I am a member of the ALA Carnegie Medal Committee. This title made the 2024 Longlist but it did not make the Shortlist. See the complete Shortlist <a href="https://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/carnegie-medals/2024-winners"> here.

If no one has said it yet let me be the first Jeffrey Rennerd Allen is a word Smith his writing style is to die for while reading the stories I couldn’t wait to see what he wrote next not only because the stories were interesting but the way he words himself is phenomenal the first story is a man who goes on a mission he believes from God Black people want to kill his kind and I don’t know if there albinos or people who produce light I wasn’t certain but that didn’t stop me from loving this story and they just get better from there from a daughter who loses her mom to cancer to a boy who sees classmates die in strange ways the stories are weird and strange but OMG good their stories about ghost death there’s women protagonist men and children tell stories from seemingly every point of view. I just want to reiterate reading this book is an adventure in words Mr. Allen is a gymnast when it comes to the written language and his writing is beautiful thought-provoking strange out-of-the-box and beautiful. I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book but OMG I loved it it’s horror/literary fiction/thrillers/paranormal if you love the written language you will be doing yourself a favor to get familiar with Jeffrey Rennard Allen’s Book Fat Times And Other Stories I am definitely going to be looking for his books in the future and will read anything he’s published already I have never been this over the moon about someone and their word structure but you have to read it to understand he truly is a genius when it comes to the written word in these stories or definite examples of that a truly great five star read it is a short story collection that if it hasn’t should’ve won awards I absolutely loved it! I received this book from NetGalley and gray wolf press but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.