The World Doesn't Require You

Stories

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Pub Date Aug 20 2019 | Archive Date Jul 31 2019
General Fiction (Adult) | Multicultural Interest

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Description

Established by the leaders of the country’s only successful slave revolt in the mid-nineteenth century, Cross River still evokes the fierce rhythms of its founding. In lyrical prose and singular dialect, a saga beats forward that echoes the fables carried down for generations—like the screecher birds who swoop down for their periodic sacrifice, and the water women who lure men to wet deaths. Among its residents—wildly spanning decades, perspectives, and species—are David Sherman, a struggling musician who just happens to be God’s last son; Tyrone, a ruthless PhD candidate, whose dissertation about a childhood game ignites mayhem in the neighboring, once-segregated town of Port Yooga; and Jim, an all-too-obedient robot who serves his Master. As the book builds to its finish with Special Topics in Loneliness Studies, a fully-realized novella, two unhinged professors grapple with hugely different ambitions, and the reader comes to appreciate the intricacy of the world Scott has created—one where fantasy and reality are eternally at war. Contemporary and essential, The World Doesn’t Require You is a “leap into a blazing new level of brilliance” (Lauren Groff) that affirms Rion Amilcar Scott as a writer whose storytelling gifts the world very much requires.

Established by the leaders of the country’s only successful slave revolt in the mid-nineteenth century, Cross River still evokes the fierce rhythms of its founding. In lyrical prose and singular...

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A Note From the Publisher

LIbraryReads votes due by 7/1 and IndieNext votes due by 6/4.

LIbraryReads votes due by 7/1 and IndieNext votes due by 6/4.

Advance Praise

“I've been a fan of Rion Amilcar Scott's for years, but I was astonished by The World Does Not Require You, which seems a leap into a blazing new level of brilliance: it is a wild, restless, deeply intelligent collection of stories, each of which resists and subverts the limits of categorization. What a beautiful book.” - Lauren Groff, author of Florida and Fates and Furies

“The World Doesn't Require You is a wholly inventive, mesmerizing, genre-bending whirlwind of a book. I am utterly blown away by Rion Amilcar Scott's boundless talent and imagination.” - Jami Attenberg, author of All Grown Up

“In the midst of a renaissance of African American fiction, Rion Amilcar Scott's stories stand at the forefront of what's possible in this vanguard. Funny, sad, and always moving, these stories explore what it means to call a place like America home when it treats you with indifference or terror. The people in these stories are unforgettable, their lives recognizable, their voices, as written by Scott, wholly original.” - Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman

“Scott’s signature blend of tenderness and world-weary wise-cracking and magical realism buoys the reader with strength and a deeply intelligent hope. You won’t find Cross River on any map, but its people and their stories are real and solid and demand to be heard.” - Cari Luna, author of The Revolution of Every Day

“I've been a fan of Rion Amilcar Scott's for years, but I was astonished by The World Does Not Require You, which seems a leap into a blazing new level of brilliance: it is a wild, restless, deeply...

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Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781631495380
PRICE $25.95 (USD)
PAGES 384

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Featured Reviews

I was hooked from the very first story. This book grabbed me and spoke to me in a way that no book has done in a truly long time.

This collection of essays covers coming of age and fables stories all wrapped into a beautiful collection that explores slavery, love, and connection mixed in with African American history and experience.

The themes are unique and powerful, often leaving me with deep thoughts and analysis.

A thought-provoking and strong collection.

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