I'll Give You a Reason: Stories

By Annell López

Book Overview

Finalist for the 2025 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story CollectionA shimmering debut story collection intimately exploring race, identity, and the pursuit of the American Dream.The vibrant stories in I'll Give You a Reason explore race, identity, connection, and belonging in the Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. A young widow goes on her first date since her husband's death and finds herself hunting a bear in the woods with a near stranger. An unhappy wife compares her mother's love spells and rituals to her own efforts to repair her strained marriage. A self-conscious college student discovers a porn star who shares her name and becomes obsessed with her doppelg nger's freedom and comfort with her own body.Annell L pez's indelible characters tread the waters of political unrest, sexuality, religion, body image, Blackness, colorism, and gentrification--searching for their identities and a sliver of joy and intimacy. Through each story, a nuanced portrait of the "American Dream" emerges, uplifting the voices of those on its margins.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558613129
• ISBN13: 9781558613126
• Release Date: April 2024
• Publisher: Feminist Press at The City University of New York
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.9" x 7.9"