosshairs

  a Novel

  Hernandez, Catherine, 1977-

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  Fiction. A terrifyingly near-future dystopia, "Crosshairs" depicts a world where environmental devastation has caused widespread homelessness and displacement and marginalized groups are rounded up by the government and put in labor camps. What…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Black God's Drums

  Clark, P. Djèlí

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  Fiction. An Afrofuturist, steampunky alternate history set in New Orleans in 1871 which pairs a scrappy, street-smart protagonist with high flying airships and a generous serving of African mythos. If you're looking for a Victorianesque adventure…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Caul Baby

  A Novel

  Jerkins, Morgan

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  Fiction. A story about motherhood, grief, and family, with a little touch of magic. Hallow has never quite felt like she belonged. The woman she calls her mother seems only to care that she was born with a caul - an intact amniotic sac - that her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rosewater

  Thompson, Tade,

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  Fiction. Nigeria, 2066. The city of Rosewater has risen up around an alien biodome, which opens once a year to heal the sick gathered outside. Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He's also a psychic. When something inside the dome…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Summer Prince

  Johnson, Alaya Dawn, 1982-

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  Teen Fiction. Set in a high-tech, futuristic, tradition-steeped Brazil, "The Summer Prince" is the dazzling, doomed love story you didn't know what you wanted. June Costa is an artist poised to be legendary. Gil, the best friend fated to stay one…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Everfair

  [a Novel]

  Shawl, Nisi,

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  Fiction. "Everfair" rewrites the oft-overlooked history of Belgium's colonization of the Congo, exploring how events might have differed if the native people had already harnessed steam power. Part alternate history, part Afro-steampunk, Nisi Shawl…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Brown Girl in the Ring

  Hopkinson, Nalo

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  Fiction. This 1998 novel pre-dates the big dystopia craze of the last few years, with more magic than science and a hefty dose of Afro-Caribbean mythology that sets it apart even years later in an often crowded market. "Brown Girl in The Ring" is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Water Dancer

  a Novel

  Coates, Ta-Nehisi,

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  Fiction. "The Water Dancer" is historical fiction with a touch of magical realism. Young Hiram Walker has a gift - one that's saved his life and ignited a fire in him to escape from the only existence he's ever known: as a slave on a Virginia…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ring Shout

  Clark, P. Djeli

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  Fiction. I'm going to lead with the full title: "Ring Shout, Or, Hunting Ku Kluxes in the End Times". A dark historical fantasy with a dash of horror, this book puts a supernatural twist on the KKK, then tasks a rag-tag team of hunters with sending…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Leopard, Red Wolf

  James, Marlon, 1970-

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  Adult Fiction. At its most reductive, this book is about a mercenary hired to find a missing boy. But it is so, so much more than that. Clocking in at over 600 pages of extremely dense, complex prose (often depicting graphic violence and sexual…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gingerbread

  a Novel

  Oyeyemi, Helen,

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  Fiction. There's something magical about gingerbread - from candy houses to sentient cookie-people - and Harriet Lee's recipe is special. Part intergenerational family story, part magical realism with a drop of fractured fairytale, "Gingerbread"…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Ballad of Black Tom

  LaValle, Victor, 1972-

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  Fiction. Longing for a little Lovecraftian horror that isn't deeply steeped in racism? "The Ballad of Black Tom" is a retelling of H.P.'s "The Horror at Red Hook," written from the perspective of a Black man with the power to summon the Old Ones.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Parable of the Sower [GRPL Book Club]

  Butler, Octavia E.,

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  Fiction. Originally penned in 1993 and set in the unimaginably distant future of the year 2025, "Parable of the Sower" is a near-future dystopia that's aged... uncomfortably well. Written as a series of diary entries, the story chronicles the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Talented Ribkins

  a Novel

  Hubbard, Ladee,

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  Fiction. Ribkins kids are born with powers. Not super-ones, not hero-ones, but a little something different. In his day, 72-year-old Johnny Ribkins used his ability to draw precise maps of any space (seen or unseen) to make a buck or two. But now…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Noor

  Okorafor, Nnedi

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  Fiction. In the eyes of the world, Anwuli Okwudili was born "wrong." She disagrees. She goes by AO - Artificial Organism - and celebrates her heavily augmented body. But it's easy to paint her as a villain. After an incident at a grocery store, she…Read moreRead more of this annotation