What can I say about these short stories and novella? Other than, “Wow” and “So powerful”. Jocelyn Nicole Johnson is a gifted writer, there is a musical quality to her prose. Some of these stories are simply poetry. The standouts in this collection are definitely the first story, “Control Negro”, which is so powerful and so timely and reminded me of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, and the novella “My Monticello”. I highly, highly recommend this book. It will move you and make you think, not to mention the writing is just fantastic.

My Monticello blew me away. The collection of shorts stories and the titled novella explore living in a society with double standards, the marked differences of the Black and immigrant experiences and a profound desire to belong. The first story, “Control Negro,” has a Black college professor implement an experiment whereby his unclaimed biological son is given massive development opportunities in order to examine racism when compared to average American Caucasian. This story was selected as one of the best in 2018.

In another story, there is a widower from Nigeria who is unable to attain status or a place in his new home in Alexandria, and cannot accept his son is a thing but perfect. In one, a single mother has a to-do list that keeps recycling as she wants to buy a house before the world comes crashing down on her thinking this could save her. In another, a woman seeks to escape her impoverished beginnings and where her journey ends. In of these stories, the characters seek a sense of belonging and home.

While the stories are profound and masterful, putting the reader in the midst of the story, the masterpiece of this book is Johnson’s novella, My Monticello. Set in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the grid has gone down and white supremisists seek to burn out and kill the Blacks, a group of neighbors flee in a hurl of gunfire to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Da’Naisha, a young Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, her grandmother, her white boyfriend, and others seek ways to survive the national? global? devastation while isolated in Jefferson’s plantation with all its reminders slavery in America.

I have recommended this book to everyone I know and tell them that they will have to wait for its release. It should be on everyone’s booklist! Thank you Jocelyn Nicole Johnson.

Thank you Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for this advance copy. This review is my own opinion.

This collection of stories is destined to be a classic, marking both the present moment (police brutality, wrongful and violent displacement, and willful defiance against these wrongs) while acknowledging the deep wounds of history and their impact on the future. I liked all of the stories but the titular novella was the shining star for me. Where the other stories seemed sometimes to be an academic study of what it means to be a Black American, the novella pulled at my heartstrings.

My review of My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson…

#jocelynjohnson #mymonticello #NetGalley

I read this book completely the day it arrived; it was that engrossing. Some of these short stories will make White readers uncomfortable. Some of them will make Black readers uncomfortable. My hope is that the stories make all of us stop and think and maybe see the world as it is and not as we wish it to be. Miss Johnson has a beautiful way of writing; it is descriptive, clear and concise. The title story, My Monticello, drew me in completely and reminded me of Alas Babylon and The Stand. The first story, Project Negro, left me wanting more. I am thrilled that I was given the opportunity to read this collection of Ms. Johnson’s short writings and I highly recommend this collection.

This is a very intense book. The writing is excellent and creates vivid pictures. It is a little scary to read it considering the current state of our nation.

I was very much looking forward to this title because of wonderful blurbs from one of my favorite authors, Colson Whitehead, and also Roxane Gay and Charles Yu. But for me it was an uneven debut. Control Negro was a fine story. And My Monticello was very good, but I felt it could have used more editing; and should have either been longer as a novel, or more concise as a short story. It was a fascinating idea for a plot and I'm still thinking about it, though. The other stories were just okay for me. I do look forward to reading more from Ms. Johnson, though.

This collection of stories is well-crafted and evocative. Johnson creates such grounded voices, so even with such short glimpses, it was easy for me to become invested in these characters' stories. "Control Negro" and "The King of Xandria" are stands-outs, with my favorite being the title novella. I think "My Monticello" takes some time to gain momentum, but it's so worth it. This story is thought-provoking and heart-wrenching; Da’Naisha, a descendant of Sally Hemings and Jefferson, and her neighbors work together to build a community at Monticello, and protect their newfound family in the face of racist violence.

Hands down this is the best book I have read in 2021. Johnson's stories are relevant to the current political and social climates. Her characters have depth and are relatable. The stories are thought provoking. I can imagine rich discussions with students about each story. There are dozens of high level questions in each story and I've already started brainstorming possible extension activities. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this outstanding book and author. Ms. Johnson has hit it out of the ballpark!

This is an autonomous collection of stories situated within the confines of Virginia which also brilliantly dances around its troubled history and glimpses the shortcomings of American democracy as defined by its most famous son, Thomas Jefferson.

Each story is unique and well-plotted, “Control Negro” focuses on a cruel social experiment by a father on an unsuspecting son, and two stories, “Something Sweet on Our Tongues,” and “The King of Xandria” deal with African immigrants in Virginia. The title story/novella deals with a “homecoming” of sorts when a descendant the Jefferson/Hemings union returns to Monticello under considerable duress and bonds with a disparate group to fight for their survival. There are varying degrees of irony in each, the last being descendants of the enslaved finding refuge in the home their ancestors built. She weaves in timely topics -- there are central themes of equality and inclusion that run throughout and questions if either will truly be attained when racism and xenophobia run rampant.

Johnson is definitely an author to watch and I will pick up her future releases!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson’s debut story collection is brilliant. Using a wide variety of story-telling techniques, and points of view, each story is supremely well-crafted and functions as a universe of it’s own.

The first story, Control Negro, had a dark satire feel about it. It reminded me of another book I really enjoyed- We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin.

Johnson tells Virginia is not your Home, in the 2nd person voice which she wielded perfectly. I really did feel this story more personally than the others.

Buying a House Ahead of the Apocalypse was one of my favorites in that it captured the strange feeling of going through the motions of everyday life as the world crashes around you. I think it will resonate with many readers as we emerge from the 2020 -2021 Pandemic.

The titular story, My Monticello is fantastic and deserving of having the whole book named after it. Its a gut-wrenching story about a group of mostly Black people who flee when a white mob sets fire to their neighborhood. They make it up a hill and into the historic home of Thomas Jefferson, now a museum, famously built by the people he enslaved. All the contradictions of this founding father proclaiming that all men are created equal while he himself enslaved people, are brought to life in a very personal and unforgettable way. Johnson artfully asks us readers to contemplate- who gets to claim the legacy of being American? Who is deemed worthy in this country? Which historical figures do we revere and which do we erase? Can a country that was built on white supremacy ever be redeemed?

I could see Johnson making this last story a full-length novel, it was that good. It reminded me of Octavia Butler’s Sci-fi apocalyptic series, Xenogenesis and EarthSeed, in that it’s about a diverse group of people joined together by circumstance, struggling to make a new and more just society together.

I loved this book and I can’t wait to read more by her.

Full disclosure - I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My Monticello is absolutely breathtaking. Jocelyn Nicole Johnson truly has a gift for writing. Each story has a different voice, is rich with meaning, and just beautifully, beautifully done. Definitely one of my favorite reads of 2021, and I look forward to seeing more from this author. I can't wait for the release date to get closer and see what actual reviewers say about it! This book is just stunning.

It's hard to categorize and describe the depth and breadth of Jocelyn Nicole Johnson's collection. Each of the six stories here is so different, and yet all are skillfully rendered. Excited to read what comes next from this author!