Thanks so much to Scribner for the chance to read and review this book prior to release.

While I do think this will be great for a lot of people, the language and writing style did not work for me.

This will be available in August 12 for those interested.

Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for the eARC! Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is a collection of interconnected short stories detailing the lives of different people living in Banneker Terrace, a low income high rise building in Harlem, as they face gentrification and displacement. The universe that Sidik Fofana creates within the Banneker Terrace is incredibly raw and drew me in immediately from the first story. The portrayal of gentrification and hardship is so well written and relevant to what is happening currently in so many communities that it felt like I was reading genuine accounts of people rather than a fictional novel. A new favorite and a very important read!

Thank you to Netgalley andScribnerfor an eARC.

Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is a collection of eight short stories that each are written from the point of view of a tenant living in Bannekar Terrace, a low-income high-rise in Harlem. I enjoyed reading about these people and how they were all connected to Bannekar Terrace. The writing style was a bit hard to follow at times because Sidik Fofana did so well at writing how the characters would speak. This helped pull you into the stories and become part of Bannekar Terrace. All in all a great ready and I look forward to more to come from Sidik Fofana.

I love novels written in short stories. Sidik Fofana knits a beautiful narrative of the Banneker Terrace apartments in Harlem and its complicated tenants. Each chapter is written with a new voice from ex-gymnast and college drop-out, Neisha, to middle schooler and wannabe hip hop dancer, Najee, to several others.

The underlying concern for each of the tenants is gentrification in Harlem. Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is a righteous political statement and creative experiment as Fofana asks us to look into the tenants as individuals facing systemic injustice.

This book is a necessary and impactful read. This book is one we should be talking about. Read this book, especially if you are interested in:
• gentrification in Harlem
• Harlem culture
• poverty and systemic injustice

The author brings us into the lives of people living in Harlem in a low income apartment building,.The characters come alive doing their best to survive,Reading this involving story brings the tenants their struggles alive.This was astory I was involved in from first page to last will be recommending this author this book.netgalley #scribner

An amazing debut from Sidik Fofana, a school teacher in Brooklyn! Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is a collection of eight short stories that each are written from the point of view of a tenant living in Bannekar Terrace, a low-income high-rise in Harlem. His storytelling is exceptional and he gives life and depth to his characters. This book provides intimate and emotional perspectives from characters struggling not only with everyday worries like making rent, but bigger concerns with gentrification threatening the future of their homes. I highly recommend this book, coming out in August!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC!

Enjoyed these short stories tops from different people living in the same building. Each narrator had such a distinct voice which brought them to life. The interconnectedness of all the characters and their lives was gorgeously realistic and emotional.

My first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! Such a gripping novel that made it hard for me to put his book down once I started it. Highly recommend!!

I enjoyed all the stories in this book. Such heartache, sadness, terror, and emotions. This author has real talent making the human condition come to life..

A strong chorus of voices inside a cohesive concept and vivid snapshot of life inside a project housing building in New York City. The strongest part of these interconnected lives is the use of voice, with each character and their stories being brought to bright reality through effective use of language and description. Heartbreaking, heartwarming, realistic, and poetic all in one, this is an incredibly strong book.

A relevant, pertinent collection of stories that packs an emotional punch!

Bannekar Terrace is a low-income high-rise in Harlem. The residents are struggling, not only because of their everyday worries, but also because gentrification is on the horizon and they might be forced out of the place they’ve called home for life.

This is a collection of eight stories that connect in various ways. We hear from a waitress and young mother who is doing her best to make ends meet, a paraprofessional educator whose stress never seems to end, a young man who acknowledges his lack of ambition and wants to make a change, as well as other tenants.

This is the debut novel of Sidik Fofana, although three of his stories have appeared in other publications. His writing is exquisite and powerful. I cared deeply about the tenants, and couldn’t get enough. That’s no small achievement, considering the book has eight stories and runs just over 200 pages. Fofana hooked me with each perspective. He paints a scene that is realistic, emotional, and intimate. The characters each speak in their own distinct way, and that adds to the authenticity and flow.

I expect this is a book that many will be talking about closer to publication date..and after. I’m looking forward to reading more of Fofana’s work, and highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Scribner for providing a physical ARC, as well as a digital ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 8/16/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Sidik Fofana's collection of stories will grab you from the first page and keep you reading until the last word. The book contains seven chapters, each told from the point of view of someone living in a low income housing building in Harlem. The stories are as varied as the characters, but they all have the common thread of the struggle of dealing with the reality of the world around them while trying to stay true to themselves. Each story contains threads of hope as the characters try to come to terms with gentrification and what it ultimately means in their current and future lives.
Fofana creates believable characters who are truly human. They have hopes, dreams, and flaws. They make mistakes and attempt to recover from them. They often see what they want to see, and the point of view of each is powerful. This book is at times eye opening, at times heartfelt and at times heartbreaking. As each story progresses you are drawn into the hopes and desires of each character, but also into their reality, and often the disappointment of the futility of their efforts. Each is fighting against a system that has already made decisions about them, but yet they continue to move forward and try to create a better life ahead for themselves and those they love.
Fofana's voice is strong and unique. I am excited to read more from him.

The fictional low-income high rise that Sidik Fofana sets his collection of short stories comes vividly and fantastically alive thanks to the incredible extent to which he has fleshed out his cast. Every one of his characters gets to tell their own personal tale of their struggles and dreams in their own unique voice - quite literally. Many of the chapters are first person narratives written exactly how Fofana has decided his characters will speak, and in turn allowed me to feel like I could hear these completely fictional people narrating their lives if I had just run into them out on the street.

Between the aforementioned and the beautifully messy tangle through which characters’ lives intersect with one another from chapter to chapter, it ended up being quite difficult for me to tear myself away from "Stories from the Tenants Downstairs", and I ended up enthusiastically devouring most of it in the span of a single morning. Fofana’s debut work is definitely not to be passed up, and I greatly look forward to seeing more from him in the future.