My Monticello By Jocelyn Nicole Johnson | Book Review Podcast
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“The narrative is bold, harrowing and unfolds with urgency. Johnson’s collection is . . . concerned with issues surrounding racial identity and the legacies of slavery and racism. Together they create an unnerving portrait of a country wrestling with its ugly past and present.”
―Time
“My Monticello announces the arrival of an electric new literary voice in Johnson, an emerging master of the short story form.”
―Esquire
“This collection of stories harmoniously weds the ugly with the beautiful, the terrifying and the brave, the disappointing and the hopeful, and makes for a brilliant debut.”
―Ms.
“It should come as no surprise then that the book has received advance praise from literary superstars like Colson Whitehead, Roxane Gay, and Charles Yu. Johnson’s fairly slim volume never feels slight in the least, as the stories contained within overflow with poise, maturity, and originality. The title story, “My Monticello,” may be the star of the show, but every single one of the six stories in Johnson’s collection brings something brand-new to the table, showcasing the writer’s indelible talent and reminding us that we’re going to be reading her work for a long time to come.”
―Shondaland
“History is the new dystopia. It’s where our best writers are finding the language to talk about the legacy of colonization and immigration. My Monticello (Holt, $26.99, Oct. 5), Jocelyn Nicole Johnson’s enthralling debut, only sounds thuddingly obvious: Its title novella tells the story of a group of Charlottesville residents (including ancestors of slaves) who hole up in Thomas Jefferson’s home during a white-supremacist siege. What you actually get is a reminder of a time when a fiction writer could make their name on a single story alone.”
―Chicago Tribune
