Indies Introduce

Fiction

• 
  My Monticello, Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
  Henry Holt and Co., 9781250807151, October 5, 2021 (Fiction)
  

  “A collection of stories that explore place, belonging, inheritance, and hope in ways that make it impossible not to find yourself amongst these pages. Despite the brevity of each story and the title novella, I still felt full from the astonishing prose and the lingering presence of each character's voice.”

  Deidre Dumpson, WORD Bookstore, Jersey City, NJ
  
  

  “An impressive and bold collection which will urge forth important conversations. Not one story reads like another, capped with a novella that stands on its own. It is an honor and a privilege to read Johnson’s work.”

  Carrie Koepke, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO
  

   

  “This is one fantastic collection of short stories. It was smart, not only because it had five or six short stories and then the title novella, but each story was tight and complete. The first story, ‘Control Negro’ was jaw-droppingly good. But what really brought this collection home was the novella: set in a sort of dystopian future where Naisha, descended from Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, and her neighbors take refuge at Monticello. The author is one to keep an eye on and I look forward to her future works.”

  Audrey Huang, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA