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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Very heavy
Graphic violence throughout — mass murders, beheadings, simulated racial killings; intentional and unflinching
Language
A lot
Strong language throughout; authentic and purposeful
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief sexual content in some stories
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Racial violence and the systems that enable it, the horror underneath consumer culture, satire that refuses to be comfortable
What this book is about
Twelve stories that strip the metaphors off. The title story follows a mall employee on Black Friday as the shopping frenzy becomes literally murderous. 'The Finkelstein 5' imagines a courtroom where a white man is on trial for beheading five Black children, and the community's response to the verdict. 'Zimmer Land' is an amusement park where you can pay to kill a Black man in a safe simulation. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's debut is precise, controlled, and devastating — satirical fiction that earns every ounce of its darkness.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
graphic racial violence throughout
extremely disturbing imagery
satire of racial injustice using horror
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