Harare Review of Books

208 pp. May 13, 2025, Authors Equity. Fiction anthology.

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“Stories,” Edwidge Danticat says in the foreword, “are like the type of paintings or photographs you find yourself fully absorbed in. You know something happened before and after the image you’re looking at, but you wholly fall into it while taking it in.” It’s a great summary of this anthology from Kweli, which although a fairly mixed bag, I found mostly good.

Kweli’s self-described mission is “…to nurture emerging writers of color and create opportunities for their voices to be recognized and valued…” and to “[empower] writers to share stories that engage and impact our communities.” Sing The Truth was released to mark Kweli’s fifteenth anniversary.

I connected particularly with two stories about consequences: A Hard Bed by Princess Perry, about a young Black girl with extremely limited options who proceeds to mess up one of her best ones; and Cold by Naima Coster is the doleful tale of a woman who chooses—and continues to choose—the wrong man.

There are also two good stories about family. Farradiyya by Reem Kassis describes the experience of a family that’s made homeless time and time again by colonial settlement. It asks the question: Where does rootedness come from, the family or the land? Cleaning Lentils by Susan Muaddi Darraj is about both the effects of cultural dislocation and the importance of intergenerational connections in grounding us.

Then there are the two fun ones about gods: the charming La Hija de Chango by Ivelisse Rodriguez, about orishas and magic, and Emperor of the Universe by the incomparable Kaitlyn Greenidge (such an excellent writer!) which is a very unsettling story about loss and return, and a gentle exploration of the madness of grief.

It’s nice to have works by so many diverse authors collected in one place; this anthology celebrates Kweli’s important work in bringing these voices to the world. An important addition to any library.

Many thanks to Authors Equity and NetGalley for early DRC access.

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