185 pages
Published 2020
Read from May 27 to May 28
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Maryse, Sadie, and Chef hunt the Ku Klux Klan. Specifically, the monstrous otherworldly creatures that Klansmen allow themselves to become when their hate opens them up to evil magic brought back into this world with the release of The Birth of a Nation. That would be enough of a tag line to make me snatch up this book at the earliest opportunity. But Ring Shout, despite its modest length, is so much more than that. It is lyrical and revolutionary, a gorgeous and wounding document of trauma and righteous rage in the face of hundreds of years of hate, violence, and cruelty.
I loved how the story was constructed, vividly setting up our central trio and the twisted menace of the Ku Kluxes before expanding out to introduce Nana Jean, Uncle Will, and others on the righteous side of the fight. The world expands, new characters appear, and new information emerges chapter by chapter, paced with effortless skill and efficiency on the part of P. Djèlí Clark. The story is hopeful and heartbreaking, beautiful and horrifying. It is magnificent.
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