This is a fabulous short story collection. The stories are connected on that the main characters show up in other stories in a supporting roll. So smart, sharp and funny. There is not a single miss in the entire collection.

A wonderful collection of stories examining race and identity. We should be reading more collections and more stories like these.

Although my initial reaction to this collection of stories was blasé, upon futher contemplation I went to four stars. The collection is centered on Black identity and the heaping of satire is heavy here and the humor is plentiful. The story Belles Lettres, which has two mothers exchanging notes through their daughters backpacks is side-splitting funny. Be careful reading in public, lest folks think you a little off for laughing loud alone with a book or tablet. That story for me was the highlight of the book, and another strong story was, The Necessary Changes Have Been Made dealing with the office politics at an HBCU. Nafissa Thompson-Spires keeps her stories humor filled but avoids silliness.

Even the story of a young lady contemplating suicide is infused with humor removing some of the sadness from that story, Suicide,Watch. Nafissa Thompson-Spires has done a good job of looking and laughing at ways of Black expression, ways of identifying and defining Blackness that often know no bounds, or at least the bounds are not always recognizable to all claiming Blackness. In that way, she makes you pause from holding your side and really meditate on what is being read. This is often difficult to achieve in short stories due to the nature of the genre. She seemingly has no fear or worry about ‘going there.‘ Nafissa is announcing her arrival with this book of stories and judging from the boldness and fearlessness of her prose she will be around for quite some time. And that is a very good thing. This book will be available Apr. 10, 2018. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced ebook.

This book captured me from the very first page. This was an emotional and timely journey through stories. I felt a far greater (though still limited) understanding of other people's troubles and feelings after finishing. I'll never say that I can fully appreciate the feelings of people of different races or social statuses, but I think it is of the utmost importance that we all at least try. These stories helped me gain perspective and I'm a better person for having read them.

Outstanding read!!! Wonderful stories. I loved how some of the stories weaved together from one to the other. My favorites were the letter written between two women about their daughters, and then the stories about the daughters themselves. This section read like a mini novel and I would not mind reading a full novel about the moms, Fatima and Christina. These stories are titled: "Belles Letters", :Fatima, the Bioquist: A Transformation Story" and "The Body's Defenses Against Itself". "Wash Clean the Bones" is poignant. This book is a masterpiece. Thanks to NetGally, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this deeply moving book in return for my honest review.