A review by allisonreadsdc
Blue Talk and Love by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
4.0
Like almost all short story collections, some stories in Blue Talk and Love are stronger than others. I struggled a bit getting through the collection because the first story, "Wolfpack" absolutely blew me away - and then the next few in the collection fell flat. I'm glad I stuck with it because some of my favorite stories, "Adale"and "Ruidos" were towards the end.
Mecca Jamilah Sullivan is a talented writer who brings her characters to life. She writes mostly about women; black, queer, fat, immigrant women navigating daily life. Most of her stories take place in New York City, though some are in Africa or elsewhere. "Wolfpack" is a fictionalized story of the New Jersey Four, 4 black lesbians charged with assault for defending themselves against a catcaller in 2006, and is really the standout of the collection - but I highly recommend reading the whole book and adding Sullivan to your writers to watch.
Mecca Jamilah Sullivan is a talented writer who brings her characters to life. She writes mostly about women; black, queer, fat, immigrant women navigating daily life. Most of her stories take place in New York City, though some are in Africa or elsewhere. "Wolfpack" is a fictionalized story of the New Jersey Four, 4 black lesbians charged with assault for defending themselves against a catcaller in 2006, and is really the standout of the collection - but I highly recommend reading the whole book and adding Sullivan to your writers to watch.