Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Haley Scholars (Group 1) Benefits of reading Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

[Haley Reading Groups Spring 2022]

This semester, we read five stories -- "The Finkelstein 5," "The Era," "Zimmer Land," "Friday Black," "In Retail" -- by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah from his collection Friday Black

The stories gave us a wide range of situations and circumstances to consider. A scenario where black folks seek brutal vengeance. A future society where humans removed emotions. An amusement park where people role play racist, deadly acts. And more.  
 
1. In a sentence, which story did you most enjoy and why?   

2. What did you view as one main benefit of reading the stories -- the subject matter, the kinds of stories, the opportunity to read comments about stories from peers, something else? Let us know. We're interested in getting a sense of the benefits from reading stories or participating in a program like this. 

69 comments:

Kalonji said...

"In Retail" was the story that I enjoyed the most because it had a simple theme that is both important and relevant on a day-to-day basis. No act of kindness, despite how small you think it is, is ever wasted.

Josephine Kanyi said...

I enjoyed Zimmer Land the most because it correlates with a prediction that I have for the future where people will attend virtual events under secret identities in order to make statements with no possibility of being canceled.
The main benefit of reading the stories was the subject matter. It's always interesting to see the creativity that people possess and how many different possibilities there are for delivering a message.

Tamia Flowers said...

I’d have to say my favorite story was Zimmer Land because it kept me the most intrigued.
-Tamia Flowers

Melanie Millsap said...

I enjoyed reading the Finkelstein 5 story because i could relate to the main character and it was very relevant to what has been going on for the last couple years.

The main benefit of reading was the stories. This was not a book I would normally choose to read but the stories were interesting which made it for any easy read. A lot of the stories were easy to relate to in some way.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed “In Retail” because it was showered with emotions of real life.

The main benefit of reading all these stories was to understand that all the years of being passed over are over. Black people can stand up for themselves and must in order for things changed. It also showed how one could find a better way to get things done. Doing what others do is just continuing the horrible loop.

Alexis H.

Mark S Lewis said...

I liked Zimmerland the most; it was one of the more realistic ones for me making it more unnerving. The biggest benefit for me is the type of stories we read. I don't read stories like these, but I understand why they are important, and for that, I'm grateful for being introduced to them.

Latrina Brown said...

I enjoyed the story "In Retail" the most. I liked the kinds of stories that we read this semester, they were interesting and somewhat relatable.

Ta'mya Cummings said...

The story that I enjoyed the most was "Friday Black". It was easy to relate it to the real world and visualize the story as I read along, which made it the most enjoyable.
The main benefit of reading all these stories were seeing other people's responses. These stories were very detailed and had so many emotions to it. It was interesting to see other people's take on them besides mines and see how people have been in some of these predicaments and hearing personal experiences.

Samantha A. said...

The story I enjoyed the most was "The Era" as it depicted hardships that many people continue to face throughout their life accurately. The main benefit from this program is the unique stories that illustrate the struggles of life creatively.

Samantha A.

Nijay Spellman said...

My favorite story was "The Finkelstein 5." Even though this story was pretty gruesome, I feel that this story out of all of them did a great job at depicting the everyday struggles that African Americans face. It also showed the effects of this, for example, when we do not receive the justice we deserve we go out of our way to fight for each other.

Nijay S.

Alexis S. said...

Although, disturbing and uncomfortable, I enjoyed the story of, "The Finkelstein 5." This story had many parallels to real world issues that African Americans in the United States face everyday. It also highlighted just how unjust the U.S. justice system can be against African Americans.

One of the main benefits of reading the stories was the opportunity to read comments about stories from peers. I enjoyed getting to read different individuals interpretations and perspectives of the stories that we read throughout the reading project.

- Alexis S.

Arielle S. said...

My favorite read was "Zimmer Land" seeing as it was connected to a major and quite recent event in African American History that is still relevant today.

The main benefit from reading these stories in my case would be the subject matter. When major things happen in the world you really only think about how you felt about it or the news reporter's words never how other people saw it or felt about it, so seeing these stories and getting the authors opinion and seeing how passionate they are about certain subjects really makes you think and broadens your perspective.

Linda H. said...

My favorite story was Zimmerland because of the deep message based in fiction.

The main benefit of reading the stories is the message behind them and being able to apply that to real life.

Kahleea Washington said...

The story I enjoyed the most was "The Era", it was interesting to read about everyday interactions without the norms that guide us. The main benefit from reading these stories was seeing how familiar occurrences can be twisted into a gruesome story. I have never read this type of literature but I really enjoyed this book.

Kahleea W.

Kayla Person said...

I enjoyed Zimmer Land the most. It was an interesting read and it reminded me of books I read when I was younger. I think I benefited the most from the subject matter because all of the stories were very thought provoking. I really enjoyed this book.

-Kayla P.

William Akpan said...

The story I enjoyed the most was "In Retail" because it was a powerful story that really felt relevant to where the world is today.

To me, the main benefit was learning about the subject matter and reading stories that I otherwise would not have read.

-Will A.

Ebonie Byrd said...

I believe summer land was the most interesting. I believe the story captured scary event that has become our reality.

Daniel Allison said...

I enjoyed the "The Finkelstein 5" the most since it's the best showcase of the author's writing style in my opinion. Plus since it was the 1st story we read, it was shocking. None of the other stories grabbed me as much since I kind of knew what to expect from the author.

I think that seeing the ways the author portrayed the subject matter in each story is the greatest benefit. His exaggerated portrayals really put in perspective how crazy these issues are in our real world.

-Daniel Allison

Kelsey H said...

I enjoyed “Zimmer Land” the most because it bought light to the same situation as Trayvon Martin, explaining how people can get away with horrible acts. One of the main benefits of reading these stories was reading comments from peers. This helped a lot because sometimes reading others comments, helped to better understand the story better and it was nice to see what others had to say.

Taiye J said...

I enjoyed reading and thinking about all these stories as they all had a twist on real life situations and scenarios. My favorite stories would have to be The Era and Zimmer Land. I liked these two because they are exaggerated versions of the future possibly. I could see both of these stories taking place in the future in a twisted dystopia to where everyone thinks living like that is the best. All the stories gave me a lot to think about with trying to relate it back to the real world.

Nyla W said...

I really enjoyed “The Era” despite it being a society that looks down on emotion, because it seems as though Ben came around in the end. Throughout the story it showed Ben’s addiction to Good but towards the end he refused the injection from Ms. Higgins even though he was withdrawing from the effects of the drug.

What I like most about reading these stories is seeing how my peers perceive the same chapter in many different ways. Each story had its own twists and turns which made it difficult to decide which of the five was my favorite.

SylveA’sha Radley said...

I think the ability to relate to some of the stores is the most beneficial out of reading these stories. Just when you think someone doesn’t understand you. There is always some book out there that will. I think “Retail” was my favorite, because I understand how some of those people felt cause I’ve been through it.

Torian henry said...

In retail is the story I enjoyed the most because it is so relevant today especially in my life with me being almost done with school and searching for opportunities in the work force. The main benefit of readings these stories were that it helped shaped my perspective on life and see my peers perspectives.

Carah F. said...

I enjoyed "In Retial" the most, because I could relate to it the most. The main benefit for me was finding a black dystopian fiction author as an avid reader.
- Carah F

Oyeyemi Efunkoya said...

My best story was the Era, because it literally narrated most of the things that go on in the world, which caught my attention.

Unknown said...

The story that I enjoyed most was Friday Black because it was interesting to me that people act the way they acted in that story in real life. I think one of the main benefits of reading these stories was the opportunity to explore the thoughts about the stories of my peers. It was interesting to see what everyone thought.

Kiarra Chark

Unknown said...

The story that I enjoyed most was Friday Black because it was interesting to me that people act the way they acted in that story in real life. I think one of the main benefits of reading these stories was the opportunity to explore the thoughts about the stories of my peers. It was interesting to see what everyone thought.

Kiarra Chark

Jalen White said...

I really enjoyed "In Retail" because of how it spoke to the harsh conditions of consumerism within our country. I think the main benefit of these stories is that a shows an alternate side to everyday African American issues without relying on played out tropes such as Black Death and poverty.

Jalen W

Janielle F. said...

I really enjoyed "Finklestein 5." It's the story that I've been thinking about the most because it's a very thought-provoking story that seems like it could happen in real life. I think that the greatest benefit of these stories was being able to share ideas with our peers and see how everyone else felt or if they noticed something that we might have overlooked.

Tiana J said...

One of the main benefits for me was being able to read my peer's comments. It felt as though you are a part of a book club, and hearing other people's experiences and insights challenged the way I view things.
Tiana J

Elizabeth Kyande said...

The story that I enjoyed most was that of a world where humans had their emotions stripped from them. I found that very interesting because I see a future like that maybe 1000 years from now, especially with technology. I enjoyed reading comments the most because I get to read other people's opinions and sometimes view things differently. It is like an eye-opener sometimes.

Brooke Harris said...

I liked reading "Friday Black" and "In retail" because these types of stories are real life instances, I think about all the time. I always think that the benefit of reading stories like these are the fact that it stimulates the brain into thinking about the subject on a realistic sense. These stories are stories that are most likely to happen in real life that get overlooked on a daily basis, yet someone has turned it into a story by taking the reader out of the realistic setting.
-Brooke Harris

Chaianna Curry said...

The story I enjoyed reading the most was Zimmer Land. As unsettling as it was, I think the story was necessary to show how predictable these situations of injustice are. Lives-especially black ones should not be viewed as a game, but unfortunately, they tend to be.

One main benefit of reading these stories, is being able to view cultural events from a different lens. I’m able to see how after sharing the same experiences, an author took their thoughts and created art from it.

-Chaianna Curry

Phoenix Johnson said...

I loved "Friday Black" because it was a hyperbole, dark twist on an event and tradition that have forms of violence. I love "What Ifs" and I love how people respond to the scenarios. Therefore, I love the stories giving me deeper thinking of very common actions that happen in life and seeing others react to the same thoughts and stories.

Raven Ginger said...

I enjoyed "The Finkelstein 5" the most because it started the book off so well, I was hooked immediately because it was about real African American problems. The main benefit of reading these stories is the subject matter because they make you sit back and think. This book was amazing. I really did enjoy reading these short stories it did not feel like an assignment it felt more like a break from schoolwork to just relax and read a terrific book that focuses on African American stories with a dark twist.

Kiya R. said...

My favorite story was "Friday Black" because despite how gory it was, it was actually pretty funny and reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows, "Black Mirror". The main benefit of reading the stories for me personally were the kinds of stories that were told. The Black experience is not highlighted in a lot of science fiction, so it was really enjoyable for me to read stories about characters who have similar experiences to mine, written by Black authors.

Paris S. said...

The story I liked reading was "Zimmer Land" because it shows true instances of events that may occur in the world today, especially racism.

One benefit of reading these stories was being able to be able to think insightfully about the messages behind the stories and seeing other people's thoughts.

Alleson Huntspon said...

The story I liked the most was “In Retail”. I appreciated the fact that it showed the true reality of retail. I also woke in retail so reading about things I know personally are always a plus for me. I’m more of a math science person so finding good books to actually sit down and read is always hard so the benefit for me was just simply having a book that was interesting that I actually liked reading. -Alleson Huntspon

McKenna C. said...

I liked "In Retail" because it was relevant to real life. I thought these stories were interesting and relatable. I also liked reading others comments.

McKenna C.

Darius Campbell said...

I enjoyed "In Retail" and "Friday Black" because they make you think about what retail workers have to endure and how crazy customers can be. I feel like the stories we read were beneficial because the act as a warning of what may start to happen if we don't take the time to change what we're doing.

-Darius C

Jasmyne Rush said...

1. The story that I enjoyed the most from this book was “In Retail” because it showed a tragic event that happened in the mall and how everyone just continued about their day and didn’t even pay respect to the person that lost her life. It was like a surreal moment that caught my attention because people are like this in real life.

2. The subject matter and the opportunity to read the comments from others about the stories is what I viewed as one main benefit of reading the stories from this book.

Jamie Tabron said...

The story that I enjoyed the most was "In Retail" because I could personally relate to it the most being that sometimes I find myself falling for consumerism. However reading the story was an awakening. Personally, I enjoyed the stories we read this semester because it related to real life events that we don't get to always see in literature, but still had an entertaining twist and underlying message.

Nyah C. said...

The one that stayed in my mind the most was Zimmerland. It felt so reflective of our society today. It's a part of the reason I enjoyed the stories so much. The stories were about the society we live in now but in a perspective that made it obvious how messed up the situations we find ourselves in are, we don't realize because it's the life we live but it's easier to see this way.

Richard Haley said...

my favorite story had to be “in retail” because it represented situations that happen in real life and really show you the true reality of how society is

-Richard Haley

Noah A. Phillips said...

The story that really stuck with me this semester was Zimmer Land. Although it was tough to digest, the story did a good job of showing different situations of injustice and even making reference to true events. I think one main benefit from reading all of these stories is allowing the audience to be educated on different topics through story telling rather than news outlets. Story telling does a great job of forcing readers to question why something happens and what it means, this allows readers to actually think about society and the many issues we have yet to overcome.

David Bankole said...

Although, disturbing and uncomfortable, I enjoyed the story of, "The Finkelstein 5." This story had many parallels to real world issues that African Americans in the United States face everyday. It also highlighted just how unjust the U.S. justice system can be against African Americans.

One of the main benefits of reading the stories was the opportunity to read comments about stories from peers. I enjoyed getting to read different individuals interpretations and perspectives of the stories that we read throughout the reading project.

Philip Bowen said...

I loved the Zimmer land story because it touch on the reality of what actually happen in America. The author showed how African American communities are as a amusement park for whites most time. the benefit of this story would be helping show the racial division and how it impacts us.


- Philip Bowen

Anonymous said...



That story that I enjoyed the most was Friday black. The author uses great detail in the story and something like this could really happen in real life. I liked being able to read my peers comments on the stories. It was niece getting their views and seeing that they thought about that story. I enjoyed the book it hav many great stories!

-Breana B.

K carter said...

Zimmer Land was my favorite because it caught my attention the most.

The main benefit to me is, gaining a better understanding of what happens in real life by reading it in an interesting perspective with a fiction story.

Anonymous said...

Zimmer Land is the story I enjoyed most because of all the stories; I could see this taking place in the future.

The benefit is experiencing someone else's imagination and creativity as well as discussing the content with my fellow peers.

Jacqueline Smith

Byron Coulter said...

I liked Zimmer Land the most out of all the stories because I think that plot although quite extreme, is foreshadowing something that could come up later on.

The benefit of these stories is that you are reminded of events that have happened in the past. Even if its fiction it would be nice if humanity wouldn't repeat the stains on its innovative history.

Zion Chatman said...

To me, the "Zimmer Land" story intrigued me the most, mostly because of the storyline and how current these events are.

A benefit I see from reading these fictional stories is seeing how everyone else interpreted them, and how we can connect them to real life social issues.

-Zion C.

Cheyenne Carpenter said...

The story that I enjoyed most was “In Retail” because it was something that I.p could relate to, working in retail. The benefit from reading these stories were seeing how I could apply these stories to real life situations, although they are fiction.

Walter Carroll said...

The story that I enjoyed the most was "The Finkelstein 5" because of how it didn't try to mask the gruesomeness that African Americans have to face sometimes. The benefit from reading stories like this is that we can all take a different message from them. Reading through other people's post can open new ideas on how these stories should be interpreted.

-Walter Carroll

Anonymous said...

"Friday Black" was a very intriguing read as it encompassed experiences I was familiar with and could reflect on. These readings showed me to connect with the author as well as others within this project.

Ilysa Walker

Erin Myers said...

Charles R said...
I enjoyed reading the Finkelstein 5 and Zimmer Land story, I was able to relate to characters but also, they were relevant with the recent unrest and social injustice across the U.S for years
The benefit of reading are the stories, the imagination of the author that we had the chance to read and enjoy. All the stories were unique, from Retail to the Era, the stories intriguing and easy to read.
April 29, 2022 at 12:56 PM
(Originally posted to https://www.culturalfront.org/2022/04/haley-scholars-group-2-challenges.html)

Erin Myers said...

Zaria Hankins said...
The story that I most enjoyed was “in retail” because I thought the way it was written made it intriguing, and it wasn’t the darkest story, but it still told an important message that can be related back to many people's daily lives in the real world.

I think that having the ability to read these stories that have such real and raw subject matter by myself then reading comments written by peers on the same stories was the main benefit because it was interesting to see the different interpretations and feelings that people can have about the same body of work. I think the author's way of writing reveals the reality behind the sometimes “dramatic” plots, and it’s interesting to see how other people perceive these stories similarly or differently than I do.
April 29, 2022 at 4:17 PM
(Originally posted to https://www.culturalfront.org/2022/04/haley-scholars-group-2-challenges.html)

Erin Myers said...

Chelsea Cooper said...
Zimmer Land was the most enjoyable story for me, strictly because it was confusing. It gave me many different emotions I couldn't explain. The main benefit of the readings was a way to explore new authors. I honestly never thought to read any kind of these stories. But, it was a great way to see the world through the views of the writer.

-Chelsea Cooper

April 29, 2022 at 6:54 PM
(Originally posted to https://www.culturalfront.org/2022/04/haley-scholars-group-2-challenges.html)

Erin Myers said...

Ashanti Y.:

I’d have to say my favorite story was ZimmerLand because I liked the way the story unfolded and how attentive it kept me.

Lexis Lewis said...

My favorite story is "The Era" because it shows that everyone goes through things and that not everyone has to be happy all of the time.
The main benefit is seeing how other people's views are towards controversial topics.
- Lexis L.

Anonymous said...

I was really fascinated by the Era, because if it’s implications of how important human emotions are in society. I enjoyed reading peoples commentary because while I had my own opinions of the stories I read other people’s point of view and it changed my perspective.
- Kai Steward

Mahlik G. said...


I most enjoyed Friday Black most, because of the vivid descriptions and craziness of Black Friday. I always wanted to experience crazy Black Friday, but now that I'm an adult, it isn't what it used to be. So, this gave my imagination something to go off of. I think a benefit to reading these stories was being able to read literature from a different perspective. Reading stories from a Black author, that are creative and different, was a great experience.

Keaira C. said...

I think the story that stayed with me the most, was the most captivating and was my favorite out of the stories that we've read would probably be Zimmer Land. It being based off of one of the most memorable tragic and traumatic events within the Black community and for racial justice and equity within this country, made it very real and brought the injustice to an even more surreal and gruesome realization. The story highlighted the issue of how Black people are getting misjudged and targeted, and the horrors of what the future could look like if the discrimination were to become even more common, or publicly accepted. This story not only provided a scary visual, but also highlighted an unspoken fear within the Black community, and I think with these fiction stories that's when you can immerse yourself into a realm of playing on fears, truths, and scary realities. I know some of the other stories did this well too, but this is what made this story especially clever and captivating for me.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading "The era" because of its complexity and its parallelism with the real world. While reading the era,I was able really think and put into perspective what the author had in mind. It was not an easy read, rather, a challenging one that pushed me into critical thinking.

-Geonel M.

Ehriana . C said...

i think the story that i like personally was Friday Black because it something that i believe could of happen in real life. the story was unique and a story that i felt like i have already experience. This story was very great and compelling.

ehriana.c

Tiffany Ellison said...

I enjoyed "Friday Black" the most just because it felt so real. The way that the author puts the story in detail really allowed me to sink myself into the story, and see how things like what happened in the story can also very well happen in real life.

-Tiffany E.

Erin Myers said...

Jania G.:
The story I enjoyed the most was Zimmer Land because I found it to be the most interesting. The main benefit of reading the stories for me was the subject matter.

Anonymous said...

My favorite story was Zimmerland because it took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I enjoyed it a lot because it isn't a story that I would traditionally read.

Fatima Bashir

Erin Myers said...

Dasmin W.:

Out of all the stories, I enjoyed The Era the most because it shocked me how strict the labels are in determining your personality and worth in the book. In all of the stories, there are bits and pieces of the real-life events and situations within them. It was interesting to see how an author creates a creative fiction story based on the darkness of society. The creativity of the authors makes it a good read, but the readers leave with a message about race, labels, peoples' emotions, which is what makes the stories so benfitical.