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Book Summary and Reviews of The Black Girl Survives in This One by Desiree S. Evans

The Black Girl Survives in This One by Desiree S. Evans

The Black Girl Survives in This One

Horror Stories

by Desiree S. Evans

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Published:
  • Apr 2024, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A YA anthology of horror stories centering Black girls who battle monsters, both human and supernatural, and who survive to the end.

Be warned, dear reader: The Black girls survive in this one.

Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed Black writers, The Black Girl Survives in This One makes space for Black girls in horror. Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death. Prepare to be terrified and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology.

The bestselling and acclaimed authors include Erin E. Adams, Monica Brashears, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Desiree S. Evans, Saraciea J. Fennell, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Daka Hermon, Justina Ireland, L.L. McKinney, Brittney Morris, Maika & Maritza Moulite, Eden Royce, and Vincent Tirado. The foreword is by Tananarive Due.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. In her introduction, Tananarive Due writes, "These young Black women protagonists are navigating a dangerous world that puts their survival, or their sanity, at risk—and they show us how to overcome. Which is exactly what we love about horror stories." Do you agree? How do the stories in this anthology "show us how to overcome"? Pick a few examples to discuss.
  2. Although all of these stories fall within the horror genre, they differ widely in terms of tone and subject matter. Did reading this anthology change the way you think about horror? Explain.
  3. Was there a story in the anthology that particularly stood out to you? What made it so memorable?
  4. The first story in the anthology is "Harvesters" and the last is...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Defying the genre's preference for centering white heroines, this collection features Black girls who are fighters and survivors, breakers of generational curses and slayers of evil... .This collection provides much-needed representation of Black girls who refuse to be martyrs, sassy sidekicks, or casualties on the path to a white character's inevitable triumph. An engaging volume that breathes necessary life into the horror genre, showcasing the best of what goes bump in the night." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Unforgettable…Using authentic voices to detail Black experiences through a horror lens, debut creator Evans and Fennell (Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed) aim to ensure that Black girls survive their gruesome respective situations via a stellar lineup of 15 Black writers… Through vivid dialogue and descriptions of ancestral practices like hoodoo, Black culture remains at the forefront of each story." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Modern horror audiences are lucky to witness all the fresh, exciting ways in which the genre continues to evolve, and The Black Girl Survives in This One promises to push the Final Girl trope toward new horizons that will thrill and terrify readers." ―BookPage

"Bucking old and tired tropes, here is an anthology of short horror stories for young adults all starring Black girls, and spoiler alert, they all survive! But just because we know that they live to see the next day doesn't mean there is any lack of suspense or terror." ―BookRiot.com

"Creepy space suits, revolutionary werewolves, dance parties you should NOT have in a cemetery, and fox hunts gone very wrong―this book serves up fifteen different flavors of horror in fresh, spine-tingling, frightful tales. But the best part? No matter how harrowing and creepy, through her own genius, wit, the ancestors, proper moisturizer, and whole lotta 'Nope!'―THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE. Each and every time. And I'm here for it." ―P. Djèlí Clark, author of Ring Shout

"Full of brilliant and bone-chilling stories that kept my eyes glued to the pages. The Black Girl Survives In This One is the anthology I've been waiting for." ―Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

This information about The Black Girl Survives in This One was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Desiree S. Evans

Desiree S. Evans is a writer from the Louisiana bayou. She currently lives in New Orleans, where she spins spooky and fantastical tales for kids, teens, and adults. Desiree holds an MFA in Fiction from the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin, as well as degrees in journalism from Northwestern University and international affairs from Columbia University. Connect with Desiree on her website at desiree-evans.com and on Instagram/Twitter at @literarydesiree.

Saraciea J. Fennell is a Black Honduran American writer, founder of The Bronx is Reading, and creator of Honduran Garifuna Writers. She is also a book publicist who has worked with many award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors. She is the editor of the nonfiction anthology, Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed, and her work has appeared in Popsugar, Refinery29, and Culturess, among others. Sign up for her newsletter, Black Girl Dreaming, on Substack for more of her writing. She lives in the Bronx with her family and black poodle, Oreo.

Tananarive Due is an NAACP Image Award winner and American Book Award winner, the author of books ranging from mysteries to supernatural thrillers to a civil rights memoir. Her books include My Soul to Keep, The Living Blood, and The Good House.

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