{"product_id":"mama-said-stories-9781952271984","title":"Mama Said: Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Surprising and revelatory. . . . I love this book.\" --Stephanie Powell Watts, author of \u003ci\u003eNo One Is Coming to Save Us\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"This book has staying power. \u003ci\u003e. . .\u003c\/i\u003e The characters and their struggles and triumphs will vibrate within your heart and mind long after the last pages are turned.\" --Crystal Wilkinson, author of \u003ci\u003ePraisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"The collection will reshape what you think about the region and the people that inhabit it.\" --\u003ci\u003eDebutiful\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eOriginal stories of Black family life in Louisville, Kentucky, for readers of Dantiel Moniz (\u003ci\u003eMilk Blood Heat\u003c\/i\u003e) and Kai Harris (\u003ci\u003eWhat the Fireflies Knew\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The linked stories in \u003ci\u003eMama Said\u003c\/i\u003e are set in Louisville, Kentucky, a city with a rich history steeped in tobacco, bourbon, and gambling, indulgences that can quickly become gripping and destructive vices. Set amid the tail end of the crack epidemic and the rise of the opioid crisis, \u003ci\u003eMama Said\u003c\/i\u003e evokes Black family life in all its complexity, following JayLynn, along with her cousins Zaria and Angel, as they come of age struggling against their mothers' drug addictions. \u003cp\u003e JayLynn heads to college intent on gaining distance from her depressed mother, only to learn that her mother's illness has reached a terrifying peak. She fears the chaos and instability of her extended family will prove too much for her boyfriend, whose idyllic family feels worlds, not miles, apart from her own. When bats invade Zaria's new home, she is forced to determine how much she is willing to sacrifice to be a good mother. Angel rebels on Derby night, risking her safety to connect with her absent mother and the wild ways that consumed her. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMama Said\u003c\/i\u003e separates from stereotypes of Black families, presenting instead the joy, humor, and love that coexist with the trauma of drug abuse within communities. Kristen Gentry's stories showcase the wide-reaching repercussions of addiction and the ties that forever bind daughters to their mothers, flaws and all. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e West Virginia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781952271984\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288","brand":"Kristen Gentry","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43075574169781,"sku":"9781952271984","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_9e8f26a0-bd97-468a-8b09-4239f1764a4d.jpg?v=1691468998","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/mama-said-stories-9781952271984","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}