Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Haley Scholars (Group 3) 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? 

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

The story that most interested me was Zimmer land because it was basically an entertainment center for racists. I believe that one of the main benefit of reading these stories was to inform people on how severe things can get if we continue to act the way we acted.
Neville G

Ivan Johnson said...

1. I enjoyed "The Finkelstein 5" the most because it touched on topics like racism, classism, and capitalism
2. I viewed the fact that shaming and looking down upon Black people has been a regular thing, but Black people still find a way to outshine those same haters as one main benefit from reading the stories.

Jasmine Johnson said...

The story I enjoyed reading was "Zimmer Land" because how it related to real world situations that happened recently in today's society. A benefit from reading these stories that I got was just seeing how these things really happen in the real world and that we are living through these problems for years

anaya jones said...

I enjoyed the reading "Zimmer Land" because how it was about the entertainment of racists. I feel that the main point of the readings was informative.

Damya Evans said...

1. I enjoyed "In Retail" the most because all though the story is not true I have worked in retail and can relate to dealing with difficult customers.
2. One benefit from reading these stories is that although they may seem extreme things to this extent can happen or be done to people around us.

Ehijie Ilenikhena said...

1. I enjoyed reading "The Finkelstein 5" because I felt it touched more on topics that are less fictitious but present in today's world.

2. One main benefit of reading the stories would be being more "enlightened" perse on how African Americans experience life in America. Even though a lot of the stories in the book were fictitious they're still based on a concept of how the author views blacks are depicted in our society.

Ehijie.I

Tashauna F. said...

I enjoyed "In Retail" because I've been working in retail for years and I can honestly say that parts of that story are very true in real life.

The benefit of this story was that it outlined the difficulties that African Americans face and it shows how extreme situations can impact the black community and mind.

Tashauri F. said...

I enjoyed "The Finklestein 5" because it made me think about present day events. Although it is fiction I view the main benefit of the story is it being an eye opener. A fake story exposed us to a present day problem we see often.

Jonathan G said...

I enjoyed reading "The Finkelstein 5" because it addressed issues like  racism.

The benefit of this story is that it has the advantage of highlighting the challenges that African Americans encounter and showing how extreme situations can affect the black community and mind.

Jonathan G

Layla Brooks said...

I enjoyed the Zimmerland because it was so interesting about how the customers and workers acted. The most difficult thing about reading these stories is that it's not a normal story and has a lot of symbolism in it. So you have to try to interpret what the message is from the story and how you feel even though you are confused.

Alayah D. said...

1. I enjoyed reading this story because it didn't shy away from the possibility of these events happening in real life.

2. The benefit I received from reading this story is being able to see the author's perspective on real life situations and his way of interpreting it.

Stefani F said...

1. I enjoyed the Finkelstein 5 story the most because even though the details of the story were sad but the hard reality of what some people have to go through, it honestly gave me vivid imagery while I was reading and it made me sympathize with the story even more.

2. A benefit I got from reading this story was the harsh and eye-opening realization of what black people still have to go through. Though this is a fictional story, the details are based on real events that shouldn't be normal situations we're numb to.
-Stefani Farrow

Tamia Goodlow said...

1.) I enjoyed reading "In Retail" because I related to this story in many ways.
2.) I benefitted from this because it showed the stressful situations we go through.

David Gaines said...

David Gaines
I enjoyed reading "In Retail" the most because it was based on events that could happen or have already happened in the real world.
A benefit of reading this story is that it opened my eyes to see things that could potentially happen.

Kemry H said...

I enjoyed reading "In Retail" because I have worked in retail and although the story is fiction, I still found it interesting and relatable.
The benefit I received from reading these stories is that it highlighted the challenges that African Americans endure and it demonstrates how extreme conditions can affect the African American population.

Arieona B. said...

The story I enjoyed the most was “The Era” because it was something different than what I am used to reading.

What I found most challenging was sometimes what was happening in the stories. I sometimes had to go back and reread to fully understand the story line.

-Arieona B.

Brianna H said...

The story I enjoyed was In Retail because I could relate to how stressful retail could be and how hard it is dealing with rude customers.
I benefitted that retail could have you doing things that's not in your job description it can sometimes disturb our mental health

Niylah E. said...

The story “Zimmerland” was most enjoyable because it gave a broader spectrum of racism. One main benefit was the information that was presented, so we know what and how to act in situations.

Kennedy J said...

I enjoyed "In Retail" the most because of how relatable it was for a wide range of people.
A benefit I gained from reading this story was seeing how other people deal with stressful and unfair situations. It's always nice to know you're not alone when dealing with a hard situation and it's not just you that's targeted.

Jenaya Gant said...

The story I enjoyed reading was "Zimmer Land" because how it related to real world situations that happened in society today. A benefit from reading these stories that I got was just seeing how these things really happen in the real world .

Zion H said...

1.The selection I like the most was the "In Retail" I like how it was detailed about how working in retails is.
2.A benefit from reading this story is seeing how different people reacted in different situation.

Jonathan H said...

I most enjoyed reading "In Retail" because I found it the most relatable and realistic out of the stories we read this semester.

One main benefit I viewed from reading these stories is seeing how they each tackled different aspects of race and culture in America through fantasy concepts and scenarios, which I feel makes them more understandable and accessible to a wider audience.

Alexi J. said...

1. The story I enjoyed the most was The Era because of the many underlying themes and topics touched upon while telling a story of just one boys experience in this dystopian society.
2. A benefit of reading these stories is the insight one gets from reading them. When reading these, I felt a shift in my perspective and also saw myself applying the themes of the story to real life!

Alexi J.

Colette Jackson said...

1. The story that I enjoyed reading the most was Zimmer Land because it gave an ideal look at racism and I was able to connect it to societal happenings to this day.
2.A benefit from reading the stories I got was the ability to connect real world to book world and how many stories reflect the world we live in today.
-Colette Jackson

Anonymous said...

The story I found the most interesting was the “Finkelstein 5,” because I related to the aspect of changing your natural qualities. For instance, he has to turn down his blackness, in society My hair is looked down upon.

Honestly there was no benefit of me reading this other than I found a potential author whom I might look into and his other works.

Scott Freeman IV said...

The story I found the most interesting was the “Finkelstein 5,” because I related to the aspect of changing your natural qualities. For instance, he has to turn down his blackness, in society My hair is looked down upon.

Honestly there was no benefit of me reading this other than I found a potential author whom I might look into and his other works.

Marcus G. said...

1. The story that I like the most is "In Retail." I can relate to this, even though it's fictional due to it highlighting the point that retail workers get hate and get very stressed out. I work in retail, so I can easily relate.

2. A benefit from reading this story is to see how people can handle and react in different situations. It really brings issues to light.

TJ Hunter said...

The story that I loved the most was the In retail one because of how realistic the situation could have been.
A benefit from reading the stories was the lessons and how you can see how creative a writer can be with their work.

Taylor Gray said...


1.) The story I enjoyed the most was "In Retail" because i have worked in retail before and know many people who could relate to it.

2.) What I viewed as one of the main benefits of reading the stories is expanding the knowledge on a variety of things that occur in life through creative storytelling.

-Taylor Gray

Aminah A. Haynes said...

1. The story I found the most interesting was "The Finklestein 5" as it portrayed multiude subjects of racism, police brutality, and white priveledge all in one story. It was very eye-opening as these are events that go on in the real-world today.

2. What I believe was one benefit of the story was for people to recgnoize real world problems that go on in the world whether it involves racism, brutality, or workers treatments from the public.

Indya Howard said...

"The Finkelstein 5" was my favorite since it addressed issues such as racism, class discrimination, and capitalism. I saw one of the primary benefits of reading the stories as the fact that humiliating and looking down on Black people has been a common occurrence, yet Black people still find a way to outshine those same critics.

Unknown said...


I enjoyed “In Retail” the most because it was something I could somewhat connect to. Overall, I think the main benefit of reading these stories is to see what the world could really end up like one day. While most of the actions were imaginative, the concept and plot behind them could be our reality of earth on day.

Tonia Estes

Tyler Guthrie said...

1.) I believe my favorite story was "The Era" due to how it refers to a potential future of the world where racism is not nearly as bad as it is today.

2.) What did you view as one main benefit of reading the stories? After reading each of these stories, one main benefit I am able to identify is how they refer to current world issues as there seems to be a parallel between the two concepts.

Erin Myers said...

Nadia G.:

1. I liked "The Finkelstein 5" the most because it hit on topics of racism and downgrading because of class.
2. One main benefit of reading this is that we got a chance to read about real things on racism. How hurtful and inhuman it is to hate a race just because of color. I've never gotten a lot of opportunities to read books on the lore deeper topics. So, it was cool to read this one.

Erin Myers said...

Carmesha J.:

The story I most enjoyed was "the retail" because I could relate to the things that were stated , i worked in retail and it was basically going over everything i experience. It was ver informative on things i had no clue about.

Erin Myers said...

Natalie G.:

I enjoyed reading " Zimmer Land" the most because it related to the real world situations of today. The main benefit of reading these stories was to show people how African Americans were and still are being treated in today's society.

Unknown said...

1. I enjoyed "Retail", the most because i feel like it was really relatable to me, since I work in retail.

2. I believe a benefit of this story is for people to realize and think about real life problems that actually go on in the world today.

-Anjeal Jones

Anonymous said...

1. I like the black Friday story, because it was the most realistic.

2. This book brought to light how bad the world could really be, and it makes me appreciate how far we have come. Even though sometimes it doesn't feel like weve that far.
Z'Kya Dixon

Aunye Harrold said...

1. I enjoyed in retail because in real life it is relatable and even though the story itself is fictional many things similar do happen.

2. From reading it you can open your eyes to things you may have not thought to try and see before. If you are always seeing something from one perspective you can try and see things through another with these stories. Even use some real life examples.

Chaz Hunter said...

I enjoyed "The Finklestein 5" because it made me think about present day events. Although it is fiction I view the main benefit of the story is it being an eye opener. A fake story exposed us to a present day problem we see often.

Erin Myers said...

Tanija H.:

It was interesting to read "The Finkelstein 5" because it dealt with issues like racism. Not only past racism but things that are still happening today in our society. By reading this story, I became aware of how harsh and inhumane racism still is.

Arielle johnson said...

1. I enjoyed the finklestein 5 because it was interesting, it showed how POCs at times do try to dial back their uh...I guess who they are to fit in or to not be deemed as threatening
2. In terms of benefit if im being honest, this money that this scholarship gives. These books...as awesome these stories are!, are depressing, weird or just down right a messed up dystopia universe that are used as a metaphor for the struggles the black and POC people face, which is good to learn and understand but as a Black person and a ADOS, it's quite frustrating constantly watching and reading media, books films etc that just show struggles or your ancestral trauma. Many POCs like books that just aren't about our struggles, like fantasy, historical fiction sci-fi, things that we'll white people are often showcased as the default, but instead we want to see representation of ourselves in those genres, without the underlying tones or metaphors.

Tamya Goodlow said...

1. I enjoyed "In Retail" the most because I have worked in retail and can relate to dealing with difficult customers.
2. One benefit from reading these stories is that although they may seem extreme things to this extent can happen or be done to people around us.

Erin Myers said...

Jameelah H.:

My favorite story was the retail story, due to me working in retail I relate highly and especially being back I can relate to the characters deeply. the on main benefit of reading this stories is i loved it took me out of my current situation into these bizarre, out of the normal scenes, I loved it and found it very interesting and refreshing to be able to escape sometimes even if I didn't want too.

Erin Myers said...

Chloe H.:

The story i enjoyed most was “in retail”. I enjoyed this story the most because it related to retail today. I think the main benefit was unraveling what the author was really trying to potray. The symbolism used in each story was amazing and sometime you had to read them more than once to understand deeper meaning.

Erin Myers said...

James G.:

I enjoyed "The Finklestein 5" because it made me think about present day events. Although it is fiction I view the main benefit of the story is it being an eye opener. A fake story exposed us to a present day problem we see often.

Stephanie H. said...

As a result of how the customers and workers interacted, I enjoyed Zimmerland very much. These stories can be difficult to read because they aren't normal stories and are filled with symbolism. Even though you are confused, you must try to figure out what the story is saying and how you feel about it.

Erin Myers said...

Ma Kayla J.:

My favorite story was the "Finkelstein 5" because of the cruel topics it covered; racism, discrimination, classism ect. The benefits to reading the stories are learning how the black community has been tested and tried in various ways and still have overcome the challenges they've faced.

Erin Myers said...

Amber D.:

The story I most enjoyed was Zimmer Land because it related the entertainment center to real world situations and problems. One benefit of reading the stories is to educate people on how much worse things can become if things didn’t change.