In “Suicide Watch”, a young woman named Jilly contemplates the different ways that killing herself might gain even more attention for her already popular blogs, while the central character in “Whisper to a Scream” starts to realize that her own internet fame is perhaps not what she wants to be the focus of her life. The book’s thematic interest in getting attention through the use of technology and social media continues in the next two stories. As she begins filming the pilot for a reality show that will focus on her family’s unique lifestyle, her black husband realizes that he has had enough, and prepares to leave. In “The Subject of Consumption”, the narrative focuses on the experiences of a white woman named Lisbeth who seems to be willing to do almost anything for fame, and/or for money. The middle story in this mini-collection is “The Body’s Defenses Against Itself”, in which the adult Fatima considers how different aspects of her past have affected her present. The third in this trio of stories, “Fatima, the Biloquist” considers another of Fatima’s school-age experiences: the development of her friendship with Violet, who is both black and albino. The conversation takes place entirely in letters.
In the first of these three stories, “Belles Lettres”, Fatima does not actually appear, but is the focus of an increasingly angry conversation between her mother and the mother of one of Fatima’s classmates, the only other black student in their upper-middle class school. The third, fourth, and fifth stories in the collection have a single character in common: Fatima, a young black woman who struggles with body image issues. The second story in the collection focuses on Randolph, a young black academic who gets into conflict with the young, female, Latin academic with whom he shares his office. The two get into a confrontation, and are shot by police. One enjoys dressing in costumes that resemble those of his favorite anime characters the other is an artist. The first gives the collection its title, and relates to the previously referenced source of the author’s inspiration for the collection: “Heads of the Colored People: Four Fancy Sketches, Two Chalk Outlines, and No Apology.” The story considers the young life and violent death of a pair of black men. Most of the stories, however, are entirely self-contained.
There are 12 stories in the collection, some of which have characters in common. Simon and Schuster, 2018.Īs the author comments in her post-collection note, the form and content of the stories are based on, and inspired by, short writings by black authors in the 1900’s, writings that considered the various possibilities for the future of black people in America. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Thompson-Spires, Nafissa.
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