Book Review: My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
MY MONTICELLO
Book Summary
A young woman descended from Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings driven from her neighborhood by a white militia. A university professor studying racism by conducting a secret social experiment on his own son. A single mother desperate to buy her first home even as the world hurtles toward catastrophe. Each fighting to survive in America.
About the Author
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson's writing has appeared in Guernica, the Guardian, Phoebe, Prime Number Magazine, and elsewhere. Her short story "Control Negro" was anthologized in Best American Short Stories 2018, guest edited by Roxane Gay, and read live by LeVar Burton as part of PRI's selected Shorts series. Johnson has been a fellow at Hedgebrook, Tin House Summer Workshops, and VCCA. A veteran public school art teacher, Johnson lives and writes in Charlottesville, Virginia.
My Review
I won this ARC from the publisher via Goodreads for a fair and honest review. My Monticello is a debut collection of stories written in range by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson. The stories are centered on racism, and Virginia anchored by a dystopian tale set in Thomas Jefferson's home. I thought this novel was more of an historical fiction, but I was mistaken, the time period is now. It's composed of five short stories and one novella, which serves as the title of Johnson's novel. Her characters all seek out home as a place and an internal state. In "Control Negro," Cornelius, a black history professor devotes himself to the study of racism and the development of "Average Caucasian Males" in the experiment by clinically observing his own son from birth from a distance, hoping his son will turn out better. I enjoyed this story and was shocked by the ending. In "Virginia is Not Your Home," is written in prose was a very interesting read. Sad, but hopeful about a young woman of mixed race who adopts a new tongue and name to escape the landscapes of rural Virginia and her family. "Something Sweet on Our Tongues," reckons with institutionalized racism in schools. This story had some funny moments, child's play, dealt with hunger, diabetes, bullying, and poverty. "Buying a House Ahead of the Apocalypse," is about a single mother desperate to buy her first home even as the world hurtles toward catastrophe. This story was a wonder to me. I was lost on the premise of its storytelling. "The King of Xandria," features Mr. Attah, a Nigerian widower transformed to the United States with his two children who immigrates to a meager existence in the city of Alexandria, and finding himself adrift by the trauma of leaving his homeland. This is a sad story that probably rings true for immigrants who are struggling for a better life. "My Monticello," is the main story of a collective of Black and Brown residents who take up camp at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, seeking refuge from white supremacists. It took me awhile to get the cadence of Johnson's writing ability. The cultural makeup of the characters was appreciated. The suspense of how the this story would end, was the highlight. The stories are chilling, thought provoking and artistically crafted, showing. The stories are detailed with individual courage, hope and love. A great collection to the literary fiction genre. I wish this was a 5 star read for me this year, but I was not vested with the characters as I was hoping to be.
#HenryHolt&Co #NetGalley #MyMonticello
Exclusive
LeVar Burton and Aja Naomi King will bring the words of Jocelyn Nicole Johnson's upcoming fiction novel My Monticello to life.
The two actors are among a slate of artists who will lend their voices to the audiobook. My Monticello will come to shelves and Audible on October 5, 2021 reported by Deadline Hollywood News
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